Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: T-19th

Team Strengths

Gunnar Henderson had 9 Runs Saved in a half-season’s worth of games at shortstop in 2023. That total dipped to 5 Runs Saved in 2024, though his range numbers were still good (he was hurt by turning double plays at a much lower rate than he previously had). Speaking of hurt, Henderson has been bothered by an intercostal strain.  

Ryan Mountcastle’s strong throw-handling numbers helped bump him up to a career-high 8 Runs Saved at first base in 2024.

Adley Rutschman hasn’t lived up to the 18 Runs Saved he had as a rookie catcher. He’s one of the better pitch blockers out there but his framing numbers took a hit last season and his stolen base numbers weren’t great either. He’s still a strength of the defense, but he could be a bigger one.

Team Weaknesses

Second base may not be a weakness, but it’s a little bit of a question mark. With Jordan Westburg at third base, the job is Jackson Holliday’s. Holliday had -2 Runs Saved in 56 games there last season and a high number of Defensive Misplays & Errors.

Other Things To Know

After leading left fielders in Runs Saved in 2020 and 2021, Tyler O’Neill has 0 Runs Saved there in 211 games over the last three seasons. If he could get back to what he used to be, that would be a boost to the Orioles (as was pointed out to me on Reddit, O’Neill and Collin Cowser in the corners should be a better combo than Cowser and Anthony Santander,). Remember too that Baltimore is moving it’s left field fence in by 10 to 20 feet in some areas and shortening its height, which should make it more fielder friendly.

Cedric Mullins falls into the same category as Henderson and Rutschman – players whose 2024 Runs Saved totals didn’t match their recent past. Mullins had -5 Runs Saved. He had 5 and 7 Runs Saved in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

By losing Corbin Burnes to the Diamondbacks, the Orioles improved their pitcher defense (which is already pretty good). Burnes had -6 Runs Saved last season because of the abundance of stolen bases he allowed.

Are The Orioles A Good Defensive Team?

They may not be one at the moment, but the opportunity is there. If Rutschman, Henderson, O’Neill, and Mullins can perform as the best versions of themselves, the Orioles could be a Top 10 defensive team.