With the Orioles having 10 spring games under their belt and continuing Grapefruit League action in early March, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Gunnar Henderson being around the likes of Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, and Clayton Kershaw should pay off from an intangibles standpoint for the best young player on a club needing to take the next step in 2026. Injury risk aside, playing in the World Baseball Classic is a valuable experience.
2. After a forgettable 2025, it’s easy to dismiss what Tyler O’Neill can still bring to this lineup if he maintains some semblance of availability. You just hope his strong — and injury-free — start in the Grapefruit League continues as he now plays for Canada in the WBC.
3. Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish have combined for 13 strikeouts and one walk over 10 innings. Bradish has more electric stuff, but you can’t go wrong with either taking the ball on Opening Day. Between them and Shane Baz, the upside is there for this rotation compared to last year.
4. Coby Mayo swinging the bat like he did last September would go a long way toward Craig Albernaz living with some growing pains for Mayo manning third base. However, that profile quickly becomes a concern for the pitching staff if his offense is middling or worse.
5. Considering Zach Eflin still hasn’t pitched in the Grapefruit League, it’s looking more like he’ll open the season on the injured list to continue ramping up. That may avoid a starter logjam for now, but we’ll see if a six-man rotation comes into play sooner than later.
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6. Adley Rutschman had a great spring last year, which reminds not to make much of Grapefruit League numbers. I’d prefer seeing Baltimore give the 28-year-old more full days off rather than using him as a DH, especially when his bat hasn’t warranted that for the last 1 1/2 seasons.
7. Concerns persist about this bullpen having enough high-leverage ability and experience, but Anthony Nunez and Cameron Foster — acquired in separate trades with the Mets last July — are two early-season options to monitor. I’d still like to see an impact addition to lower Andrew Kittredge a spot in the reliever hierarchy.
8. After last Thursday’s injury scare, Samuel Basallo responded with his best game of the spring. His underwhelming numbers last August and September shouldn’t temper excitement for his bat to be in this lineup, especially with the arrival of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward easing the pressure on the younger hitters.
9. It’s great seeing Heston Kjerstad in a good place physically and mentally, but he has a minor-league option remaining and needs to go to Triple-A to reestablish himself as a viable option — in Baltimore or elsewhere. Eliminating his pronounced leg kick seems to have helped him at the plate.
10. How outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield handles himself at the plate for Panama in the WBC should be a good litmus test. He needs to continue developing with the bat at Triple-A, but Bradfield’s speed and defense are certainly good enough to contribute in the majors.
11. Many prospects have had difficult first full professional seasons, but that doesn’t begin to describe how badly Vance Honeycutt struggled with a .171/.284/.275 slash line at High-A last year. Three Grapefruit League homers should provide a much-needed confidence boost for the 2024 first-round pick to regain confidence.
12. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the ABS challenge system and am intrigued to see how the Orioles and other clubs approach it from a strategic standpoint. Longtime baseball and sports injury writer Will Carroll offered interesting food for thought on the possibilities and new information the system could bring.
