Jul 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the Baltimore Orioles 4th of July hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Orioles' starting pitcher deemed worst player on team this season

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Orioles are in the final week of the regular season and are likely looking forward to this year being over. Despite having high expectations coming into the campaign, the Orioles were never close to reaching them after a dreadful start.

In what ended up being a very strong American League East, Baltimore has been near the bottom of the division for most of the season. After making the playoffs and winning a lot of games the two years prior, the 2025 campaign was a significant setback for the franchise, as they are very likely to finish the season in last place; they are the first team in the division guaranteed to finish with a losing record.

While there is a lot of blame to go around for the struggles of the franchise, the slow start was mostly because of the starting rotation. This was a unit that was one of the worst in baseball for much of the first half of the season, with injuries and ineffective play dominating the narrative.

One pitcher who they were relying heavily on was a main culprit in the struggles.

Zach Eflin Was a Massive Disappointment

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

In a recent article on Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller listed the worst player for every major league team this season. For the Orioles, it was starting pitcher Zach Eflin.

In 2024, Baltimore traded for the right-hander at the deadline to help strengthen their rotation for the stretch run and the playoffs. Eflin went on to perform very well; he was a significant reason for them making the postseason last year, and the team had high hopes for him coming into the 2025 campaign.

After the loss of Corbin Burnes in free agency, it was Eflin who was slated to be the ace of the staff coming into the season. That might have been an unfair spot to put the veteran in, but options were limited for the Orioles. Unfortunately, he did not come close to meeting the lofty expectations set for him this year. Injuries certainly played a factor in the struggles, but even when he was on the mound, he was ineffective.

This campaign, Eflin totaled a 6-5 record and 5.93 ERA; this included an abysmal 6.92 ERA in his final 11 starts before back surgery took him out for the rest of the year. While there was some talk that he might be one of the players that Baltimore would look to move at the trade deadline, the back injury that ultimately required the aforementioned surgery prevented that from gaining much traction.

The right-hander will be a free agent at the end of the season, and even though he pitched well for the franchise in 2024, it would be hard to imagine them looking to bring him back next year.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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