Baltimore Orioles Fantasy Baseball Team Preview 2019

2018 Baltimore Orioles Recap

The Baltimore Orioles threw in the proverbial surrender towel in late July last season. One order of business was to clean out the bullpen, plus some salary weight. Darren O'Day and Zach Britton joined top starter Kevin Gausman on the train out of Baltimore, but not before the Baltimore Brass unloaded the most talented Bird on the team.

Manny Machado, prime for a big free agent payday - one he received from San Diego - was traded to the Dodgers for five minor league players. The result was a woeful worst record 115 loses; good for dead last in all of Major League Baseball.

The Baltimore Orioles 2019 Fantasy Projections - Bottom Feeder Birds

When your team finishes in the proverbial professional baseball cellar, and by a healthy margin, it's unlikely players off the roster are going to warrant a lot of attention on fantasy baseball draft day. That's where the 2019 Baltimore Oriole's collective team fantasy prospects begin, with very little to get excited about.

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2019 Fantasy Pitchers Projections –Best Arms in the Bird Nest

Baltimore had one of the highest rated relief pitchers on the boards, but no longer. Now the only thing left to hang your fantasy hat on when it comes to Oriole pitchers is an erratic number one and a hit or miss veteran. When searching for the best arm out of this bird nest, remember Baltimore pitchers gave up the most runs in baseball, and won that distinction by a lot.

Dylan Bundy SP – Mentioning 2018 as a down year for Bundy is an understatement. His ERA jumped to nearly six runs a game with a 1.41 WHIP. He doubled up his wins with losses, finishing the season 8-16.

If there is a silver lining to this cloud, it's the fact that Bundy is young, plus his previous two full seasons were far better than last year. Drafting Bundy is a prayer for a turnaround season.

Alex Cobb – Cobb's won/loss record was actually worse than Bundy's. His WHIP matched the Oriole number one starter, but his ERA was almost a run lower. The biggest fantasy problem with Cobb highlights the equally poor potential won/loss record in 2019.

In addition, there aren't any bright lights for strikeouts to boost his fantasy value. While Bundy may warrant a low-end roster spot, Cobb is probably better left as free agent fodder.

2019 Fantasy Hitter Projections – The Best of the Bird Bats

The Orioles didn't own the worst team batting average in baseball, but they were close. When you don't get hits it makes it hard to score runs and Baltimore was equally inept in that vital baseball category.

One slightly bright light was home runs where they landed right in the middle as a team. If you're bound and determined to have a Baltimore Oriole bat in your 2019 fantasy lineup, keep these less than flattering stats in mind.

When deciding whether to exhaust a draft selection on a Baltimore bat, fantasy projections need to factor in 2018's weak performance of hitters at Oriole Park. Now, that may have been in no small part due to how poor Baltimore preformed, but it's worth noting. Here the best Baltimore bats to target for fantasy baseball heading into 2019.

Cedric Mullins OF – Mullins is young and fast. He'll lead off for Baltimore and should swipe some bags, which will help his fantasy value. That said, in his limited 170 plate appearances, Cedric hit .235 and had only two stolen bases. However, he will bat first and that might be enough to make him worthy of bench spot on a fantasy roster.

Mark Trumbo OF – There are a handful of projections that actually grace Trumbo with a top-150 rating. However, rebounded from a season where he hit a paltry 17 long balls and drove in only 44 runs, aspirations for a stellar season need to be tempered.

Trey Mancini 1B/OF – Dual position eligibility makes Mancini the most appealing Oriole hitter. He also has a fair amount of dynasty league attractiveness. He's only one-year removed from a .291 season with 24 home runs. Be mindful, Mancini does miss a lot of pitches in between the ones he connects with.

Fantasy Rank Team

Poor run production out of the offense, plus arms that have been prone to getting hit hard, no aspect of the 2019 Baltimore Orioles reflects well for their team fantasy rank. In fact, their projected 2019 won/loss record mirrors Baltimore's fantasy projections as a team.

Overall: 45
Pitchers: 50
Hitters: 40

The Bottom Line for These Birds

The outlook heading into 2019 is akin to trying to rebuild a professional baseball team with lackluster talent at best. While Baltimore may not trump their abysmal 115 losses, they are seemingly the odds on favorite to earn the honor of baseball's worst team, again.

With a suspect lineup and an equally suspect pitching staff, Baltimore fans aren't full of vim and vigor heading into 2019. While not mathematically out of the playoff equation when spring camp breaks in late March, these Birds won't be doing any playoff chirping this season.