The latest Top 100 prospects list was launched yesterday, illustrating again that the formulas aren’t duplicates.
ESPN has catcher Samuel Basallo at No. 4, pitcher Trey Gibson at No. 46 and outfielder Dylan Beavers at No. 57. These are the highest rankings for Basallo and Gibson in the preseason, with MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and The Athletics also sharing their results.
The significance with Gibson is he also appeared on Baseball America’s list at No. 72 and can be Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) eligible if he accrues the necessary service time.
A team earns an extra draft pick if an eligible player wins Rookie of the Year or finishes in the top three in Most Valuable Player/Cy Young voting.
Gibson isn’t expected to break camp with the team after winning the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year award, simply because the rotation figures to be too stacked. But he could debut at some point.
A reminder that five Orioles have made The Athletic’s list: Basallo (No. 8), Wehiwa Aloy (No. 73), Nate George (No. 78), Ike Irish (No. 85) and Enrique Bradfield Jr. (No. 97). MLB Pipeline ranked Basallo eighth, Beavers 69th and George 93rd. Baseball America ranked Basallo ninth, Beavers 21st, Gibson 72nd, George 86th and Luis De León 95th.
You’ll never get a consensus. For instance, George is ranked by three outlets and ignored by ESPN. The Athletic was a little hard on Beavers by excluding him.
We won’t ignore anything that came from last week’s Birdland Caravan. Here are five more nuggets:
Teammates are happy that Zach Eflin is returning.
Eflin is the only Orioles free agent who circled back to the club. That doesn’t include players who were non-tendered or had an option declined and re-signed later. Pitcher Albert Suárez was non-tendered and agreed to a minor league deal.
Eflin agreed to a $10 million contract for 2026 with a mutual option that enables him to test free agency again. His value is down after multiple injuries last season and back surgery in August that could delay his availability.
The Orioles improved their starting depth with Eflin, who posted a 2.60 ERA in nine starts in 2024 after the trade deadline. He was the Opening Day starter last season but went on the injured list three times and finished with a 5.93 ERA and 1.416 WHIP in 14 appearances.
At his best, Eflin can pitch like an ace while the Orioles slot him further back. And he’s another valued leader for the clubhouse.
Asked about having Eflin on the staff, Tyler Wells said, “I think it’s extremely important.”
“Eflin’s one of the best human beings that you can have in a clubhouse, and he’s also a really good pitcher,” Wells added. “I think flushing last year and seeing what he did the year before, I think he’s gonna be very valuable to a lot of people in this clubhouse for just being able to kind of rely on him as a person and just normal conversations, but also as a pitcher with a lot of experience.”
“He’s such a great clubhouse guy and person, work ethic,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “And for him, he’s gonna have a bounceback year. He said it himself, battling some injuries last year and not having the year that he wanted, so he put a ton of work in this offseason. I’m excited about what he can do.”
Everyone needs to step up if this team is going to get back in the playoffs.
It can’t just be the new hitters, though having Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward should make the lineup much more potent and ease the pressure on the less-experienced players.
The “young core” also is counted upon heavily – Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg.
Albernaz was asked whether helping that core is near the top of the to-do list. As usual, he took more of a team-wide view of the situation.
“We want to help all of our players,” he replied.
“That’s the biggest thing. It’s not singling anyone out. We want all our players to get better each day. I think if we look up and all our player are – it sounds so cliché but it’s a cliché for a reason – if they take it one day at a time and just keep on stacking good days on good days, we hope that all of our players look different and are playing differently from Opening Day to the end of the year.”
The roster on paper looks like an upgrade.
Wells is one of the longest-tenured Orioles after they selected him in the 2020 Rule 5 draft, and he thinks this year’s club could be the most talented.
“The team’s looking phenomenal,” he said. “I think that as we get in spring training and everyone starts to learn each other, get to know the new guys and get to understand Alby a little bit more as a manager, I think it’s gonna be really cool, I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I think that’s kind of the goal for a lot of us right now is to get closer with each other and really start to build a bond and focus on winning a lot this year.”
Are the 2026 Orioles better than last year and is it just a matter of players avoiding injuries?
Henderson offered his opinion.
“I think that’s a big factor is staying healthy, and the guys we’ve brought in obviously have a great track record. So looking forward to getting down to spring and being able to talk with them and just see them in action,” Henderson said.
“Anytime you see new moves and the ownership putting effort into helping us get better, along with us training to get better, it makes for a really exciting time and I’m really pumped up about it.”
Speaking through interpreter Brandon Quinones, Basallo said, “I think we had a lot of injuries last year. I think this team is much more prepared. I think we’re feeling healthy and ready to go. So I think we’re looking a lot better and we’re ready to go.”
Pete Alonso explains how leadership shows itself.
Alonso is used to fielding questions about his responsibilities in the clubhouse. He’s here to mash the ball and remove pressure from the younger hitters, but also to guide them.
A veteran voice was missing last season, especially after the Orioles traded Ryan O’Hearn and Cedric Mullins – the latter capable of swinging a big stick but always talking softly.
“I think it’s a combination of just being an example, going about my work, and just being out there and being forward facing, working hard, performing,” Alonso said.
“One of the biggest things if you see someone hopefully that they respect as a professional and teammate, it’s like, ‘Man, if so-and-so’s doing it, than that’s what the example should be.” And then also, too, there’s some times where you can pick your spot and give little nuggets of information just to help out. But there’s always a push and pull of like when the timing is, or when it’s not the right time. So for me, it’s just being aware of a certain situation, but ultimately it’s going out there, it’s posting, it’s giving everything I have every single night.”
Albernaz has a plan for spring training that he’ll share with players before everyone else.
Albernaz likes to joke about the media trying to pry information out of him before it’s the proper time. He did it during his scrum at the Winter Meetings and again at the Caravan when asked what he’ll address early on in camp.
Does he have a plan?
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said.
What does he have in mind?
“Come on. I’m gonna tell you guys before I tell the players? Come on. I haven’t told the players yet,” he said, getting the intended laughs.
“Yeah, there’s always a message every day and talking points for our guys, but the biggest thing that we’ll be talking about, the first thing is, guys went through the whole offseason and guys putting in work, is to make sure they trust their adjustments. Don’t abandon it right away. See it through the finish line.
“And then also, this game is hard and you’ve got to take one day at a time. We can’t look too far ahead in the schedule. You have to play the game that’s in front of us. It sounds boring, but the greats and great teams don’t get bored with the boring. And that’s something that Kobe Bryant has always talked about. As a player you can’t get bored with the fundamentals, and that’s going to be the message to our guys, amongst the other stuff. But can’t divulge too much.
“Nice try.”
Note: Major League Baseball has informed teams that the 2026 trade deadline is Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. The Orioles have an off-day in between home series against the Phillies and Angels.