The Baltimore Orioles ‘ acquisition of Blaze Alexander before the 2026 season went largely under the radar. He was only a utility guy for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024 and 2025. He was expected to fill the same role in Baltimore, but instead, he has been one of the Orioles‘ best players.
Since May 1st, Alexander is first in the MLB in batting average (.396) and third in WRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) (179). His bat has been downright elite.
Alexander’s also been good on the basepaths, providing 92nd percentile base running value per Baseball Savant. He’s got eight stolen bases, which is good for a team lead, tied with Leody Taveras. His bat, paired with his legs on the basepaths, has made him great offensively.
Now, Alexander’s defense in (-4 Outs Above Average) hasn’t been great, but it’s surely affected by his playing second and third base, shortstop, left, center, and right field. At 3B, he has provided three defensive runs saved and has provided another one at second base and right field. He has been bad in his eight games in CF, with -5 defensive runs saved. This is not a hard fix, though; don’t play him in center field.
Typically, I am largely critical of Mike Elias. This addition of Alexander for the return based around RHP Kade Strowd, though, was a good trade. Strowd has struggled this season in AAA, posting a 5.32 ERA (Earned Run Average) over 22 games. The Orioles added a valuable piece for essentially free.
Now, back to being critical of Baltimore, Alexander has only started 46 games, 75 games into the season. He’s come in as a substitute in 17 others, but still, that’s not enough. I understand he was acquired to be a bench piece, but he’s clearly playing better than that, and it’s not like it’s hard to get him in the lineup. He can play almost anywhere.
Alexander is getting benched most often in favor of Coby Mayo at 3B, Tyler O’Neill in RF, and Jackson Holliday at 2B. As for Mayo and Holliday, they are both young prospects and deserve playing time. Mayo has been killing lefties this year, so getting him in against lefties over Alexander at 3B is not a bad thing. Tyler O’Neill, however, has been the Orioles’ worst player with a bWAR (Baseball-Reference WAR) of -0.6, a WRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) of 59, and -2 Outs Above Average. The only reason he is playing is the sunk-cost fallacy for the three-year, $49.5 million contract he signed before 2025.
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Alexander was never supposed to be one of Baltimore’s most important players in 2026. He was acquired as a versatile depth piece and entered the season with little fanfare. Instead, he has become one of the Orioles’ best hitters while also providing value on the bases and defensive flexibility across the diamond. He has the sixth most bWAR among Baltimore hitters with 1.1 and is third in OPS+ (Adjusted On-Base Plus Slugging) with 121.
While there are legitimate questions about where Alexander fits defensively long-term, there should be no questions about whether he belongs in the lineup. The Orioles have struggled to find consistent production throughout much of their roster this season, yet he has continued to produce whenever given the opportunity. If his performance over the last two months is any indication, Baltimore may have found much more than a bench piece. Now the challenge is making sure one of their hottest hitters is actually on the field.
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