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The Baltimore Orioles are a relatively young squad with several key players drafted in the 2020s only. The clubhouse's young stars include MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson and franchise catcher Adley Rutschman. They made the postseason twice in a row now, but will have to fight tooth and nail to get a spot in the 2025 postseason.
The Orioles have grown from rebuilding underdogs to legitimate contenders. But, former Minnesota Twins star Trevor Plouffe thinks they still lack one crucial ingredient.
"These are the teams, Chris — this is what I talk about all the time," Plouffe said (30:52 onwards). "You need to bring in veterans for teams like this. They're still a fairly young team. They're not the young darlings anymore — they're not — but they're still a fairly young team.
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"Not a lot of dirt on the spikes. You need somebody in there who’s a good vocal leader, who’s been around the block, who can just set the way."
Orioles' Gunnar Henderson belts a homer in humiliating loss vs Yankees
On Tuesday night, Camden Yards didn't have a lot to cheer after the New York Yankees scored five runs in the very first inning of the game. They scored in bundles in the fourth and fifth innings too, cruising to a 15-3 victory.
Five players combined to hit six home runs on the night for the Yankees. Ben Rice led the way with two home runs, followed by Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells, who all homered once in the game.
Meanwhile, the only long hit from the Orioles camp was from Gunnar Henderson. His third home run of the season came in the seventh inning. He is on a five-game hitting streak, going 6-for-19 (.316) over that time.
Henderson has played 22 games this season, hitting .227 along with three home runs, two stolen bases and five RBIs. While this is no MVP-level contribution, by the time the season's in the All-Star break, he may come around.
With a loss Tuesday night, the Orioles have dropped to 11-18 this season as they are sweeping the floor in the AL East. The two will meet again for the series finale on Wednesday.
