Baltimore Orioles: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Baltimore Orioles set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore's 2025 lineup was one of the least settled in baseball. Thirty different players started at least one game as a batter, second most in the league, and at five positions (catcher, first base, third base, left field and right field) no one started half the games. The DH spot had the least dominant regular in the league: 17 players started there, and the most frequent, Ryan Mountcastle, had only 33 starts (20%), the lowest top-DH share in the league.
The fixed point was leadoff, where Jackson Holliday started 113 times. Orioles starters also got more rest than most: only 20% of starts came on four days of rest or fewer (league average 31%), and 30% came after six to ten days. Ryan O'Hearn (64% of games against right-handed starters, 26% against left-handers) and Ramon Laureano (34% against 66%) had the clearest platoon-style splits.
Where the Baltimore Orioles ranked in 2025
| Baltimore Orioles | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 75 | 81.0 | 24 |
| Different batting orders | 148 | 135.9 | 7 |
| Same order as previous game | 3.1% | 4.8% | T-17 |
| Most uses of one order | 4 | 4.8 | T-18 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 78% | 75% | 15 |
| Players in the lineup | 30 | 24.4 | 2 |
| Games vs LHP | 47 | 42.6 | T-4 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.6 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 3.1 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Starting pitchers | 16 | 13.2 | T-6 |
| Top-five starters' share | 70% | 76% | T-24 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 20% | 31% | 27 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 7% | 5% | 8 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 41% | 58% | T-27 |
| Players at DH | 17 | 10.7 | T-2 |
| Top DH's share | 20% | 51% | 30 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 101–61 | 109 / 53 | 150 | 21 | 9 |
| 2024 | 91–71 | 119 / 43 | 144 | 24 | 13 |
| 2025 | 75–87 | 115 / 47 | 148 | 30 | 16 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Adley Rutschman (104) | Adley Rutschman (99) | Adley Rutschman (66) |
| 1B | Ryan Mountcastle (86) | Ryan Mountcastle (108) | Coby Mayo (67) |
| 2B | Adam Frazier (106) | Jorge Mateo (52) | Jackson Holliday (136) |
| 3B | Ramon Urias (73) | Ramon Urias (72) | Ramon Urias (66) |
| SS | Jorge Mateo (95) | Gunnar Henderson (157) | Gunnar Henderson (142) |
| LF | Austin Hays (125) | Colton Cowser (91) | Dylan Carlson (42) |
| CF | Cedric Mullins (101) | Cedric Mullins (121) | Cedric Mullins (86) |
| RF | Anthony Santander (96) | Anthony Santander (129) | Ramon Laureano (39) |
| DH | Anthony Santander (47) | Ryan O'Hearn (51) | Ryan Mountcastle (33) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 30 | 12–18 | 10 | 27 | 8 | – |
| May | 27 | 9–18 | 5 | 26 | 9 | Chadwick Tromp, Coby Mayo, Maverick Handley |
| June | 27 | 16–11 | 10 | 25 | 9 | Luis Vazquez |
| July | 25 | 13–12 | 9 | 20 | 6 | Alex Jackson, Jacob Stallings |
| August | 28 | 11–17 | 7 | 27 | 8 | 8: Daniel Johnson, Dylan Beavers, Greg Allen and others |
| September | 25 | 14–11 | 6 | 23 | 7 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Jackson Holliday (113); 2. Jordan Westburg (51); 3. Gunnar Henderson (122); 4. Ryan O'Hearn (48); 5. Ramon Laureano (27); 6. Colton Cowser (42); 7. Coby Mayo (33); 8. Dylan Carlson (28); 9. Dylan Carlson (24).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Alex Jackson (27) | 7 | 70% |
| 1B | Ryan Mountcastle (50) | 5 | 47% |
| 2B | Jordan Westburg (16) | 5 | 27% |
| 3B | Jordan Westburg (52) | 7 | 45% |
| SS | Jorge Mateo (8) | 4 | 20% |
| LF | Colton Cowser (41) | 10 | 50% |
| CF | Colton Cowser (45) | 8 | 28% |
| RF | Tyler O'Neill (35) | 8 | 57% |
| DH | Ryan O'Hearn (31) | 17 | 81% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.6 | 3.5 | 0.9 |
| Left-handed | 3.1 | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan O'Hearn | left-handed | 64% (74) | 26% (12) |
| Ramon Laureano | right-handed | 34% (39) | 66% (31) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomoyuki Sugano | RHP | 30 | March 30, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Dean Kremer | RHP | 29 | March 29, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 5 | 7 |
| Cade Povich | LHP | 20 | March 31, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Trevor Rogers | LHP | 18 | May 24, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 3 |
| Charlie Morton | RHP | 17 | March 28, 2025 | July 29, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Zach Eflin | RHP | 14 | March 27, 2025 | July 28, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Brandon Young | RHP | 12 | April 19, 2025 | Aug. 21, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Kyle Bradish | RHP | 6 | Aug. 26, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 0 |
| Rest before start | Baltimore Orioles | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 20% | 31% |
| 5 days | 43% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 30% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 7% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 41% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 39 | 21% | 44% |
| All other games | 123 | 47% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Mountcastle | 33 | 20% |
| Ryan O'Hearn | 31 | 19% |
| Adley Rutschman | 18 | 11% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used only 4 times (club average 4.8).
Lineup 1 (4 times, last on July 26, 2025): 1. Jackson Holliday 2B, 2. Jordan Westburg 3B, 3. Gunnar Henderson SS, 4. Ryan O'Hearn 1B, 5. Ramon Laureano RF, 6. Colton Cowser LF, 7. Tyler O'Neill DH, 8. Cedric Mullins CF, 9. Jacob Stallings C.
Lineup 2 (2 times, last on April 13, 2025): 1. Gunnar Henderson SS, 2. Adley Rutschman C, 3. Ryan O'Hearn DH, 4. Jordan Westburg 3B, 5. Cedric Mullins CF, 6. Tyler O'Neill RF, 7. Heston Kjerstad LF, 8. Ryan Mountcastle 1B, 9. Jackson Holliday 2B.
Lineup 3 (2 times, last on April 26, 2025): 1. Cedric Mullins CF, 2. Gunnar Henderson SS, 3. Adley Rutschman C, 4. Ryan O'Hearn RF, 5. Jordan Westburg 3B, 6. Heston Kjerstad LF, 7. Ryan Mountcastle 1B, 8. Jackson Holliday 2B, 9. Ramon Urias DH.
Top nine vs RHP (4/115): Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins, Gunnar Henderson, Heston Kjerstad, Jackson Holliday, Ramon Laureano, Ramon Urias, Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O'Hearn.
Top nine vs LHP (2/47): Cedric Mullins, Chadwick Tromp, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, Gary Sanchez, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Ramon Laureano, Ramon Urias.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.