Three more Orioles surprises in 2023

I rolled out three unexpected developments a few weeks ago relating to the Orioles’ 2023 season. Looking beyond the posting of the best record in the American League.

Austin Voth wasn’t impactful. Dillon Tate wasn’t able to pitch. Mike Baumann wasn’t big only in size.

Here are three more that come to mind.

Yennier Cano was an All-Star.

Cano staying on the 40-man roster over the winter qualified as surprising to me. It also illustrated why I’m not paid for my talent evaluating skills.

Stay in your lane.

Cano made 10 relief appearances with the Twins in 2022 and allowed 14 runs and 17 hits with 11 walks in 13 2/3 innings. The Orioles acquired him in the Jorge López trade, and he allowed nine runs and nine hits with five walks in 4 1/3.

Left-hander Cade Povich was the impact prospect obtained in the deal. MLB Pipeline ranks him 11^th in the organization. Cano pitched like a throw-in who should be thrown out.

The Orioles held onto him. They recalled him from Triple-A Norfolk on April 14. He responded by setting a club rookie record with 72 appearances, posting a 2.11 ERA and 1.005 WHIP in 72 2/3 innings, registering eight saves, averaging only 1.6 walks per nine innings, setting a club record with 31 holds and tying for seventh among major league relievers with a 2.5 bWAR.

Cano set the Orioles record with 32 hitless at-bats to begin a season, and he tied the record of 24 batters retired. His streak of 20 straight games without a walk to start the season was the second-longest in club history behind Jamie Walker’s 22 in 2009. He faced 84 batters without issuing a walk.

The same guy who couldn’t locate the plate in 2022.

Even the staunchest Cano supporters had to be stunned.

Danny Coulombe was cool under pressure.

News broke near the end of spring training that the Orioles acquired Coulombe from the Twins for cash considerations, and I’m ashamed to admit that my initial reaction was, “What, who?”

Coulombe pitched for three teams over parts of eight seasons and made his fourth Opening Day roster, and I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce his name. I tried it in front of him one day and he smiled and said, “That was close.”

I wasn’t close to being correct about his potential impact in the bullpen. He was much better than I anticipated, and a necessity while left-hander Cionel Pérez struggled to duplicate his success the previous year.

Coulombe finished with a 2.81 ERA and career-low 1.110 WHIP in 61 appearances. His 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings tied his career high over 35 games with the Athletics in 2016. The 58 strikeouts and 22 holds were the most in his career.

His 30.4 hard-hit rate ranked in the top five percent in the majors and his 3.04 xERA ranked in the top nine.

Trust in Coulombe came fast. His 49 inherited runners tied for sixth in the majors. He earned his first career save in his 233rd appearance.

MLBTradeRumors.com projects Coulombe to receive a raise to $2.2 million in arbitration. He was worth plenty this season.

Adam Frazier’s power surge and outage.

I didn’t know whether Frazier would make it through the entire season after signing for $8 million or be a placeholder at second base until dealt at the deadline. But at least I could pronounce his name.

Frazier set career highs with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and 16 multi-RBI games and tied his career best with 11 stolen bases. He produced a career-best on-base streak of 18 games in May, the second-longest by an Oriole this season behind Ryan Mountcastle’s 28-game stretch.

But about those home runs …

Frazier wasn’t sought by the Orioles because of his power, but he hit 13 homers over his first 97 games through July 30. And then, nothing in his last 44, including 33 starts.

Zilch. Bupkis.

Frazier was a double play partner and a double surprise.