A few Guinnesses with your best friends in Ireland can keep your mind away from baseball for a little while. The future Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin can be blamed for that one.

After one final preseason recharge, I returned stateside with a feeling shared by Daveed Diggs in “Hamilton:” What did I miss? With the calendar flipped to March and Opening Day around the corner, let’s run through some of the biggest storylines of the last week.

Coby Mayo keeps hitting 

The question marks about Mayo’s defense haven’t exactly gone away with three errors in 17 spring chances at third base. Any question marks about his bat, though, continue to be silenced.

Another hit over 100 mph yesterday was Mayo’s team-leading ninth knock of spring training. The former Florida high schooler has been thriving at the dish in Sarasota, with just one strikeout and three doubles, good for a .920 OPS in 22 at-bats.

Once one of the top third base prospects in the game, Mayo will have to continue to develop defensively at the position that’s likely to be his on Opening Day. But if he comes close to replicating his offensive numbers in spring, which match his numbers last September, there won’t be many complaints about the occasional mishap.

So does Heston Kjerstad 

This looks a lot more like Heston Kjerstad.

Last year seems to be firmly in the rear-view mirror for the former No. 2 overall pick, who has collected seven hits with two big flies in his nine spring games. The powerful lefty is back to showcasing his talent and seems to be back in the big league outfield conversation.

The crowded group still includes four starting-caliber players, though, plus utility options in Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson. But Kjerstad has as much offensive upside as anyone on the roster, which could be enough for him to find his way to Baltimore in a few weeks. 

Kittredge’s injury adds more questions to the bullpen 

It’s not quite déjà vu all over again, but for the second straight season, a Baltimore bullpen set to rely heavily on Andrew Kittredge will likely be without the veteran to begin the year.

Those in Sarasota reported that skipper Craig Albernaz had Kittredge at a “low probability” of being ready for Opening Day, though the right-hander doesn’t think his shoulder inflammation is “all that serious.” Last season’s injury kept him out until late May, a lengthy stay on the injured list the O’s are hoping to avoid.

Dissimilar to last year is the construction of Baltimore’s ‘pen. Even without Kittredge, quality setup options included names like Bryan Baker, Seranthony Domínguez, Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto. Just Cano remains among that group, and he’ll need to work his way back to high leverage after a disappointing 2025. Keegan Akin and Tyler Wells are likely the top contenders for the high-leverage moments that precede Ryan Helsley.

Where the Orioles may have an advantage over last season’s club is in their right-handed relief depth, even with Kittredge’s injury and Kade Strowd’s new threads. A healthy Wells joins Cano, diamonds in the rough like Rico Garcia and Albert Suárez, and young arms ready to contribute, namely Cameron Foster, Anthony Nunez and Tyson Neighbors.

Vance Gosh Darn Honeycutt 

Perhaps one professional season isn’t the finished story on a former first-round pick, huh?

Honeycutt has always been uber talented, with tools that jumped off the page at North Carolina. The outfielder struggled mightily in his first season with Aberdeen, though, causing many to drop the 22-year-old off of their radars. Four home runs in the first four at-bats of spring training tends to change that.

“I just think it builds confidence,” Honeycutt told reporters down in Sarasota. “Did some good work in the offseason and coming out here, things going well, I think that’s important.”

A rapid rise through the system would be a 180-degree reversal from his previous course, so it’s important to temper expectations. At the same time, it’s easy to dream on a prospect with Honeycutt’s raw ability. Success in High-A and beyond is the next step.