The Orioles barely hit the All-Star break holding on a hard-earned lead in the AL East. The 2023 Rangers showed us how meaningless winning a division can be in the era of expanded playoffs. There, I said it. But that doesn’t mean I accept it.
It still feels that winning the division is a meaningful accomplishment and one that should be celebrated. But with the gauntlet to just getting to the World Series so full of potential obstacles, there are plenty of other things that come into play when internally debating how to get a team ready for the playoffs.
With 60-plus games left to play in the post-All-Star portion of the season, nothing is guaranteed. However, barring a series of injuries, it’s hard to imagine that the Orioles won’t be a serious player come October.
Let’s take a look at my report card for the team through its first 96 games.
Catchers: B+
The combination of Adley Rutschman and James McCann gives the club great professionalism at the position. They both call good games and seem to have a great rapport with their pitchers. Rutschman is a big-time offensive player, and with the team struggling some to score runs, that may require Brandon Hyde to catch him a bit more than the manager wants. McCann isn’t a stiff or a certain out, but he is not a productive hitter.
Infielders: B
Gunnar Henderson is having an MVP-type season and anchors the group. His only negative — and this is true of a lot of great players — is not thinking he can’t do something. That leads to head-scratching throws. He’ll grow out of it.
Jordan Westburg is really a superb player on both sides of the ball. I like him much more at second base, but I understand Hyde’s attraction to the defensive skill set of Jorge Mateo. The only bit of alarm I have with Westburg is in these numbers. In 209 plate appearances in March, April and May, Westburg had 41 strikeouts and 15 walks. In 160 plate appearances in June and July, he has 41 strikeouts and 3 walks.
Mateo is a dynamic player and deserves to play against left-handed pitchers. He is a solid defender and his speed wreaks havoc on the opposition when he gets on base.
I’ll never be a big Ryan Mountcastle fan, for one main reason: too many empty at-bats. A gifted athlete, he is probably past the time in his career when he can become more consistent from at-bat to at-bat. He has turned himself into a quality defender, but I don’t trust the bat late in close games.
Ramón Urías has been a terrific bridge player. He was a real solid defender and a decent bat while the team was growing into what it’s become. But the stakes are too high to rationalize his playing over Coby Mayo or Connor Norby in 2024. Believe me when I tell you I understand the value of team and individual defense, but Urías offers far too many empty at-bats.
Outfielders: C
Three holdovers from the Dan Duquette era — Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander — are still important pieces. Hays and Mullins were drafted and developed by the club, while Santander was a Rule 5 pick back in December 2016. While Santander has been the most productive and consistent the past several seasons, Hays and Mullins have had their moments.
Santander got off to a real slow start this season, but his power numbers have been a big boon to the team. Entering play on May 5, he was hitting .200/.276/.392 with four home runs on the season. Since then, he is hitting .257/.315/.562 with 20 home runs. However, Mullins and Hays have been shells of their former selves to this point. Hyde has handled both with a mix of loyalty, hope and frustration.
(Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox)
Complicating the situation with Hays and Mullins is that aside from a hot few weeks early on, Colton Cowser has really struggled. Entering play on April 23, Cowser was hitting .364/.400/.800 with six home runs. Since then, he is hitting .179/.281/.313 with six home runs.
Kyle Stowers has been up and down a couple times. He had such a strong spring showing and kept it going initially at Triple-A Norfolk, but he cooled off considerably after his first failed cup of coffee. He’s back up to take the place of Heston Kjerstad (concussion IL).
Kjerstad made his big league debut late last season and made a cameo earlier this season. Of late, he has flashed the prodigious power that encouraged the club to make him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Hopefully, getting hit in the head by Clay Holmes won’t negatively impact his development and production.
I’ll include Ryan O’Hearn here. Never well respected before, O’Hearn has found a home with the Orioles with the help of Hyde and the club’s hitting coaches. He hit .289/.322/.480 with 14 home runs in 2023, and he’s on track for a similar campaign in 2024.
Starting Rotation: B-
Corbin Burnes has been pretty special. He is the club’s best starting pitcher since Mike Mussina left for the Bronx after the 2000 season. He is a walking quality start each time he takes the bump. Grayson Rodriguez is growing and maturing. His bad start against the Yankees on July 13 is now the exception, not the rule. With Burnes a free agent at season’s end and a Scott Boras client, Rodriguez may need to really put the big-boy pants on in 2025.
Beyond these two, the starting staff has been a mixed bag. That uncertainty is the root of the club’s biggest problem heading down the stretch.
There were brief teases of what Kyle Bradish and John Means could have meant to the club’s World Series hopes, but both are out for the season due to Tommy John surgery. Tyler Wells, who has had his share of arm problems throughout his career, also broke down by mid-April.
Dean Kremer is just back after a lengthy stint on the injured list with a triceps strain. He has made three starts since returning — a gem in Seattle, a stinker against the Cubs and a spotty four-plus-inning effort against the Yankees.
The Orioles acquired Cole Irvin not long before reporting to camp in 2023, and the lefty was a huge disappointment. He came back in 2024 eager to reprove himself to the Orioles. And early on, he pitched like the guy the Orioles thought they had acquired from Oakland. But his early success now looks more like a mirage.
Albert Suárez, signed to a minor league deal last September, has been a lifesaver with the club being hit by so many injuries. He sports a 2.82 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 19 appearances (12 starts).
Cade Povich has made several starts at the major league level but has been wildly inconsistent. He was sent down for an extra bullpen arm just ahead of the break, but he’ll get more opportunities soon. His control has been a problem. He simply can’t walk five guys a start.
Clearly, there is a glaring need for a playoff-caliber starter. After the MLB Draft, GM Mike Elias will turn his attention to that pursuit.
Bullpen: B-
Any bullpen that loses Félix Bautista for an entire season is going to have problems. It’s not so much that loss, it’s the ripple effect it has on the depth of the staff.
Elias moved quickly last offseason to replace Bautista with Craig Kimbrel. Aside from a 10-day stretch from late April to early May, Kimbrel has done a fine job as closer. The problem Hyde has, especially in light of the absence of Danny Coulombe, is that he does not have enough quality arms in his bullpen.
Back in 2022, Dillon Tate was a brilliant member of the ‘pen and looked to have a big upside. He was even chosen to pitch for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but he had to opt out due to a flexor strain. He never made it back to the major leagues last year, and he has never looked right this year. He was just optioned back to Norfolk.
Tate’s spot was taken by Burch Smith, a 30-year-old journeyman. Also joining the staff is veteran left-hander Vinny Nittoli. Not to knock Elias, but one wonders when the first three players he selected in this year’s draft were all position players. With such a dearth of minor league arms on a major league track, maybe his hitter-first philosophy needs to be revisited.
Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano, Cionel Pérez and Jacob Webb have been solid for the most part.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen and Colin Murphy/PressBox