Pitching Woes Rock Orioles Nation! Ace Power Rankings Reveal Dire Situation on the Mound
When taking a look at the Baltimore Orioles roster, there aren’t really any glaring needs.
The lineup is deep and talented, offering incredible run-scoring potential. There is almost too much depth for manager Brandon Hyde to work with, but it is better to have too much talent than not enough.
On the mound, the Orioles have the makings of what could be the best bullpen in baseball with star closer Felix Bautista returning to the mix and free agent addition Andrew Kittredge.
Only one potential Achilles heel exists; the lack of an ace to anchor their starting rotation with.
Corbin Burnes filled that role in 2024 and was excellent after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the campaign.
But, he is no longer with the team after signing a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency.
Baltimore didn’t bring in anyone to replace him at the top of the rotation, opting to instead build up their starting pitching depth. Veterans Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano were both added to complement Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin.
It is a strategy that has been criticized this offseason and will continue to be until games are played to see how things turn out.
Right now, the outlook is bleak in the opinion of Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
The baseball writer recently shared his ace power rankings and the Orioles came in at a concerningly low No. 27.
That ranking, and taking a look at the other teams in the same tier, is a case of “one of these things are not like the other.”
Baltimore has legitimate World Series aspirations based on the talent on their roster, but the teams they are close to the rankings with are all projected to be bottom feeders in the standings in 2025.
Only the Chicago White Sox with Martin Perez, Colorado Rockies with German Marquez and Washington Nationals with MacKenzie Gore are below the Orioles. Just ahead of them are the Los Angeles Angels.
Three of those teams, the White Sox, Rockies and Angels, are entering the season with incredibly low expectations with last-place predictions in their respective divisions.
Whether it is Eflin, who got the nod from Reuter, or Rodriguez, the lack of a prototypical ace is concerning.
Whether it is Eflin, who got the nod from Reuter, or Rodriguez, the lack of a prototypical ace is concerning.
Baltimore needs to dip into the depth they have built for their lineup and use some to add an impact pitcher to the rotation.
Ownership and the front office will regret not being more aggressive making moves to land an ace, especially with the firepower their biggest rivals in the AL East have on the mound.
