The Detroit Tigers' risk-averse, development-first, spend only when absolutely necessary approach has been frequently likened to the strategy the Orioles have employed over the last four years or so. Baltimore, like Detroit, spent the better part of a decade in the doldrums. From 2017-2022, they were the rest of the AL East's punch bag.
But it let them draft high and develop quietly, and that finally paid off into 2023 and 2024, with former top prospects Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo, Kyle Stowers, and Jackson Holliday either coming up to the majors or finally finding their groove there.