Thank to the ascension of Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, and the imminent arrival of Jackson Holliday, the Orioles infield is one of strongest there is.
The Orioles as a franchise know a thing or two about great infielders. If you were constructing your Mount Rushmore (Mount “Rutschmore,” someday?) of Orioles greats, three of the four spots would be occupied by outstanding former infielders Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. Even in more recent decades, the O’s have turned to the likes of Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, Matt Wieters and Manny Machado to lead this team. Whenever the Orioles find success, there is almost always a standout infielder at the heart of it.
That spirit of infield excellence is alive and well with this 2024 team. With the consensus best catcher in baseball as the de facto team captain, the reigning rookie of the year at SS and more up and coming stars on their way, the infield is the heartbeat of the reigning AL East champions.
What also makes this Orioles infield great is the promise that the version we see come September and October should be a lot better than the one we see in the opening series vs. Los Angeles. Not only do young stars like Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg have room to improve, but No. 1 prospect in all of baseball Jackson Holliday is down in Norfolk waiting for his call to the big leagues. So, without further ado, we present your 2024 Orioles infield:
First Base
The pecking order at first base remains unchanged from last season. Ryans Mountcastle and O’Hearn will once again split duties at first, with Mountcastle a guaranteed starter against left-handed pitchers and the two splitting time against righties. It’s worth noting that although Mountcastle missed 27 games last year when he was dealing with vertigo, he still had 118 more ABs than O’Hearn while playing at 1B. Mountcastle is coming off his first Gold Glove nomination in 2023, so if healthy, he figures to earn some ABs against righties on his defensive merits alone.
The wildcard in the 1B rotation will be normal RF Anthony Santander. Tony Taters played 72 innings at first last year in an effort to give the O’s more defensive flexibility. With Colton Cowser expected to make the team as the fourth OF, it would make sense to see some lineups with Cowser in RF and two of Mountcastle, O’Hearn and Santander taking ABs at DH and 1B. Last year, the Orioles finished eighth with 0.4 Wins Above Average from their 1B. If we get a full year from Mounty, I’d expect that number to go up in 2024.
Second Base
The Orioles made a late addition to the mix at 2B, but it wasn’t the one fans were hoping for. The addition of Tony Kemp adds veteran depth to the infield and fills a similar role we saw with Rougned Odor and Adam Frazier the last two seasons. Even though Kemp played more at LF than 2B last year, he figures to replace Kolten Wong as the veteran 2B on the roster.
What this doesn’t change is who should get the lion’s share of innings at 2B. More than 60% of Jordan Westburg’s ABs came at 2B last season. Early on in this season, Westburg should get comfortable at the keystone. The second-year infielder is all but guaranteed to start at second against lefties after slashing .284/.354/.432 against southpaws in 2023. Westburg is a better defender than Kemp, so he should also see time against right-handers for this defense alone.
The elephant at second base is the lack of Jackson Holliday. Watching the No. 1 prospect in baseball sparkle all spring training only reinforced the expectation that Holliday would break camp as the starting 2B. Instead Mike Elias decided the 20-year-old needed more time at the position in Norfolk, so instead we’re left with Westburg and Kemp—for now. Holliday is clearly major-league-ready and we should see him in Baltimore sooner than later. When he’s ready, 2B will be there waiting for him.
Shortstop
Heading into spring training, there was some doubt about who would be manning SS for the O’s. Would Holliday be in the mix there? Could Westburg see time at short? Would Jorge Mateo reclaim some of the playing time he lost in 2023? Instead, Brandon Hyde put all those questions to bed, officially naming Gunnar Henderson the Orioles starting SS for this season.
Henderson’s defensive numbers between SS and 3B were nearly identical last season. However, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year is clearly more comfortable at short and it shows in his offensive performance. When playing 3B last year, he hit .213 with a .711 OPS. When playing SS, those numbers shot up to a .273 average and .827 OPS. Henderson’s rookie performance was reminiscent of a young Cal Ripken; now he gets the opportunity to chase Cal’s legacy as the next great Orioles SS.
Mateo will still see time at short and remains the Orioles best defensive option at the position. If Cedric Mullins handles LHPs well enough, he’ll be the everyday CF and Mateo could play at short vs. southpaws. If Henderson handles his less favorable split better, he’ll stick at short regardless of the matchup and Mullins and Mateo will rotate in center.
Third Base
Another ripple effect of Holliday’s demotion is that Ramón Urías will once again be in the Opening Day lineup at 3B. A year ago, Urías looked like he was in the mix to be the Orioles 3B of the future after winning a Gold Glove in 2022 and posting a respectable .720 OPS. However, both his offensive and defensive numbers took a major dip in 2023, and the defensive deficiency was particularly worrying. After he led all AL 3Bs with five Fielding Runs in 2022, that number dipped to -9 Fielding Runs last year.
The Orioles clearly believe Urías will bounce back in 2024, and at the very least he has the versatility to play anywhere in the infield. Once Holliday is eventually promoted, Urías’s starting role and roster spot are in jeopardy. Last year’s numbers suggest Westburg’s best position is the hot corner. The Orioles starting infield of the future is Holliday at 2B, Henderson at SS and Westburg at 3B. With some luck, we may see that infield starting in Baltimore by May.
Catcher
The at-bat split at catcher should be exactly the same as last season. When you have Adley Rutschman, the best catcher in baseball, you give him as many ABs as he can handle. Last year Rutschman featured in 154 of the O’s 162 games, with 108 at catcher and 46 at DH. Brandon Hyde will undoubtedly like to get 150+ out of his budding superstar again. James McCann is back as Adley’s backup, and like last season he should feature heavily against left-handed pitchers. The Orioles got the catcher formula right in 2023. In 2024, they’ll go with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach.
The Prospects
Holliday is the only player currently in the minors that is certain to play a major role in Baltimore this year. Connor Norby is the only other minor league infielder that is currently major-league ready, but it doesn’t make much sense to give Norby ABs while simultaneously taking them away from Westburg or Holliday. Coby Mayo is also on the brink of the majors, but it is not yet clear whether he will remain in the infield or move to the outfield.