Updated Orioles Lineup After Trading Adley Rutschman

The Orioles must embrace what they are – a perpetually rebuilding franchise with a conman for a chief baseball executive and billionaire private equity owners who wants to make money above all else, not win.

They always sell the future to fans and conduits in the media, because they believe greater profits are always in the future. Yet in the present Mike Elias continues to stunt the growth and development of the prospects who have hit MLB while reveling in the rankings of a bunch of teenagers in trade publications and websites who are years away from MLB (most of whom never reach MLB or make a positive impact in MLB).

We know by now that Elias can’t wait to put a kid who is getting on a tear back on the bench because his super computer tells him to (small sample splits!). Nothing changes around here so that probably won’t either. But this is what their lineup vs RHP should look like the rest of the season, if they had a clue.

Dylan Beavers, LF

If they try to run Gunnar Henderson out here, and I don’t put it past them, it’s just another sign that nothing has changed and they’ll keep repeating all the mistakes they made with Adley to completely ruin Henderson, too and just give him everything instead of making him earn it again. Beavers has a good eye and works counts and unlike almost all of their prospects actually understands the art of base-stealing a little bit.

Blaze Alexander, 3B

They say he’s going to be back soon. Great. He was their best player by far from April 28-the All-Star break when he got hurt. He was top 10 in MLB in wRC+ in that span and it was idiotic to keep batting him 8th or 9th in a slumping lineup. You must lean into his emerging bat-to-ball skills and speed here.

Pete Alonso, 1B

Been a little too streaky for my liking in the run-production department. Like everything else Elias does, he was grossly oversold at to what he could mean to the lineup and especially the clubhouse. But media morons in this town gleefully parroted that instead of actually putting in work. Contract won’t age well. So they’d better maximize the plate appearances now.

Samuel Basallo, C

Hopefully they stop trying to shame him and challenge him, and recognize his historical significance as the most prolific under-22 power-hitting catcher in MLB history. Turns 22 later this month and better catch four times a week as soon as he is back from IL.

Henderson, SS

He, like Adley, will never sign here and he, like Adley, will be gone with two playoff runs left on his deal (next August) and he, like Adley, has been bad in every facet of the game for beyond a full calendar year. Since Aug 1, 2024 he is among MLB in errors, and times picked off, and has a morbid .228/.305/.394 slash (.698) over 163 games with just 23 HR, 72 RBI and 160 strikeouts to 62 walks. That’s a No. 6 hitter til proven otherwise.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand/Coby Mayo, DH

A year ago they stuck with Jeremiah Jackson, another fallen top prospect still in his mid-20s, and he is at least an MLB bench guy. Coby Mayo needs to be in lineup vs every lefty and some righties too. Both merit a runway given where this franchise is, but keeping stiffs like Tyler O’Neill around makes that tricky.

Leody Taveras, RF

Not sure if he can handle right with the fielding slump that haas overcome him. Unreal that the glove nd speed were what got him to MLB, and a few months under Elias's spell with a clown staff and he can't catch anyore. Still just 25, a switch hitter, who can bunt and steal and who has been their most clutch hitter.

Colton Cowser, CF

He won’t be here by Opening Day. And they will use these last two months to try to goose whatever trade value he has. It’s clearly not much or he woulda been gone with Adley. We know Leody will start in center vs lefties, but he shouldn't.

Jackson Holliday, 2B

This kid has attached the ball differently and embraced low-line drives and bas hits of all varieties and is getting on base a bunch. That is beyond paramount with him. He needs to hit vs lefties all the time and they need to accept that Jeremiah Jackson is a bench guy. Every inning in the field and every at bat is critical for the 22-year old who is finally on an extended upswing coming off an outstanding July. if he keeps this up I'd like see to him higher.

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