Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? We give an overview of team strengths, weaknesses, and other things to know, using Defensive Runs Saved and other stats as the basis for our evaluation. To see the full series, click here.

2025 Team Defensive Runs Saved Rank: T-24th

Team Strengths

We’re going to give Gunnar Henderson the benefit of the doubt when it comes to how our stats evaluated him in 2025. He finished with -3 Runs Saved, though he had fewer Defensive Misplays & Errors than he did in 2024 and was more effective in turning double plays.

Henderson’s 2023 and 2024 had us thinking he was a good defensive shortstop. We still do. So he’s listed as a strength, even with last season being a negative.

Adley Rutschman was limited by injury to 73 games last season but still posted 10 Runs Saved, his most since he had 18 as a rookie in 2022. Rutschman does everything decently at a minimum and is a particularly good pitch blocker. He set a high standard for pitch framing as a rookie and hasn’t been able to match that since then, which is what has kept his Runs Saved total from being up with Patrick Bailey’s.

Team Weaknesses

While Pete Alonso’s throw handling has been a strength (expect to see a lot of stretching and sprawling), his Runs Saved numbers were bad last year because he’s not great at turning batted balls into outs. Alonso had some issues last season with throws and flips to first base. He’s had as many as 6 Runs Saved in a season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him fare better. But he’s coming off a career-worst defensive season.

Colton Cowser has 11 Runs Saved in 159 games played in left field but he’s not going to be playing there regularly. His -5 Runs Saved in 102 games in center field is the more relevant stat at the moment.

Taylor Ward has -10 Runs Saved from his arm in left field over the last three seasons. His range is alright (5 Runs Saved from it in that span) but baserunners advance against him more often than other left fielders.

Jackson Holliday, currently injured, had -10 Runs Saved at second base last season. By our numbers he didn’t rate well at covering the ball hit in the first base/second base hole. So our system thinks he’s got some work to do when he returns.

Other Things To Know

There are other players we could have listed as weaknesses.

Tyler O’Neill is slated to play right field. He’s a two-time Fielding Bible Award winner as a left fielder but the 36-game sample in right field last season wasn’t great. He had -7 Runs Saved and admittedly it’s too small a sample to make definitive proclamations but 17 Defensive Misplays and Errors in roughly 600 innings there over the last two seasons is a lot. On a per-inning basis it’s the worst for a right fielder in that span.

Coby Mayo has 15 games of MLB experience at third base but he shifts there with Alonso’s acquisition. Mayo had -14 Runs Saved at third base in the minors over the last three seasons.

Jordan Westburg is another injured Orioles player. He had -5 Runs Saved in a small sample of 52 games at third base last season after a -1 in each of the previous two seasons. He also had -7 Runs Saved in 53 games at second base in 2024.

And lastly Heston Kjerstad, who may start in the minors, has a combined -9 Runs Saved in the outfield corners in his brief major league career.

The bright spot defensively in the minors is Enrique Bradfield Jr. on whom the reports have been good. He had 7 Runs Saved in center field in 2024 (-3 in 46 games last year).

Are the Orioles a good defensive team?

They were tied for 24th in Runs Saved last season and didn’t add any good defensive players so it would be a stretch to say yes. ‘Good’ will come if Henderson bounces back, Rutschman stays healthy, Alonso brings the good version of himself, and … something else.