The Orioles really needed to make some good news.
Really.
As if a disappointing last-place season, the fallout from the trade deadline sell-off, and a fresh batch of concerning injury developments weren’t bad enough, the organization’s recently announced changes to season-ticket plans for 2026 further offended many of the most loyal Orioles fans you’ll find, which was quite a choice from ownership. Those circumstances certainly didn’t help the fan response to general manager Mike Elias delaying the promotion of top prospects Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers in order to preserve their 2026 rookie status and the possibility of gaining draft pick compensation through the prospect promotion incentive program. One can understand the rationale without needing to like it, especially given the overall state of affairs for this franchise.
And while a series win against a first-place club in Houston hardly fixes everything afflicting the Orioles and how fans currently feel, this was easily the best weekend they’ve had in quite a while.
On Friday night, rookie Brandon Young — and his 6.70 ERA through 10 major league starts — took a perfect game into the eighth inning. It was a reminder of how wonderfully random this sport can be and how young players shouldn’t be written off too quickly. That’s not to guarantee this will go down as much more than a fun outlier for the soon-to-be 27-year-old pitcher, but Young’s next start certainly became more interesting after his gem against the Astros.
On Saturday, the Orioles finally summoned Beavers to the majors to address an outfield that looked like one of the worst groups in club history over the last week or so. The 24-year-old went 2-for-9 with a double and a walk and looked like he belonged over his first two games, which is all you can ask as Beavers gets acclimated to the highest level of play in the world.
And Sunday brought the much-anticipated debut of Basallo just four days after his 21st birthday. His arrival — as well as Colton Cowser’s return from the injured list — gave the Orioles an impressive eight homegrown players in Sunday’s batting order, the kind of dream lineup you might have seen printed in Baseball America a few years ago. Despite being robbed of a home run earlier in the game, Basallo — a consensus top-10 prospect in baseball — collected his first hit and pair of RBIs in the eighth inning of a 12-0 win over the Astros that included a brilliant performance from starter Dean Kremer.
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After producing a career-high five RBIs in Sunday’s win, third baseman Jordan Westburg summed up the weekend best in an on-field interview on MASN.
“This is the future. This is what the fans have been screaming for.”
Of course, the Orioles need to do much more than this. The weekend wasn’t the culmination of anything, but it hopefully marks a new beginning to help reset all that’s gone wrong over the last 14 months or so. And while much of the burden will rightly fall on the shoulders of general manager Mike Elias and ownership this winter, the young core needs to do its massive part in righting the ship.
No matter what other moves are made, this won’t work unless the bulk of this group of 20-somethings proves to be legitimate. Beginning with the first overall selection of Adley Rutschman six years ago, these young players were meant to be the foundation of something special and sustainable, and that collective hasn’t looked the part in 2025, regardless of everything else that’s gone awry. The front office and coaching staff have predictably drawn most of the ire for this mess of a season, but that doesn’t mean the young core deserves a pass. It’s time for these guys to grow up as players and take the lead, especially those individuals who’ve been in the majors for a few years now.
Over these last six weeks of 2025, the Orioles not only need Basallo and Beavers to get acclimated for the majors, but they have to show they belong and have the potential to thrive, which will better inform the work needing to be done this offseason. The same goes for Coby Mayo as he continues what’s been an up-and-down audition as the everyday first baseman.
While we can point out Gunnar Henderson’s underwhelming long-ball total and Westburg’s injuries over the last calendar year, those two are the least of Baltimore’s worries right now. In contrast, Rutschman — who’s the oldest of this group at age 27 — and Cowser must produce better than sub-.700 on-base plus slugging percentages as former top-five overall picks. And while Jackson Holliday has taken encouraging steps in only his age-21 season, he’d be the first to tell you more will be required to fulfill No. 1 overall expectations.
Most of the offseason focus will be on improving the rotation and rebuilding a mostly unrecognizable bullpen, but the Orioles entered Sunday ranked 20th in the majors in runs scored per game. No matter how much you like this homegrown lineup on paper, it’d be extremely difficult to argue against adding an impact veteran bat to the heart of the order. But these young guys will have every chance to argue otherwise the rest of the way.
Much work remains to get this club back on track between now and the start of next season.
But this weekend brought good news at a time when the Orioles desperately needed to make some.
