The O's only had two hitters appear in more than 100 games. Just...digest that for a second. Only two hitters appeared in more than 100 games. Everyone else had partial seasons due to injuries, come-ups or general inefficiency. Just Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday were on call all season. Only two pitchers made more than 30 starts, and one of them was just cut. Only one reliever pitched in more than 60 innings. This season required 34 hitters and 41 pitchers. In a season immediately following a competitive effort, it hurt for the Orioles to not make it anywhere this year. But next year, they've got a new manager, a ton more health, a few new pieces spurned on by Mike Elias's desire to actually build a great team [including the mighty Pete Alonso], and possibly even a major personnel change in the heart of the lineup.
That change was set into motion last year, as during Adley Rutschman's injury-shortened year, the team gave a huge contract extension to still wet-behind-the-ears rookie catcher Samuel Basallo. It came as something of a shock, and it said that the Orioles had more faith in the next phase of their rebuild than their current phase. It also showed that even the O's knew that Rutschman, once an organizational cornerstone, had his limitations. This year, in 90 games, he hit .229 with 29 RBIs and 9 homers. Yes, it came with good defense, but the takeaway from his minor league material was his bat, and it just wasn't here this year. The idea exists that Elias will try to trade Adley, which...will shock some people, even if it is 100% the right thing to do with Basallo the answer going forward.
2026 Prediction: An MVP-caliber year with 25 homers, an All-Star gig and the return to his 2023-24 pace. It will not be for the Baltimore Orioles. If Dombrowski can pull this off without giving up a cornerstone, I'll be impressed.
This was also an injury-plagued year from usual corner rock Ryan Mountcastle, meaning Ryan O'Hearn needed to fill in at 1st a lot [which went rather well for him!]. Once he was gone, Mountcastle eventually returned and in 89 games hit .250 with 7 homers and 35 RBIs. The fact that Ramon Laureano accomplished more in less games with the O's still blows my mind.
2026 Prediction: So look. The O's just got themselves a pretty nice power bat to play 1st. Either Mountcastle will succeed as the everyday DH and improve his power numbers or he might be collateral damage in the team's quest to evolve.
2026 Prediction: Much healthier season, much more on target. Really contributes.
Zach Eflin was traded from Tampa to be a sure thing near the front of the Orioles' rotation. Because of injuries, this hasn't gone completely to plan. On the last year of Eflin's contract, he had a 5.93 ERA in 14 starts, with 6 wins and 50 Ks.
Felix Bautista finally got a healthy year to close games in Baltimore, after missing all of 2024. In 35 games, he had a 2.60 ERA with 19 saves, a very nice run. And then, of course, he gets hurt and misses the rest of the season yet again. Could not have the worst luck, even for a legitimately talented reliever.
And now for a ton of the rookies the O's needed to call up cause nobody on the 25 could stay healthy. Jeremiah Jackson replaced Ramon Urias in the role of contact-friendly utility man after his trade, and Jackson did alright for himself in the second half, hitting .276 with 5 homers and 21 RBIs in 48 games. Jackson can play the corners or the outfield, so he'll be useful going forward.
Then Dylan Beavers, another cool prospect, came up, and filled in for some of the Mullins/O'Neill contingency. His defense made up for a .222 average, 4 homers and 14 RBIs in 35 games. He did have a .775 OPS though, meaning his contact numbers could be helpful going forward.
And then as the cherry on top, Samuel Basallo, the gem of the organization, got called up and filled in at catcher while Adley was away. He did not have full contact luck this year, but the power numbers were good, 4 homers and 15 RBIs in 30 games. Apparently the extension is gonna justify itself very soon, and once he gets the hang of things he'll be deadly. How long that takes the 20-year-old to figure out I'm not entirely sure.
Towards the end of the season, once it was already lost, a lot of the injured guys came back and played as well as they could have all along. Tyler Wells was one of them, he's been out for like 2 years, he finally came back, and in 4 games he went 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA, 18 Ks and a 0.877 WHIP. The material, while limited, was very good, and proved he's still got a lot of potential.
2026 Prediction: The Rays want him. They'll get him. It'll be healthy material, but will it be the kind they got from him when he signed there three years ago? Not thinking so.
2026 Prediction: When he does come back, he does pretty well for himself as a set-up type for Helsley. It'll hopefully require less energy from him.
2026 Prediction: Yeah, fits into the Urias/Mateo role nicely, plays in 100+ games and is really useful in a pinch.
2026 Prediction: OF plans going forward seem to be Ward/Cowser/O'Neill. So Beavers may not make the Opening Day roster, and may wait for one of those three to get hurt and capitalize. Or, possibly equally likely, he becomes the new Kyle Stowers and gets flipped for a smooth add-on at the deadline.
2026 Prediction: This man is going to get a ton of Rookie of the Year votes.
2026 Prediction: Very crucial comeback season, 10+ wins, full health.
Coming Tomorrow- A lot of surprisingly big remaining pieces from a Padres team that gave it another go, even with the Dodgers still being the Dodgers.
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