OK, so the start of the 2025 season has kind of sucked the air out of the room. There is certainly room for sprinkling blame around, from offseason personnel moves to certain players who have come up short to horrible injury news at every turn.
I don’t have a crystal ball as to whether or not this group with rise to the occasion. I do know the 13-20 Orioles are fortunate to be just 5.5 games behind the first-place Yankees, but it’s possible the AL East only sends one team to the playoffs. The Central has three very good teams in the Tigers, Guardians and Royals. Out West, the Mariners and Athletics are off to strong starts and the Rangers and Astros should get going at some point.
So, while it would be wise for the 2025 Orioles to get some momentum going, I wanted to point out at least five reasons for some optimism.
1. Jackson Holliday
Former No. 1 overall draft choice Jackson Holliday, fresh off his first two-homer game as a big leaguer, is looking a lot more like a guy who deserved to be picked at the top of the draft. Because of all the hype surrounding Holliday and how quickly he flew through the minors, it was easy to forget he was just 20 years old last season.
After an offseason of intense work, most likely with his father Matt, his approach is much more calm. He is much more guided by his talents and not all the ballyhoo that surrounded his debut a year ago. He is hitting .273/.340/.443 with four homers in 97 plate appearances after hitting .189/.255/.311 in 208 plate appearances a year ago.
2. Tomoyuki Sugano
While the Charlie Morton signing at this point looks like a swing and a miss, the other starting pitcher GM Mike Elias managed to sign was Tomoyuki Sugano, a 35-year-old right-hander from Japan. The jokes were all about how Elias signed two guys combined that were 76 years old. Since leaving his first start with hand cramps, he has tossed 35 innings with a 2.83 ERA. While he’s given up seven homers in that span, that number is mitigated by the fact he has walked just six batters. I’d be open to extending Sugano for, say, two years and an option.
3. Félix Bautista
The Mountain is back. If you want to get insights into what Félix Bautista and others go through in coming back from the dreaded Tommy John surgery, make sure to read our April cover story. Have to be honest — I had my doubts that we’d see the Bautista we have seen in his last several appearances. The velocity is back and the command has taken a huge step forward, too.
In the larger picture, the Orioles would love to be more competitive right now, but the fact the club is 13-20 may have worked to Bautista’s long-term benefit. Not that I believe manager Brandon Hyde would have thrown caution to the wind in April and used him in back-to-backs, but that hasn’t even been close to a temptation. This important franchise player has eased back in to all the burdens a Mountain must feel.
4. Zach Eflin and Andrew Kittredge
Both Zach Eflin and Andrew Kittredge took the mound in Aberdeen for rehab assignments on May 4. Kittredge, who had a knee scoped, is a much-needed bullpen piece that deepens a vital part of this team’s chances for success. He tossed one inning and will need several more appearances before he is ready to join the big league club. Eflin, however, may be ready after a four-inning outing. Needless to say, Eflin is vital to the cause for the Orioles.
5. Ryan O’Hearn
My 2025 mea culpa — and isn’t there always at least one of those? — is that the fears that I had surrounding Ryan O’Hearn after last year are evaporating daily. My comparable went all the way back to mid-’80s Mike Young, who had a sensational second half in 1985 and then fizzled out in 1986 and really never accomplished anything after that. I saw some of that fizzle in O’Hearn in the second half of 2024. I see a much more seasoned and determined approach at the plate this season. He is hitting .306/.379/.600 with 11 extra-base hits and has clearly become a vocal leader behind the scenes. His presence is an important part of the culture of the Orioles.
Photo Credits: Colin Murphy/PressBox