Below are seven surprising Orioles statistics to ponder through the first 30 games of the 2016 season:
1. Orioles starting pitching has allowed the fewest home runs in the American League.
The starter ERA (4.35) ranks seventh in the AL, but the rotation has been good enough through the first 30 games of action in large part due to allowing only 14 homers in 165 2/3 innings. Chris Tillman has been particularly exceptional in this department with one long ball allowed in 38 1/3 innings.
2. Small ball has reached a new low with just four stolen bases and zero sacrifice bunts.
The Orioles ranking last in the AL in steals isn’t remotely surprising after finishing there in each of the previous two seasons, but they’re on pace to steal only 21 bases, eight shy of the AL record low set by the Washington Senators in 1957. Twenty-seven players in the majors have more steals than Baltimore.
3. The Orioles remain second in the AL in on-base percentage.
More than a month into the season, the Baltimore lineup continues to walk at a higher clip (8.5 percent of plate appearances) than last year (7.0 percent) and held a .330 OBP entering Monday. The Orioles are also seeing 3.94 pitches per plate appearance compared to 3.81 a year ago.
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4. Adam Jones is sporting a career-high walk rate.
Lost in the center fielder’s difficult start to 2016 has been a 7.7 percent walk rate, which would easily be the highest mark of his career. Whether it’s a concerted effort to walk more or an effect of the rib injury he dealt with early in the season, you have to wonder if more patience is really what’s best for Jones.
5. Joey Rickard has been worth minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-0.7 defensive wins above replacement.
The rookie entered Monday with a solid .328 OBP, but his defense hasn’t been as good as advertised as he hasn’t taken efficient routes and double-clutches on too many throws. He’ll improve with experience, but the metrics, at least, suggest Rickard has been as big of a defensive liability as Mark Trumbo.
6. Chris Tillman is averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
The right-hander struck out five in two innings in his rain-shortened Opening Day start, but he continues to exceed his career 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings by a wide margin in 2016. An improved slider is a major reason why he’s struck out 25 batters over his last three starts covering 20 innings.
7. Matt Wieters’ .292 batting average on balls in play is higher than his .289 career BABIP.
Wieters isn’t the only Orioles regular struggling, but his higher BABIP suggests he hasn’t experienced nearly as much bad fortune as Jones (.240) or Chris Davis (.226) so far. The catcher is also striking out a whopping 28.2 percent of the time after posting a career-worst strikeout rate (23.8 percent) last year.
