Orioles 2025 Mid-Season Report: Batting

The two-time All-Star is having a rough year in 2025, including an oblique injury that has sidelined him for some time. The good news is that Rutschman is hitting off a tee and might return to the team. That is, if he remains on the team following the month of July.

Regardless, the 27-year-old is on track to have the worst season of his young career. One of the biggest red flags in Rutschman’s game is his dropping gap power, with his slugging average going from over .800 in 2023 to under .700 in 2025. In fact, he’s on track to potentially finish with under 20 doubles for the first time in his career.

The strange thing is that most of his metrics haven’t changed, except for a drop in his barrel rate and maybe a few tweaks in his batting stance. Otherwise, it could be chalked up to just bad luck. He’s a good player, but it just seems 2025 is a down year for his batting average on balls in play.

Backup Catchers

The team is having an issue with keeping their backup catchers healthy. At least three of the backups to Rutschman are on the injured list and haven’t been cleared to resume activities. The four backups, including Jacob Stallings, have a WAR of negative-one, with six home runs.

First Base

Ryan Mountcastle

Another starter with an injury, the 28-year-old is currently experiencing a severe power drought that is affecting his playability. In 2021, Mountcastle hit 33 home runs. Since then, his numbers have gradually declines to now where he has only two in 52 games this year.

Mountcastle’s OBP is under .300, his OPS is under .630, and his average is under .250, all aiming for career lows. With first base being billed as a power position, his lack of power is really putting him in jeopardy for the trade deadline.

The problem is that Mountcastle’s swing is now on top of the ball rather than under, limiting his power significantly. With a slight increase in his attack angle, his contact number is dropping and really zapping his power. He needs to make an adjustment quick.

Second Base

Jackson Holliday

One of the two finalists for the All-Star game this year from the Orioles, Holiday has been a decent player, but not spectacular. The 21-year-old is developing both raw and gap power, along with taking risks on the base paths by attempting to steal 17 bases. He has been caught stealing eight of those times, along with a low 5% walk-rate this year.

He’s not a good second baseman defensively, though. In 287 chances, he’s committed five errors and has a zone rating of negative-five. Yes, he is young, but he needs to develop a lot more before really scrutinizing him. Give it some time, he’s got some good metrics in terms of how he swings the bat.

Third Base

Ramón Urías

One of the recurring patterns in the team’s lineup is that there is a drop in both slugging and on-base percentage. We’re seeing this with the 31-year-old veteran Urías, heading for career lows in on-base percentage and slugging like Mountcastle is.

Urías is a volatile player, hitting 16 home runs one year and then four the next in the same time span. He seems to be somewhere in the middle, hitting six home runs in 64 games and 29 RBI. This is one of the areas where the team might have to trade some capital for stability. Coby Mayo might see more reps if he turns it on at Triple-A Norfolk.

Shortstop

Gunnar Henderson

Even though his numbers don’t look like it this year, Henderson is still the best player on the team. The former Rookie of the Year is having a slow 2025, but is still hitting the ball well and getting on base at a respectable clip. He still has 17 doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs with 10 stolen bases.

His metrics are mixed, but his issues lie with hitting the sweet spot of his bat. If he can make contact with the barrel a bit more, alongside more solid contact and sweet-spot usage, he might be able to reach the .800 OPS mark again in 2026, perhaps even this year if he goes on a hot streak.

Outfielders

Ramón Laureano

Surprisingly, the Orioles’ best outfielder isn’t homegrown, but rather a free agency acquisition during the offseason. Laureano shockingly has the team’s highest slugging percentage and OPS during the 2025 season. Thanks to some small adjustments in his stance, he’s returned to his pre-2020 Oakland Athletics form, giving the team a second facet of power.

Tyler O’Neill

On the other hand, O’Neill has been a disaster for the team so far. The two-time Gold Glover saw a complete collapse in his slugging and on-base percentage. This isn’t even mentioning his shoulder injury that sidelined him for nearly two months. Whether this was the cause of his poor play isn’t clear. What is clear is that the three-year, nearly $50 million deal is going nowhere.

Heston Kjerstad

The 26-year-old has performed even worse in lieu of O’Neill. After two short seasons of respectable play, Kjerstad saw his walk rate crash to 3.6% along with a drop in his slugging abilities. It got so bad that he ended up getting optioned back to Triple-A, where he’s struggled even more. He might see himself out of Baltimore soon if things don’t turn around quickly.

Colton Cowser

The bad news is that Cowser missed a lot of action due to a thumb injury early in the season. The good news is that, in the month of June, he had an OPS of .860 with six home runs. He’s been somewhat of a sparkplug for the offense, but he needs to keep his strikeouts down and get his walks up to be really good.

Designated Hitter Ryan O’Hearn

Being the team’s lone All-Star selection, O’Hearn has been the team’s best hitter. He’s having a career year, seeing his home run rate increase and his walk rate also jump, along with a declining strikeout rate. For a team desperate for a headline player, the 31-year-old veteran is that player.