This morning the Baltimore Orioles introduced Mike Elias as their new executive vice president and general manager. Elias comes from Houston, where he served as assistant general manager for the Astros.
Watching his press conference this morning in front of a show-stopping set filled with orange helped to remind me what I love so much about the Orioles, and for the first time in almost a year rekindled excitement for the franchise I’ve grown up adoring. The 2018 season was an absolute disaster. From a franchise worst 115 losses to the shipping off of cornerstone players such as Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, everything about the season was heartbreaking, and it became impossible to watch without getting depressed. Today, however, it became clear that a new era is upon the Baltimore Orioles.
Elias is credited with being a big part of the Astros remarkable turnaround from cellar-dwellers to World Series champions. Now he hopes to do the same in Baltimore, and hearing his words today inspired great confidence. It might be a long road, but at least there is now someone in charge who has been through a rebuild and knows what he’s doing. This is just the first step of many, but it’s certainly an important first step in returning the Orioles to glory.