Offensive Struggles of Baltimore Orioles Have Been Early Season Surprise

The Baltimore Orioles offense has been shockingly underwhelming through the first month of the season.

Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins (31) reacts after striking out during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

There are many reasons for concern regarding the Baltimore Orioles during the first month of the 2025 MLB regular season.

They are currently in the cellar of the American League East with a record of 11-18. Only the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies have fewer victories in the entire MLB entering play on April 30.

A lot of people will point to their pitching as the main culprit for the team’s struggles.

The starting rotation has been a mess, unable to get the ball to what has been a dominant bullpen with a chance for them to win a game. Their decision to let Corbin Burnes leave in free agency and the subsequent moves made to replace him will be questioned for a long time.

Alas, it isn’t just the struggles on the mound that have the team facing such a deep early hole.

Their lineup has been underwhelming, falling woefully short of expectations over the first few weeks.

The Orioles are 19th in the MLB with 3.97 runs per game. They have a team slash line of .221/.294/.378 and an OPS+ of 97, all of which are below the league average.

The only thing Baltimore has done above the league-average is hit home runs.

So far, they have recorded 35, which puts them in a tie with the Atlanta Braves for No. 9 in the MLB.

Losers in seven out of their last nine games, it is hard to be optimistic about the direction the team is heading in because they are lacking a spark in any area.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins and designated hitter/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn have OPS+ numbers of 180 and 170, respectively. The next highest is Ramon Urias with a 108 and only six out of 17 positional players who have made a plate appearance this season are at least league-average in OPS+.

That is a major reason why the Orioles are as low as they are in the starting nine power rankings that Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently put together.

Baltimore was placed at No. 21 after the first week of the season, stunningly in the same tier and ranking behind the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians.

There is just too much talent on the Orioles roster to remain this low in the rankings for much longer and be in the bottom half of the league in virtually every offensive category.

The starting nine finding a rhythm and getting on track will be key to the team turning things around.

If they can’t and Baltimore falls out of the playoff race, there could be some major changes on the horizon.