Workouts are underway in Sarasota, and the Orioles players are giving us a glimpse at their offseason transformations.
Good Morning Birdland!
One week from today, the Orioles will open their 2025 Grapefruit League schedule. The game will be against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, and MASN is gracious enough to actually broadcast the action. There will be baseball to watch before then—the Cubs and Dodgers play on Thursday, and there is a slew of games Friday—but that is the soonest you will see the O’s in action.
For the next week, we will need to settle for pictures and videos on social media. It’s better than nothing. And getting a glimpse at the Florida sunshine is a nice respite from looking at the local five-day forecast and groaning, something many of us have been doing since Christmas.
The highlights from camp on Friday were bullpens from Grayson Rodriguez and Félix Bautista, and live batting practice against Dean Kremer and Keegan Akin for several of the Orioles stars.
Gunnar Henderson fouled off this pitch from Keegan Akin, then said: “In two weeks, that’s a homer”
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka.bsky.social) 2025-02-14T17:39:06.411Z
The other bit of “news” were minor updates on Bautista and Kyle Bradish. Bautista is feeling confident while Bradish is “on track.” The Bradish status is intentionally tempered. It is still entirely possible that the talented righty misses the whole season following Tommy John surgery. A set back of any kind will almost guarantee that outcome. But for now, let’s be positive.
Links
Grayson Rodriguez is tinkering with a new(ish) breaking ball for his repertoire | The Baltimore Banner
Oh yeah, this is the spring content we need! Pitchers tinker with new offerings every year. Those offerings do not always make the cut for the regular season. But it’s neat to hear about guys trying to evolve and grow.
Spring training this, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Coby Mayo appears to have a very narrow path to a spot on the Orioles Opening Day roster. I will be interested to see how much third base he plays relative to other positions. It just feels like he has a better chance to see time at first base or in a corner outfield spot long term, but the Orioles have not treated him that way to date.
Jackson Holliday spent his offseason adding strength. And eating lots of ground beef. | The Baltimore Banner
The biggest difference in the Orioles offense between 2024 and ‘25 could very well be Holliday. There is no doubt that he struggled last year, but the talent and pedigree is undeniable. You would have to think that he can only improve from here.
O’s Bautista has ‘100% confidence’ he’ll regain All-Star form | Orioles.com
The news on Bautista so far has been rather positive. The Orioles are going to need a lot out of their bullpen this year, and Bautista is the most crucial piece. If he can stay healthy and get back (or close) to the level he pitched at in 2023, the unit will be in a good spot.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Brian Williams is 56 years old. He pitched in 13 games for the Orioles in 1997 and maintained a 3.00 ERA despite walking 18 batters and striking out only 14 in his 24 total innings.
- The late Luis Mercedes (b. 1968, d. 2019) was born on this day. His Orioles stay spanned three seasons from 1991-3, and he accumulated -0.9 bWAR as a reserve outfielder.
- Chuck Estrada celebrates his 87th birthday. A right-handed pitcher, he spent five seasons in Baltimore from 1960-64. His best season was 1960, when he had a 3.58 ERA over 208.2 innings, won 18 games, made the all-star team, and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
This day in history
2012 – MLB voids the contract between the Orioles and Korean pitcher Seong-Min Kim last month. Allegedly, the Orioles failed to receive prior clearance from the Korea Baseball Association, a requirement for these types of signings.
2018 – Right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner signs a two-year, $16 million deal with the Orioles.