It was a disappointing season for the O’s first baseman
If it feels like Ryan Mountcastle has been around a long time, it is because he has been. He was drafted in first round of the 2015 draft, the same draft that brought us Cedric Mullins. When the World Series ends in a few days and John Means becomes a free agent, Mountcastle and Mullins will be the two Orioles who have been in the organization the longest.
Before the minor league system became a behemoth stacked with the likes of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and others, Mountcastle was the big dog on the prospect lists. He was never ranked as high overall as those players, but he hovered near the top of the team list for several years.
Drafted as a shortstop, the book on Mountcastle was always that he was a hitter without a position. He never played first base until 2019, the year before his major league debut. And when he moved to that position, the question was if he would hit well enough to justify what would probably be a substandard glove.
In 2021, with Mountcastle still designated a rookie, he hit 33 home runs but just barely topped a .300 OBP. Then, before the 2022 season, the Orioles moved the left field fence back. It was not a Mountcastle-friendly decision, to say the least.
In 2024, Mountcastle’s power numbers dropped to their lowest point yet. He was limited to just 124 games due to injury, but managed to hit just 13 home runs, eight at Camden Yards. And with an OBP of just .308, it isn’t the direction that Mountcastle needs to go to remain a part of a team that hopes to contend every year.
When the season started, it seemed like this could be a year when Mountcastle puts things together. Ah, remember April, when the Orioles could do no wrong and we thought they’d win 100+ games again? Mountcastle was part of that. He got through the first month of the season with an .836 OPS. That was fueled by a .351 OBP that was much higher than his typical performance. He hit four home runs and seven doubles in the 26-game span.
Unfortunately for Mountcastle and the Orioles, his performance went downhill from there. He was never able to sustain any power with his highest-homer month of June having just five. In the first game of a doubleheader on July 29th, Mountcastle hit his 13th home run of the year. It was his last of the season.
Even more troubling for Mountcastle than the power numbers was his even lower than before walk rate and thus, on-base percentage. Mountcastle has never walked much in his major league career, but he went from 7.9% walk rate in 2023 down to just 5.3% this year.
After taking 10 walks in the first month of the season, he managed just 17 for the rest of the season. It was a major driver in his low OBP, which was just .296 for the season after his excellent April.
On August 22nd, Mountcastle sprained his wrist sliding into second base in a game against the Houston Astros. He was placed on the 10-day injured list but didn’t return for over a month.
In the meantime, the Orioles were floundering. With Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías also on the injured list, the party line was that when the trio returned to the active roster the team would rebound just in time for the postseason. Mountcastle held up his end of the bargain; when he returned to the lineup on September 24th he went 8-for-21 over his the final six games of the season.
He had just one extra base hit, though, and didn’t take a walk in that span, but it was a small sample size and having him back in the lineup was a welcome sight. The hitting didn’t extend to the Wild Card round, where he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in the two-game sweep.
One bright spot in the season for Mountcastle came from an unlikely source: his defense. After struggling in the minors to find a permanent position, he has settled in well at first base. He showed marked improvement in Defensive Runs Saved, where he from +1 in 2022 to +2 in 2023 to +8 this year. He also ranked well in Fielding Runs Above Average and Infield Range Runs. Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) didn’t like him quite as much but still ranked him positively.
Mountcastle also rated well in the eye test; he just looked good over there. And when he was out of the lineup replaced at first by either Ryan O’Hearn or Emmanuel Rivera, the difference was evident. His defensive efforts didn’t go unnoticed, either. He was named as a finalist for the Gold Glove awards at first base this year. The winners will be announced after the season ends.
Mountcastle is one of the most enjoyable personalities on the team and it has been fun watching him grow into his role on the team. But for a team that aspires to be a perennial playoff team and which struggled offensively over the second half of the season, his position seem ripe for an upgrade. He’s a good baseball player and his offensive numbers were above average this year, but for my money it’s just not enough.
Think of the first baseman on the other playoff teams this year. Does Mountcastle stack up? That’s far from a perfect measure, of course. But the Orioles could benefit from a player with a more well-rounded offensive profile. Someone who reaches base more often, take a few more walks, and who doesn’t rely on hitting the ball to the deepest part of the ballpark. It would be sad to say goodbye to him, but might be a necessary move to push this team forward.
Previous 2024 player reviews: Keegan Akin, Cionel Pérez, Cole Irvin, Ryan O’Hearn, Craig Kimbrel, Cade Povich, midseason position player acquisitions, Jackson Holliday, injured starting pitchers, James McCann, midseason pitching acquisitions, Jorge Mateo, Yennier Cano, Dean Kremer, Albert Suárez
Tomorrow: Anthony Santander