Baltimore Orioles
2024 record: 91-71
Second place, AL East
Team ERA: 3.94 (14th in MLB)
Team OPS: .751 (4th in MLB)
Which went well
Baltimore managed to make the postseason for the second year in a row, showcasing some of the best young talent in the sport. The best among these young players was Gunnar Henderson, who had an MVP year in most years (note: 2024 is not most years). At age 23, he hit 37 homers, stole 21 bases and amassed an .893 OPS in just his second full season in baseball.
He wasn’t alone in his insulting praise. Anthony Satander scored 44 goals and will be one of the most sought-after Power Bat players on the free agent market. Colton Cowser showed that his 2023 struggles are (mostly) a thing of the past, adding 24 round-trippers and producing an OPS of .768. Jordan Westburg also impressed with a .792 OPS and 18 shots, and solid offensive seasons from players like Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Ramon Urias helped Baltimore rank among the best in several offensive categories.
There were also solid performances in attack. Corbin Burnes pitched O’s 192 2/3 innings and a 2.92 ERA with a 181/48 K/BB in his first – and possibly last – season in Baltimore. Albert Suarez basically appeared out of nowhere and became the club’s second most consistent starter in 2024. And while they were hampered by injuries, the team saw flashes of brilliance in the hands of Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and John Means; among others.
What went wrong
It’s weird to say this was a disappointing season for Baltimore considering how young the core of the club is and how terrible it was a few years ago, but it was. Baltimore was on track to win 100 games after its first 81 contests, but in the second half of the season it went 40-41, lost the league lead and was swept by the Royals in the Wild Card Series. One of the key reasons was the limited use of players like Bradish and Means, as the team had to use 13 starters during the season and swaps for starters Trevor Rogers and Zack Eflin were ineffective. The bullpen had some valuable contributors, but Craig Kimbrel wasn’t one of them, as Kimbrel not only lost his final role, but also lost the gig altogether after being designated for assignment late in the season.
The crime is also not without fault. Adley Rutschman failed to take a step forward in 2024, struggled significantly in the second half of the season and finished with an OPS of .709; an amount that no one would agree to. Jackson Holliday was terrible the first time he was called up, and although things went better the second time around, he still finished with a .189/.255/.311 line. There was essentially no offense in the playoff series against Kansas City, as the team scored just one run – a solo homer by Mullins – over 18 innings, hitting an ugly .167/.225/.242 in those two contests.
Fancy angles
– After finishing 2023 with an expected elite batting average of .292 and an expected on-base average (exWOBA) of .373, Rutschman wasn’t even close to matching those numbers in 2024. He was particularly poor against right-handed pitching with a .373. 219/.290/.342, and his OPS was an ugly .585 in the second half of the season. He still showed quality on the field and remains one of the better receivers, but Rutschman simply didn’t make enough contact to live up to the lofty expectations in 2024. Due to his talent and past success, he’s a great bounce-back candidate , but it’s safe to say he’s not what many believed he would be this year.
– Holliday was widely considered a top prospect for the upcoming season, and the fact that he was a 20-year-old who made the cut cannot be ignored. It’s also worth noting that in his second stint with the club, he saw his OPS increase to a (still not great) .650 OPS compared to the terrible .170 mark he hit with the team in April. Holliday is a tremendous talent and has the opportunity to contribute in every fantasy category possible, and we’ve seen many players go from completely ineffective to fantasy creators – even stars – in season two. Baseball is hard. Holliday will probably be fine.
– The Orioles were without Felix Bautista for all of 2024 after the man they call The Mountain underwent Tommy John surgery in late September 2023, and now is a good time to remember how good Bautista was at holding out hope that he would be ready for the 2025 season. In 2023, he saved 33 games, had an ERA of 1.48 and struck out 110 batters in 61 innings. It goes without saying that there aren’t many players with his talent, and while he knows there are some risks associated with injury, there are plenty of reasons to believe he can be among the best shortstops in baseball next season. even if he’s not ready to start a campaign.
Key free agents
Burnes, Santander, James McCann, Austin Slater, Means, Seranthony Dominguez ($8 million club option), Eloy Jimenez ($16.5 million club option), Ryan O’Hearn ($8 million club option), Danny Coulombe (club option for $4 million), Cionel Perez (club option for $2.2 million)
The Jimenez option will certainly be ruled out unless something unpredictable happens, with O’Hearn, Dominguez, Coulombe and Perez all likely to return.
Team needs
Baltimore needs a rotation whether they re-sign Burnes or not, but that obviously should be a priority for Mike Elias and his staff. Outside of starters and maybe one or two relievers, there aren’t many holes in this squad – especially if Bautista shelve the year following surgeries – and even admitting that the 2024 season hasn’t gone as well as expected, it’s safe to say that few teams might say they have better long-term prospects than the Orioles currently do.
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