Rutschman and Henderson Are Key To Turning Orioles Offense Around

The 2019 MLB Draft was the first step in the Baltimore Orioles’ rebuild. They managed to draft two cornerstone players in back-to-back rounds in Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.  

While the major league team floundered, Orioles fans watched Rutschman and Henderson tear up the minors, awaiting the day when they would make their debuts and turn the team around.  

Once they got to the majors, the duo hit the ground running. Rutschman finished as the Rookie of the Year runner-up behind Julio Rodríguez in 2022, and Henderson won the award in 2023.  

Rutschman and Henderson spearheaded the ensuing group of Orioles prospects destined to transform the team. The duo has become faces of the league in no time.  

While earning starting spots on the AL All-Star team and making the cover of MLB The Show are great achievements, they are not the ultimate goal.  

Since the end of June 2024, the Orioles have been struggling to create consistent production. Fans are left wondering how a roster with so much talent has struggled to score runs consistently. 

If the Orioles want to turn the corner, Rutschman and Henderson must lead the charge. This article is going to show what kind of potential this offense has if these two can get things going, and what exactly might be causing their early-season woes.  

Henderson: Trouble With the Breaking Stuff 

Henderson, last year’s fourth-place finisher in AL MVP voting, did not have the spring he was hoping for. An oblique injury from a leaping catch in the field caused the shortstop to miss extended time. The injury kept Henderson off the Opening Day roster until he was able to work his way back.  

Of the many things that Henderson excelled at last year, the one aspect of his game that took him to another level was the damage he could do to breaking balls. Pitchers did not have to hang it for Gunnar to bang it. 

On breaking balls during the 2024 season, Henderson had a .298 batting average and .708 slugging percentage. Of his 50 hits on breaking balls, 28 of them were for extra bases, including 19 of his 37 homers. 

In fact, one of Henderson’s best moments from last season came on a breaking ball from Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, giving him 10 home runs before May.

In 2025, it has been a different story for Henderson. On breaking balls in 2025, Henderson is hitting .120 with a slugging percentage of .240. Compared to his 29.3% whiff rate in 2024, Henderson’s 2025 whiff rate is more than 15 points higher at 44.9% 

Henderson has turned from one of the best breaking ball hitters in the league to one of the worst. Until Henderson can improve those numbers, pitchers will continue to throw him junk.

Rutschman: Looking For a Spark 

Out of the gates in 2024, Rutschman was on track to take the next step as one of baseball’s premier backstops. However, after taking a fouled-off pitch off his hand while catching in late June, he has not looked like himself. 

After his monstrous Opening Day showing against the Toronto Blue Jays, Orioles fans believed that all the pain that foul ball caused had faded away. Unfortunately for O’s fans, that has not been the case. 

As of May 7, Rutschman is slashing .211/.318/.351, good for a .669 OPS. He has four home runs, two of which he hit on Opening Day. 

From the outside, these stats paint the picture that Rutschman is in the midst of yet another disappointing offensive run. However, if you look past the slash line, you may find a new picture being painted. 

According to multiple expected stat categories, Rutschman has had an unlucky start. His .279 xBA is 68 points higher than his .211 batting average, while his .472 xSLG is 121 points higher than his .351 slugging percentage.

If you take it a step further, you can see that Rutschman is producing good at-bats. His squared-up percentage of 37.1% is in the 97^th percentile. He also boasts a chase rate in the 95th percentile, a whiff rate in the 94th, and better-than-average strikeout and walk rates.  

Yes, expected stats can only take you so far. However, Rutschman’s x-stats show that his approach should be producing better results. 

Getting Things Going 

Without a doubt, there is growing pressure on Baltimore’s young stars to perform. With the team being decimated by injuries, mostly on the pitching side, the young guns are being asked to keep the team in games until reinforcements arrive. 

For Henderson, the early-season rust from missing spring training seems to be fading away.  

Henderson’s 98^th percentile average exit velocity of 95.3 mph and his 94^th percentile hard-hit rate of 55.3% are starting to result in more positive outcomes for the 23-year-old shortstop.  

For Rutschman, the results are still yet to come. On the bright side, the numbers are pointing towards a lethal bat waiting to be awakened in that lineup.  

If the Orioles were not in such dire need of consistent performances, these cold starts would be seen as just that: cold starts. However, under the magnifying glass that is the Orioles’ 13-21 start, leniency is extremely low.