Baseball is back, and the 2025 season is officially underway.
While the Baltimore Orioles are playing .500 ball right now, there have been some impressive offensive displays, strong pitching from the bullpen and things we are ready to put into the rear view mirror.
After two series and a 3-4 week against the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, the Orioles will head on the road once again to meet the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now that the first week is in the books, let’s take a look at who The Great, The Good and The Ugly were from the opening of the 2025 Baltimore Orioles season.
The Great: Cedric Mullins
The Great easily could have been one of two players, but after the season Cedric Mullins had last year, his start to the 2025 campaign has been one of the highlights thus far.
A minor adjustment in his batting stance and hand placement has put the energetic Mullins as one of the catalysts of an offense that can score at will when it’s clicking.
Mullins has now smashed three home runs and has driven in a team-leading 11 runs while being near the team-lead in most offensive categories. The surprise start has helped to quell the absence of shortstop Gunnar Henderson and the recent loss of outfielder Colton Cowser.
Mullins is slashing .308/.400/.692/1.092 so far on the young season and has added two stolen bases while playing strong defense in center field.
The Good: Jordan Westburg
As easily as Westy could have occupied The Great spot this week, he did best out outfielder Tyler O’Niell for The Good category.
After a strong season last year was cut short by a fractured wrist, Westburg has once again established his place as a key component to the Orioles’ lineup.
Due to the aforementioned Henderson starting the season on the IL, Westburg has played second and third base while maintaining one of the hottest bats on the team.
Tied for the team-lead with nine hits, Westburg is also tied for the team-lead, with Mullins, in home runs with three. He has reached base multiple times in four of his six games played and hit safely in five of the first six.
Westburg, my preseason prediction for MVO, appears to be taking the next step forward and is providing another boost to the O’s offense ahead of Henderson’s return this Friday.
For the young season, Westy is slashing .375/.444/.750/1.194 with three home runs, four RBIs, five runs scored and three walks.
The Ugly: Charlie Morton
One of the O’s offseason signings that stirred the pot was that of 41-year-old veteran righty Charlie Morton.
Many were questioning the signing as a desperate move, but Morton still believed he had something to offer a team. After two starts to the season, Birdland is wondering if the move was just as wrong as many believed.
Morton is now 0-2 with an ERA of 9.72 and a WHIP of 1.92 across 8.1 innings of work. What’s even more maddening is Morton has struck out 13 batters to only three walks, so the stuff is there.
Opponents are currently slashing .361/.390/.583/.973 on the young season, as Ground Chuck has yet to pass the fifth inning in either of his starts. The hits are finding their holes, as opponents have a .478 BABIP, though Morton has only allowed four extra-base hits.
While Morton does have a slower start to the season in March and April historically, he will have to turn things around quickly, as both Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Gibson should be returning in the next couple weeks.
While the season is still young and the team is without Henderson and Rodriguez, among others, there have been some bright spots and areas for improvement.
The good news is that it’s a long season, and it’s just getting underway. There will be other players who step up, ones who return and others who just have an off week.
Will Mullins and Westburg continue to be catalysts for the offense? Will Morton turn things around? Who will be the next player to step up? Tune in next week as The Great, The Good and The Ugly is back for the 2025 season.
Do you agree with our picks this week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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