The Orioles’ player-development troubles have reached the point where even longtime baseball voices are sounding alarmed about what’s happening in Baltimore.
MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd did not hide his frustration when discussing Gunnar Henderson’s regression and the broader state of the organization. O’Dowd said he would be asking “really hard questions” if he were in control.
“If I own the team right now,” O’Dowd pointed out, “or I am in Rip’s position (minority owner Cal Ripken, Jr.), where he is in the organization, I’m asking some like really hard questions - like what the heck is going on in development, you know? Why aren’t these players turning out as good as their projection should be?
“Why aren’t we making players better at the big league level … And now they’re boxed in with Gunnar Henderson, and you are probably right - they’re going to have to move him.”
Henderson’s slide has become impossible to ignore. Since the All-Star break in 2025, he has hit .235/.318/.405 with a .723 OPS.
His 103 wRC+ over that stretch is only three percent better than league average across 192 games. Once viewed as a potential generation-level star, he is now described as a shortstop who is struggling in every phase of the game, including on the bases after previously posting a 30-steal season.
O’Dowd said the issue may go beyond performance and into how Henderson has been developed.
“There are great players that understand how they’re great and why they’re great,” O’Dowd explained, “and there are great players who have no clue about what actually makes him good. So it could be an aptitude issue on his part, or it could be that they’ve never taught him what him special as a player.
“Defensively, there is absolutely no reason - he fundamentally at times does not actually field the ground ball the right way. That’s a lack of fundamental teaching … Hitting-wise, if you look at how he moves as a player in the box, from when he first came up … and got over the hump, he’s not moving the same way. He’s just not putting himself into the same positions to get his swing off as he did when he first came up, which tells me he didn’t know what he was doing.”
O’Dowd also suggested that Baltimore could use help from within the Ripken family. He said bringing Bill Ripken into the organization as a minor-league infield coordinator could make a difference, and he also endorsed Cal Ripken and Mike Schildt as voices who could help straighten things out if Elias truly empowered them across the organization.
His connection to Baltimore runs deep. O’Dowd was hired by Hank Peters in 1983, worked in the Orioles’ farm system in his 20s, and left in 1987 when Peters and the rest of the management group were forced out by ownership. He later helped turn Cleveland around before spending 15 years running the Rockies.
He also said the Orioles would be better off with Buck Showalter back in some capacity, and he did not sound optimistic about the current direction. While O’Dowd stopped short of calling for Elias to be removed, his larger point was clear: this front office has been out over its skis for years.
In Other News...
Gunnar Henderson Might Finally Have The Fix Orioles Fans Needed
Gunnar Hendersons recent slide had become one of the quieter concerns around Camden Yards, especially for a lineup that leans on him to help set the tone. So the sight of Pete Alonso spending time with Henderson in practice, working through batting mechanics and zeroing in on lower-half posture and hip stability, offered a different kind of development for Orioles fans to track. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes tweak that can matter as much as any box score, particularly when a young hitter is trying to regain the timing that made him one of the clubs most important bats.
What makes the collaboration notable is the source of the advice, with Alonso drawing on his own experience to help Henderson sort out the issues that have made fastballs such a stubborn problem this season. Henderson has shown signs of improvement lately after the prolonged slump, but the work points to a more specific fix than a simple hot streak. For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: if the changes hold, the Orioles might finally be getting closer to the version of Henderson they have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Fill Key Bullpen Need
Luis De Len has become one of the more interesting arms in the Orioles system this summer, and not just because of his prospect status. Baltimore is moving him into a relief role at Triple-A Norfolk, a shift that gives the organization a chance to see whether his stuff can translate quickly to a bullpen setting and possibly help fill a need later in the season.
De Len already made his first relief appearance recently, and he has impressed in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, which is why the transition is worth watching closely. Manager Craig Albernaz has been upbeat about De Lens talent and what he could bring to the club, and if the adjustment keeps going well, the Orioles may have found a candidate for the bullpen without having to look far outside the system. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face A Big Kjerstad Decision As Roster Pressure Builds
Heston Kjerstads path through the Orioles system has never moved in a straight line. Baltimores 2020 second overall pick had his development interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and myocarditis, then had to fight through uneven playing time before finally reaching the majors in 2023. After a rough 2025 season, he has spent 2026 trying to rebuild his case the hard way in Triple-A, where his bat has finally started to look more like the one the Orioles envisioned.
Since July 1, Kjerstad has been hitting above .300, and that kind of stretch is the sort of production that can force a front office to make a choice, especially when roster pressure starts to build later in the season. Kjerstad has said he is hoping for a major league call-up later in 2026, and for Baltimore the question is whether there is still room to give a once-promising young hitter another look before the year is out. [Read more 🡒]