Baltimore Orioles’ Three Biggest Questions to Answer at Spring Training
The Baltimore Orioles need to get resolution on these three items before they wrap up spring training in Sarasota, Fla.
It’s the four most beautiful words for baseball fans this time of year — “pitchers and catchers report.”
It means that spring training is starting, and for the Baltimore Orioles their pitchers and catchers report on Thursday to their Sarasota, Fla., facility. The position players follow on Feb. 18.
The Orioles are coming off back-to-back playoff berths, including a 2023 AL East division championship. But the pressure is on. The team boasts some of the best young talent in the game and Baltimore has hit a wall in the postseason, failing to win a playoff game.
The window to contend is now wide open. If the Orioles want to be in position to be ready for the start of the regular season, these three questions are worth finding answers for before Opening Day at Toronto on March 27.
The Embarrassment of Infield Riches
The Orioles have a great problem — the roster has a significant amount of talent. That’s no more apparent than in the infield, where all eight of their 40-man roster infielders have Major League experience, and the vast majority are home-grown.
Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jorge Mateo, Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg are all multi-positional infielders. Last year, only two logged consistent time at only one position — Henderson at shortstop and Mountcastle at first base.
