It has been a long wait for the Orioles at first base, and Pete Alonso has put himself in position to end it.
Baltimore has not had a first baseman win a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award since Chris Davis in 2013, a stretch that says plenty about how hard that spot has been to solve. Davis was a monster that season, blasting 53 home runs for an Orioles single-season record, driving in 138 runs and hitting .286 with a 1.004 OPS thanks in part to 42 doubles. He finished third in American League MVP voting and, in the process, snapped an Orioles first-base Silver Slugger drought that had run all the way back to Rafael Palmeiro in 1998.
What followed, though, was a steep slide that helped drag the franchise into a tougher era. After that 2013 peak, Davis dropped below the Mendoza line, his power dipped to 26 home runs in 2014, and even a rebound in 2015 - when he again led the majors in home runs and strikeouts - came with the kind of production that still landed him a seven-year, $161 million contract. From 2016-2020, he played 534 more games and hit .196 with 92 home runs, going from a key part of a contender to a symbol of why Baltimore eventually had to rebuild.
Now Alonso is giving the Orioles a very different kind of first-base story.
Signed this offseason to a five-year, $155 million deal, Alonso has been exactly what Birdland hoped for. He is hitting .267 with 37 home runs and 102 RBIs, and as of September 16, those 102 RBIs were the best among AL first basemen. He also ranks among the top three at the position in home runs, runs, doubles and walks.
That puts Alonso firmly in the mix for the award. While Boston’s Willson Contreras and New York’s Ben Rice may be the names many people point to, Alonso has the kind of all-around production that gives him a real shot.
For Baltimore, that matters beyond one trophy chase. Getting elite production from Alonso is a win in the present, and the fact that he looks like a legitimate Silver Slugger contender only strengthens the case that the Orioles need him to keep producing if they want to make the playoffs next year.
In Other News...
Orioles History Still Carries A Painful Eddie Murray Reminder
Eddie Murray remains one of the most important hitters in Orioles history, a Hall of Famer who spent 12 seasons in Baltimore and helped drive the club to its 1983 World Series title. For a franchise that has leaned on its legends as part of its identity, Murrays place in the picture is secure because of everything he produced on the field, including the steady excellence that made him a multiple Silver Slugger winner.
Still, the story of Murray and the Orioles is not only about the highlights. His relationship with ownership soured in the mid-1980s, and by 1988 he was dealt to the Dodgers, a split that left a lingering sting for a player and a fan base that had watched him become a cornerstone. Murray did eventually return to Baltimore in 1996 after things improved, but the memory of how it ended the first time is still one of the more painful reminders in team history. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Mancini Gets The Orioles Ending Baltimore Fans Wanted
Trey Mancinis return to Baltimore this week carried the kind of symmetry Orioles fans could appreciate. He signed a ceremonial one-day contract so he could retire as a member of the team that first made him a favorite, a neat ending for a player whose time in Baltimore meant far more than a box-score line ever could. For a franchise that has spent years reconnecting with its past while pushing toward its future, the gesture fit the moment perfectly.
Mancinis place in Orioles memory was already secure, but the one-day deal gives the story a cleaner finish and a sense of closure for the fan base that watched him become one of the clubs most respected figures. It is the sort of move that does not change a standings race or alter a roster, yet still matters because it speaks directly to the relationship between a player and a city, and Baltimores appreciation for one of its most enduring recent stars. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face One Defining Question About Elias After Front Office Shakeup
The Orioles 1-0 loss to the Brewers on a day meant to honor Trey Mancinis retirement as an Oriole was a reminder of how much attention is now shifting from the field to the people building the roster. Mike Elias said he and manager Craig Albernaz are expected back next season, but the organization is also continuing a front office search that could reshape the structure around them.
What makes the situation worth watching is the direction of that search. Baltimore is looking for a new general manager with a player development background, a clue that the club wants to reinforce the pipeline even as it absorbs recent changes, including the departure of director of player development Matt Blood and a title adjustment for analytics executive Sig Mejdal. The next hire may say as much about how the Orioles see themselves as anything Elias has said publicly so far. [Read more 🡒]