One area where '24 O's offense could not compare to '23

The narrative for some is how bad the Orioles are on offense. We saw them score one run in two playoff games.

Yes, it still hurts and probably will be that way for a while.

The challenge for the organization in how to improve the offense is that over the long sample of the last two full seasons, it’s been among the highest-scoring in the sport.

Combined runs scored, 2023 and 2024:

1,748 – LA Dodgers
1,651 – Atlanta
1,632 – Arizona
1,593 – Orioles

The Orioles lead the AL in runs scored the last two years. That is, they rank first, ahead of every other team.

But yes, the offense fell off big time for both some individuals and the team in the final months of 2024. That culminated in scoring one run over two playoff games.

So improvements are needed. But for something that may not be badly broken.

When looking at the last two full seasons, one stat however, that was very different year-over-year was in hitting with runners in scoring position.

The team batting with RISP was about the best in the majors in ’23 and middle of the pack in ’24.

In the 2023 season the team batting line with RISP was .287/.356/.481/.837. They ranked first, second, first and first in MLB in each of those categories.

This past season they ranked 17^th (.251), 23^rd (.314), ninth (.428) and 16^th (.741) in team OPS, with a number nearly 100 OPS points less.

At the season-ending press conferences, manager Brandon Hyde discussed this stat.

”When you win, normally you are hitting well with runners in scoring position and when you are not, you’re not,” he said. “I think it’s a real broad answer – there are so many things that come into play. Experience, confidence, being able to stay on the baseball, being able to make the moment not too big. Not be frustrated. Not try to do much. Understand what the pitcher is trying to do to you. All these types of things come into play. It’s also – my experience from 13, 14 years in the big leagues – contagious.”

Is this one area where a veteran hitter could help the ballclub? Hyde without calling for such an addition, did mention how that did matter to Cubs teams he coached for.

“Like Ben Zobrist in Chicago changed our entire lineup. Was 36 years old, switch-hit, hit the ball all over the place, walk. Joe (Maddon, Cubs skipper) hit him fourth around these young guys because there was going to be an at-bat in there, or two a game, that you knew that Zo was going to take a great at-bat with runners in scoring position.

“It changed our entire lineup. Those type of things. That is just experience and confidence of being in there in that moment. And a lot of times, with our guys, you try to slow the game down for them. But it’s tough in the batter’s box in front of 45,000 people when the game is on the line. You are trying to get the big hit for your team, and I think our guys are going to improve just from the experiences that they had.”

Batting with RISP is not a skill or a tool like bat speed, arm strength or velocity for a pitcher for instance. A shortstop with a big arm will have that every game. A pitcher that throws 97 mph probably has that every game.

There seems big variance in RISP.

When the O’s won the first two games of the series at Yankee Stadium that last week, they scored 14 runs going 9-for-21 with RISP. When they scored 22 runs in sweeping Minnesota, they were 10-for-31 with RISP.

When they scored one run versus Kansas City, they went 1-for-13.

Some batters are exceptional one year with RISP and ordinary the next. Almost like relief pitchers can vary big time year-to-year on occasion. 

Gunnar Henderson was good both of the last two years, but while his RISP OPS was .935 in 2023, it was .832 in 2024. Adley Rutschman, criticized for his hitting this year, had a .797 RISP OPS both years.

Anthony Santander fell off from .918 to .736, Ryan Mountcastle from .941 to .756, Ryan O’Hearn from .891 to .754 and Cedric Mullins from 1.025 to .704. Jordan Westburg got better from 2023 to 2024, going from .745 to .923 with his OPS with RISP.

Final note today is that the 2023-2024 Orioles produced the sixth-most runs over a two-season stretch in O’s history. And by the way, the first five all came during the so-called steroid era of 1994-2004.

O’s most runs over a two-year stretch:

* 1,761 runs in 1996-1997

* 1,668 runs in 1998-1999

* 1,653 runs in 1995-1996

* 1,645 runs in 1999-2000

* 1,629 runs in 1997-1998

* 1,593 runs in 2023-2024