Orioles’ Jorge Mateo held his own before an elbow injury ended his season - Camden Chat

Oct 23, 2024

Filed under:

Mateo was supposed to be a super utility option for this team. Instead, he had to man second base every day. That went OK until a gruesome injury ended his season in July.

The Orioles went into 2024 with the hopes that Jorge Mateo could be a super-utility option, providing the sort of roster depth that deep playoff runs are made of. Instead, he was pushed into a full-time role at second base, where he held his own until a freaky injury ended his season in late July.

Back in the spring, much of the talk around Mateo included his experience playing center field. It seemed that he would be transitioning to more of a bench role moving forward, and he would spell Cedric Mullins in center on occasion. It was a way for the Orioles to get his speed and ability to hit left-handed pitching in the lineup with more regularity. But ultimately, that emphasis was overblown. Mateo played 17 total innings in the outfield during Grapefruit League games, and then played an identical 17 innings of outfield during the regular season, none of which came after May 15.

To be fair to the Orioles, they probably hoped to stick him in the outfield more often. The need at second base was just greater. Jackson Holliday was called up on April 10, largely taking the second base job for himself over the two weeks that followed. If Holliday had succeeded, he would have become the everyday second baseman, perhaps sitting against top left-handed pitchers. Instead, it was a struggle, Holliday was sent back to Norfolk, and Mateo regained his innings-share at second base.

Early on in the season, Mateo was a force on offense. He posted a .736 OPS in April, a .761 OPS in May, and stole 10 bases on 11 attempts across the two months. But as the season went on and the Orioles used him as an everyday bat rather than a platoon option, his offense dipped. He OPS’ed .619 in June and .445 in July.

Mateo’s patience at the plate fell off as the season progressed. His chase rate climbed from 34.5% in April to 37.9% in July. Unsurprisingly, that caused his walk rate to dip. It was a solid 9.3% in April, and then went down each month until it hit a measly 1.9% in June, rebounding only slightly to 3.1% in July.

It was not a new pattern for Mateo. He had been even more impactful at the plate early in 2023 (1.062 OPS in April 2023) before cratering midsummer and bouncing back later. He would not get a chance to experience a similar improvement this year due to a pair of injuries.

On June 2, Mateo was accidentally hit in the back of the head when he entered the on deck circle to retrieve a bat weight. Cedric Mullins, unaware that Mateo was behind him, swung his bat around in a stretching motion and struck Mateo’s noggin. Luckily, Mateo was wearing his helmet, but it still clearly shook him up. After testing, Mateo was placed on the seven-day concussion IL.

Mateo was activated on June 11, but did not perform well. From that day through the end of his season, July 23, Mateo posted a .558 OPS with two walks and 18 strikeouts. Maybe there were lingering side effects from the concussion, or perhaps it was just further evidence that Mateo was not suited to an everyday role.

A difficult season got even worse for Mateo on July 23. Playing second base against the Marlins, Mateo chased a ground ball up the middle, getting to it at the same time as shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The two collided and Mateo’s left arm was bent in an awkward way that immediately looked bad.

Mateo exited the game and later went on the IL. X-rays were negative but an MRI revealed a UCL injury. The Orioles announced in late August that Mateo was getting surgery, left elbow UCL reconstruction with internal brace and flexor repair. Brandon Hyde commented at the time that Mateo could be back in time for the 2025 regular season, obviously an abbreviated rehab time compared to other elbow injuries since Mateo is not a pitcher and the injury is to his non-throwing arm.

It’s tough to regard Mateo’s 2024 season as anything other than a disappointment given the way in which it ended and the poor form he was in. But if you dig a bit deeper, you see that he gave the Orioles exactly what they would have hoped for.

Mateo hit left handed pitching, posting a split of .262/.311/.488, with a .799 OPS. He was an elite base runner. His 29.9 feet per second sprint speed was in the 99th percentile of MLB, and he was worth two runner runs, among the league leaders despite playing just half of a season. The advanced metrics did not love his work at second base (-1 outs about average), but he held his own at a relatively new position. You would expect him to improve as he gets more comfortable.

The issues Mateo had came down to being overexposed. The 2024 Orioles were not constructed with the expectation that he would be their everyday second baseman. They hoped Holliday would take the role, or maybe Coby Mayo could play third and allow Jordan Westburg to be the second baseman. It didn’t happen, so Mateo was put in a tough spot, and all things considered he did alright.

One would assume that Mateo will be back with the Orioles in 2025 to try this whole thing over again. He will be eligible for arbitration one final time this winter. MLB Trade Rumors projects his salary to be $3.2 million next season, a slight raise from the $2.7 million he earned (and the Orioles were OK paying) in 2024. That’s not a bad price for a player that you believe can be an ultimate depth piece, capable of stealing bases, hitting left-handed pitching, and playing all over the field.

Mateo has been a polarizing player among Orioles fans for a couple of seasons ago. He has tantalizing physical traits that make you think there is more to be uncovered. But as he approaches his age-30 season, we can be quite sure of reality. He is a bench piece, but a really good one. The Orioles should be aiming for a World Series in 2025, and a player like Mateo can do a lot of things to get them there. They just need him to be healthy and ensure that they can put him in positions to succeed.

Previous 2024 player reviews: Keegan Akin, Cionel Pérez, Cole Irvin, Ryan O’Hearn, Craig Kimbrel, Cade Povich, midseason position player acquisitions, Jackson Holliday, injured starting pitchers, James McCann, midseason pitching acquisitions

Tomorrow: Yennier Cano