All Baltimore neighborhoods have Orioles fans. Bolton Hill has three guys who watch baseball as professional writers and experts. As the season ends, here’s how they assess the O’s disappointing performance:
Rich Dubroff: Unrealistic expectations
Expectations were high for the 2026 Orioles – too high. It wasn’t that their off-season acquisitions were inadequate. Pete Alonso has produced well and been a good leader in the clubhouse.
It’s that the team’s president of baseball operations, Mike Elias, depended too much on the players he drafted and cultivated: catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, centerfielder Colton Cowser, second baseman Jackson Holliday, third baseman Jordan Westburg and designated hitter Heston Kjerstad. None have played up to expectations, and Rutschman is gone now, off to Boston.
Henderson has inexplicably regressed while Cowser’s offense has lagged, though his defense is superb. Holliday has played much better this year than last, and he should continue to get better. Westburg’s loss due to Tommy John surgery can’t be measured because many of those fundamental mistakes wouldn’t have happened had he been healthy.
Kjerstad has been stuck in the minor leagues. His performance has sadly been affected due to his June 2024 beaning.
Elias has failed to surround these players with capable veterans with the exception of Alonso, and that’s a glaring shortcoming. The trade of Rutschman has brought some excellent prospects in return, but they may not blossom for two or three years.
Rich Dubroff is an Orioles reporter for BaltimoreBaseball.com.
Tom Delise: Rating Mike Elias
Mike Elias is being harshly criticized by the rabid “experts” in chat rooms, but I like most of the moves that he has made. Throughout his tenure he has proved to be an excellent judge of talent. I also like his recent signing of young players like Kyle Bradish, Samuel Basallo and Shane Baz. Locking these guys up shows a commitment to the team’s long-term future.
The signing of Pete Alonso was an excellent move that has paid off in every way (his offense, underrated defense, and leadership). I also like the fact that Elias has recently started paying more attention to building up the number of pitching prospects in the minor leagues, which I have been concerned about for some time. You can NEVER have enough pitching.
My two major criticisms of the organization are that they have been too reluctant to trade prospects for proven major league talent, and they need to put more emphasis on offensive tactics and strategies that put pressure on opposing defenses. This includes cutting down on strikeouts and putting more balls in play, using the hit-and-run and bunting for hits more often, advancing runners more effectively, and trying to steal more bases.
Finally, I believe manager Brandon Hyde should not have been fired.
Tom Delise is the co-author of Foxy Ned Hanlon: The Baseball Life of a Hall of Fame Manager and the author of Dirty Jack Doyle: The Rowdy Star of Baseball Wildest Decade and The Big Baseball Trivia Book.
Charlie Vascellaro: But they still might make the playoffs
Don’t look now, but the Orioles are (as I write this) still in the race for the last of three American League wild-card playoff spots. Every game from here on out will be the most important game of the season.
The Birds flirted with .500 in a frustrating way for most of the season, hovering three or four games below. They hit a rock bottom mark of 42-51 on July 8 in last place, 13.5 games behind Tampa Bay. A season-high seven-game winning streak spanning the All-Star break brought them to 49-51 on July 19. From early July through August, they compiled a .600 winning percentage.
That dramatic “defensive” walk-off victory on Aug. 31 against Colorado may have been the most exciting and important game of the year. Colton Cowser’s amazing, leaping grab of what would have been a game-winning home run for the Rockies provided the highlight play of the Orioles 2026 season to date. Cowser’s catch sealed the victory and may have salvaged his season and his career. He also drove in the go-ahead run that night.
The Orioles had just claimed NY Mets fielder Luis Robert off the waiver wire. They were willing to invest $4.89 million for the remainder of the 2026 season, plus a $2 million buyout of his $20 million club option for 2027. Cowser is still under contract at the major league minimum of $742,800 annually.
Fan favorite Adley Rutschman was dealt to Boston for a plethora of prospects at the trading deadline on August 3rd. While Orioles fans were dismayed at the loss of the man who had become the face of the franchise, the Birds received a significant haul in return: right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, the second highest ranked minor leaguer in the Sox system; another right-handed pitcher, Kyson Witherspoon, ranked fourth in the system; and outfielder Enddy Azoca, the team’s fifth ranked prospect. The Orioles traded a year-and-half of team control of Rutschman for 25 years of control for the five players acquired in the deal. After Rutschman’s departure the Orioles compiled a 15-11 record (.576) in August.
The Orioles would not be where they are without their new first baseman Pete Alonso, who has posted the same numbers as he did with the Mets over seven years. Alonso has played every game of the season. The season ends for Baltimore at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 27.
Charlie Vascellaro is a frequent speaker on the academic baseball conference circuit and the author of a biography about Hank Aaron. His articles have appeared in The Village Voice, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Banner, The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Arizona Republic, MLB.com ESPN W, La Vida Baseball, Spitball, and the Museum of the Native American.
