Baltimore Orioles Young Stars Dominate MLB Talent by Age Rankings

A recent ranking proved why the Baltimore Orioles are considered one of the best young teams in the Majors.

Aug 24, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) falls while throwing to second base during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

It's no secret that the Baltimore Orioles have one of the best organizations in baseball. For the past few years they have cranked out young talent that has helped them at the Major League level.

So, when MLB.com decided to rank the best players by age in baseball, the Orioles checked in several times.

The site put together their rankings with the return of pitcher Rich Hill, who is 44 years old and is pitching with the Boston Red Sox. That inspired the site to put together its year-by-year rankings by age.

It started with Jackson Holliday, which the site ranked as the second best 20-year-old in Major League Baseball. The only player ranked ahead of him was Milwaukee phenom Jackson Chourio.

Holiday just graduated from MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings, ending a near two-year reign as baseball's No. 1 overall prospect. His time in the minor leagues appears to be at an end.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson was ranked as the 23-year-old. Behind him was Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez.

Henderson has quickly emerged as one of the game's best overall players. He was named Rookie of the Year last season, while also winning a Silver Slugger and claiming All-MLB mention.

This season he has been among the top power hitters in baseball and is considered a potential MVP candidate. He is easily one of Baltimore’s biggest building blocks for the future.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was named the second-best 26-year-old in baseball, behind Atlanta slugger Ronald Acuña Jr.

Acuna is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. But Rutschman has been a constant behind the plate for Baltimore the past few seasons. He's already been named an All-Star and a Silver Slugger.

Starting pitcher Corbin Burnes was the last Baltimore player to make the list, as he was named the second-best 29-year-old player in baseball.

Who is ahead of him? Well, that would be Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who may become the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. The two-way start should also return to the mound in 2025.

Meanwhile, Burnes has been the ballast for the Orioles’ pitching staff, which has lost several starters to season-ending injuries but is still on course to make the playoffs.

Burnes is 12-7 with a 3.23 ERA and while he had a difficult August, he is coming off a start against the Dodgers in which he gave up one earned run, even though he ended up taking the loss. He seems to be emerging from that funk.