A look at the least-talked-about player among O's pending free agents

If you want to criticize Steve Pearce for his 2015 season, you will have to get in line behind at least one person - and that is Pearce himself.

Pearce is a player quick to point the finger at himself if he doesn't do well. When Pearce got off to a slow start last season, at one point he called himself "a one-man rally killer."

A player who hit at times in the middle of the Orioles order in 2014, Pearce's offense fell off big in the 2015 season:

Pearce in 2014: .293 average, 21 homers, 49 RBIs, .373 OBP, .930 OPS, 157 OPS+
Pearce in 2015: .218 average, 15 homers, 40 RBIs, .289 OBP, .711 OPS, 91 OPS+

Pearce began last season hitting homers in each of the season's first two games. But soon after, he began to struggle. He hit just .196 in April and .183 in May. Even those that expected some regression after his big 2014 season could not have expected him to hit under .200 that deep into the season.

One area where the falloff was very pronounced was in his hitting against left-handed pitchers. In 2014, Pearce hit .327 with an OPS of 1.109 against southpaws. Last season, those numbers were .196 and .623.

So did Pearce just play way over his head in 2014 and was this falloff predictable? Did the league's pitchers adjust to him and figure out how to get him out? Maybe it was a combination of both, but now the Orioles have to figure if Pearce fits in moving forward, and in what role.

He is one of the Orioles' six pending free agents, is probably the one least talked about and the one that fans most figure is going to return. He won't cost a lot, relatively speaking, and he could possibly be signed to a one-year deal.

Pearce is a favorite of manager Buck Showalter, who prefers to call him "Stevie." Showalker likes his massive want-to and team-first attitude. Showalter even used Pearce some at second base early last year. Pearce would pitch or catch if they asked him to. He is popular with his teammates, who can appreciate both how how long it took him to establish himself at the major league level and how hard he worked to get there.

On an Orioles team that could lose first baseman Chris Davis and is not exactly overflowing with corner outfield talent, Pearce is a player that can help at those positions. If Pearce can find a solid middle ground between his last two seasons, he could be a key member of the 2016 Orioles.

Pearce, who turns 33 next April 13, earned $3.7 million last year. It would appear that he is a player the Orioles can use moving forward. He will likely come at a cost much less than most free agents. He likes it here and it seems among the O's manager and clubhouse, the feeling is very mutual.