SARASOTA, Fla. -- Eight pitchers will be in the Orioles¡¯ bullpen for Opening Day on March 28 vs. the Angels. Half of that group should already be locked in: closer Craig Kimbrel, All-Star setup man Yennier Cano and left-handers Danny Coulombe and Cionel P¨¦rez.

The other half? It will likely be four of the following candidates (barring injury or potential additions): Keegan Akin, Bryan Baker, Mike Baumann, Wandisson Charles, Tucker Davidson, Jonathan Heasley, Matt Krook, Kaleb Ort, Andrew Su¨¢rez, Albert Su¨¢rez, Dillon Tate, Julio Teheran, Nick Vespi, Jacob Webb and Bruce Zimmermann.

¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of really good arms,¡± said the 28-year-old Akin. ¡°It¡¯s probably one of the best camps I¡¯ve seen on the pitching side as a whole, really.¡±

Of the 15 pitchers in that aforementioned group, eight had pitched multiple Grapefruit League innings without allowing a run entering Friday.

Here¡¯s a closer look at three of those spring standouts, each of whom could be a bullpen X-factor and end up in a high-leverage role for Baltimore in 2024.

RHP Mike Baumann
Spring stats: Three perfect innings with three strikeouts
Chances of making team: Highly likely

Baumann is out of Minor League options, but that isn¡¯t the only reason the 28-year-old should break camp with the O¡¯s. After going 10-1 with a 3.76 ERA over 60 appearances last year -- his first in a full-time relief role -- the righty has looked stellar while retiring all nine batters he¡¯s faced in Grapefruit action.

Manager Brandon Hyde has been impressed with the improved rhythm in Baumann¡¯s delivery, which allows him to better locate a mix of pitches that includes a high-octane fastball (average velocity of 96.4 mph in 2023, per Statcast) and three breaking offerings (curveball, slider, changeup).

¡°The unpredictable offspeed stuff in fastball counts is what is going to be a separator for him,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Last year, he really threw a lot of fastballs and cutters. But so far this camp, he¡¯s thrown some good changeups, he¡¯s throwing good curveballs, along with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball. Love the confidence he¡¯s showing right now and how aggressive he is in the strike zone.¡±

RHP Dillon Tate
Spring stats: Three perfect innings with three strikeouts
Chances of making team: Likely

Tate is the biggest bullpen X-factor of them all after missing the entire 2023 season due to forearm/elbow injuries. If the 29-year-old righty returns to his ¡®22 form (a 3.05 ERA in 67 appearances), he could be a top setup arm in ¡®24.

So far, Tate (who still has two Minor League options remaining) has shown that could happen, having retired all nine batters he¡¯s faced this spring. Every offering in his three-pitch arsenal has looked tremendous in the process.

¡°The heavy sinker is back, and he¡¯s throwing sliders for strikes. Good to see him throw some changeups,¡± Hyde said. ¡°You can definitely see from the dugout the sinker is sinking and is going to get a ton of ground balls. He¡¯s feeling healthy after every outing. Nice to see him back out there and throwing just really good stuff.¡±

LHP Keegan Akin
Spring stats: Four scoreless innings with no hits allowed, one walk and four strikeouts
Chances of making team: 50/50, but increasing

This isn¡¯t the first time Akin has had a dominant spring. In 2023, the southpaw allowed one run in eight Grapefruit innings and then broke camp with the Orioles. The rest of the year didn¡¯t go as well for him, as he recorded a 6.85 ERA in 24 outings (one start) and didn¡¯t pitch in the Majors after June 28 because of a back injury.

Now healthy, Akin looks more like he did around this time a year ago. His three-pitch mix (four-seam fastball, slider and changeup) has been sharp while making quick work of the opposition.

¡°Last year, I tried to do the same thing really -- just throw strikes, mix my pitches, attack hitters,¡± Akin said. ¡°Kind of the mindset I¡¯ve really taken on the last couple of years. I feel like I got away from that a little bit last year when the season started. Obviously, battled some other things that were going on. But I feel good and [am] just trying to pound the zone.¡±

The Orioles might want to carry Akin as a third left-hander for the ¡®pen. However, doing so could prevent them from having a true long reliever (such as Teheran, Heasley or either Su¨¢rez). Akin has a Minor League option remaining, but even if he¡¯s sent down, he¡¯ll show up in the big leagues at some point this year.