The most vexing aspect of Ryan Mountcastle’s early-season struggles is how drastically they contrast to his success last year, when Mountcastle, the O’s best offensive prospect to reach the big leagues in several years, hit .333/.386/.492 with five homers over his first 35 Major League games. For Mountcastle, the learning curve was non-existent at the plate and in the field, where he exceeded expectations with his glove.

Nearly a full month into 2021, Mountcastle is searching in both areas. The 24-year-old rookie completed play Wednesday as the Orioles’ worst-performing regular, hitting .181 with one home run and a 28-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The left-field experiment appears shelved, at least in the short term, with Mountcastle starting six of Baltimore’s first 12 games in left but just once since April 15. Wednesday marked his 11th start at designated hitter; he’s also made four starts at first.

All of which is beginning to prompt speculation that Mountcastle might benefit from a stint at the team’s alternate training site, or regular at-bats at Triple-A once Norfolk’s season starts May 6. It’s an option the Orioles aren’t considering at the moment.

“Right now, for me, I’d like to see him work through these struggles and his tough start,” manager Brandon Hyde said. "That’s part of the game, part of being a pro and part of being a young player. You’re going to face some adversity. Nobody is working harder around the league right now than him. He’s very aware of what we feel like he needs to work on, and what he needs to get better at.”

Hyde made a point to highlight what he called recent signs of progress from Mountcastle, notably his seventh-inning single off Corey Kluber on Tuesday. Hyde also attributed some of Mountcastle’s struggles to simple bad luck, hinting at several long drives caught near the wall or tamped down by difficult conditions.

Mountcastle’s underlying metrics, though, suggest his struggles are real (all numbers entering Wednesday and per Statcast):
Expected batting average: .199
Weighted on-base average: .214
Expected weighted on-base average: .275
Chase rate: 40% (4th percentile)

“We’re going to stay with him,” Hyde said. “If it crosses the line down the road, then it does. But right now, I want him playing as much as possible and continuing to get experience. Hopefully he starts swinging the bat a little bit better.”

Baseball’s best baby name?

In Shawn Armstrong’s own words, the Orioles reliever “wouldn’t be in the big leagues” if not for his cutter. The cut-fastball has been a staple in Armstrong’s arsenal throughout his seven-year Major League career, providing the righty a valuable third weapon alongside his four-seam fastball and slider.

So when Armstrong became a father for the first time on March 31, he and his wife, Sarah, decided to honor the pitch permanently. They named their son Declan Cutter.

“Whenever my wife and I started talking about baby names years ago, we were set on the boy name,” Armstrong said. “If he were a girl, we probably would’ve had a little trouble with the name.”

Instead, Armstrong’s efforts have been focused on rebounding from some early struggles while adapting to life with a newborn. He’s now logged scoreless appearances in four of his past five outings, after allowing runs in each of his first four.

“It definitely takes some adjusting at the beginning of the season with his sleep schedule,” Armstrong said. “But we love the name and a lot of people love it as well.”

Old friends

With Pat Valaika’s return to the active roster Tuesday came a revelation, and a reunion. Orioles reliever Adam Plutko said during a Zoom call with reporters that he and Valaika were college roommates at UCLA in the early 2010s, before venturing on separate big league paths. The two are so close Valaika was the best man in Plutko’s wedding.

“It’s always great to play with Pat,” Plutko said. “I think I first met him when I was about 16 or 17. It was pretty much on Day 1 I asked him to be my roommate.”

Plutko was in a bit of a bind at the time. He was supposed to room with another big-time recruit -- maybe you’ve heard of him -- who grew up to be Brewers star Christian Yelich. But then Yelich switched his commitment from UCLA to Miami, leaving Plutko searching. Yelich never attended either school, ultimately going pro directly out of high school.

They’ve never faced one another in the big leagues.

“I was losing a roommate,” Plutko said. “[I asked Valaika] ‘Want to be my roommate?’ He said sure. That was how it started.”