Good morning, Camden Chatters.
As we start to tick through the key dates leading up to the start of the 2026 baseball season, the Orioles arrived at one such benchmark yesterday by holding their first full-squad workout. The whole team has now reported to Sarasota for spring training, greeting old friends and meeting new ones. In just three days, there will be baseball, with the O’s hosting the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday afternoon for the Grapefruit League opener.
Seeing the whole gang back together again, ready to work and full of positive vibes about the season ahead, is enough to bring a smile to the face of even the most hardened cynic. Baseball is on its way, and these are your 2026 Orioles, for whatever comes next. The guys now gathered in Sarasota are the ones we’ll be spending every evening with for the next 7-8 months, more or less. Of course, there will be roster changes along the way — maybe a boatload of them, if last year’s 70-player threshold is any indication — but the core group seems set. Now it’s a matter of whittling this massive camp roster down to the 26 who will represent the Birds on Opening Day on March 26.
Priority number one: stay healthy. The O’s have already gotten some bad news injury-wise on Jackson Holliday, who will miss the first few weeks due to hamate surgery, and Jordan Westburg, who has been limited by an oblique flare-up. The Orioles no doubt will continue to suffer some aches and pains throughout their four-week exhibition season. It’s a hazard of the job. But if they can avoid major injuries and keep their projected lineup and pitching staff largely intact for the entirety of the spring, hopefully they can carry more momentum into their 2026 season than they did into their doomed 2025.
Orioles season is upon us. Let’s go have some fun.
Links
Holliday expects he’ll have a quick recovery from his surgery and will be able to rejoin the O’s early in the season. My bigger concern is whether the hamate injury is going to sap his power long after he returns to the lineup.
O’s are very excited about the Shane Baz addition & here are some reasons why – Steve Melewski
In lieu of actually acquiring an ace, the Orioles acquired someone who they think has the potential to become one. They’d sure better be right.
Despite not landing ace, O’s may already have 2 on starting staff – MLB.com
Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers both have ace ceilings, too, but one is coming off of Tommy John surgery and the other has less than a full season of top-notch pitching. Again, the O’s are banking a lot on less-than-sure things.
A great read from Andy Kostka about everything Rutschman and the Orioles coaches have been doing this offseason to try to reverse his year-and-a-half slide. Adley’s got a great head on his shoulders, for sure. But whether he can translate that into production at the plate remains to be seen.
Which Oriole could win a major award in 2026? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Let’s just sweep all the awards! Who says it can’t be done?
2026 Top 100 Prospects – FanGraphs
FanGraphs is the latest to drop a top-100 prospects list, and four Orioles make the cut. I won’t stand for this Nate George erasure.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with four ex-Orioles: right-hander Scott Williamson (50), outfielders Mike Hart (68) and Willie Kirkland (92), and the late infielder Alan Wiggins (b. 1958, d. 1991).
On this date in 2003, tragedy struck the Orioles when 23-year-old rookie righty Steve Bechler collapsed at spring training and died of multi-organ failure. The autopsy determined that a weight-loss supplement containing ephedra likely contributed to Bechler’s death, and a year later, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-based dietary supplements in the United States.
And on this date in 2014, according to Baseball Reference, “The Orioles significantly improve their pitching staff as they sign free agent Ubaldo Jimenez … as well as South Korean Suk-min Yoon.” Yeah, uh, I’m gonna have to take issue with that “significantly improve” description. Yoon never pitched for the Orioles, posting a 5.74 ERA in 23 games at Triple-A before returning to Korea. As for Ubaldo, well, you know. He went 32-42 with a 5.22 ERA during his four years with the Orioles, ending his MLB career, and for all of our sakes I won’t mention his most infamous game.