BALTIMORE — As Ron Washington watched the Baltimore Orioles beat up the Angels over the first two games of this season-opening series, he flashed back to what he’d seen from the Orioles earlier in their rebuilding.
“I watched them when they were coming, when they were young and getting their tails beat regularly,” the Angels manager said. “Now they learned how to play. They learned how to win ballgames. I watched them when they weren’t winning ballgames. They’ve come a long ways.”
Washington was then asked if his team, which is also fairly young, might be able to follow the Orioles trajectory.
“We don’t think that — we will be,” Washington said forcefully. “But we have to stay in the process. We’ve got to work. We’ve got to learn. We’ve got to apply. That’s what the game of baseball is about, working, learning and applying. And we’re going to do that.”
Of course, the Orioles of a few years ago were very different from the current Angels in one significant way. The Orioles had built one of the best farm systems in the majors, thanks in part to the draft. Catcher Adley Rutschman was the No. 1 overall pick. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was the No. 11 pick. Shortstop Jackson Holliday, who is expected to be a boost to the team when he comes up this season, was the No. 1 pick.
The Orioles also had enough prospects to trade for right-hander Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner who dominated the Angels on Opening Day.
The Angels, meanwhile, have a lightly regarded farm system. They insist that it’s better than people think, because many of the players already making an impact in the majors passed through the minors too quickly to be considered a part of the “farm system.”
“We’ve got a lot of youth that’s out there,” Washington said. “And every time they go out there it’s a learning experience. They just have to learn how to be able to deal with the ups and downs and let their assets grow. And all assets…
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