Spring is the season of dart throws.

The Orioles hit a bullseye last offseason when they signed Albert Suárez to a minor league deal.

Suárez hadn’t toed rubber in the majors since 2017, but became a key piece of the 2024 Orioles. The righty boasted a 3.09 ERA in eight games as a reliever and a 3.76 ERA as a starter.

“Big Al” may not have been a signing that turned many heads in 2023, but it was one that became consequential for Baltimore.

Naturally, many eyes are darting around camp in an attempt to find the next Suárez. A pitcher who, after an unsuccessful stint in the majors, bounced around to leagues all over the world to find his groove.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zach Eflin makes his exhibition debut this afternoon, with the Orioles traveling to Fort Myers to play the Twins.

Gary Sánchez is behind the plate for Eflin.

Coby Mayo gets the start at first base.

Jackson Holliday is leading off and playing second base. Colton Cowser is in center field, Heston Kjerstad in left and Dylan Carlson in right.

Liván Soto, who’s 3-for-6 with two doubles, is the shortstop.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked a few days ago about a drama-free camp, how the only injuries were sustained prior to the report dates. The conversation included warnings about the risks of jinxing it.

Here we are.

We learned earlier today that Jordan Westburg hasn’t played since Saturday due to lower-back soreness. And shortstop Gunnar Henderson exited today’s game after one inning with lower right side discomfort.

No further details are available. Manager Brandon Hyde will provide an update in his post-game media scrum.

Henderson made a nice running grab of Bo Bichette’s line drive in the first. He led off the bottom of the inning with a ground ball to first baseman Will Wagner, who bobbled it and flipped to pitcher Easton Lucas.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Félix Bautista completed his second live batting practice session this morning in the intense Florida heat on the Camden Yards replica field, and it won’t be much longer before he pitches in his first Grapefruit League game.

Heston Kjerstad and Gary Sánchez kept alternating at-bats until Bautista faced seven hitters. He threw 25 pitches with Triple-A catcher Maverick Handley behind the plate.

Kjerstad struck out swinging twice and Sánchez was caught looking. Kjerstad also lined to right field and either singled or doubled into left-center field. Sánchez also popped up and grounded to third base.

One of Bautista’s splitters caused Sánchez to flail at it below the zone. He had an audible reaction to it before turning to Handley for apparent confirmation on the pitch. Or perhaps they were just admiring the quality.

Bautista has graduated from bullpen sessions. The first live batting practice was Sunday while the Orioles traveled to Clearwater to play the Phillies.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles reliever Nate Webb is one of today’s scheduled pitchers against the Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium.

This is a big deal for Webb and his family. It’s his first outing since March 9, 2023 in the Pirates camp prior to undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

The Orioles signed Webb to a two-year minor league deal and were on the verge of assigning him to an affiliate before he tore his left Achilles tendon in May. He was invited to camp this spring.

Grayson Rodriguez makes his first exhibition start, with Toronto sending former Orioles minor leaguer Easton Lucas to the mound.

I’ll save you the trouble: Lucas was acquired from the Marlins for infielder Jonathan Villar on Dec. 2, 2019. The Orioles traded him to the Athletics for reliever Shintaro Fujinami on July 19, 2023.

Ah, the first week of spring training games. 

The perfect time to toss out wild takes about the upcoming season based on an incredibly small sample size of games that hold minimal weight. 

What takeaways are overreactions? Which far-too-early conclusions could actually come to fruition? 

On this week’s edition of “The Bird’s Nest” (which you can watch here), Annie Klaff and I took a deep dive into some early storylines. On the way up, we’ll see which ones hold any water. 

Heston Kjerstad will have a 20-plus home run season

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first exhibition game didn’t properly showcase Orioles minor league outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr.

His skillset and the improvements made would become more evident. Just give it time.

Bradfield was thrown out trying to steal after pinch-running for Cedric Mullins, and he went hitless in three at-bats in a loss to the Pirates. But this is the same player, chosen with the 17^th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Vanderbilt, who swiped 99 bases in his first two minor league seasons – including a combined 74 last summer between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He’s been caught only 15 times as a professional.

The defense was on display Saturday, with Bradfield getting great jumps on a couple of line drives and making the plays look routine. But how he hits is going to determine whether he reaches the majors with similar speed.

Jackson Holliday gets the bulk of the camp attention with his toe-tap substituting for the leg lift as a timing mechanism. Catcher Samuel Basallo, who replaced Holliday as the No. 1 prospect in the system, is a must-watch in batting practice and provided another reminder of his strength Sunday with a 107.4 mph single in Clearwater.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad knows that he’s getting a legitimate chance to make the club and to play on a much more regular basis. The rest is up to him.

End the shuttling between the majors and Triple-A Norfolk. Be used as the front office envisioned when it made him the second overall draft pick in 2020. Lots of right field and designated hitter. Anything to keep his bat in the lineup.

His statistics in the Grapefruit League aren’t supposed to really matter, but it doesn’t hurt to pad them anyway.

Kjerstad came to the plate this afternoon in the bottom of the second inning after Tyler O’Neill walked against Tigers starter and top prospect Jackson Jobe. The Orioles trailed 2-0, but Kjerstad knotted the score with an opposite-field home run.

Maybe he’s practicing for when he’s at Camden Yards, with the left field fence moved closer to home plate.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Chayce McDermott still hasn’t been cleared to begin activities. However, he said earlier today that he feels “really good” after reporting to camp with a mild lat/teres strain.

“Can’t complain where I’m at,” he said, “so we’ll keep going and keep following the plan.”

McDermott is restricted to performing strength exercises and doesn’t know when he’ll be begin a throwing progression.

“It should be pretty soon,” he said. "I’m not 100 percent sure of the exact timeline. It’s just based on how I feel with everything and how I keep progressing.”

McDermott made his only major league start last season on July 24 in Miami and had an uphill climb this spring to break camp with the team. His injury likely has eliminated that possibility, but he can hop back into Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation, continue his development and try to rejoin the Orioles over the summer.

Location, location, location. 

Important in real estate, shooting a "The Lord of the Rings" movie and throwing a slider.   

I’m pretty sure that’s what people say.

Glancing at Andrew Kittredge’s 2024 Statcast page, you’ll find that the reliever only had one advanced metric that ranked in the 75th percentile or better: chase rate. 

In fact, Kittredge’s chase rate ranked in the 100th percentile in baseball last season, with batters swinging at 38.9 percent of pitches that the right-hander threw out of the zone. That ranked as the best in baseball among pitchers with at least 200 plate appearances against. 

SARASOTA, Fla. – Brandon Young will get noticed in any clubhouse for his height and long brown hair. He isn’t a lock to make the team, but man, those locks …

Young is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Norfolk, but his first outing Sunday in his first major league camp teased just how good he can be in 2025. He tossed two scoreless innings against the Phillies in Clearwater, retiring the side in order in the fifth. Back-to-back singles in the fourth, the initial one only 79.3 mph off the bat, were followed by a double play.

Both strikeouts were called, on 95.5 and 95.1 mph fastballs to Edmundo Sosa and Christian Arroyo, respectively.

“I was pleased for sure,” Young said. “First big league spring training game, it was just good to be out there.”

Young used his cutter, curveball and changeup – no sliders Sunday – but most impressive was how he averaged 95 mph with his four-seamer and topped out at 97. It sat around 92-93 mph last season with a high of 96, per Statcast.

Today’s scheduled game between the Orioles and the Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium has been cancelled due to rain. There will be no makeup date.

Seniors Stroll the Bases, sponsored by Sunways Senior Living Concierge, will now take place following the game on Tuesday, February 25, against the Detroit Tigers.

Fans holding paid tickets for today's game purchased from the Ed Smith Stadium Box Office or Orioles.com may exchange their ticket(s) for any of the remaining 14 Spring Training games at Ed Smith Stadium. Fans who wish to exchange their tickets must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their account number and preferred new date, and staff will find the closest seats possible to the original location, subject to availability. Any fans who have not exchanged to another game by March 21 will automatically receive a refund to their original form of payment. Birdland Members will automatically receive a refund to their original form of payment.

Fans who purchased tickets through a third-party vendor (SeatGeek, etc.) should contact that vendor to understand their policies.

Fans with any additional questions should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

SARASOTA, Fla. – Bryan Baker stumbled upon it almost by accident. A minute adjustment to his changeup grip that’s gotten noticed in bullpen sessions. Perhaps it marks the birth of another weapon that Baker can use to defend himself against hitters.

Whether he’s doing it with the Orioles is another matter.

One topic at a time.

Baker faced three Pirates batters in Saturday’s first exhibition game and retired all of them. Former Orioles minor league outfielder Billy Cook grounded to short, Liover Peguero flied to right field, and Enmanuel Valdez grounded to second. It happened quickly and what appeared to be effortless.

“Felt good for Day One,” Baker said yesterday morning. “First real outing in five or six months, so it felt good to be in the strike zone and going right at hitters.”

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Samuel Basallo saw a first-pitch slider today from former Orioles reliever Nick Vespi and lined it into right field for a single at 107.4 mph. An earlier groundout registered at 104.9. Nothing subtle about his offensive game.

Everyone knows about the bat, which creates loud noises in the cage and at the plate. He launched more baseballs this morning in his pregame session at BayCare Ballpark. But the trip marked a special occasion for the 20-year-old Basallo – his first Grapefruit League start at catcher.

Basallo reported to camp last spring with a stress fracture in his elbow, an injury revealed on the first day. He rehabbed it and was limited to designated hitter duty.

Nothing is holding back Basallo this year. He set the target for left-hander Cade Povich and the relievers who followed until the bottom of the sixth inning.

“Thank God that it felt really good that I was able to catch today,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Yeah, I felt really good behind the plate.”

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Charlie Morton is scheduled to make his Orioles debut Tuesday afternoon against the Tigers in Sarasota. However, everything is tentative at the moment due to Monday’s forecast of heavy rain.

Dean Kremer starts Monday against the Braves in Sarasota. Tomoyuki Sugano is supposed to make his debut Wednesday in Bradenton.

“We’re kind of discussing it right now, what we’re going to do,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re hoping for the best and we can get the game in, but we’ll see if we’re gonna push guys back or if we’re gonna throw guys in the cage. We’ll make a determination of that tomorrow morning.”

Closer Félix Bautista faced hitters today for the first time since his reconstructive-elbow surgery. He threw live batting practice at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

“I’m looking forward to hearing how it went,” Hyde said. “That’s been a long rehab process for him. I know he’s super pumped up about today, first-day facing guys and facing some of our main guys, too. I know the hitters were excited to see him out there and see what it looks like. He’s made gradual improvements and done everything really, really well from a rehab standpoint.”

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Samuel Basallo is behind the plate for this afternoon’s game against the Phillies in Clearwater, the first road trip for the Orioles.

Colton Cowser is in left field after sitting out yesterday’s exhibition opener in Sarasota. Heston Kjerstad also makes his first appearance, starting in right field.

Coby Mayo is the designated hitter. Terrin Vavra is leading off.

For the Orioles

Terrin Vavra 2B
Colton Cowser LF
Emmanuel Rivera 1B
Heston Kjerstad RF
Coby Mayo DH
Samuel Basallo C
Nick Gordon CF
Vimael Machín 3B
Livan Soto SS

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first exhibition game is done, which brings us to the first road exhibition game. Gas up the rental and head northwest to Clearwater.

If you reach Dunedin, you’ve gone too far.

Left-hander Cade Povich starts against the Phillies after posting a 2.60 ERA and 0.868 WHIP in five September outings and holding opponents to a .162 average. He could be the first alternative if a spot opens unexpectedly in the rotation.

“Povich, what he did in the month of September kind of speaks for itself,” said MASN analyst Ben McDonald, who’s in camp as a guest instructor. “All I heard about him was his stuff was good in the minors, but could he get it over the plate, and I feel like he did in September. His stuff was pretty good.”

The exposure to major league hitters has accelerated Povich’s development.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Tomoyuki Sugano reported to Orioles camp on Saturday, but today felt like the beginning of spring training. Three different hitters stood at the plate against him in live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium, rotating until he faced eight during his session. A lengthy mound conference followed with catcher Adley Rutschman, pitching coach Drew French, guest instructor and former pitcher Ben McDonald, and interpreter Yuto Sakurai.

Sugano lingered for a little bit longer as the session broke up, sweeping his foot across the dirt and measuring his stride. The mounds in Japan have a softer composition and the rubber sits further back. Just one more adjustment.

The Orioles scheduled only one live BP today and arranged for Sugano to face prospects Enrique Bradfield Jr., Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian. Beavers flied out and doubled twice on a pair of hard-hit line drives. Fabian struck out twice and singled or doubled into left field – players don’t run the bases – and Bradfield grounded out and lined to left field.

Here’s what they’re saying about the session:

Sugano (via Sakurai)

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jordyn Adams had a choice to make and he doesn’t regret the outcome.

Adams committed to the University of North Carolina to play baseball and football. He was a four- or five-star recruit as a wide receiver, depending on the source, but Major League Baseball viewed him as one of the top prospects in the 2018 draft.

The first decision for Adams involved picking a college, and the North Carolina native chose the Tar Heels over Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and Clemson. Still to come was whether to immerse himself in campus life or join a team’s farm system.

Adams never stepped foot on campus as a student. The Angels made him the 17^th overall pick, and the common perception was that he’d need to go in the first or maybe the second round to catch fly balls in center field instead of footballs on the gridiron.

The result so far is 28 games with the Angels over the past two seasons and a .176/.205/.216 slash line. He can play everywhere in the outfield and he’s hoping to play for the Orioles in 2025 after signing a minor league contract on Dec. 23.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Baseball is a game of punches and counterpunches. 

Last season, Colton Cowser came out of the gates swinging. The former fifth-overall pick mashed his way through April and March to the tune of a .303/.372/.632/1.004 slash line. 

The elite defense didn’t hurt either. 

Cowser ranked in the 96th percentile in both outs above average and arm strength. His 11 OAA ranked eighth among all outfielders in the game and was best among left fielders. Couple great defense and an incredible start at the plate, and you’ve got an everyday starter. 

But then came a counterpunch.