5 Biggest Takeaways from the 1st Month of the Baltimore Orioles' Season

Believe it or not, we're already over a month into the MLB regular season.

The Baltimore Orioles have had quite an interesting first month of the season, both on and off the field. Considering what the team has been through, fans can't be too upset with their current record of 12-13.

The fact is, the AL East is a tough division. And while all games matter, the division won't be won in April.

We've learned a few things about the Orioles in the early going, some good and some not so good. Let's analyze the biggest takeaways from the O's first month of their season.

The Team Is Resilient

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A big part of the Orioles' success as a team last season was the fact that the team was resilient. The O's were able to overcome many obstacles last season, such as injuries to key players and first baseman Chris Davis' late-season suspension, in order to win the division and reach the ALCS for the first time since 1997.

The O's are proving to be the exact same way again this year, as they've battled early-season injuries and ineffectiveness to their current 12-15 record.

The fact that the team is managing to stay in the conversation without guys like shortstop J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters speaks volumes to the way this team is built, both player-wise and mentally. Couple that with the ineffectiveness of the starting pitchers in the early going as well as guys like outfielder Alejandro De Aza and Everth Cabrera, and it's almost a wonder the team has won as many games as it has.

On top of that, the O's have been through two postponements due to the riots that took place in Baltimore and had to play a game in which fans weren't allowed in the ballpark, the first such game in MLB history.

So much of the game is mental, and manager Buck Showalter as well as center fielder Adam Jones have done a fantastic job of creating a clubhouse culture in which the team never feels sorry for itself and never gives up, game in and game out.

The team has a long way to go, but it's nice to see such mental toughness from the Birds.

Miguel Gonzalez Belongs in the Starting Rotation

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It seems as though every offseason since the 2012 season, speculation surrounds a move for starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to the bullpen. And every season, Gonzalez proves his critiques wrong.

Gonzalez has been a mainstay for the Orioles since his rookie season in 2012, and he's arguably been the team's most consistent pitcher over that span. While the guy isn't constantly lights-out and doesn't always eat innings, you can almost guarantee he'll give you a quality outing any time he toes the rubber.

His career 3.39 ERA over 74 starts can attest to that. And while the O's rotation struggled to pitch well to start the season before stringing together seven straight quality starts over the last week-and-a-half, Gonzalez has been a bright spot, as he's provided a bit of a steady presence, giving up one, one, three, four, and zero earned runs in his five starts.

Gonzalez will keep his team in the game. He may not be an ace, but he's a darn reliable pitcher, and the O's are lucky to have him.

Deep Depth

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Once again, the Orioles are an organization that features solid depth.

The O's have already had their fair share of injuries early on, losing shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Matt Wieters and having reliever Wesley Wright and infielders Ryan Flaherty and Jonathan Schoop hit the DL not too far into the season.

The O's have remained competitive despite these injuries, as players like Everth Cabrera, Jimmy Paredes and Caleb Joseph have filled in and stepped up in the absence of their teammates.

Deep depth is a necessity for any team looking to be competitive over the course of a 162-game season. The O's have shown early on that their organization possesses the kind of depth necessary to remain competitive when key players become injured or ineffective.

Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette has done a fine job of building major league-ready organizational depth.

Adam Jones Seems Primed for an MVP-Caliber Season

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Center fielder Adam Jones has been the face of the O's franchise for several years now. He's the clubhouse leader and a fan favorite.

Along with manager Buck Showalter, Jones helped bring a winning mentality back to the Baltimore Orioles' organization. His level-headed presence in the clubhouse keeps other O's players focused on the task at hand.

While Jones has always been a great player on the field, having won a Silver Slugger award and multiple Gold Gloves in his career, he has never finished higher than sixth in the AL MVP voting.

Something seems to be different about Jones at the plate this season, though, as he's put up some insane numbers so far. His current video game-esque batting average of .396 in 91 at-bats is comical, and his accompanying .430 OBP is fantastic as well. His power numbers are also pretty good so far, as he's got six doubles, five homers and 21 RBI.

It would be silly to expect Jones to continue to hit for an average around .400 all season long, but if he's really figured something out at the plate this year, it wouldn't be crazy to think he could hit above .300 on the season, the first time in his career that he'd accomplish such a feat.

Jones may be setting himself up for an MVP run. As if one of the least selfish players in the game cares about such things.

Manny Machado May Be Developing Offensively Right Before Our Eyes

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Fans often forget just how young third baseman Manny Machado is.

This season will be Machado's third full season in the majors, and yet he'll turn just 23 in July. He's been fantastic at the hot corner for the team, taking home a Gold and Platinum Glove in 2013, and his offense has been solid (career .277 average, league-leading 51 doubles in 2013) since his call-up in August 2012.

Machado was slow to get going with the bat after his return from knee surgery in the 2014 season, but he really started to heat up once he got some time in the majors, posting a .333 batting average with four homers in 17 July games and a .378 average in 11 August games just before injuring his other knee.

The difference between the injury he suffered in 2013 and the one last year was the timing; Machado injured his knee earlier in the year last season than he did in 2013 and therefore recovered earlier and was able to have a full spring training with the team this year.

Machado is off to a solid start offensively this season, and while his average is a little low at .250 right now, his OBP of .327 (77 points higher than his average) shows he's working the zone a bit better than he has in the past. He also has five home runs, putting him on pace for over 30 in a single 162-game season.

After going 0-15 to start the regular season, Machado has begun to find his stride. Are O's fans witnessing the breakout of the young third baseman's power? Birdland can only hope.