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For years, Orioles fans have entered each new season anticipating the debut of one of the game’s top prospects. Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday and, most recently, Samuel Basallo, had the promise of rapidly changing the franchise upon their arrival.
Baltimore’s farm got a big upgrade last summer, both at the trade deadline and through the draft. Even still, barring a prospect’s rapid ascent, the Orioles will be without a debut of a top-75 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, for the first time since 2021.
Don’t mistake that fact for the O’s not getting an impact from the farm, though.
On this week’s edition of “The Bird’s Nest,” which you can watch here, Annie Klaff and I discussed some of the prospects that could debut this season.
Enrique Bradfield Jr.
Though injuries have held Bradfield back from a more rapid ascent, the O’s No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has still worked his way up to Triple-A Norfolk. The center fielder, known best for his speed and defense, put together a quality offensive season in Double-A, with an OPS of .780 in 50 games with the Baysox.
Bradfield’s recent performance in the Arizona Fall League might best showcase the blueprint for his future success. In 20 games, the Vanderbilt product won the league’s defensive player of the year, stole 17 bags and posted a .340 on-base percentage.
With just 15 games under his belt at the minor’s highest level, the odds that the former first-round pick breaks camp with the big league team are incredibly slim. The odds that Bradfield wouldn’t contribute to the team down the stretch, though, also feel slim. There may not be a better roster expansion candidate than Bradfield, who, at worst, is an ideal late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner. At his best, his value is even greater.
The Starters
In his conversations with minor league hitters last season, Trey Gibson was one of the most popular answers for “toughest at-bat” given to Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton. The 6’5 right-hander, the O’s No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America, dominated Double-A with a new sinker and a “death ball” slider.
Gibson, last year’s winner of the Jim Palmer award for the organization's best minor league pitcher, struggled in seven games at Triple-A and should start next season there.
It’s the same story for Nestor German, the No. 11 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Despite a college ERA of 6.37, the Orioles saw German’s potential to find success. That may be a bit of an understatement.
In his first minor league season, German posted a ridiculous 1.59 ERA. He followed that up with a 2025 season in which he, like Gibson, advanced from Single-A to Triple-A.
Given the struggles that each pitcher had in brief stints with the Tides, both will need to turn a corner in order to be given big-league consideration. The odds that one, or both, will be called upon at some point in 2026 feel high.
The Bullpen Arms
Here, you’ll find the names that are perhaps most likely to impact the big league club sooner rather than later: Anthony Nunez, Cameron Foster and Tyson Neighbors.
For months, Nunez has been my pick for a surprise break-camp candidate, and the train won’t stop here. Despite not starting to pitch full-time until 2024, the headliner of the Cedric Mullins trade struck out over 13 batters per nine en route to a 2.06 ERA in 2025, including a 3.45 ERA in 16 games in Norfolk.
Foster’s 3.38 ERA in his 13 games in Triple-A were just as impressive, though the big righty will need to cut down on his walk numbers in order to reach the big leagues.
Among the talented trio, Neighbors is the only one not to have pitched in Triple-A. However, with a 1.73 ERA in 26 Double-A games, he could start the season just one step away from the bigs. In his brief, 48-appearance minor league career, the Kansas State product has a 1.70 ERA with 13 strikeouts per nine.
There are a few other candidates with slim chances to debut, too, such as Reed Trimble, Juaron Watts-Brown or Aron Estrada. But while there may not be a top-10 or even a top-75 prospect on the verge of a debut, this year’s class of call-ups could still impact the major league club in a big way.
