Orioles’ hot start to 2024 through March and April, by the numbers
The Orioles finished the month of April one game up on the New York Yankees for the American League East lead.
Just over one month into the 2024 season, the Orioles are looking a lot like the team that won the American League East last year — if not better.
Baltimore finished April with a 19-10 record, one game ahead of the New York Yankees, against whom they’ve won twice to open this week’s series to take first place in the division. Despite a leaguewide downward trend on offense, the Orioles have had no problem plating runs by rolling out one of the deepest lineups in the sport.
“We’re off to a good start,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I think we have room to grow. I think there are areas we can improve in every single area. I know our offensive numbers are good. I think that’s going to continue. We have room to grow on the mound still. I think we’ve made some mistakes defensively that we’re not going to over the course of the summer. I’m happy with the start we’ve had and just want to continue to get better over the course of the year.”
As the Orioles head into May with two games left in their series against the Yankees, here are the numbers that define their performance thus far:
45
The Orioles finished April leading the majors with 45 home runs, six more than the second-place Yankees. They’re on pace for 251 this season, which would be the third highest total in franchise history behind the 1996 (257) and 2016 (253) clubs. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson leads the way with 10, a number tied for the MLB lead, followed by center fielder Cedric Mullins (six), left fielder Colton Cowser (six) and infielder Jordan Westburg (five).
95.6
Henderson hasn’t just been the Orioles’ most valuable player thus far; he’s put himself in the early running for AL MVP consideration with an historic start at the plate. Fueling that start has been Henderson’s 95.6 mph average exit velocity, highest in baseball among players with at least 100 plate appearances. He’s rocketed his way to the AL lead in home runs (10, tied with the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout), runs scored (25) and total bases (73).
38
Though Baltimore fell short of matching its winning percentage through April from last season, the club has been more dominant in its victories. The Orioles carry a run differential of plus-38, their best mark heading into May for any season since 1997 (also plus-38). Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have finished April with a run differential over plus-30 five times. They reached the playoffs in four of those seasons and won the World Series in two.
0.833
The Orioles have been at their best with Corbin Burnes or Grayson Rodriguez on the mound. They’ve gone 10-2, good for a .833 winning percentage, when their top two pitchers have taken the ball through the first six turns of the rotation. Burnes has been as advertised in his first season with the Orioles, leading the rotation with a 2.55 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Rodriguez endured one rocky outing with seven runs allowed but has otherwise pitched brilliantly; he holds the team lead with 37 strikeouts.
2
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for the Orioles so far was top prospect Jackson Holliday failing to stick after his first call-up to the major leagues. Holliday managed just two hits in 34 at-bats and struck out 18 times, a far cry from the gaudy numbers the 2022 No. 1 overall draft pick has posted during his brief minor league career. The Orioles sent Holliday back down to Triple-A Norfolk after only 10 games, tasking him with “resetting his head” and making some adjustments at the plate.
88.8
Unlike the Ravens in the AFC championship game, the Orioles haven’t abandoned the run game. Baltimore has converted 88.8% of its stolen base attempts this season, the third highest rate in MLB. Though Mullins has accounted for two of their three outs on those attempts, his six steals are tied with Henderson for the team lead. The Orioles have been careful about who they cut loose on the base paths; only six players have contributed to their overall total of 24 steals.
12 1/3
Nobody in Baltimore has been a bigger surprise than Albert Suárez. The journeyman starting pitcher returned to the majors for the first time in seven years and didn’t allow a run for 12 1/3 innings — a stretch that included back-to-back scoreless outings. Suárez might not stick in the rotation for long with starters Kyle Bradish and John Means nearing their returns, but his revitalization is a testament to the work of the Orioles’ player development staff.
1.004
After a rough first introduction to the majors in 2023, Cowser has exploded onto the scene in 2024 with a 1.004 OPS through his first 28 games. He had to earn an everyday role, making the most of pinch-hitting opportunities and occasional starts to carve out a spot as the Orioles’ starting left fielder. Though he doesn’t yet have enough plate appearances to qualify for MLB leaderboards, he paces all AL rookies in OPS, home runs and RBIs (18).
3
The Orioles’ decision to sign veteran Craig Kimbrel as their closer looked like a brilliant one over his first 11 outings, when he carried an 0.82 ERA and converted seven of eight save opportunities. Then he stumbled through last weekend’s series against the Oakland Athletics, blowing two saves in three days and suffering an upper-back injury. While no one in the Orioles’ clubhouse is hitting the panic button, Kimbrel’s effectiveness, which has been erratic the past few seasons, will be key as the team heads into May.
Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article.