Break out the hot dogs and beer, as Grapefruit League play is getting underway.
The Baltimore Orioles wrapped up their week of full-squad workouts today. Starting tomorrow, the games begin, and the countdown to Opening Day will be live.
While most of the regulars will play two to three innings, we will be able to see up-and-coming prospects and the depth that will aid the team throughout the season.
Albert Suárez will kick things off when the Birds face the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow, as baseball in Birdland is officially back.
Let’s see how the last day of camp went for the Birds.
Live batting practice has been a staple this week, with pitchers taking a strong stand against the hitters. One of the biggest differences is that the fanfare and media coverage have been pretty decent on each one.
Tomoyuki Sugano warming up for his live bullpen. He’ll be facing Orioles outfield prospects Dylan Beavers, Jud Fabian and Enrique Bradfield Jr. pic.twitter.com/du15n5ZfCU
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) February 21, 2025
That all changed today, as Tomoyuki Sugano took the mound for his first live BP, and the press is making sure that it was a huge deal.
Getting used to the American mound will be just one of the adjustments Sugano will have to make. The mounds in America are harder, and the rubber sits closer than the ones in Japan.
Sugano was the only live batting practice today, and he was scheduled to face top outfield prospects Enrique Bradfield Jr., Dylan Beavers and Jud “The Stud” Fabian.
Sugano is throwing his first live BP today. Here he is against Enrique Bradfield Jr. pic.twitter.com/3BPI8XqjZU
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) February 21, 2025
One of the things Sugano wanted to focus on was communication with the catcher, this session being with Adley Rutschman.
“I felt like they were pretty aggressive, but more than anything, it was more about the communication with Adley and the pitch sequence,” Sugano said.
Bradfield Jr. lined out to left and grounded out, Beavers flied out and doubled twice and Fabian struck out twice and hit a long single to left.
After the session, pitching coach Drew French, special guest instructor Ben McDonald, Rutschman and interpreter Yuto Sakurai met on the mound for an extended period discussing the session.
Tomoyuki Sugano’s first live BP for #Orioles is over. Struck out Jud Fabian swinging twice. Dylan Beavers had couple of hard-hit liners. Enrique Bradfield Jr. also some solid contact.
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) February 21, 2025
Flashes of good stuff from Sugano. Results less important early in spring.
Adley fist bump: pic.twitter.com/NVTKRbKuZj
“Control and command guy, just like we thought,” McDonald said about Sugano. “He got a couple balls elevated in that BP session, but clearly, the split is the best pitch. They were working on a few things. I think in a real game-type situation, they would have pitched a little bit differently, but I love the split. The split’s really good.”
Sugano is definitely the big buzz in camp, attracting reporters from Japan and media from all over. The next big moment will be when Sugano faces batters in a game experience.
Other pitchers who threw today included Brandon Young, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer and Yaramil Hiraldo.
Brandon Young, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer throwing bullpens pic.twitter.com/yGxSYvWivR
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) February 21, 2025
Hiraldo was signed out of the Mexican League and is a non-roster invitee. He has some command issues with his splitter but has good velocity.
With Suárez slated to start tomorrow’s game against the Pirates, manager Brandon Hyde has named the other pitchers expected to play tomorrow.
The Orioles will send Keegan Akin, Bryan Baker, Corbin Martin, Justin Armbruester and Kade Strowd to the mound. Hyde also said that Cade Povich will start Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Orioles also announced that fans can now attend workouts on the backfields until Sunday, March 23. Each workout at Ed Smith Stadium is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on non-game days. They are free to attend, and there is complimentary parking in East Lot.
Tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh is scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. and will be available to view on MASN and MLB.TV.
SIDE NOTES:
– Trevor Rogers, who dislocated his knee cap in January, has been throwing to keep his arm loose
– Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish have continued their throwing programs and have reported no setbacks at this time
– The Pirates will start Carmen Mlodzinski against the Birds tomorrow afternoon
– John Means, who signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Guardians, posted a thank you letter to the Orioles organization and its fans
– The Phillies have announced that Tyler Phillips will start Sunday against the O’s
– Anthony Santander, who signed a five-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, acknowledged that the Orioles did make a three-year contract offer but was not of the value he was looking for
That wraps up this season’s edition of SpringNotes. With exhibition games just getting underway, it’s a matter of time before the real games begin.
We hope you enjoyed this year’s editions of SpringNotes. We will keep you updated with any news and information from O’s spring training.
Remember, keep the beer cold, and let’s go, O’s.
What are you most looking forward to during Grapefruit League play? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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