When the MVP’s were awarded to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, the 2024 MLB season was officially complete. It was an exciting ride that began way back in February when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. The Baltimore Orioles were once again one of baseball’s best teams. Using a combination of young stars and veteran leaders, the O’s finished the regular season with the third best record in the American League.
Players like Anthony Santander, who had a career season with 44 home runs and 102 RBI’s, Jordan Westburg, who made his first All Star team and solidified himself as a foundational piece of the Orioles’ future, and Colton Cowser, who blew away all expectations in a season that should have earned Rookie of the Year honors. Many other Orioles had seasons worth remembering, but not all of them.
Here are five players from the 2024 Orioles you may have already forgotten
Tony Kemp
Everyone in Birdland was excited to see who was going to start at second base for the O’s this season. Jackson Holliday was having another strong spring, but if he wasn’t quite ready surely Connor Norby, who set an Orioles affiliate record for hits in 2023, would be called upon.
The Orioles instead signed veteran journeyman Tony Kemp to fill the position. Kemp made nice catch in Boston but provided little else as he appeared in only five games and went hitless in 10 plate appearances for the Birds.
Cristian Pache
Acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Austin Hays to Philadelphia, Pache spent very little time in Baltimore. Seranthony Dominguez was the prize for the Orioles in the trade but they were reportedly entertaining the idea of trading Cedric Mullins so bringing a speedy center fielder made sense. When the trade deadline passed and Mullins was thankfully still an Oriole, Pache became expendable. He appeared in only three games with Baltimore and went 1-1 in his only plate appearance.
Yohan Ramírez
One of last season’s most traveled players, Yohan Ramírez played for four different major league teams in 2024. He played with the Mets, Orioles, Mets again, Dodgers and Red Sox.
His most notable moment came in his first stint with the Mets when he threw a pitch behind Rhys Hoskins but he also made five appearances for the Birds. Ramírez’s arm was good enough for teams to give him chances but his control was bad enough to change all of their minds.
Thyago Vieira
The Orioles acquired Thyago Vieira in an early season trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Another pitcher with a great arm that suffered from a lack of control, Vieira had a nightmare outing in his only appearance for the O’s.
He faced five batters, walked four and gave up one hit while also throwing a wild pitch. Vieira allowed three runs, all earned, in no parts of an inning and was designated for assignment shortly after.
Nick Maton
In an offseason move to bring in some infield depth, the Orioles sent cash considerations to the Tigers for Nick Maton. He spent most of the year in Triple-A and had a solid season posting 16 home runs, twice as many as he had ever hit at any professional level.
Unfortunately for Maton, the Orioles were so stacked in the infield that even after several injuries and trades there still wasn’t much room for him. Maton made one defensive appearance in June before being called up in September to finish the season. He went 0-5 with two strikeouts at the plate while only playing in five games.
