The state of Birdland fans

Written by:

Matt Farr

Having the opportunity to attend the Baltimore Orioles home series against the Toronto Blue Jays, I had conversations with fans, staff and other locals around Charm City.

The overall vibe in Birdland is disappointment. However, one thing still stuck out. People believe that the O’s can and will turn it around and that Baltimore is a competitive team.

This team was expected to right the wrongs of the second half of last season, but it currently is more of the same. Something has felt off since late June of 2024, and there isn’t one thing in particular that we can point to.

One gentleman I had a conversation with believes the Orioles currently do not have a true vocal leader. He stated that the lineup should be able to compete with anyone in Major League Baseball, but they seem to be stuck in a rut — one that a vocal leader in the clubhouse should be able to help them get out of.

He stated a couple of times during the conversation that he believes the offense will eventually get out of the funk they are in.

Many people stated they do not believe the pitching staff is capable of making a deep postseason push. They are hopeful that the starting rotation can get healthy and stay healthy, but as of right now, all of the pressure is on the offense — a weight that might just be too heavy to carry.

Some are intrigued by the return of Kyle Gibson, while others thought it was more of the same Mike Elias signings. Conversations of the potential to see Kyle Bradish this year have people excited, but the slow start is putting a damper on that.

However, there are still some positive views on the Birds even with the slow start.

One lady who has been a Birdland member for 20+ years thinks this team can get hot at the right time. She has been cheering on the O’s for many years, and from her point of view, this team is young and full of talent. They have the ability to learn and grow from this skid that has lasted over the last 100 games or so.

The Baby Birds haven’t faced much adversity yet in their young careers. Constant call-ups bring juice to a young team when they are struggling. The lineup hasn’t found a way to keep the juice going consistently.

A few people I talked to think a change of leadership is needed. They liked the idea of manager Brandon Hyde seeing the rebuild through, but they think his message isn’t registering with the guys.

It’s hard to fire a manger 15 games into a season. I can understand this take if we were 60+ games into the 2025 campaign. Besides, who is going to replace Hyde if he were to be relieved of his managerial duties?

Overall, optimism is still out there, but it seems to be diminishing. Fans are trying to find ways to stay positive about the start of the year, but with a club with World Series expectations sitting at 6-9, it’s hard to get excited about what this season holds.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the O’s? 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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