Keep an eye on these prospects at O's camp

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SARASOTA, Fla. -- One benefit of Spring Training is that MLB teams can invite prospects to big league camp, where youngsters rub elbows with top players and often get chances to make impressions on coaches.

Samuel Basallo (MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 13 overall prospect) and Coby Mayo (No. 14) are among those in Baltimore¡¯s big league camp this spring. But they¡¯re far from the only prospects worth tracking in Sarasota.

Here are three O¡¯s prospects who are first-time invitees to MLB camp to keep an eye on.

OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (O¡¯s No. 4 per MLB Pipeline)
A first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, Bradfield began the ¡®24 season with a lengthy stint at High-A Aberdeen. But he later moved up to Double-A Bowie (now Chesapeake) and quickly proved his speed and his glove aren¡¯t the only tools that fans should be excited about.

Bradfield can hit, too, as he proved with a .287/.395/.396 slash line, four doubles, two triples, one home run, nine RBIs and 25 runs scored over 27 games for the Baysox.

Over the offseason, Bradfield hit the weight room in pursuit of gains. The 23-year-old, who was listed at 170 pounds last season, said he put on about 12 pounds and feels ¡°probably the best that I¡¯ve ever been¡± physically.

¡°I just feel like that¡¯s going to help me be more consistent, just in the way I feel from a body standpoint over the course of a long season,¡± Bradfield said. ¡°Just being able to deliver the bat a little bit better and more consistent through the zone, move a little bit cleaner, that¡¯s kind of where I¡¯m hoping it shows the most.¡±

Don¡¯t worry. Bradfield¡¯s 80-grade speed won¡¯t be impacted. He may even move quicker now.

¡°My speed, I feel great. I feel the best I¡¯ve ever felt when it comes to running,¡± said Bradfield, who has stolen 99 bases in 133 Minor League games. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve lost a step at all with a little bit of added weight. I feel like I¡¯ve only gotten faster and gotten more explosive.¡±

OF Dylan Beavers (O¡¯s No. 6)
After spending nearly all of last year at Double-A, Beavers got a small taste of the next level with six games for Triple-A Norfolk to end last season. The 2022 Competitive Balance Round A pick went 5-for-20 (.250) with one double and four RBIs with the Tides after previously hitting .241 with 19 doubles, five triples, 15 homers and 50 RBIs over 199 games for the Baysox.

The Triple-A experience may have been brief, but it was beneficial. Beavers¡¯ biggest takeaway was the better command shown by opposing pitchers, many of whom were throwing three different types of fastballs (four-seam, two-seam and cutter) to try to get him out.

¡°That¡¯s something I worked really hard on this offseason, was just trying to be able to cover three different fastball shapes and be ready for anything in any count,¡± the 23-year-old said.

What kind of work did Beavers do to better prepare for the more diverse offerings exactly?

¡°I did a lot of angle work just to feel different points of contact,¡± Beavers said. ¡°We did a lot of mix. Just mixing up, not knowing what¡¯s coming, whether it¡¯s going to be a two-seamer, cutter or four-seamer with rise. ... It¡¯s harder to decipher and recognize that small difference in the pitches. It¡¯s not the same as recognizing a slider off of a four-seam. It¡¯s a very small difference.

¡°Just giving myself time to see the ball a little bit deeper, I think, makes a big difference, too.¡±

RHP Brandon Young (O¡¯s No. 18)
Young was a breakout star in Baltimore¡¯s system in 2024, when he won the organization¡¯s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. The '20 undrafted free agent signee began the year with a brief stint at Double-A, then moved up to Triple-A, where he posted a 3.44 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 89 innings over 20 games (18 starts).

Last August, general manager Mike Elias said Young was on the ¡°radar screen¡± for a potential big league callup. It didn¡¯t happen, but the 26-year-old could reach MLB sometime in 2025.

¡°That¡¯s the goal,¡± Young said.

Young¡¯s best pitches are his fastball and curveball, but he has two other offerings he¡¯s been working on improving for the past year-plus, including over the offseason.

¡°Tinkering with slider and changeup, specifically,¡± Young said. ¡°Just trying to refine my pitches, make them a little more sharper. Maybe just command them a little better.¡±