With Pete Alonso at first base, the Orioles have a lineup that even their front office can dream on again. 

The Orioles’ offense was among the most disappointing units in baseball last season, cratering from 4.85 runs per game in 2024 (fourth best) to 4.18 in 2025 (seventh worst). Injuries played a significant role, but far more concerning was the regression that came for nearly all of their young hitters around which their lineup, and future, was built. 

But after signing first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract in free agency, president of baseball operations Mike Elias showed renewed confidence in the Orioles’ lineup and went as far to call it one of the best in the sport. 

“It’s going to be a tremendous era and he’s going to have some very magical moments here at the ballpark,” Elias said. “When we hit Pete in the middle of the lineup that we have, we have arguably the best batting lineup in Major League Baseball right now. And our plan for the rest of this offseason is to continue to augment the team so these guys can make another run at the American League East and we can get back to where we belong.” 

The numbers back him up. FanGraphs projects the Orioles’ position players to accrue 29.1 wins above replacement (WAR) next season, fourth best in the majors just behind the New York Yankees (29.9), Los Angeles Dodgers (29.3) and New York Mets (29.3). The Yankees and Dodgers were the top two teams in runs scored, home runs and OPS last season while the Mets, despite losing Alonso, are still anchored by Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. 

It’s not just because of Alonso, either. The Orioles traded for left fielder Taylor Ward, adding his right-handed bat to the lineup after he set a career high with 36 homers last season. FanGraphs also sees bounce-back years coming for Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser, progress for Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers and better health for Jordan Westburg and Tyler O’Neill. 

Relying too much on their young core was part of the problem in 2025, but the Orioles’ actions have indicated that they recognized it. They brought in Alonso and Ward to inject their lineup with proven, veteran power hitters, acting aggressively both in free agency and on the trade market to acquire them. The Orioles also assembled a new coaching staff, one led by a manager in Craig Albernaz whose background is in player development. 

“Our offensive philosophy is to touch home plate more than the other team before the 27th out happens,” Albernaz said at MLB’s winter meetings last week. “The reason why I say that, it’s not tongue in cheek, but our coaches are going to cater to the individual and I think that’s where we lose sight of what makes players special and we’re going to be very individualized with how we attack each player and how we coach each player.” 

One of the new voices that will be in the ears of the Orioles’ young hitters will be hitting coach Dustin Lind, who has spent the past two years working under one of the sport’s most well-respected offensive minds in Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long. Lind has a reputation for preaching strong plate discipline, something the Orioles struggled with even when their offense was at its best in 2023 and 2024. 

It’s fair to expect a certain degree of progress out of the Orioles’ young hitters, most of whom scouts and evaluators were touting as top prospects before they arrived in the majors. Being another year older is also a positive for Baltimore, which had the fourth youngest average age of its hitters in MLB last season at 26.5 years old. 

But to score the most runs in baseball, the Orioles will need a lot to break right. Henderson must return to his Most Valuable Player Award-caliber form, coming within striking distance of the 37 home runs and .893 OPS he put up in 2024. Alonso and Ward will need to perform as advertised, Westburg and O’Neill stay healthy and some combination of Rutschman, Basallo, Holliday, Cowser and Beavers perform above expectations. 

The Orioles are also likely done making significant upgrades to their offense while top free agents such as Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman and Cody Bellinger could still land with other teams vying for MLB’s deepest lineup. Teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers are likely projecting their own steps forward as fellow clubs built around young position players. 

Still, the Orioles’ path to reclaiming their status as a nightmare lineup for opposing pitchers to face is much clearer than it was a week ago. The goal posts Elias has set for his offense just might be attainable. 

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.