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The honor might have meant more to Trevor Rogers than anyone else in the clubhouse.
Media chose Rogers as Most Valuable Oriole, with the announcement coming earlier today. He was recognized for a comeback that carried him from a 7.11 ERA in four starts last summer and a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk to a 1.35 ERA that’s the lowest ever by an Orioles pitcher in his first 17 starts.
He’s also going to bring a 0.872 WHIP, .178 opponents’ average and 6.0 bWAR into his last game this weekend in the Bronx, with a streak of two earned runs or fewer in 15 consecutive starts that’s the longest in franchise history.
“It’s huge,” Rogers said this afternoon. “I’m honored just to be in the elite company that’s had this award in years past. And just the entire journey that I’ve been on since I’ve gotten here, kind of a bumpy start, not the start that any of us would have wanted. But seeing where we are today, it was worth it going through those struggles. Getting this award, I’m very thankful.
“My stuff is in a really good spot consistently. I’m not a one-dimensional guy anymore. I always relied on my fastball-changeup in years past. It seems like if one of those pitches went haywire, I only relied on one pitch. Developing multiple pitches I can throw for strikes and be competitive with those makes my job a little easier.”
Gunnar Henderson was named MVO the past two years. No pitcher received the honor since Rodrigo Lopez in 2002. Rogers is only the fourth left-hander, with Randy Myers the most recent in 1997.
Hitting rock bottom last summer made Rogers appreciate the award much more today.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “It means a lot that all the media recognized my efforts that I was trying to put forth trying to help this team win on a consistent basis when I was out there. Very thankful for the honor and I don’t take it lightly.
“It’s very special just with the amount of talent that we have here position-player-wise. I’m just very thankful. I kind of have a loss for words for it. It’s just an honor and very thankful. I know I’ve said that probably about 10 times and I’ll probably say it 10 more times. I’m just very honored.”
Mental skills coach Josh Kozuch has played a huge role in Rogers’ turnaround.
“It’s a very important part of my game,” Rogers said. “Josh and I have had really good talks throughout this season and just trying to take it one day at a time and really have a solid process with him. A big part of this goes to Josh. He’s been great as far as being in my corner this year.
“Whether it’s a good start or bad start, turning the page to the next day, controlling what I can control, staying within my process and making this game a lot more simple than I have in years past really helped me stay consistent from start to start.”
Interim manager Tony Mansolino endorsed the media’s choice.
“What he’s done has been kind of historic in a lot of ways,” Mansolino said.
“Then, the backstory is just awesome, just kind of what he went through last year, the circus of negativity that surrounded him, and to see him kind of fight through it. And even going into spring training and getting hurt, be late to the season, he goes to Boston and has that great outing and then gets sent back to the minor leagues. That wasn’t a rehab stint, that was a ‘you’re not ready to be here yet’ trip to the minor leagues. And then to come out on the other end that he has, it’s just a great story.”
* The Orioles will stay with three catchers for the last six games of the season. Gary Sánchez won’t be reinstated from the injured list, with his last game played on July 5 because of a right knee sprain.
Sánchez appeared in 30 games this season, with two stops on the IL limiting his availability. The Orioles didn’t get the expected return on the $8.5 million invested in him as a free agent.
“Just where we’re at with the roster and kind of where everything’s at,” Mansolino said.
Sánchez batted .231 with a .715 OPS in 30 games. He hit four home runs and drove in 14 runs in a span of 10 games in June.
* Mansolino and his staff have started their exit meetings with players before everyone scatters on Sunday and Monday.
“They’re all individualized,” he said. “It’s positive. We’re not beating anybody over the head. I don’t think that’s what we do. Playing this game is really hard. I think what’s important for players is transparency and honesty. I really do feel strongly in this business that if you tell people the truth, you’re gonna get the best out of them. A real big leaguer, if they know exactly what they need to do, it’s the best thing for them.
“We’re very understanding. This is a really hard game to play. There’s good years, there’s bad years out of players, and I think we just do the best we can collectively to help kind of guide them toward the direction they need to go.”
* Major League Baseball will use the Automated Ball Strike (ABS) challenge system beginning next season, approval coming in a vote by the Joint Competition Committee.
The technology has been tested in Triple-A since 2022 and in 2025 spring training and the All-Star Game.
If a pitcher, catcher, or batter disagrees with the umpire’s ball or strike call, he can request a challenge by tapping his hat or helmet and vocalizing a challenge. The plate umpire will announce the challenge to the fans in the ballpark and a graphic showing the outcome of the challenge will be displayed on the scoreboard and broadcast. The entire process is supposed to take approximately 15 seconds.
Each club will start the game with two challenges, and all successful challenges are retained.
“It’s gonna be interesting,” Rogers said. “Incorporating the challenge system, I think, will help some guys with the tight situations in the game. If the umpire gets a call wrong, be able to challenge that. It’ll be interesting. I’ve had it in Norfolk. I don’t really mind it, but it’s gonna be interesting to see how it plays at the big league level.”
Mansolino is keeping an open mind and trusting his acceptance of past alterations to the sport.
“I threw a fit when they brought the extra-inning rule years ago in the minor leagues. I hated it, and now I love it,” Mansolino said. “I thought the three-batter minimum was terrible. I love it now. I thought changing the shift was gonna be bad. I love it. Stolen base, two pickoffs, I thought that was awful. It’s the greatest thing they’ve done.
“Listen, everything they’ve done with all these rules, they’ve actually kind of turned the game back. They’re trying to get the game back to what it used to be, probably in the ‘80s and ‘90s, early 2000s. Maybe not at that point, but prior to home run ball taking over the game in a lot of ways. Does this fit into that? I don’t know that it does. But my guess is I’m probably gonna enjoy it. I think the fans are gonna love it.
“I think entertainment value in our game of baseball isn’t a bad thing. This doesn’t need to be the crusty, grungy, bunt them over and do the whole deal and play the game the way it was in the ‘60s type of deal, although I do like that version of the game. But I do think it’s important in today’s day and age for it to be entertaining for the people who buy tickets and the people who ultimately allow us to be here. So I think it’s gonna be entertaining, I think there’s gonna be a lot of strategy involved.
“Like, I don’t think we need to probably challenge the first pitch of the game. I think you’re gonna figure out players who are good at it and players who are bad at it, and you’re gonna have to put some rules and regulations on your own guys with it. It’s gonna be interesting. I think it’s gonna be good for the game.”
