BALTIMORE -- The construction of the Orioles’ lineup is guaranteed to change in 2026. That’s what happens when a team adds a slugger the caliber of Pete Alonso to its roster.
Alonso has arrived in Baltimore after signing a five-year, $155 million contract, and the 31-year-old will immediately be inserted into the heart of the batting order. The Polar Bear should hit in either the No. 3 or No. 4 hole for the O’s in the upcoming season.
Now, Craig Albernaz will need to figure out how to best place the pieces around Alonso. Fortunately, the new manager will have most of Spring Training to decide what will work.
One big lineup-related question still needs an answer: Who will be the Orioles’ leadoff hitter?
Here’s a look at several of the candidates to set the table from the No. 1 spot for Baltimore.
Jackson Holliday, 2B
Career numbers as leadoff hitter: .244/.321/.374 with 13 home runs in 116 games (114 starts)
2025 numbers as leadoff hitter: .236/.311/.366 with 13 home runs in 113 games (all starts)
As the O’s struggled through their 75-87 season in 2025, they opted to bat Holliday leadoff as a way to get the former top prospect as many plate appearances as possible. It was a valuable learning experience for the youngster in his age-21 season.
Is Holliday a future leadoff hitter? Possibly. His skill set is that of a traditional leadoff guy because of his speed and his potential to get on base (though that hasn’t translated from the Minors to the Majors quite yet).
Should Holliday be the Orioles’ 2026 leadoff hitter? Probably not. The 22-year-old is still trying to put his offensive game together in the big leagues, and it could be easier for him to do so at a lower spot in the batting order.
Consensus: Baltimore needs its leadoff man to get on base a lot to get the most out of a slugger like Alonso, and it can’t yet count on Holliday to do so at a high rate. He should drop down to No. 6 or lower.
Gunnar Henderson, SS
Career numbers as leadoff hitter: .276/.347/.533 with 42 home runs in 173 games (all starts)
2025 numbers as leadoff hitter: .179/.207/.304 with one home run in 13 games (all starts)
Henderson has proven to be one of the best leadoff hitters on the Orioles’ roster, but that’s also because the 24-year-old is one of the team’s best overall hitters, no matter where he’s batting.
After hitting leadoff for much of the previous two seasons, Henderson was often slotted in at No. 3 in 2025. His power production dipped, but that shouldn’t stop Baltimore from keeping him there if it wants to, as he should get back to putting up big homer totals soon.
One potential issue with moving Henderson back to leadoff could be the emergence of a large left-handed pocket in the O’s order. The heart of the lineup would be filled with righties (Jordan Westburg, Taylor Ward, Alonso), leaving a lot of lefty bats (Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser, Holliday, potentially Dylan Beavers) near/at the bottom.
Consensus: If there’s a way to avoid a lefty pocket in the Nos. 6-9 spots -- followed by Henderson at No. 1 -- then it could make sense for him to return to leadoff. However, that seems like it could be tricky, so it might be better to slot him at No. 2 or No. 3, just ahead of Alonso.
Taylor Ward, OF
Career numbers as leadoff hitter: .259/.326/.456 with 32 home runs in 174 games (169 starts)
2025 numbers as leadoff hitter: .220/.258/.462 with six home runs in 22 games (all starts)
Talk about power potential from the leadoff spot. Ward is coming off a 2025 season in which he slugged a career-high 36 home runs, and now, the 32-year-old is joining a Baltimore lineup that suddenly has a ton of right-handed pop.
Ward has experience as a leadoff hitter, though he spent most of this past season batting in the cleanup hole for the Angels. But he had an 11.3% walk rate (82nd percentile) that could fit well atop the Orioles’ order.
The O’s could use different lineups against right-handers and left-handers. But Ward’s profile -- along with the potential right/left balance that would come with putting him at No. 1 -- could make him an ideal leadoff man in 2026.
Consensus: Ward is a strong candidate to be the primary leadoff hitter, which could allow Baltimore to mostly use a lineup such as this:
- Taylor Ward, LF (R)
- Jordan Westburg, 3B (R)
- Gunnar Henderson, SS (L)
- Pete Alonso, 1B (R)
- Samuel Basallo, DH (L)
- Adley Rutschman, C (S)
- Jackson Holliday, 2B (L)
- Tyler O’Neill, RF (R)
- Colton Cowser, CF (L)