SARASOTA, Fla. – One row of lockers inside the Orioles’ spring training clubhouse starts with infielder Adam Frazier and ends with center fielder Cedric Mullins, prime locations that are a nod to their veteran status.
Austin Hays and Anthony Santander occupy the two lockers that lead to Mullins, the three starting outfielders bunched together under a roof and beneath a blue sky.
More toward the middle are the last three first-round draft choices: outfielders Heston Kjerstad (2020) and Colton Cowser (2021) and shortstop Jackson Holliday (2022), the 19-year-old who was selected first overall.
The row itself illustrates the balance between experienced major leaguers and highly rated prospects who comprise the camp roster. A blend as smooth as top-shelf Scotch.
Kjerstad probably will start out at Double-A Bowie after reaching High-A Aberdeen last summer and receiving the honor of Most Valuable Player in the Arizona Fall League. He’s moving at the exact pace anticipated before his professional career was halted because of the heart muscle inflammation known as myocarditis. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he makes his major league debut later in the summer.