By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com
The Major League Baseball season will begin on March 18 when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs travel to Japan to play in the “2025 MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series.” The Baltimore Orioles will open up their season on March 27 in Canada as they face off against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Orioles finished second to the New York Yankees in the American League East last year with a record of 91-71. Their 2024 season ended after a 2-0 series loss in the American League wild card round against the Kansas City Royals. Here are five developments and storylines Orioles fans should keep an eye out for as the team looks to improve on last year’s regular season and post season performance.
How do the Orioles address the loss of 2024 All Star Anthony Santander?
In January, former Baltimore Orioles third baseman Anthony Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Blue Jays in free agency. Santander was named to the All Star team and won the Silver Slugger among third basemen for the first time in his career in 2024. Santander also hit a career high 44 home runs last season. Jordan Westburg, 26, is projected to slot in at third base, while 2022 MLB Draft first overall pick Jackson Holliday looks to learn from his struggles as a rookie last season and make up for the loss of offensive production.
“If Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday have good or great years, the Orioles will be in contention until September; we’ll all be jockeying for World Series tickets. That’s a hopeful scenario, but it could happen. The loss of Anthony Santander will be felt but other bats could make up for lost production,” said Mark Hyman, director of the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland. Hyman is also a Baltimore Orioles season ticket holder.
Left fielder Colton Cowser, 24, hit 24 home runs last season but will look to improve on his .242 batting average. Star catcher Adley Rutschman, who was named an All Star in both 2023 and 2024, will aim to replicate his production prior to the All Star break before a dip in production at the plate towards the end of the season. The Orioles also signed outfielder Tyler O’Neill during free agency who hit 31 home runs with the Boston Red Sox last season. O’Neill is a two-time Gold Glove recipient.
Can Cedric Mullins return to his All Star form?
Center fielder Cendric Mullins has been a mainstay in center field for the Orioles since joining the majors in 2018. Through the years of rebuilding and the recent seasons of promise, Mullins has offered the Orioles a steady glove, good defense and impressive baserunning during his Baltimore tenure. Mullins enjoyed his most impressive season as a professional in 2021 when he was named an All Star and was the recipient of the Silver Slugger Award, recognizing him as the best hitting center fielder in Major League Baseball that season. Mullins also became the first Orioles player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases since the franchise relocated from St. Louis to Baltimore. If Mullins can return to the form that he had when he was producing in 2021 or 2022, that may be the edge that the Orioles need to make a deep playoff push.
Will Gunnar Henderson win American League MVP?
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson has starred for Baltimore since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. A talented athlete, Gunnar was named both the Alabama Player of the Year in baseball and the Alabama Independent School Association Player of the Year in basketball his senior year of high school after batting .559 on the baseball diamond and averaging a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double on the basketball court. At only 23 years old, Henderson has already won the 2022 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year award and the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year award. Henderson was named an All Star for the first time in his career last season.
According to BetMGM, Henderson currently holds the third best odds in the American League to take home the Most Valuable Player award, trailing only reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and fellow shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Speaking of playoff pushes, are the Baltimore Orioles World Series contenders in 2025?
Although the Orioles were bounced from the playoffs in the wild card round last year, all signs point to more playoff success for the Orioles this season. According to ESPN Bet, the Orioles have the sixth best odds to win the World Series and the second best odds in the American League. Burgeoning young offensive talent and a strong pitching rotation have some analysts and experts choosing Baltimore as the favorites to win the American League East, which would give the Orioles the luxury of not having to compete in the wild card round altogether. With the Yankees’ loss of both Juan Soto in the offseason and Gerritt Cole to Tommy John surgery, the American League East appears to be the Orioles’ to lose. However, Baltimore must keep an eye out for Opening Day opponent Toronto with the addition of former Oriole Anthony Santander and the stellar hitting ability of MVP-candidate Vladimir Guerrero.
“I believe the Baltimore Orioles will win the World Series this year,” said University of Baltimore Law School student and Orioles fan Shail B. Desai. “The team is talented, disciplined and consistent. They have a strong, shared incentive to want to win games. Most people love when the dark horse wins it all, and the Baltimore Orioles winning the World Series at Camden Yards would leave us [in Baltimore] entertained.”
How will the Orioles perform on the mound in 2025?
Santander was not the only notable departure for the Orioles this offseason. Baltimore also lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks, which negatively impacted the Orioles pitching depth. Burnes is a four-time All Star and was named to the All-MLB First Team twice in his career, including in 2024. Last season, Burnes posted a 15-9 record with a 2.92 earned run average. The Orioles’ ace this upcoming season will likely be Zach Eflin, who Baltimore acquired at the trade deadline last year. Eflin led the American League in wins in 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles also signed Tomoyuki Sugano from Japan this off season to bolster their pitching rotation. Sugano will make his Major League debut as a 35-year-old after a 12-year career in the Central League as a member of the Yomiuri Giants. Sugano was named the Most Valuable Player of the Central League in 2014, 2020 and 2024.
“Corbin Burnes is a more significant loss [than Santander]. He not only won games but pitched deep into the ones he started,” said Hyman. “Last season, Burnes was one of just nine pitchers to throw more than 190 innings. He will be missed, especially if the Orioles’ starting pitchers are cut down with injuries as they were in 2024.”
