Keep an eye on these 3 O's storylines this spring
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillThis story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- Heading into Spring Training, the defending American League East champion Orioles don¡¯t have a ton of roster questions that need to be answered. The largest pieces of the puzzle are already in place.
Pitchers and catchers reported Wednesday, with their first workout scheduled for Thursday. Baltimore has four starters (possibly even five) locked into its rotation, as well as four or five relievers who will surely open the 2024 season in the bullpen. Adley Rutschman and James McCann will be the club¡¯s two backstops.
The rest of the position players report Monday, with the first full-squad workout tabbed for Tuesday. The O¡¯s starting nine and bench have more certainties than unknowns.
There will still be plenty to track over the next 5 1/2 weeks in Sarasota. Here are three spring storylines for the Orioles, who will be gearing up to try to have more success following their 101-61 campaign last season.
1. Will Jackson Holliday make the Opening Day roster?
At some point this year, another top prospect will arrive in Baltimore, as the 20-year-old Holliday (MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 1 overall prospect) is on the cusp of his big league debut. It could even occur on Opening Day on March 28 vs. the Angels at Camden Yards.
General manager Mike Elias has stated numerous times that Holliday will have an opportunity to win a job this spring. The 2022 No. 1 overall Draft pick is a shortstop by trade, but he could break into the Majors as a second baseman -- he¡¯ll get ¡°a lot¡± of time there in camp, per Elias, and the O¡¯s would like to have a left-handed-hitting option at the position following the departure of Adam Frazier (who signed with the Royals in free agency).
Holliday more than held his own in his first big league camp last spring, going 6-for-14 with one double, one RBI, four walks, two runs scored and two stolen bases in 16 Grapefruit League games. The son of former MLB outfielder Matt Holliday also routinely impressed on backfields.
Another spring like that, and Holliday¡¯s Minor League career could be over after only 145 games.
2. Can Dean Kremer be unseated as the No. 5 starter?
The Orioles¡¯ starting rotation is guaranteed to feature the following four pitchers: Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and John Means. Kremer could be a lock, too, as long as the 28-year-old right-hander stays healthy and has (at the least) an OK camp.
Kremer had a breakout year in 2022, when he posted a 3.23 ERA over 22 outings. In ¡®23, he set career highs in starts (32) and innings (172 2/3), but he also had a higher ERA (4.12) and an ERA+ of 100 (exactly league average).
As Spring Training begins, Kremer is a clear frontrunner for the No. 5 spot. His biggest challenger will be Tyler Wells, who had a strong first half last year before hitting a wall shortly after the All-Star break and then spent the second half between mostly the Minors and the bullpen. Lefty Cole Irvin (who is out of options) could also be in the starting mix.
The most likely scenario has both Wells and Irvin in the Opening Day ¡®pen. But they could get opportunities this spring to battle for the No. 5 rotation spot.
3. Which outfielders make the team, and how many of them?
Baltimore¡¯s starting outfield will look the same this year: Austin Hays in left, Cedric Mullins in center and Anthony Santander in right. But Elias has said there will be plenty of available playing time for a fourth outfielder who would also factor into the rotation at designated hitter, much like the role served last year by Aaron Hicks (who signed with the Angels in free agency).
Colton Cowser (MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 19 overall prospect) and Heston Kjerstad (No. 32) are candidates for that role after each debuted in the big leagues last year. Among the other outfielders battling for a roster spot will be Sam Hilliard, Ryan McKenna and Kyle Stowers.
Either Cowser or Kjerstad should make the Orioles¡¯ Opening Day roster. Maybe they both will and the Orioles will carry five outfielders. Or they could go with either Cowser or Kjerstad, and then either Hilliard, McKenna or Stowers.
If the O¡¯s go with only four outfielders, they¡¯ll likely rely on other players to back up in the outfield on occasion, such as first baseman Ryan O¡¯Hearn and/or infielder Jordan Westburg in the corners and shortstop Jorge Mateo in center.