Orioles Veteran Slugger Rediscovering Power Potential Would Boost Lineup

The Baltimore Orioles would love to see one of their veteran sluggers regain his lost power stroke at the plate.

Mar 28, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) takes batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have been one of the more disappointing teams at the start of the 2025 MLB regular season.

Their shortcomings that analysts and fans alike thought could be their Achilles heel have already given them issues. Atop that list has been the starting pitching and inconsistent performance at the plate.

It is the same two things that plagued them at times down the stretch of 2024 when they went from looking like legitimate World Series contenders in the first half of the season to an AL Wild Card exit at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.

Overall, over the first 10 games of the season, the Orioles’ numbers are solid. They have a .263/.324/.419 slash line with an OPS+ of 108, all strong, above-average numbers.

Colton Cowser, who was injured four games into the season, is the only starting player who doesn’t have an OPS+ and Rbat+ 106. He will miss several more weeks.

Consistently producing has evaded Baltimore to this point, which has played a part in their underwhelming 4-6 start.

The talent is there for them to turn things around and produce without going through some dry spells.

One of the players who looks capable of helping aid in that quest is first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

The argument that the Orioles would be better off moving on from Mountcastle to open up a clearer path to playing time for top prospect Coby Mayo is a legitimate one.

But, the veteran first baseman has made improvements each year he has been in the Major Leagues and it looks like he is taking another step in 2025. 

He has already produced a 0.4 WAR through 10 games with a healthy .324/.343/.441 slash line, which includes two doubles and one triple. That has resulted in a 120 OPS+ and there is reason to believe the return of his power stroke is here to stay.

As shared by Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required), Mountcastle has shown one of the biggest improvements in maximum exit velocity in 2025 compared to 2024, going from 114 to 117.

“Ryan Mountcastle had over 2,000 plate appearances in the big leagues before this season and had never hit a ball even 115 mph, so that’s a notable thing; don’t count him out just because it’s been a powerless start so far,” Sarris wrote.

His ground ball rate is a little high right now at 44.4%, but if he can start putting the ball into the air more frequently, the home runs should start piling up.

Mountcastle has seen his home run total decrease in three consecutive campaigns after slugging a career-high 33 in 2021.

Rediscovering that power stroke would help the Orioles immensely as they look to find consistency at the plate.