SARASOTA, Fla. — Last spring, no Oriole had more to play for in camp than pitcher Cole Irvin.
The left-hander was coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign in Baltimore, and he spent that offseason training hard to make 2024 a better year. That spring, it appeared as if he did just that.
Irvin’s offseason velocity gains were evident from the first time he pitched in Grapefruit League action, helping earn him a rotation spot. While Irvin began the regular season strong, he struggled in the summer and was off the team by August.
Irvin’s 2024 is why spring training is the most interesting time of the baseball calendar. Players can reinvent themselves in the offseason, altering their careers and the outlook for their teams. But it’s also a cautionary tale to not take spring training too seriously. This is the time of year when most players are preparing for the season and working out kinks, and the results are not always indicative of success in big league games.
Still, for some players, how they perform this spring can make a big difference in what the 2025 campaign could look like for them. Like Irvin last year, here are the seven Orioles players who have the most to prove this spring.
Félix Bautista
Bautista the baseball player doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. His elbow, though, is the one with all the pressure — literally and figuratively.
The Orioles need Bautista to be fully healthy this season, and general manager Mike Elias said he’s not going to rush the 6-foot-8 closer just so he’s ready for opening day. “We’re going to try to be smart with him,” Elias said.
Baltimore’s bullpen isn’t built to be a dominant unit without Bautista. With him, though, it could be one of the best in baseball. If Bautista can prove this spring that he’s fully healthy, it would be a giant step toward him becoming one of MLB’s most dominant relievers again.
Tomoyuki Sugano
A pitcher of Sugano’s pedigree shouldn’t have to enter February with anything to prove. But while the Orioles have plenty of rotation depth, they have little margin for error in the tight American League East, and Sugano has a significant adjustment to make coming over from Japan.
Sugano profiles as one of the best strike-throwers in baseball, and he brings with him a long list of accolades in Nippon Professional Baseball. But a slow spring — or worse — could raise questions about how long it’ll take for the 35-year-old to transition to the style of play in MLB.
Cade Povich and Brandon Young
Assuming health, the Orioles don’t have a true rotation competition. Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Sugano make up Baltimore’s five starters, and the club is unlikely to go with a six-man rotation with eight off days in the first two months.
But how starters Nos. 6, 7 and 8 perform this spring could determine who could make his way to Baltimore first. The “No. 6” in this example is Albert Suárez, who is a front-runner for a bullpen spot even though he’s being stretched out as a starter. That makes Cade Povich and Brandon Young the Nos. 7 and 8 starters — for now.
Povich, the Orioles’ top pitching prospect to begin last season, struggled in his first stint in the majors, but he had an excellent September and was chosen for the playoff roster. The left-hander surrendered two or fewer runs in four of his five starts in the season’s final month, posting a 2.60 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
Young, the Orioles’ Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, has yet to make his MLB debut, but he broke out last season to put himself on Elias’ “radar screen.” Between Double-A and Triple-A, the right-hander posted a 3.57 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 111 innings.
With Chayce McDermott and Trevor Rogers injured, Povich and Young could be the pitchers first up if there’s an injury if they perform well this spring.
Heston Kjerstad
Elias and manager Brandon Hyde all but said Kjerstad would be on the Orioles’ opening day roster. But this wouldn’t be the first time Kjerstad has been on the precipice of a big opportunity only for it to be taken from him.
The 2020 No. 2 overall draft pick has been recalled from the minors three times and activated off the injured list twice since he debuted in September 2023. Each time, Kjerstad either didn’t receive the playing time expected for a prospect of his caliber, or an injury derailed his success at the plate.
With Jorge Mateo expected to open the season on the IL, Kjerstad has a clear lane to make the roster. Whether he forces himself onto the lineup card from the get-go might be dependent upon his performance this spring.
Coby Mayo
Kjerstad is the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, according to Baseball America. The club’s No. 1 prospect, Samuel Basallo, is not an option to make the opening day roster. Mayo, Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect, falls somewhere in the middle of Kjerstad and Basallo.
Mayo is on the outside looking in for a roster spot, but if a corner infielder suffers an injury, the 2020 fourth-round pick could be the next man up — if he proves he’s capable this spring.
The 23-year-old stumbled in his first taste of the big leagues last season, but he’s motivated to put that behind him. A strong camp would be a good place to start.
Jackson Holliday
Holliday enters this spring in a much different position than the last one.
For starters, he’s 21 years old and allowed to enjoy a beverage with his teammates if he so chooses. But he’s also not fighting for a roster spot like he was last year when he was controversially left off the opening day roster.
Holliday is a near-lock to be the Orioles’ starting second baseman — at least against right-handed pitchers — and there’s optimism his underwhelming rookie campaign was not indicative of the type of player he’ll be. That will only grow if he shows off this spring.
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