With nearly a third of the 2025 MLB season in the books, the Baltimore Orioles are on track to become the most-disappointing team in the entire sport. Despite boasting some of the youngest and highly-touted prospects alongside veteran players, the team’s season has quickly crumbled thanks to poor play and injuries. Breaking into the numbers, it’s clear that several question marks entering into the season have now become glaring-red warning signs for a team already on the brink.
Starting off at the plate, a lack of hitting production has not only been a consistent problem, but it’s at the point where even the best hitters seem to be bogged down as well.
The Orioles’ team slash line sits at an uninspiring .232/.299/.688 through 48 games as of Friday afternoon. The team’s sub-.300 on-base percentage ranks 25th in the league, with their batting average ranking 24th in the league, and overall walk count 26th in the league.
On a more individual level, 2022 Rookie of The Year runner-up Adley Rutschman has struggled mightily, batting a .213/.299/.659 line over 46 games. Offseason acquisition Tyler O’Neill has not only dealt with injury, but is also batting under .200 over 24 games along with a 76 OPS+.
First Baseman Ryan Mountcastle has an OPS under .600 over 46 games, well under his .750 OPS average over the last five seasons. Outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, who swatted 31 extra base hits in 231 plate appearances in the minors in 2024, has only seven extra-base hits in 118 plate appearances this year.
There are bright spots for the Orioles, though. Former number one prospect Jackson Holliday is performing well, with an OPS of .756 and six home runs. Veterans Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano and Cedric Mullins all hold OPS figures over .800 with 23 home runs combined.
The biggest issue for the Orioles is the lack of hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP). As of Friday afternoon, the team holds the second-worst batting average in RISP situations at .205, the worst OBP at .273, and fourth-worst OPS in these circumstances. Strikeouts are also a major issue here, with a more than 30% strikeout rate in RISP scenarios.
On the mound, the Orioles pitching has been consistently bad, if not downright awful. With the loss of Corbin Burnes in the offseason to Arizona, there has been little to cheer for in the rotation.
When comparing all 30 teams, the Orioles rank third-worst in earned run average (ERA), fifth-worst in walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and second-worst in opposing batting average.
41-year-old Charlie Morton, one of the consolation signings in the wake of Burnes’ departing for Arizona, has been unwatchable. The two-time all star is boasting an ugly 7.68 ERA with an even worse 1.756 WHIP.
Kyle Gibson, who rejoined the Orioles this year after spending 2024 in St. Louis, started four games with an inflated 16.78 ERA and a WHIP approaching 3.00. He was cut by the team Tuesday after failing to get out of the first inning of his May 17 start against the Nationals, surrendering six runs.
There are two bright spots, thankfully, for the pitching staff. First, offseason acquisition and Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is pitching his way to a 3.07 ERA with a WHIP approaching 1.00. Despite striking out only 32 batters in 58 innings, he’s kept his walk rate low, under two per nine innings.
Bullpen weapons, including Bryan Baker and Keegan Akin, have been good enough to give strikeouts and help keep games close in situations. It’s especially welcome when more notable names including Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano are struggling.
For the Orioles, a team that won over 90 games last season, and over 100 in 2023, it’s entirely possible they don’t break .500 this year. Team slumps happen and cultures can change, just ask Brandon Hyde who now finds himself out of a job only two months into the season.
While it’s early in the season, this seems to be more than a slump and bordering on a full-fledged regression. The hitting has stagnated while the pitching has declined into the worst in the league.
If the Orioles want to try and save their season before it’s lost early, they may have to consider reaching deep into their farm system and spend capital for pitching. Now is as good of a time as ever to address the problems with the team to have a chance at the playoffs for a third-straight season. With General Manager Mike Elias continuing to remain optimistic on the team, however, this might end up being a simple transition year or a regression back into the 2018 team, which lost 115 games.
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