Coming into the 2023 season, first base was hardly a position that most members of Birdland worried about. While Ryan Mountcastle didn’t engender the same level of confidence as an Adley Rutschman or a Cedric Mullins, he’d still been an incredibly productive member of the Orioles lineup since becoming a starter in 2021. Over his first two full seasons in the big leagues, Mountcastle put up 51 2Bs, 55 HRs and 174 RBIs—while also providing capable defense at first. Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com even went as far as naming RMC as a member of his All-Underrated team for the 2023 season.
Mountcastle’s struggles and O’Hearn’s breakout create uncertainty about Orioles’ future at first
