Unlike other sports in which the best players consistently have the ball in their hands, baseball makes you wait your turn, which is what restricts the value of even the greatest individuals.
Just ask the Los Angeles Angels how much it meant that Mike Trout was the best player in baseball for the better part of a decade.
That’s why it’s important not to overstate any single player’s contributions when pondering how the Orioles will fare in 2026. You certainly wouldn’t have predicted the 2014 club being one of Baltimore’s best of the last 40 years if you knew Matt Wieters and Manny Machado would barely play due to injuries and Chris Davis would have a nightmare campaign.
You never truly know.
Still, there are players who seem important to the Orioles’ success in 2026 beyond citing the most obvious or established names such as Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, and Ryan Helsley. With that in mind and considering the overall makeup of the roster, below are four less-obvious players who may prove pivotal to Baltimore bouncing back from a last-place finish in the AL East and returning to the postseason:
CF Colton Cowser
There’s no other good choice for center field. Sure, the Orioles may carry Leody Taveras as a veteran backup, but he’s hovered around replacement level for the last two years. Dylan Beavers and Blaze Alexander have received looks in center this spring, but they should probably be viewed more as short-term fill-in options than viable alternatives until they prove otherwise. And prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. needs more Triple-A seasoning and success at the plate before joining the conversation.
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There’s no understating how difficult 2025 was for Cowser, who fractured his thumb in the opening series of the season and then battled rib and head injuries on his way to a .196/.269/.385 slash line. His 35.6% strikeout rate was the worst in the majors among those registering 350 plate appearances, and that came with a walk rate (7.5%) that fell to below average. One needs to hit for a ton of power to overcome that profile, which has included major difficulties against off-speed and breaking pitches.
We should never make too much of Grapefruit League action, but Cowser striking out 16 times and walking just twice in his first 43 plate appearances this spring isn’t the way you wanted to see him turn the page and build confidence for the new season. That said, he’s mostly looked the part defensively in center, which is arguably the top priority in this equation.
In addition to simply staying healthy, the 26-year-old getting back to what he looked like at the plate as the 2024 runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year would be a very encouraging development. If not, center field could be a significant problem for this club.
RP Tyler Wells
President of baseball operations Mike Elias made a two-year, $28 million bet that Helsley’s struggles last year were more a hiccup stemming from tipping pitches than the start of a decline for the two-time All-Star closer entering his age-31 season. Even if Helsley regains his pre-2025 form, there are questions everywhere else in this bullpen, especially with 36-year-old setup man Andrew Kittredge currently dealing with shoulder inflammation and likely to start the season on the injured list.
Going back to former All-Star closer Felix Bautista’s elbow injury in late August of 2023, the 31-year-old Wells has been discussed as a high-leverage option out of the bullpen, but starting rotation needs and injuries have led to him making just five relief appearances since his 2021 rookie season when he was a Rule 5 pick. After a promising return from 2024 elbow surgery last September, Wells will try to become an important part of a bullpen that’s short on meaningful experience after Helsley, Keegan Akin, and Yennier Cano.
Given Wells’ injury history, it’s fair to wonder how his arm will hold up pitching multiple times per week, but you’d feel better about this bullpen if he can become a reliable high-leverage option pitching in the seventh or eighth inning of close games.
83B Coby Mayo
A couple months ago, one wondered if the 24-year-old Mayo would even be an Oriole in 2026 after Alonso was signed to a five-year, $155 million contract over the winter. But a throwing elbow injury to Jordan Westburg firmly put Mayo back on the radar as a third baseman, and he’s built on an encouraging final month of 2025 with an excellent spring that included a long two-run homer off New York Yankees star pitcher Max Fried on Thursday.
With Westburg’s 2026 status — at least playing third base — looking questionable at best, Mayo easily has the most offensive upside compared to hot-corner alternatives like Alexander or Jeremiah Jackson for third base. But there are real questions about Mayo’s defense, which is what prompted the Orioles to move him to first base last summer before making the lucrative free-agent commitment to Alonso.
Though far from a given, Mayo possesses the kind of offensive upside to help transform a good lineup into a great one. But it’ll be a delicate balance making sure his defense doesn’t wipe out what value he brings with the bat. Even if Mayo rakes, the last thing this pitching staff needs is him profiling too much like Mark Reynolds at third base 15 years ago.
SP Shane Baz
A month after trading away the oft-injured Grayson Rodriguez for veteran outfielder Taylor Ward, Elias dealt four prospects and a draft pick to Tampa Bay for the 26-year-old Baz, who carries similar upside to Rodriguez while managing to stay healthy over the last season and a half since undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of 2022 and missing all of 2023.
The Orioles are counting on Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish to lead the way in the starting rotation and Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer, and Zach Eflin to maintain a high floor, but Baz is the real wild card with top-of-the-rotation stuff that includes a high-90s fastball and a good knuckle curve. Though it’s not a secret that he fared poorly pitching in the less-than-ideal conditions at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa last season, Baz logged a 3.86 ERA in 15 road starts and averaged more than a strikeout per inning in his first fully healthy season in the majors.
Even without Elias acquiring an established No. 1 starter, Baltimore’s rotation appears to be in better shape than it’s enjoyed in quite some time with improved depth and even some interesting Triple-A arms to monitor for later in 2026. But Baz emerging to compete with Rogers and Bradish for the title of staff ace would be excellent news for the Orioles.
