One of the brightest points from last season wasn’t just Ryan Mountcastle making his major league debut, but flourishing in it as well.
The Orioles’ deliberate approach in promoting Mountcastle, making sure he had passed every minor league test before getting the call to the bigs, seemed to pay off when he batted .333 with an .878 OPS in 35 games. He appeared poised, and properly prepared for the challenges of the major league level. He was a rookie, but he didn’t play like one.
The old adage is to beware the sophomore slump, however, and through 21 games that appears to be what’s taking place here.