The Baltimore Orioles have had one of the most successful starts to the 2023 MLB season in the entire league. Their 34-19 record sees them sitting in second place in the American League East, which is a bit unfortunate because the only team with a better record than them is the Tampa Bay Rays. If it weren't for Tampa's blistering start, Baltimore would be the talk of the MLB.
After years of rebuilding, the O's are finally beginning to reap the benefits of their lengthy stint at the bottom of the MLB's standings. Baltimore has built a deep lineup that consistently mashes, a decent starting rotation, and a lockdown bullpen that has powered them to the second-best start in the majors this season.
While the overall optics for Baltimore are great, no team is perfect, and it's clear that there are some players that fans are getting frustrated with thanks to their lackluster play. So with that in mind, let's pick out three struggling players that are getting on Orioles fans' nerves early on in the season.
3. Keegan Akin
Just when you think Keegan Akin has figured everything out for Baltimore, he responds by struggling mightily to open the 2023 season. Akin did not pan out as a starter for the Orioles, as he posted a 6.63 ERA back in 2021 when 17 of his 24 appearances were starts. Akin shifted to the bullpen in 2022, though, and seemed to find his role, posting a 3.20 ERA over 81.2 innings of work.
And yet, Akin responded by regressing again to start the 2023 season. Akin has posted an ugly 5.25 ERA through his 14 outings, and even got sent down to Triple-A for much of May, only recently getting called back up. Akin was supposed to be Baltimore's top lefty-specialist, but instead, he's been reassigned to mop-up duty out of the pen until he can figure things out.
It's always been a bumpy road for Akin in the majors, but it's clear that is running out for him to figure things out. Akin shouldn't have to be getting demoted to the minors at this stage of his career, and he's probably on his final shot with the Orioles. He certainly has the potential to succeed, but how Akin performs throughout the remainder of the season is going to be extremely important for him now.
2. Gunnar Henderson
Gunnar Henderson entered the 2023 season as the consensus top prospect in the MLB, but he hasn't looked the part early on. Henderson flashed his potential in a brief 34-game stint in 2022, hitting .259 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. Yet in 47 games so far this season, Henderson is hitting just .200 with five homers and 11 RBIs.
It's clear that this cold stretch doesn't exactly make Henderson a bust, but it's safe to say that concern levels have risen a bit thanks to this cold start. Henderson is still finding his way on base thanks to his solid plate discipline, but for much of his time in the minors, he looked capable of becoming one of the top hitters in the league. To this point, it's clear he's hit a bump in the road.
Baltimore doesn't necessarily have to send Henderson back to the minors to give him time to develop, but with Ramon Urias hitting .267 and driving in 17 runs sitting behind him on the bench, the O's may have a tough decision to make soon. Henderson's potential is still sky-high, but his struggles have left fans disappointed so far this year.
1. Grayson Rodriguez
Another highly touted prospect, Grayson Rodriguez finally made his MLB debut after finding himself ranked as high as the seventh best prospect in the league, and it's safe to say expectations for him were quite high. Through his first ten starts, those expectations weren't even close to being reached.
Rodriguez got absolutely tagged in his first stint in the majors with Baltimore (2-2, 7.35 ERA, 56 K, 1.72 WHIP), and there's some legit cause for concern here. Rodriguez was absolutely racking up strikeouts, but he also gave up 13 home runs in just ten starts, and couldn't find a way to avoid big innings in each of his outings.
For the time being, Rodriguez has been sent back to the minors, which will probably help out the Orioles starting rotation in the present. But in the long-term, this could be a massive blow for Baltimore. Rodriguez has a lot of time to figure things out, but his first impression was not a good one, and he will have to put in quite a bit of work if he intends on recovering from this nightmare start to his MLB career.
Follow Us
Subscribe