The Chicago White Sox should follow the Baltimore Orioles' plan toward building a winning team
The Baltimore Orioles should be the envy of every Chicago White Sox fan.
The franchise just got a new owner. They have a roster full of young exciting players who are winning games and contending for the playoffs.
The Orioles are in town and wiped the floor with the Sox in the first game of a four-game set. Well, at least for eight innings. The Sox rallied back in the ninth to get within two runs and we denied a comeback victory on a terrible call.
Andrew Vaughn is called for interference after an infield fly rule. An Absolutely BRUTAL call to end the game.... pic.twitter.com/AyhCWwiHeY
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) May 24, 2024
Terrible call aside, the White Sox are still a terrible team whether they would have come back to win or not.
The Sox could get back to winning if they follow the path the Baltimore Orioles took to go from a terrible franchise to 101 wins last season.
The Orioles were the worst team in baseball from 2017-2021. They lost 115 games in 2018, 108 in 2019, and 110 in 2021. The Sox are on the same trend.
General manager Mike Elias completely revamped the Orioles organization when he was hired in 2018. The organization had just one analytical analyst and now it has a staff in the double digits. He also brought in additional assistants to the front office from winning organizations that would help rebuild a terrible farm system.
Relatively new general manager Chris Getz has also brought in some very capable front-office executives to help him. Now he needs to execute in the draft just like Elias has done for the Orioles.
Hitting in the draft is the way the Orioles have turned things around.
Take a look at the Orioles' first-round picks going back to 2017...
- Pitcher DL Hall was taken with the 21st overall pick in 2017. He was used in getting Corbin Burnes in an offseason trade.
- Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez was taken with the 11th overall pick in 2018. He pitched last night and allowed just two runs. He has a 3.20 ERA.
- Catcher Adley Rutschman was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 and currently has a .299/.335/.474 slash line. He went 2-for-5 last night with three RBI
- Outfielder Heston Kjerstad was taken No. 2 in 2020. He is currently the No. 22 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline.com. The Orioles have so much talent that they do not have a spot for him in the big leagues.
- Outfielder Colton Cowser was drafted at No. 5 in 2021. He has a .822 OPS this season.
- Shortstop Jackson Holliday was taken No. 1 overall and is currently the top prospect in baseball.
- Outfield Enrique Bradfield Jr. was selected at No. 17 and is already the fifth-best prospect in Baltimore's system.
Baltimore's previous administration found a pitcher they could use to land an ace they desperately needed and another pitcher to help them win now. Elias and his staff took it to the next level as they already found two starters and another future one along with a prospect in Kjerstad that can replace Anthony Santander once he departs in free agency.
It is not just hitting on their first-round picks that has made the Orioles a winning organization. It is getting good players on their additional first-round selections and in other rounds.
Gunnar Henderson is one of the best players in baseball and Baltimore found him in the second round. Think about it, the Orioles and 29 other teams passed on Henderson. Then some more teams passed on him again.
Third baseman Jordan Westberg was chosen at No. 30 in 2020. Ryan Mountcastle was one of the few draft picks the administration before Elias hit on as he was an additional first-round in 2015 at No. 36. Cedric Mullens was taken in the 13th round in 2015. Santander was a Rule-5 pick-up.
The rotation was built through trades during their rebuild when they picked up Dean Kramer and Kyle Bradish. The bullpen is a mix of waiver claims, minor trades, and signings. The only major signing the Orioles made was bringing in closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel is an old friend of the organization, but with a terrible history after that brief failed tenure in 2021.
That is roster building at its finest and not breaking the bank to do it.
The Orioles are competing with the likes of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox for AL East dominance on a small budget.
Their payroll is around $111 million according to Spotrac.
That is why Getz must convince owner Jerry Reinsdorf to invest in making sure the White Sox are one of the best drafting and development teams. Reinsdorf does not like to spend money on free agents to begin with. He has made it clear he is not a fan of paying a shortstop $200 million to hit .210 (a perceived dig at the Minnesota Twins he made last year).
He can spend some money on the farm system and the tools needed to be successful in the very inexact science that is the draft. Then he gets a significant return on investment like having a young exciting ball club that wins on a smaller payroll. Now eventually that bill comes due once the players hit the arbitration years, but you can always operate wisely like the Tampa Bay Rays or the Milwaukee Brewers do and have reinforcements ready to go.
The final thing that the Orioles have done well is build an offense suited to the ballpark they play at 81 times a year. Camden Yards is a great home run park, so finding power bats in the draft is the way to go. The White Sox need to get back to bashing the ball much like NBC Sports Chicago Steve Stone pointed out recently.
The Sox farm system is loaded with young arms. They should continue to mirror developing pitchers much like their division rival the Cleveland Guardians do. They should take a page out of Baltimore's book and draft great hitting then nurture it. Put those together and maybe the Sox will get back to being a good baseball team.
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