As Baltimore has changed, much remains the same for Gibson

Jordan Lyles did exactly what the Orioles needed him to do in 2022. 

Lyles was an innings eater. He posted every fifth day, making 32 starts and tossing 179.0 innings, averaging close to six innings per outing. The 31-year-old was the only member of Baltimore’s pitching staff to make at least 25 starts, and provided incredibly valuable stability at the top of the rotation. 

Baltimore won 83 games that year, a shocking 31-win improvement from the previous season. Lyles’ consistency and veteran presence played a big part in that turnaround. 

In 2023, Kyle Gibson was tasked with much of the same. Post every fifth day, eat innings and give the bullpen some breathing room. He delivered exactly that. 

Gibson was tied for the American League lead in starts with 33 and tossed 192.0 innings, 12th most in the bigs. He completed five innings of work in 28 of his 33 outings. 

The veteran kept the Orioles in almost every game, too. In 27 of those 33 starts, Gibson allowed four earned runs or fewer. Overall, a 4.73 ERA was the worst among Baltimore’s regular starters, but the righty had a role and played it. 

Things are different in Baltimore now. 

Lyles and Gibson were both key pieces of rotations on surprising teams. Nobody anticipated the Orioles winning more than 80 games in 2022, nor exceeding 100 wins in 2023. 

That’s not the case anymore. 

On the backs of those remarkable campaigns, the 2024 O’s were expected to make the playoffs and compete for the American League East crown. The 2025 Birds are expected to do the same. 

Nonetheless, not much changes for Gibson’s outlook as he returns to Baltimore after a season in St. Louis. 

“Starting pitching and pitching in general can do a lot to add some consistency to the team. I think it’s one thing we talked about in 2023 a lot,” Gibson told reporters down in Sarasota yesterday. “We knew we had really quality, really high-level position players, and if the rotation and the pitching staff could give these guys an expectation of what they’re going to get every day from the pitching staff, then they could really bring a lot of consistency to a team and take some pressure off them. I don’t think the goal has really changed in that regard.” 

And those position players have only gotten better since Gibson’s last stint with the O’s. 

In 2023, Jordan Westburg played just 68 games as a rotational infielder. Colton Cowser had yet to find his rhythm, with a .433 OPS in 26 games. Heston Kjerstad only played in 13. Jackson Holliday was putting up great numbers, just not in a big league uniform.

There are plenty of new faces for Gibson to acquaint himself with, but plenty of familiar ones, too. 

“Every time you’re joining a new team, you’re kind of playing it out in your head. What’s the locker room like? How am I going to fit in? What’s the dynamic going to be? One of the questions I got was ‘How do I think joining camp this late and joining a team late would be?’ Well, I think that was an easy question for me,” Gibson said. “Hopefully I can still fit in with these guys. I know I’m two years older now, so hopefully they don’t hold that against me.” 

Gibson’s exact role is still to be determined. Even with Grayson Rodriguez’s injury, five starters appear set in Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, and one of Cade Povich or Albert Suárez. Perhaps as we approach May, manager Brandon Hyde could opt for a six-man rotation with the addition of Gibson. 

In any case, it takes more than just five or six guys to get through a season. In an injury-riddled 2024, 13 different O’s pitchers started a game. In 2023 it was just nine, but 14 Orioles toed the first-inning rubber in 2022. Even with great injury luck, Gibson certainly figures to be one of the 10 best starters at Baltimore’s disposal. 

As Hyde noted, it will still take a lot of time for the veteran righty to get ramped up to a big league workload. Especially if, at some point in 2025, Gibson is back to his inning-eating responsibilities. 

Regardless of what his role may look like, a player many regard as one of the best human beings in the game is back in Baltimore. And that’s a win in itself. 

“There’s so many other things going on other than work,” Gibson said yesterday. “You want to try to have an impact on people in a positive way if you can, and that’s what I try to do, and (wife) Elizabeth and I try to do wherever we go. I’m thankful that these guys welcomed us a couple of years ago and we were able to have so much fun, because they had an impact on me, too, in a lot of different ways. Pretty cool to be back here and to have so many welcoming faces and a lot of time to catch up.”