The Top Orioles Storylines To Follow in Spring Training
These are some of the most newsworthy topics coming out of Orioles camp in Sarasota, Florida this spring.
Spring training comes with no shortage of intrigue for the Baltimore Orioles in 2025.
The O’s have won at least 90 games in back-to-back seasons and will look to compete for a championship again in 2025. Some of their best players from last season have left the organization, but Baltimore is still ripe with talent.
The departures of ace starting pitcher Corbin Burnes and longtime Oriole outfielder Anthony Santander left some cracks in the team’s armor. Consequently, president of baseball operations Mike Elias has difficult decisions to make this spring regarding how he will fill out his Opening Day roster.
Much of the difficulty in these roster choices stems from an abundance of impact options on the hitting side and a lack thereof on the pitching staff.
This is no surprise to anyone who has closely followed the Orioles in the Elias era.
Since 2019, each of the Orioles’ first-round draft picks has been an offensive player. Just one of the team’s 24 most valuable picks over this span has been used on a pitcher. It has been an organizational point of emphasis to stock up on talented bats.
While the surplus of hitting generates palpable buzz, the lack of quality pitching options does so for a different reason. Fans are growing frustrated that there doesn’t seem to be a staff ace, while there are many talented young position players with no direct path to playing time.
With that in mind, let’s investigate some of the most newsworthy topics at Orioles camp in Sarasota, Florida.
Spring stats as of March 4.
How Will the Orioles Manage Their Outfield Mix?
Despite losing Santander, the Orioles still have a wealth of playable options in the outfield.
To compensate for losing Santander, the team signed a capable replacement in Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract. After clubbing 31 home runs in 113 games last year, the hulking righty will receive regular playing time.
Another quality outfielder in the mix that the team already had in-house is the AL Rookie of the Year Award runner-up, Colton Cowser. After posting a 4.0 fWAR, 120 wRC+, and hitting 24 home runs in 2024, he is certain to be entrenched as an everyday player.
A few years removed from his 30/30 season, Cedric Mullins remains in Baltimore as a decent major league outfielder. Mullins clubbed 18 home runs, swiped 32 bases, and posted a 2.3 fWAR in 147 games this past year. His bat may not be much better than average, but his knack for making highlight plays defensively makes him worth keeping around.
Now, things get interesting. One could argue that the team didn’t have to sign O’Neill at all, because Heston Kjerstad has been waiting in the wings for a regular role.
The former number-two overall draft pick has dominated Triple-A for the past two seasons and looked like a solid major league bat in limited playing time. In 56 Triple-A games last year, Kjerstad hit for a .998 OPS and swatted 16 home runs. He doesn’t project as a strong defender, but his build isn’t that of an unathletic player.
You would think that the Orioles might feel confident going into the season with just these four outfielders on their Opening Day roster. But then, they signed two more to major league contracts.
Ramon Laureano and Dylan Carlson were inked to one-year deals before spring training began. Clearly, the team feels the need to have another glove-first outfielder on the Opening Day roster with super-utility man Jorge Mateo not expected to be ready for Opening Day.
What to Expect
Preusming the club makes it through spring training with good health, it is likely the Orioles retain five of these six outfielders on the active roster and option Carlson (or possibly Kjerstad) to Triple-A.
According to Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com, manager Brandon Hyde says there will be “plenty of outfield platooning” with this group.
It seems likely that Cowser will receive the most at-bats, regardless of handedness.
Then, I’d bet on O’Neill receiving the second-most outfield playing time, based on the financial commitment.
I think Mullins will play more than Kjerstad, at least to start the season.
Defensive ability is valuable, and there is no doubt that Mullins is the better player in that regard. I foresee Kjerstad also mixing in as a designated hitter, while being a primary option to pinch-hit.
Given his offensive potential, this would be a disappointing outcome for Kjerstad. I would have liked to have seen him get a crack at an everyday role immediately.
However, keep in mind, O’Neill has only played 100 games in a season twice in his eight-year career. An injury to the veteran could give Kjerstad the opportunity he’s been looking for to vault ahead of Mullins in the pecking order when O’Neill returns.
Laureano is likely to be a late-inning, defensive replacement in the outfield for O’Neill or Kjerstad. He could also see starts against left-handers, given Mullins’ noted struggles last season.
As for Carlson, he is likely to start the season as depth at Triple-A Norfolk. Not only is he making less than a quarter of Laureano’s salary, but he still has option years remaining. Laureano cannot be sent down to the minors without his consent.
Will Félix Bautista Be Ready for Opening Day?
The Orioles’ superstar closer is expected to return to the major league roster this season after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.
Félix Bautista’s return is going to benefit the Orioles’ bullpen greatly. In 2023, he posted a 1.48 ERA with a 46.4% strikeout rate and earned 33 saves.
While it’s unfair to expect him to be equally as dominant coming off of a major procedure, he still represents an upgrade. Interim closer Craig Kimbrel pitched to a 5.33 ERA in 52.1 innings last year.
Bautista joined the club in Sarasota when all other pitchers and catchers reported. In February, he threw bullpens and live batting practice, indicating a return was near.
The Orioles allowed Bautista to pitch in game action for the first time on March 3. In his first appearance since August of 2023, Bautista tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
Elias said in his initial spring training press conference that “there is a very good chance” Bautista will be ready for Opening Day. Barring any struggles or setbacks, the flame-throwing right-hander should be on the roster for the team’s opener in Toronto on March 27.
Is the Starting Rotation Going To Be All Right-Handers?
Probably.
We knew that Eflin and Rodriguez were rotation locks, regardless of who else the team brought in.
It seems like Kremer is likely to be a member of the Opening Day rotation as well, given his longevity with the team in a back-end role.
To supplement the loss of Burnes, the O’s brought in two righties with quite a bit of professional baseball experience on one-year deals. The 42-year-old Charlie Morton ($15 million) and the 36-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano ($13 million) should be locks as well, given the guaranteed money that the team invested in their services.
All of these pitchers are right-handed. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but neither is having one lefty in your rotation to test an opponent’s offensive depth.
The two southpaws that seem most likely to challenge for a rotation spot this season are 2024 trade-deadline acquisition Trevor Rogers and youngster Cade Povich.
Rogers’ major league tenure has been disastrous since his All-Star season in 2021. In 249.1 innings since then, Rogers owns a 5.09 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. We already know that he, like Mateo, will be unavailable for Opening Day.
That leaves Povich, who, despite having a 5.20 ERA in 79.2 major league innings, has flashed some potential. In September, he posted a 2.60 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate.
In a spring start on March 1, Povich threw three shutout innings against the Pirates with six strikeouts. He may not be a front-runner for an Opening Day roster spot, but he will be needed this season even if he reports to Triple-A to begin the campaign.
Povich looks like the left-handed starter that this rotation could benefit from deploying in 2025.
How Will the Top Prospects Stack Up?
The Orioles’ farm system may not be what it once was, but it still has two highly valuable assets in Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo. Both listed in the top ten of Just Baseball’s year-end prospect rankings, these two can mash and are in close proximity to the major leagues.
Coby Mayo
Mayo, 23, did make his major league debut in the second half of last season but was overmatched in inconsistent playing time. In 93 Triple-A contests, Mayo crushed 25 home runs and posted a 145 wRC+.
Mayo doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors. However, he is almost certain to start his season there due to the overwhelming number of infielders already on the roster.
A corner infielder who projects long-term to be a first baseman, the current Oriole standing in Mayo’s way of regular reps is Ryan Mountcastle. If the Orioles moved him in a trade, the role of a right-handed hitting first baseman would open up, and it would belong to Mayo.
Since Mountcastle is still around, Mayo would need a mammoth spring for the team to consider rostering him on Opening Day.
We haven’t seen that yet from Mayo, who is 1-for-17 (.059) with a walk and four strikeouts this spring. He appears to be headed to Triple-A Norfolk for another season to start the year, waiting on an injury or a trade.
Samuel Basallo
All that Basallo, 20, has done since joining the stateside ranks of the minor leagues is mash older competition.
In 127 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, Basallo hit .278 with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He has ascended four minor league levels in just two seasons.
Since he only played in 21 games at the highest level in the minors (and in his age-19 season), Basallo is destined for Triple-A no matter what he does this spring. However, it has been very encouraging to see him hold his own in major league spring training games.
So far this spring, Basallo is 3-for-8 (.375) with a mammoth home run. It took him no time to put his impressive raw power on display.
This baseball may have gone 500 feet 😳
— MLB (@MLB) February 28, 2025
Samuel Basallo, MLB's top catching prospect, sent this baseball OVER the center field scoreboard! pic.twitter.com/2T8KbEvDYx
There have been questions about whether his body will hold up as a catcher long-term, but the Orioles seem determined to develop him behind the plate.
If Basallo continues to mash, the Orioles may have no choice but to call him up in the second half.
Who Is Worth Watching for a Possible Mid-Season Call-Up?
One of the most exciting parts of spring training is projecting who may assert themselves as necessary organizational depth. In this section, let’s outline a few players who could prove themselves worthy of that mid-season call-up.
Brandon Young
Young, 26, signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent following the COVID-shortened 2020 draft.
He has looked like a smart pick-up, pitching to a 3.44 ERA with a 25.6% strikeout rate over 89 innings in Triple-A last year.
Young likely slots in as the organization’s ninth starter, meaning he could be used in a spot start or for long relief as the season wears on.
So far this spring, Young has surrendered two earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. He is likely to stay on the spring roster throughout the majority of camp, so stay tuned to see how he performs against major league competition.
Rodolfo Martinez
A member of the Giants’ farm system from 2015-19, Martinez, 30, has turned heads in camp so far.
The Orioles signed the reliever out of an independent league and hope he can provide quality bullpen depth. So far in camp, he has been sitting in the high-90s and touched 100.
This spring, Martinez has surrendered three earned runs in two innings with no strikeouts, but the stuff has looked good.
Martinez could be elevated to the 26-man roster if injuries pile up in the Orioles’ bullpen.
Emmanuel Rivera
Rivera, 28, was claimed off of waivers from Miami in the second half of the 2024 season. He was a solid injury replacement for Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías.
In 27 games with the Orioles, Rivera slashed .313/.370/.578 with four home runs. He also provided quality defense on the corners. His performance is largely why Mayo’s playing time was so inconsistent.
The Orioles designated Rivera for assignment this offseason but were able to keep him in the organization. Perhaps Elias will be inclined to give the veteran another chance if injuries pile up again this season.
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Daniel Rotter follows the game of baseball with passion. He was the youngest participant in the inaugural year of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational, at 17…