The Baltimore Orioles have been the class of the American League during the 2023 season. Their steady foundation of young players and light mix of veterans has them sitting in first place in the American League East. Kyle Gibson, one of Baltimore's few veterans, pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022. Philadelphia ended up reaching the World Series before losing to the Houston Astros in the Fall Classic. Although the Phillies featured a much more experienced team, Gibson believes the Orioles will become similar to Bryce Harper's '22 Philadelphia ball club within the next couple of years.

“Take the ages of the number of guys. So we (Phillies) had a lot of veterans last year…it was 80 percent veterans and then 20 percent new guys,” Gibson said on Foul Territory. “If you take that and you flip it this year, that's really what we (Orioles) got. We got 80 percent newer guys and 20 percent of the guys that have been around and have established themselves.

“But what I tell people is, you take that Phillies team and how many bonafide established studs they had. You take this team, in two-three years, you're going to have just as many household names.”

Orioles' bright future

The Orioles of course want to actually finish the job and win the World Series. The Phillies fell just short in 2022. Nevertheless, Gibson's point will excite Baltimore fans. With Adley Rutschman leading the charge, this Orioles team's future is extremely bright. They already feature a talented roster and also happen to have one of the best farm systems in baseball.

The Orioles project to be an elite club for years to come.