Baltimore Orioles' Slumping Pitchers Aren't Only Ones To Blame for Brutal Start

The Baltimore Orioles' struggling pitchers aren't the only ones off to a slow start.

Apr 20, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) reaches first base safely on a force out during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

There's a lot of blame going around amid the Baltimore Orioles' horrendous 9-12 start.

Much of it has been directed at the starting rotation, which ranks last in MLB with a 6.11 ERA following Sunday's embarrassing 24-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

The team's leadership of Brandon Hyde, Mike Elias and David Rubenstein have also received their fair share of criticism.

However, they're not the only ones dragging the club down.

A number of position players have also underperformed at the plate, including several who were expected to anchor the Orioles' lineup this year.

The talented quartet of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg have been particularly atrocious, combining for a paltry .211/.274/.396 batting line and 0.6 WAR in 288 plate appearances this season.

Much talk about the Orioles pitching stinking badly (it does), but at some point the amazing next generation of the best prospects ever probably need to start hitting:

Gunnar Henderson
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Adley Rutschman
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Jackson Holliday
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Jordan Westburg
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.211/.274/.396 in 288 PA this season

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) April 21, 2025

Rutschman's poor second half has carried over into this year.

Through 20 games, the All-Star catcher is batting just .208/.299/.390 with four home runs and seven RBI, looking like a shell of his former self.

Henderson, the team's MVP last year, started the season on the injured list and has struggled to get going. His first 14 games have been rough, producing a .228/.267/.439 slash line and a whopping 20 strikeouts as he tries to get his timing back.

Westburg has also bizarrely fallen off after making the All-Star team last year, batting .194/.256/.389 with four homers, five RBI and 17 strikeouts in 18 games.

Meanwhile, Holliday still doesn't look like a Major League-caliber hitter. The 21-year-old has continued to scuffle after his disastrous rookie season, batting .220/.270/.373 with -0.2 WAR in Year 2.

All four of these former first-round picks have failed to play up to their potential this season, which is a major reason (along with Hyde's excessive lineup tinkering) why Baltimore's offense has been so inconsistent.

The Orioles simply aren't getting enough production from their four best players, and the rest of their lineup (minus Ryan O'Hearn and Cedric Mullins) has struggled to pick up the slack.

Henderson and Westburg should turn things around eventually, but Rutschman's prolonged slump is troubling. Holliday is still young and adjusting to the big leagues, so he may need more time to figure things out.

The bottom line is that Baltimore needs more from these guys if it wants to right the ship and contend in 2025. Because unless they return to form soon, this team isn't going anywhere.