Promising Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Eyes Potential All-Star Spot Next Season

The Baltimore Orioles have a young right-hander that, if things go the right way, could make his first All-Star team in 2025.

Jul 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (30) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have been very busy this offseason after a disappointing end to the 2024 campaign.

In the first half of the season, the Orioles were looking like one of the best teams in baseball. The starting rotation led by the newly acquired Corbin Burnes was pitching well and their lineup of young stars was mashing.

However, it was really a tale of two seasons for Baltimore. In the second half, they were basically a .500 ball club throughout. That poor play carried into the postseason, unfortunately. In the American League Wild Card Round, they were eliminated by the Kansas City Royals in two games.

Now, the Orioles knew that this offseason was going to be a challenging one with both Burnes and Anthony Santander as free agents. So far, they have already lost their ace to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Furthermore, they signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year deal at a cheaper price than Santander is looking for to try and replace his production.

The loss of their ace is going to be a significant one. So far, Baltimore has added Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano in free agency to hopefully help replace Burnes. However, while those two veterans might pitch well, they aren’t the same caliber of pitcher as their former ace.

Heading into 2025, the Orioles will be relying on some of their young arms to step up for them.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about potential first-time All-Stars. For the Orioles, he highlighted starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez as a player who could take a big step forward in 2025.

“The 25-year-old will be counted on to take another step forward in 2025 following the departure of Corbin Burnes, as he will lead the rotation alongside veteran Zach Eflin.”

There is certainly a lot of like about Rodriguez’s potential heading into 2025. Last season, he was able to total a 13-4 record and a 3.86 ERA. With an FIP of 3.66, there is potential for him to be even better than his numbers indicated last year.

However, the 25-year-old is still young and missed a good chunk of the latter stages of the campaign due to injury.

The Orioles are a team that should be in a win-now mindset, but they seemingly will be relying on him heavily to take a step forward.

In terms of becoming an All-Star, it is certainly possible for the young starter. As shown last year, he can rack up the wins with what should be plenty of run support from the lineup. A major reason why the team struggled down the stretch was the injury that kept him out for the year.

Even though he is still very young, the potential to make the All-Star team is certainly there for Rodriguez.