The first full month of Baltimore Orioles baseball is complete.
It’s not the start many in Birdland expected, but the O’s find themselves at the bottom of the American League East heading into the month of May.
Inconsistent performances from the bats, consistently poor showings from the starting rotation and a lack of energy around the clubhouse led to a 12-18 start to the year.
Let’s break down the first month of the season.
Team Numbers
The Orioles as a whole statistically have just not been good, unfortunately. They are slashing .223/.296/.382 with a .678 OPS and have 217 hits, 35 doubles, four triples and 37 home runs, meaning that 35% of their hits are extra-base hits.
The Birds have also struck out 265 times, meaning that the position players are striking out 8.8 times a game.
The pitching hasn’t been much better. The O’s have a team ERA of 5.47, have given up 299 hits and have a team WHIP of 1.58.
While the team has been struggling as a whole, four players have really shown out to start the season. Let’s dive in.
Cedric Mullins
The Oriole MVP to start the season has been Cedric Mullins.
In 28 games, Mullins has a .278/.412/.515 slash line with a .927 OPS. He’s collected 27 hits, five doubles, six home runs and has knocked in 20 RBIs.
Mullins has also walked 20 times, struck out 25 times and has stolen five bases in six attempts. He also has a 1.093 OPS against left-handed pitching this year, a complete turn-around from last season.
Mullins is on a contract year, and he is showing why he deserves to get paid. The 30-year-old is starting to show that his 30/30 year in 2021 might not be a fluke and that he is still a great table-setter and defensive gem in center field.
Tomoyuki Sugano
A new addition to the rotation is balling out.
Tomoyuki Sugano has looked solid in his rookie campaign thus far. The former NPB ace is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 33 innings of work and has only walked six batters to 17 strikeouts.
The signing of Sugano was not particularly enjoyed by fans during the offseason, as the veteran is on the older side at 35 years old. However, fans have really turned around on their feelings on Tommy Sugar.
Ryan O’Hearn
Ryan O’Hearn, along with most of the lefty bats in the lineup, has shown up to be a leader for his club.
He has a .920 OPS, is batting .300, has 21 hits, five home runs and has walked nine times. An absolute steady presence in the top of Brandon Hyde’s lineup.
O’Him is looking like the 2023 version of himself, and that is a welcome sight for O’s fans as this offense looks to find any amount of consistency.
Bryan Baker
Every team has that lock-down reliever to start the season. That’s been Bryan Baker so far this year.
A 1.50 ERA in 12 innings of work, five walks, 15 strikeouts, a 1.17 WHIP, and he holds batters to a .220 batting average. Yeah, the certainly will play.
Baker has been the out maker for the team when outs have been desperately needed. It’s honestly so encouraging to see Baker be reliable this season, especially with all the injuries to the team and use of bullpen arms recently.
What are your thoughts on the Orioles’ first month of the season? 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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