The 2024 season came to an end for the Baltimore Orioles against the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card Round, as the Royals took out the Orioles in two games.
Considering the struggles of Baltimore to end the regular season, this result wasn’t all too shocking. The Orioles had to deal with a lot of injuries to their starting staff, and their offense was shockingly poor and inconsistent in the second half.
In the Wild Card Round, the Orioles received some excellent pitching performances, especially from Corbin Burnes. However, despite only allowing one run in eight innings, Burnes ended up taking the loss in Game 1.
Baltimore was only able to muster one run in the two games against Kansas City, as the concerns about their lineup proved to be true in the postseason. With it being a tough end to the season, here are three players who disappointed the most in the Wild Card Round.
Adley Rutschman
This goes back a bit to the regular season as well, but Adley Rutschman was just lost at the plate in the second half of the season. The All-Star catcher is supposed to be one of the best hitters at the position in the league, but that was not the case in the second-half of the season, or in the Wild Card Round.
Against the Orioles, Rutschman went 1-for-8 at the plate with two strikeouts. If the talented catcher had a better second half, Baltimore likely would have won some more games. However, his struggles carried over into the postseason, and it’s going to be a long winter for Rutschman.
Ryan Mountcastle
Another disappointing performer for the Orioles was first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. In the 2024 campaign, Mountcastle performed quite well, as he totaled .271 batting average in the regular season. Aside from a poor month of August, Mountcastle was fairly consistent throughout the season.
While the talented first baseman did miss a lot of time in September, it was disappointing not to see one of the most consistent players on the Orioles not record a hit in the series.
Gunnar HendersonÂ
As the best player on Baltimore, a lot was going to fall on the shoulders of Gunnar Henderson in the postseason. Henderson had an excellent regular season, as he totaled a .281 batting average, 37 home runs, and 92 RBIs.
The All-Star was one of the best players in the entire league in 2024, but like many of his teammates, he came up short in the playoffs. Against the Royals, Henderson went 0-for-7 at the plate with two walks and four strikeouts.
In a series that didn’t have a lot of offense, Henderson could have been the difference maker for the Orioles if he performed up to his capabilities. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
