Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- ESPN ranks the Baltimore Orioles 14th in their latest power rankings despite a 14-15 start to the season
- The team’s strong offensive lineup featuring Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman overshadows a struggling pitching staff
- The rotation’s poor performance and reliance on risky moves by Mike Elias threaten to undermine the Orioles’ playoff hopes
Despite a lackluster 14-15 start to their season, ESPN ranked the Baltimore Orioles in the upper half of the league in their latest power rankings released on Thursday morning. The Worldwide has the Orioles ranked No. 14, a good amount higher than FanSided, which had the O's slotted in at No. 19.
The reason ESPN is high on Baltimore is because of the Orioles' lineup, and I don't blame them for that. It's a unit with the potential to be really good, particularly with how well guys like Samuel Basallo, Adley Rutschman and Dylan Beavers have played (and assuming proven stars like Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson get going). The pitching staff, however, is a problem, and it's only a matter of time before ESPN will have to reckon with the team Baltimore actually is rather than the one it could be.
Orioles rotation is in worse shape than ESPN must believe
You can score a lot of runs and have that prove to be meaningless by allowing a ton of runs. I mean, the Washington Nationals are second in the Majors in runs scored, yet are three games under .500 because of their abysmal pitching. The Orioles have started to heat up offensively, but their pitching remains a disaster.
Baltimore's 4.31 staff ERA is good for 20th in the Majors, and their 4.45 FIP is 22nd in the Majors. Relievers like Rico Garcia, Ryan Helsley and Anthony Nunez have helped lower their staff ERA, but the rotation is an issue. Everyone who has made more than two starts has an ERA of 4.20 or higher.
Pitcher | ERA |
|---|---|
Chris Bassitt | 5.75 |
Shane Baz | 4.50 |
Kyle Bradish | 4.20 |
Trevor Rogers | 4.75 |
These are the Orioles' best starters; it's really hard to win this way. They'll slug their way to some wins, and the pitchers might improve based on some positive underlying numbers, but consistency will be hard to come by. And the worst part is, this weakness was easy to predict.
Orioles did not do enough to address rotation weakness
Mike Elias made several moves in an attempt to improve the Orioles' roster, and while they'll be better than they were in 2025, it was always easy to anticipate the rotation being an issue. To put it simply, Elias relied on a bunch of gambles.
Rogers was one of the few Orioles bright spots in 2025, as his 1.81 ERA in 18 starts would indicate, but that always felt like an outlier. He had a 4.36 ERA in 84 starts prior to his breakout 2025 campaign, and even while his ERA was spectacular in 2025, Rogers' 3.40 xERA and .228 BABIP suggested that he got pretty lucky. Kyle Bradish entered the year with as much upside as anyone in this Baltimore rotation, but who knew what to expect after he had made a combined 14 starts in the previous two seasons? So far, the results have been pretty underwhelming.
Even Baz and Bassitt had clear red flags. The former has always had great stuff, but his Tampa Bay Rays tenure was full of injuries and inconsistency. Bassitt, meanwhile, is a 37-year-old with a ton of innings under his belt, so it was fair to wonder how much gas he had left in the tank.
The Orioles made a big signing, but it was to ink Pete Alonso, a first baseman, on a five-year deal. They made a big trade, but it was to acquire Taylor Ward, an outfielder. Baz was their biggest starting pitching addition.
I'm not here to say the Ward and Alonso pickups weren't necessary moves, but the Orioles choosing to make big splashes in their lineup but not their rotation, especially after starting pitching was such a clear weakness in 2025, has proven to be a predictable issue. As things stand, it feels like the rotation is going to be what sinks them in 2026.
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