SARASOTA – The mailbag is a little sunburned, but it has no one to blame but itself.

Stay close to me. I’ll throw shade.

Emptying some of the contents might ease the discomfort. Less stretching.

This is the first spring training edition of a timeless classic. You ask, I try to answer – the effort fluctuates – and we have the latest sequel.

Also, my mailbag executes rundown drills and your mailbag looks run down.

If you’ve watched, how has Coby Mayo looked at third?
I’m not blindfolded. But also, I’m not on the back fields for every drill. Mayo’s throwing accuracy seems on point, from what I’ve witnessed in workouts and games. He didn’t have a ball hit to him in one start and had mixed results in Lakeland. Mayo charged a ball from Austin Slater, made a nice pickup and threw him out. He tried to backhand a ball from Zach McKinstry in the next inning, and it deflected off his glove for an infield hit that loaded the bases. Some of the soft contact against Kyle Bradish. This is Mayo’s glove life. He’s gonna be heavily critiqued, especially with the possibility that he’s the starting third baseman while Jordan Westburg is on the injured list. I’ll always say that any failings by Mayo aren’t due to a lack of effort. He’s on the field early and going through drills, whether at third or first base. I thought Mayo and John Mabry were gonna get an apartment together last summer.

Was there a team vote after Grayson Rodriguez left to name Jordan Westburg the new official team DS (Designated Snakebit)? I would have thought Tyler O’Neill would have been a better pick.
The injury bug can’t be killed with pesticides. I feel bad for Westburg (and O’Neill) because so many of these injuries are freakish and aren’t about the player being soft. Get hit in the hand and suffer a fracture. Dive into a base and hurt a finger. Play catch while recovering from an oblique strain and the elbow barks like the neighbor’s dog. The partial UCL tear was a preexisting condition. Take MRIs on every player and you’re gonna find some damage. Westburg and O’Neill devoted much of their offseasons on conditioning and methods to lessen the risk of injuries. Knock on wood for O’Neill. Westburg didn’t make it to camp before straining the oblique. Whatever he did to anger the baseball gods, he needs to beg for forgiveness. He’s too important to his lineup and a budding leader in that clubhouse.

What’s your best guess on whether Ryan Mountcastle gets traded this spring?
The likelihood of him staying might have improved with a few infielders going down with injuries, though neither is a first baseman. Mike Elias is going to listen to any offers and stay attached to the trade market, but I’ve got Mountcastle on my mock roster, as do others in the media. That and $25 bucks will get you a smoked Old Fashioned at Element on Main Street. (Trust me on this cause I ordered one. It arrived to me in a smoke-filled glass box. But I digress …)

How many spring training injuries before we should panic?
Ready, set … go! No, I think panicking is unnecessary. Jackson Holliday could return by the middle of April. I won’t say anything about all of the healthy guys in camp like Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo, Ryan Mountcastle and the starters and relievers, because I don’t want to jinx it.

What’s the best name in baseball history, and why is it Scooter Gennett?
Stubby Clapp says, “Hold my beer.” He also says, “Don’t be fooled by my name. You won’t get it.”

If Mounty is not traded, how much of a role and playing time is there for him? Pete Alonso seems to want every start at first base and I doubt you replace Pete for Mounty’s defense late in any game.
OK, we’re back to this. Playing time could be scare because the Orioles will want to rotate multiple players into the designated hitter spot. That could include Alonso for a breather, which allows Mountcastle to grab his mitt. Elias didn’t care what position came with an impact bat, saying the club would figure it out later. Well, we’re getting closer to that time. Mountcastle is a candidate to be traded. Still. But why are we worrying about having that bat coming off the bench and a two-time Gold Glove finalist? It isn’t our money.

Who is faster: Reed Trimble or Enrique Bradfield Jr.?
Nate George. He leaves a vapor trail. I can do the same, but only in bathrooms.

When will Westburg be back? I jest, I jest.
I know, I know. He’s expected to be out at least through April. More clarity to the timetable will come as time passes. Maybe he gets back sooner if he can serve as designated hitter – which also could cut into Ryan Mountcastle’s playing time. (That’s a callback.)

Do you think Albert Suárez is a lock in the bullpen?
I wouldn’t go that far.

That’s not what I’ve heard.
Let me finish. I think Suárez makes the club if healthy, but locks usually don’t have to win a job. It’s waiting for them. He’s got to pitch effectively. Being on a minor league deal makes it easy to stash him at Triple-A and wait for a spot to open. That’s depth. But we saw his value in 2024 and boy, was he missed in 2025. I think the Orioles carry him as a long reliever/swingman. Manager Craig Albernaz really likes and respects him and knows how much he can help the team. And they do have a history, with Albernaz catching him in the Rays system.

Did you know Dr Neal ElAttrache’s brother, Dean, performed my root canal procedure in Virginia Beach? P.S. I’m still working at Charlotte Sports Park as ‘Event Staff’ and truly appreciate that ride you once gave me in your Corvette back in the O’s Ft Lauderdale spring training days.
I didn’t even know he had a brother. And you’re welcome, though I try to forget that I had a Corvette in South Florida. Is this the one I rented or the yellow one I bought for a month and sold? Never mind.

How is Nate George carrying himself around the big league club? Quite a jump from unknown 16th round pick to spring training playing time.
George is in minor league camp. He came over for Saturday’s game in Sarasota, pinch-running and going first to third in a flash on an errant pickoff throw. He isn’t in the clubhouse at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. But yeah, he’s also soaring through the system. Makes me think what I was doing when I was 19. Probably fantasizing about owning a yellow Corvette and then selling it a month later.

Do you ever wish you could attend the Daytona 500 while in Florida for spring training?
The thought never crossed my mind. That’s probably due to my total lack of interest. If I wanna watch cars go around in circles, I’ll hang out in the parking lot at Publix.

Is the team concerned we have no lefty in the rotation?
Here’s a question of my own: Did Trevor Rogers switch to his right hand?

Is the team concerned that they don’t have a lefty reliever who is tough on lefties?
There you go. I’d think that they’d remain interested in finding a southpaw with good numbers against left-handed hitters. It seems like a missing piece in the bullpen, even with the three-batter rule. I don’t know the level of “concern,” but it’s noted that they don’t have that guy. Mike Elias recently said, “We’re mindful of that.” But he also talked up Grant Wolfram, who has five strikeouts in two scoreless appearances this spring.

Who is the dark horse bullpen arm that will take us to the World Series?
I like this one because there’s an impressive group of young pitchers in camp who could qualify. Manager Craig Albernaz said he was aware of the pitching talent from videos and reports, “but that doesn’t do it justice when you see them live.” I’ll nominate a couple of pitchers who were acquired in separate trades with the Mets and put on the 40-man roster – Anthony Nunez and Cameron Foster. Do not make me pick one. OK, Nunez.

What are some of your favorite Olympics memories?
The 1976 USA boxing team in Montreal. Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Howard Davis Jr., Leo Randolph, John Tate. Same Olympics, 14-year-old Romanian Nadia Comaneci made history by becoming the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.0. Of course, there’s the 1980 men’s hockey team and the greatest upset in sports history. Do not bring up the 1972 men’s basketball team that was robbed of the gold medal by the Soviets. Three seconds put back on the clock. A travesty. Players refused to accept the silver medal. See, now I’m angry again.

Have the players noted Pete Alonso wanting more at-bats in spring training and asking to travel?
They notice everything about Alonso. The work ethic, the energy, the leadership, how he’s eager to talk ball and offer tips. He’s gonna initiate these conversations. And if he’s going to Lakeland, they aren’t complaining about the travel schedule. Break out the gray pants.

Is there a Jake Fox-type, who forces his way into the roster this year? And don’t say “your mom.”
I’d never! Would Heston Kjerstad fit into that category? I’m not predicting that Kjerstad makes the club, but he’d be a good guess. Expected to be in Triple-A, hits home runs like they owe him money and is an unexpected inclusion. The difference for me is that Fox’s power binge in 2011 was more surprising, and the Orioles had a spot at backup catcher. Fox was upset that he didn’t start at first base, but that’s another story. He hit .297/.325/.797 with seven doubles and 10 home runs – tape-measure shots against the likes of Max Scherzer and David Price – in 27 exhibition games. The club felt like it had no choice. But he was designated for assignment in June and disappeared. He admitted that he didn’t really have a position. Correct. But he was fun while he lasted. Anyway, Kjerstad is in a different mold with different expectations when healthy, but perhaps he, too, can mash his way onto the roster.

If the Orioles were to take Mountcastle’s contract, top it with tartar sauce, put it between two pieces of bread and eat it, would it be a sandwich?
This is probably a good place to stop.

Alfalfa surely had it for Darla, but I just don’t think he was doing it for her. Who was her secret crush in your opinion? Spanky, Buckwheat, Froggy, Stymie, Chubby? I think the bad boy Butch may have been her guy. JMHO.
If there was ever a definite place to stop, this might be it. Darla and Chubby. You can’t unsee that. Any of it, really.