The Sarasota dateline is on deck for Orioles 2026 spring training.

The next story filed, and however many in a row, will be done from sunnier Florida. The locals are chilly. The Baltimore media will use this time to thaw.

Players already are arriving at the Ed Smith Stadium complex ahead of the report dates. First baseman Pete Alonso showed up last Monday and began working out, which made an impression on new hitting coach Dustin Lind.

Not that Lind needed much encouragement. He knows Alonso’s reputation.

“What I love about Pete is he is all about the team,” Lind said during Thursday’s “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio. “Obviously he’s going to make great individual contributions to our team’s success this year, but the thing he’s most interested in is not necessarily how Pete Alonso does, it’s how the Baltimore Orioles do. He’s been so team-centric. Having conversations with guys coming in right away, not being shy, really starting to build relationships both with the staff and teammates. And just flabbergasted and blown away by how team oriented a guy like that can be.”

Lind took the job in early November after spending the last two seasons as a Phillies assistant. A few weeks later, the Orioles acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Angels for starter Grayson Rodriguez. Alonso reached agreement on a five-year, $155 million contract at the Winter Meetings.

That’s a combined 74 home runs from 2025.

How’s that for timing?

“Yeah, I know. I walked right into it,” Lind said.

“The first rule of being a good hitting coach is having good hitters, so definitely lucked out on that front with those two trades and signings right away. Been able to spend a lot of time talking to both of those guys. ... Been great to get the know them and see the veteran leadership that they’re going to be able to provide in the clubhouse.”

Lind flew into Sarasota on Jan. 31 and already had some hitters at his disposal.

“We’ve been able to get some eyes on them and been able to run them through some stuff,” he said.

“I think for me the biggest thing that stood out is just how physical these guys are. You get to watch them across the dugout working for other teams and you get to see the talent that’s there, and then you get to know them over the course of the offseason, and once you get down here, you get there in person, you start working with them, you start seeing the physical tools, the immense talent, you’re like, ‘OK, that’s why these guys are big leaguers.’ And it’s really exciting to see a lot of the progress that a lot of our guys have made this offseason, and the focus that they’ve been able to attack their offseason plans with.

“I’ve been really, really pleased with everybody so far.”

Gunnar Henderson will leave camp to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, trying to find at-bats with Bobby Witt Jr. also on the roster. The Orioles hope to get a healthier version of Henderson, who had an intercoastal strain in spring training and played with a shoulder impingement for about three-fourths of the season.

Having Alonso behind him in the lineup also could unlock the power that produced 37 home runs in 2024 before dipping to 17 last season.

“I think Pete does a lot of things,” Lind said. “I think it takes some of the heavy lifting off Gunnar’s shoulders to go out and really try to produce in the slug department because we’ve got multiple guys up and down the lineup that are capable of that, and that will allow Gunnar to be really patient, get good pitches that he can handle, and when he gets those pitches, really capitalize.

“And you know, having a veteran player like Pete who’s been around as long as he has, to be able to kind of help guide Gunnar as he continues to write the book of his career is going to be helpful, as well, because Pete’s been there and he’s done that, and he’s obviously had the highest of highs, and certainly in baseball you’re always going to deal with the lowest of lows. Pete’s going to be an excellent resource for him, in addition to providing that protection in the lineup that a guy like Gunnar can really use.”

Catcher Adley Rutschman prefers to duck the spotlight but it follows him everywhere – though his status as a one-one and the top prospect in baseball, his All-Star seasons and the decline in offensive production that began after the 2024 break. His first two trips to the major league injured list happened last summer. He needs a reset as much or more than anybody.

Lind and new assistant hitting coach Brady North will oversee it.

“Brady North and I spent all offseason digging in and looking at, not just Adley but all of our guys,” Lind said. “It’s another thing where Adley had the injury bug bite him a little bit last year, and so coming into camp and being healthy is certainly going to be a really important thing for him. But Adley’s floor as an offensive player is so high just because he makes so much contact, he’s willing to take a walk, and for him it just comes down to how many doubles and extra-base hits he’s going to be able to get over the course of a season.

“He still has the ability to drive the ball, and so finding the best positions for him to get into from a swing standpoint to be able to really drive the ball is going to really drive a lot of that offensive production for him. We’ve had some conversations with him about his offseason program. He’s feeling really good. He likes where his swing is at and we’re excited to get him down at camp, as well, and really start getting in the weeds with him on what he wants to do and what we think the best path forward for him is going to be.”

Lind’s offensive philosophy matches what the Orioles want done, of course. That’s why he’s here.

“I think the simplest way to put it is to get a good pitch and to hit it hard, preferably not at somebody,” he said. “That’s definitely a little bit tongue and cheek, but at the end of the day it all comes down to controlling the strike zone and putting your best swing on a ball and trying to hit it hard forward.

“Once the ball leaves our bat we can’t really control much of what happens from there. Guys are going to make great plays and we’re gonna have balls we don’t hit very well fall in for hits, so it’s all about putting ourselves in a position to be able to hopefully repeat some of the best results that we can get. And baseball history has shown us that getting a pitch over the heart of the plate and hitting it hard somewhere is the best way to do that.

“There’s a lot of different analytical avenues to be able to cut that up, but I like to keep things simple for our guys.”