Baltimore Orioles Struggle to Find Footing in MLB Power Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joe Rutland | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 12:21 PM ET

There's no getting around it: The Baltimore Orioles have been a bad baseball team so far in this MLB season. They have not found solid starting pitching and their reliable young players are slumping.

While the Orioles have shown a little improvement lately, they remain stuck in the back of the pack in the American League East. Their performance also has them in the No. 24 spot in the latest MLB Power Rankings from The Athletic.

Look at the team as a whole, there haven't been too many bright spots. One of them, though, has been designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn.

Orioles DH Ryan O'Hearn has been a bright spot for Baltimore

He's one of the top DHs in the AL at this time. O'Hearn is hitting .328 with nine home runs and 23 RBI. He's got a .525 slugging percentage, which means O'Hearn is making solid contact.

Ryan O’Hearn is making a very strong case to be an All-Star in Atlanta this season.

Tony Mansolino on O’Hearn’s excellent year and more. pic.twitter.com/kgpMiohUUt
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) June 5, 2025

If the Orioles had a chance to put one of their players on this season's All-Star team, then O'Hearn would be a fitting candidate. It's also noteworthy to see if second baseman Jackson Holliday can also get in on the summertime fun, too.

Holliday had a pretty solid May, but the trick is repeating that in June and all summer long.

Orioles fans know all about the team's pitching situation. It's not good. This needs to be addressed for any real marked improvement record-wise going forward.

At least Baltimore can take comfort in the fact that they've played better than the Colorado Rockies. There needs to be some serious front office conversations on getting Baltimore back in the AL East playoff picture.

Should O'Hearn and Holliday become the backbone of an Orioles' rally this season, Baltimore might just surge back into the postseason conversation.

A lot of work, though, remains to be done.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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