What explains the Orioles’ early power surge?

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY SportsI deeply loved Orioles baseball in the 2010s, but I have to admit, it was definitely a “three true outcomes” kind of era. With Oriole Park’s hitter-friendly dimensions, there was little semblance of a starting rotation; the lineup was full of people like Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, Mark Reynolds and Nelson Cruz who launched bombs and struck out a lot; and—more and more after Nick Markakis left— the team appeared quite happy to stash any rando in the outfield so long as he could hit the ball hard.

Fair to say, that style of baseball is precisely the opposite of what the current team is all about. To go by last season’s stats, this was a well-rounded and…