Pete Alonso's slow start mirrors that of the Orioles

Pete Alonso naturally hoped to make an immediate impact in his first season with the Baltimore Orioles.

The slugging first baseman is struggling at the plate, with a .205/.279/.308 line and just one home run — matching the Orioles’ own 4-6 stumble out of the gate.

High expectations for Polar Bear

The Orioles expect a lot from The Polar Bear after signing him to a five-year, $155M contract as a free agent in the offseason to boost a team that finished last in the American League East last season. Alonso set the New York Mets’ franchise record for career home runs with 264 in seven seasons.

“When we have opportunities to score, we don’t always take advantage of that, and I feel like I’m kind of at the heart of that,” Alonso said. “I mean, it’s been tough, and it’s been a little bit of everything. It just kind of stinks right now.”

Orioles are injured and inconsistent

However, the 31-year-old five-time All-Star has been around long enough to know the Orioles still have 152 games remaining. It also doesn’t help that second baseman Jackson Holliday, third baseman Jordan Westburg and outfielder Heston Kjerstad are on the injured list.

“We’re not going to play our best baseball all the time, but thankfully, we have a long way to go to clean things up and then execute better,” Alonso said. “We also need to get healthy. If you get our best guys out there and play good, clean baseball, then you’ve got a shot to be good.

“Just because you have a slow start doesn't mean anything towards the end of the season. It’d be great to go out and win nine games in a row, but this is a marathon, and we have plenty of opportunities and chances to get better and win a lot of ballgames.”

Sloppy play plaguing Orioles

After a long rebuild, the Orioles won many games in 2023 and 2024, making consecutive postseason appearances. Following a 75-87 season, they rebooted this offseason by signing Alonso and hiring Cleveland bench coach Craig Albernaz.

The Orioles have played sloppily so far this season, frustrating Albernaz, who emphasized the game’s finer points in spring training.

“We had a great camp, and we're trying to redefine ourselves, that it's getting back to fundamental baseball points, and doing the little things,” Albernaz said. “The work's still not done. We know we still have to get better, and that's on us. Myself and the coaching staff need to keep on pushing our guys to keep getting better.”

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.