Top Things To Watch During the Orioles’ Spring Training

With snow and ice still piled up high and temperatures struggling to get above freezing, spring training could not be coming at a more perfect time.

The long awaited return of Baltimore Orioles baseball is almost here. The first glimpses of Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Ryan Helsley with the rest of the team will be a sight for sore eyes after the 2025 season ended the way that it did.

This spring training is also Craig Albernaz’s first as skipper of the Orioles. The right-hand man to back-to-back AL Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt in Cleveland comes highly touted as the man who can get the Orioles and their young core back on track.

So, as things get underway in Sarasota, Florida, here is what Orioles fans should look out for as the team begins their journey for their first World Series title in 43 years.

Filling Out The Rotation

After the early offseason acquisitions of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, the back half of the winter break has focused on pitching.

The Orioles traded for Shane Baz, sending a haul of prospects like Slater de Brun and Caden Bodine, who were first-round picks in 2025, to Tampa Bay.

The O’s also brought back Zach Eflin on a one-year deal. The righty was a rock for the O’s after being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline. However, after a shaky 2025, it was unclear if Mike Elias would bring back the veteran arm. If he can stay healthy and find his 2024 self, Eflin could provide much needed stability at the back end of the rotation.

Finally, they inked veteran Chris Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5 million contract on Wednesday evening, adding some much-needed depth and experience to the rotation and capping off what’s been a rather exciting offseason.

With those acquisitions, it will be fascinating to see how the starting rotation takes shape this spring.

Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Baz, and Bassitt will likely be leading the rotation. That leaves Dean Kremer, Eflin, Tyler Wells, Cade Povich and Brandon Young to duke it out at the tail end of the rotation.

On paper, Kremer and Eflin are most likely to fill out the rotation.

Kremer, entering his seventh year, had an up and down 2025. After recording a 7.04 ERA between March and April, the righty responded with a 2.72 ERA in May and 3.30 ERA in June.

The 30-year-old’s greatest strength is his success against divisional opponents. Since 2024, Kremer has an 8-1 record in 15 starts against the AL East with a 2.41 ERA. With so much competition within the division, having an arm in the stable that has that kind of success could be vital in a tight division race.

Pair Kremer with Eflin, who, outside of an injury-riddled 2025, has been the poster boy of consistency, and the Opening Day rotation is in a much better spot.

However, it is important to not overlook the outside looking in candidates. First, let’s take a look at Povich.

The former Nebraska Cornhusker has not had a great start to his career in Baltimore. Across 38 appearances, 36 of which are starts, Povich has a 5.20 ERA and 1.469 WHIP.

However, the 25-year-old has shown flashes of promise in his short career. Povich recorded 118 strikeouts in 122.1 innings, as well as a 24.2% strikeout rate that was in the 61st percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

Orioles fans should look to see if Povich can make improvements to his command, which in-turn will hopefully lower his 47.1% hard-hit rate and 90.9 mph average exit velocity.

Next up on the list is Wells, who is entering his sixth year with organization.

Wells has struggled with the injury bug. The 30-year-old has had two UCL surgeries since 2023, managing only seven starts since the beginning of 2024.

The few starts that Wells have made have been a tale of two stories. In three starts in 2024, Wells surrendered 10 earned runs in 15.1 innings. However, in four starts in 2025, the righty let up seven runs in 21.2 innings, good enough for a 2.91 ERA.

In his most recent healthy season in 2023, Wells had 20 starts and five relief appearances, managing a 3.64 ERA and 0.986 WHIP.

With his prior experience working out of the bullpen, a strong spring training from Wells should land him on the 26-man roster. If the righty can perform as a starter, he could throw his hat in the ring to stick in the rotation.

Finally, we have Young, who has the least amount of MLB experience out of the trio.

Young made his debut in 2025, making 12 starts for the O’s. The 27-year-old found little success in the show, posting a 6.24 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.

That is not to say that Young did not show signs of promise. Young took a perfect game bid into the eighth inning the Houston Astros in August and recorded an immaculate inning against the New York Mets in July.

Young also had performed well in the minors, recording a 2.70 ERA and 9.72 K/9 between High-A and Triple-A in 2025.

In the majors, however, those strikeouts numbers did not relate. Opposing batters were not fooled, hitting his pitches hard and often, leading to his hard-hit, barrel, strikeout and whiff percentages to be at or below the 35th percentile.

Out of all the candidates, Young’s shot at making the rotation is the slimmest. However, the flashes the righty showed last year warrant a second chance.

Logjam of Hitters

Unlike the rotation, the Orioles’ starting lineup is pretty set in stone. Alonso and Ward’s arrivals shore up what could be one of the best offenses in baseball.

The biggest thing to look out for is which infielders make the cut on the bench. With both veterans and young guns looking vying for spots, competition will be fierce.

With Alonso, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg solidified, that leaves Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson and newly acquired Blaze Alexander to find their spot.

Mountcastle and Mayo will be battling to back up Alonso at first base while Jackson and Alexander will battle to be the utility-infielder.

Mountcastle signed with an one-year, $6.7 million extension with the O’s in the offseason to avoid arbitration ahead of the righty becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The 28-year-old slashed .250/.286/.367 in 89 games in 2025.

For Mayo, 2026 will be his third year in the majors after a brief stint in 2024 and rocky 2025. The 24-year-old has struggled in his early career, but a .301/.393/.548 slash line with five home runs in September of 2025 gave Birdland a glimpse of what Mayo’s potential could be.

Both are limited to the first base and DH roles, with Mayo capable of emergency third base duties. However, with Basallo and Rutschman in the mix for DH reps, there is not room for the both of them to make the Opening Day roster.

It is also a possibility that one of Mountcastle or Mayo get traded. If Mountcastle can stay healthy, his bat can help a contender, and if Mayo is traded, he would not be the first O’s prospect to be traded and find success with consistent playing time (I point you toward Kyle Stowers).

With that possibility in play, it is more likely for Mountcastle to make the team out of spring training. A healthy and productive 2026 would help his trade value, while Mayo can get consistent playing time in Triple-A until a spots opens up or he is traded.

The other battle is between Jackson and Alexander for the utility-infielder role.

Jackson was a surprise for the O’s in 2025. In 48 games the righty slashed .276/.328/.447 and 21 RBIs. However, the 25-year-old is more proficient at hitting, only managing a -3 OAA last year.

Alexander comes to Baltimore with a flipped skillset to Jackson. The 26-year-old is only a .237 career hitter, but posted a +1 OAA in 2025, good enough for the 70th percentile. The former Arizona Diamondback also has a career. 800 OPS against lefties, while Jackson has a .735 OPS against lefties.

Based on the price of trading for him, it seems like the front office wants Alexander to be on the team. Jackson would need to build off a strong offensive start in 2025 and show big development with the glove if he wants a spot on the opening day roster.

Non-Roster Invitees

In addition to the position battles, another thing Orioles fans should look out for is the non-roster invitees. This gives fans a chance to see up and coming prospects against MLB talent.

Of the invitees, the three guys O’s fans should keep their eyes on the most are Trey Gibson, Creed Willems and Enrique Bradfield Jr. Let’s start with Gibson, who Just Baseball ranked as the O’s No. 2 prospect last year.

The 23-year-old, 6-foot-5 righty jumped from High-A ball to Triple-A last year, posting 166 strikeouts in 120.1 innings and 12.42 K/9. Gibson has also improved on his BB/9 year over year as well, recording a 3.29 BB/9 in 2025.

If the Orioles find themselves in need of starting pitching help, he could be one of the first names called upon.

Then there is the electric outfielder, Bradfield. The former first-round pick out of Vanderbilt is entering his third full season in the minors.

Ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the O’s system by Just Baseball, Bradfield is one of the fastest players in the minors. Standing six feet tall, the speedster recorded 36 steals last year and was caught only four times. Across his two and a half seasons, Bradfield has swiped 135 bags.

Bradfield also won the Arizona Fall League Defensive Player of the Year Award, highlighting the former Commordore’s potential to play great defense. While the offensive numbers may not be jaw dropping, Bradfield is showing that he could one day help this team without monster hitting stats.

Lastly you have Willems. After being drafted out of Aledo High School in Aledo, Texas, in 2021, the catcher is entering his fifth full-time year in the Orioles’ system.

As big-name prospects have moved their way through the ranks of the Orioles’ farm system, Willems has flown under the radar, improving year after year. In 2023, the 22-year-old slashed .220/.316/.395 across Low-A and High-A. In 2025, those numbers jumped up to .253/.338/.441 in Double-A.

The catching position is pretty set at the big-league level, so set that the Orioles traded catcher Caden Bodine, who was a first-round pick in 2025, to the Rays in exchange for Baz. Willems’ steady improvement could help boost his trade value for the O’s or provide ample depth at the position.

All Eyes on Sarasota

With pitchers and catchers reporting, sports fans in Baltimore will soon be setting their sights to Sarasota as the Orioles’ spring training gets underway.

With the additions the team has made this offseason, the excitement for the team is high. With new faces on the field and in the dugout, it will be intriguing to see the product on the field.

However, with the way the 2025 season went, the pressure will also be turned up. Lots of money and prospects were invested to right the ship in 2026. If things are not fixed, questions will start to be raised about whether this core of players can win a World Series together.

But for now, it is time to sit back and wait until March 26, when this new version of the Orioles will start their journey.