“Surprising” probably doesn’t even begin to describe Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers’ 2025 campaign. The former All-Star was much-maligned after being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, struggling badly in his first four starts before having to be sent down. No one could have possibly imagined Rogers going from that to a viable Cy Young Award candidate just a year later.
Rogers might have put up the most surprising individual season in Orioles history, but there are at least some other candidates. This month we look back on “The 15 Surprising Orioles Seasons.” You’ll note that doesn’t say MOST surprising, as that’s far too subjective. This isn’t a ranking, it’s a list, with players listed in alphabetical order.
All WAR statistics come from Baseball Reference.
1. OF Brady Anderson, 1996
Anderson was a proven leadoff hitter and had even received an All-Star nod in 1992, but he had also never hit more than 21 home runs in a season. That changed dramatically in ’96, when he became the first Oriole to ever post a 50-homer season. Rumors swirled with baseball moving into the Steroid Era but Anderson claimed to have simply hit his “athletic opus.” His athletic OPS was 1.034, more than 200 points higher than his best single season to that point.
2. RHP Mike Boddicker, 1983
Boddicker was a sixth-round draft pick in 1978 whose fastball was sub-90 mph. He had made just nine appearances in the bigs between 1980 and 1982. Hall of Famer Rod Carew described Boddicker’s stuff as both “Little League slop” and “worse garbage than the stuff I take out at night.” Yet in his rookie season, Boddicker was phenomenal. He pitched to a 2.77 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and added a complete game shutout in Game 2 of the World Series.
3. RHP Kyle Bradish, 2023
Acquired from the Angels in the Dylan Bundy trade in December 2019, Bradish wasn’t particularly impressive in his rookie season. He posted a 4.90 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 2022 and was a back-end rotation piece going into the 2023 season. He quickly proved to be much more than that, lowering those marks to a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He was worth 4.8 WAR that season and was the team’s No. 1 starter in the postseason.
4. 1B Chris Davis, 2013
While Davis’ power potential was clear at the start of his big league career, inconsistency marred his first four seasons in Texas before he was dealt to Baltimore with Tommy Hunter in exchange for Koji Uehara in 2011. He posted solid numbers in 2012, when he had a 1.7 WAR. He set a new Orioles single-season record with 53 home runs in 2013, posting a 7.1 WAR.
5. 1B Jim Gentile, 1961
The man known as “Diamond Jim” toiled in the Dodgers organization for years, playing just 16 big league games between signing in 1952 and being traded to the Orioles for two players to be named later ahead of the 1960 season. He flashed his power potential in 1960, hitting 21 home runs. But a year later, he established a franchise single-season home run standard with 46.
6. RHP Jeremy Guthrie, 2007
Guthrie pitched in just 16 games in his first three big league seasons (2004-2006) before the Orioles claimed him off waivers from Cleveland. That made his quick ascent toward the top of the Orioles’ rotation quite surprising. He put together a 4.0 WAR season, pitching to a 3.70 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
7. C Chris Hoiles, 1993
Hoiles’ 1993 campaign may be the most underappreciated season in Orioles history. While he had established himself as an everyday catcher already, he posted the sixth-best single-season OPS in Orioles history (1.001) — excluding the St. Louis Browns years, as they should be.
8. LHP John Means, 2019
Means was a lightly-regarded prospect after being selected in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He arrived in the bigs in September 2018 to little fanfare and started ’19 in the bullpen. His success (combined with a lack of better options) led to him being moved into the rotation. He took serious advantage of the opportunity, posting a 3.60 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 27 starts, making the All-Star Game and finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
9. OF Cedric Mullins, 2021
Mullins struggled to find his footing in his first three big league seasons, at one point being sent all the way back to what was then called Double-A Bowie. Suffice to say, no one was expecting him to make history in 2021. Mullins became the first player in Orioles history to record a 30-30 season, hitting .291/.360/.518 in the process.
10. UTIL Steve Pearce, 2014
This is up there with Hoiles’ 1993 campaign among the most underappreciated seasons in team history. The future World Series MVP had already reached journeyman status by 2014, playing for four big league teams in the first seven seasons of his career, including two stints with Baltimore. But he was a vital part of the Orioles’ AL East title run in 2014, hitting .293/.373/.556 and posting a career-best 5.8 WAR.
11. 2B Brian Roberts, 2005
Roberts crushed 50 doubles and posted a 2.4 WAR in 2004, showing signs of the complete player he was becoming. But in 2005, he set career highs by slashing .314/.387/.515 and hitting 18 home runs in posting a 7.3 WAR. He also posted a career-high 2.0 defensive WAR, making it by far his most complete season as a pro.
12. LHP Trevor Rogers, 2025
It wasn’t just that Rogers flopped after the deadline in 2024 and started 2025 on the injured list. Kyle Stowers was in the process of establishing himself as an All-Star, making the deal look like one of the worst in franchise history. (Connor Norby was also dealt to the Marlins in the Rogers trade.) But in 18 starts, Rogers posted a sublime 1.81 ERA, which would have been best in MLB had he pitched enough innings to qualify, and a 0.90 WHIP.
13. RHP Steve Stone, 1980
Stone was a solid but not spectacular starter in the first nine seasons of his big league career. He was never an All-Star, but he had three sub-4.00 ERA seasons. In 1980, he put everything together. His 3.23 ERA was the best of his career among seasons in which he was a full-time starter. He also posted a career-high 149 strikeouts en route to not only his first All-Star appearance but the franchise’s most recent Cy Young Award.
14. C Mickey Tettleton, 1989
Tettleton never posted an OPS higher than .754 or a WAR better than 1.6 in any of his first five seasons. That changed during the Orioles’ legendary “Why Not?” season. When he wasn’t chowing down on Fruit Loops, Tettleton more than doubled his highest single-season home run total (clubbing 26), raising his OPS to .877. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
15. RHP Hoyt Wilhelm, 1959
Wilhelm was a career reliever before being claimed off waivers by the Orioles in the 1958 season. He had experienced mild success in his first few seasons (including his first All-Star nod in 1953), but his knuckleball became difficult for catchers to handle. He put it all together as a starter in ’59, posting a league-best 2.19 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 27 starts. His 7.6 single-season WAR that year remains the third-best among pitchers in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and Mike Mussina.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 295: October / November 2025
Originally published Oct. 15, 2025