Alonso's Big First Year in Baltimore Stands Apart as Orioles Near Losing Season
The short version
- Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal and delivered a 4.6 bWAR season with a MLB-leading 17 opposite-field home runs.
- The Orioles will finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs for the second straight year.
- Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser struggled while Alonso thrived.
- The Baz trade did not produce the rotation results the team envisioned.
- Matt Blood is leaving; Craig Albernaz and Mike Elias appear positioned to return.
Pete Alonso delivered on his five-year deal while younger Orioles hitters faltered, raising questions about the club's offensive development.
Pete Alonso's debut season with the Baltimore Orioles has been the rare bright spot in a year that will end with a losing record and a second straight playoff miss. Injuries, underperformance and trades hollowed out the roster, but the first baseman has produced a borderline MVP campaign, entering Tuesday night leading Major League Baseball with 17 opposite-field home runs and carrying a 4.6 bWAR.
Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract last offseason after the Orioles reportedly made a comparable offer to Kyle Schwarber, who stayed in Philadelphia for five years and $150 million. Schwarber has performed well for the Phillies, pacing the NL in both homers and strikeouts, though he has started just 10 games in the field. Alonso, by contrast, has grown into a strong defensive first baseman despite the presence of Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo on the roster.
The contrast extends to Baltimore's younger hitters. Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser failed to maximize their abilities, and Henderson never approached his 8.8 bWAR season of 2023. Manager Craig Albernaz had said the club would not reach its goals unless Henderson performed at his established level, and that prediction proved accurate.
Offseason spending on the rotation fell short as well. The package sent to Tampa Bay for Shane Baz did not yield the front-line results hoped for from a projected trio of Baz, Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers. Other acquisitions have also lagged, with Bo Bichette at 0.7 WAR and Kyle Tucker at 1.1 bWAR, while Alonso entered Monday's play with 16 more home runs and 45 more RBIs than any teammate.
As the offseason nears, Matt Blood is departing the organization while Albernaz and Mike Elias appear set to stay, and owner David Rubenstein is expected to make money available. Addressing the outfield, bullpen and rotation is the expected priority, but the larger question is whether the organization adjusts a development approach that Alonso's self-sustained, all-fields hitting philosophy seemed to outshine.
