Blue Jays vs. Orioles: Who has the upper hand in a position-by-position breakdown?

The Toronto Blue Jays played some of their most competitive and exciting games in 2022 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Their AL East rivals experienced an unexpected spike in their rebuild, going from 54 wins to 83 while calling up some of the most highly anticipated prospects in the game.

The O’s haven’t been as active in free agency or in the trade market as some expected but the continued growth of their young players and some veterans in place should have Baltimore in a good position in 2023. Here’s how their roster stacks up in comparison to the Blue Jays’.

Catcher

The biggest turning point for the Orioles last season was the debut of catcher Adley Rutschman.  At the time, their record stood at 16-24. The rest of the way it was 67-49 and Rutschman came as advertised, with 35 doubles, .806 OPS, and a 31% caught-stealing rate on his way to a second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year race. Baltimore fortified its catching depth by bringing in vet James McCann.

Alejandro Kirk experienced a massive breakout of his own in 2022, establishing career highs across the board while winning a Silver Slugger award and being voted as the AL’s starting catcher in the All-Star Game. Kirk was able to rack up high numbers in part because of the lousy injury luck of Danny Jansen. When he was on the field, Jansen showed a power stroke not before seen with 15 homers in just 215 at-bats.

Advantage: Blue Jays