Baltimore Sun Orioles reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer will answer fan questions every Friday during baseball season. Here are JCM’s thoughts on several questions from readers:

Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Email jameyer@baltsun.com with questions for next Friday’s mailbag.

Has the Orioles’ offense been unlucky, or is there more to the story? — Joshua G. from Parkville

The wealth of statistics at our fingertips is one of the best parts about covering baseball right now, but it also demands nuance. Let’s start with a disclaimer: Is bad luck the sole reason for a disappointing month at the plate? No.

They’re not hitting enough line drives. Last year they were ninth out of 30 MLB teams in line drive percentage (24.1%); this year, they’re 28th at 21.5%. The bats are also floundering with runners in scoring position. They rank 28th in batting average in such situations (.190) and dead last in OPS (.572). Since Easter, the Orioles are a shocking 8-for-91 with runners in scoring position. While leverage stats can be fickle season to season (the Orioles were MLB’s most clutch team in 2023 and middle of the pack last year), it doesn’t change the fact that Baltimore can’t turn its season around without improving drastically in these situations.

But is bad luck playing a major factor here? Absolutely. No MLB team has a larger difference between their batting average and expected batting average, which is based on quality of contact, than the Orioles, who are hitting .223 with an expected figure of .248. Baltimore has the fifth-largest difference between its slugging percentage (.381) and its expected slugging (.432).

The Orioles rank fourth in the majors in barrel rate (7.0%), hard-hit percentage (44.3%) and average exit velocity (90.3 mph). In layman’s terms, barrel rate is how often Orioles batters make the best type of contact; hard-hit percentage is the frequency at which they hit the ball at least 95 mph; and average exit velocity is simply how hard they’re hitting the ball on average.

The teams that rank ahead of them in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity are the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets — three ballclubs that entered Thursday above .500. Each of those teams ranks top 10 in runs scored this season, are above .500 and have a combined winning percentage of .589 — a 95-win pace over a full season. Meanwhile, the Orioles are 20th in runs scored and are 12-18 — a 65-win pace.

It’s not excusing the starting rotation’s ineptitude, the defense’s occasional sloppiness or the lineup’s intermittent lifelessness to admit that the Orioles’ offense has been unlucky thus far.

Is there a possibility that Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has lost the clubhouse? — Remi R. from Rockville

That is always a possibility for any manager or coach in professional sports — especially for a team that’s been as futile as the Orioles so far this season. The longer the Orioles play this way, the more pressure will be on Hyde to get it turned around. Hyde’s main job is to win ballgames. This team has high expectations, and it has fallen short thus far.

However, from almost everything seen and heard in the clubhouse, this does not appear to be the case in Baltimore right now. Obviously, players speaking on the record about Hyde (essentially their boss) would almost certainly result in positive responses. But the following story includes a representative sample of eight Orioles players — a group that includes team leaders, former top prospects, rebuild survivors, starters, backups and bullpen arms — who were given the option not to speak about the topic if they weren’t comfortable. Each of those players opted in, many eagerly.

Should the Orioles call up Coby Mayo? — Jerry O. from Jacksonville, Florida

Boy, are the people curious about Mayo. It’s not hard to wonder why.

The Orioles’ offense at times feels listless, and despite Mayo’s struggles in a small sample in the majors last season, he remains one of the best right-handed power bats in the minor leagues. He’s hitting .268 with a .935 OPS and 15 extra-base hits in 26 games for Triple-A Norfolk.

Then there’s how Baltimore’s faring against left-handed pitchers. The Orioles are the majors’ worst team against southpaws: a .172 average, .492 OPS and a 2-8 record. Meanwhile, here’s Mayo’s slash line in a small sample versus lefties in Triple-A this year: .520/.579/1.471 — good for an otherworldly 2.050 OPS. All the normal caveats apply for these splits. That sample for Mayo (19 plate appearances) is tiny, and lefties in Triple-A are far worse than the ones in the show. But those numbers are impressive either way.

Here’s the quick case for and against calling up Mayo right now:

For: The Orioles used up all of their margin for error in April. They need to maximize their win probability in every game, and the best way to do that is to put the best nine players in the lineup as often as possible. Mayo won’t be an everyday player, and that’s OK for now. If the Orioles are in win-now mode, that includes improving their lineup against lefties. He’s earned the chance to carve out a role on this team, and giving him that opportunity might provide a boost versus southpaws.

Against: There is no room on the Orioles’ roster for Mayo to get significant playing time even with Jordan Westburg on the injured list. When Westburg is back healthy from his hamstring injury, it becomes even more difficult. Ramón Urías already deserves more playing time, and there isn’t space for Mayo to be anything more than a designated hitter against lefties and a bench bat. That’s not enough to stunt the development of a player who is still only 23 years old.

Which case is more compelling? Well, the team will answer that question for us by how long it takes them to call him up.

If the Orioles bring up Coby Mayo, what happens to Ryan Mountcastle? — @MikeGinsberg6 and @hockeyncoffee on X

Nothing.

While Mayo is seen externally (and potentially internally) as Mountcastle’s eventual replacement at first base, it’s too early to make that switch now. Mountcastle is a Gold Glove-caliber defender, and his potential at the plate is too high to give up on because of a poor start (.194 average and .541 OPS). Hypothetically, if Mayo were recalled, he and Mountcastle would both start versus lefties. Mountcastle would still start most games against righties with the occasional day off.

Even on the off chance Mountcastle’s slump continues, there’s a stronger argument to give Urías more at-bats than Mayo given how well Urías has played since last May — a .791 OPS that ranks second on the Orioles behind only Gunnar Henderson.

In the short term, though, it doesn’t necessarily need to be an either/or between Mayo and Mountcastle.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer @baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.