Now 11 games into the exhibition schedule, a few more things have become clearer for the Baltimore Orioles.
Players who have impressed early in camp have continued to do so, roster spots will certainly be limited and the return of Félix Bautista is therapeutic.
Samuel Basallo is still going strong and really is the second most exciting thing to me so far this spring, now having three hits in 10 at-bats with an insane dead center home run. He got into one he must have hated and sent it over top of the big scoreboard in center field.
It was a mammoth blast that landed in one of the backfields behind Ed Smith Stadium. He also has been showing out defensively and has earned himself a caught stealing against Ji Hwan Bae last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Adley Rutschman is another catcher who has seemed to find his footing this spring, and that is incredibly soothing to see. Rutschman is hitting .454 (5-for-11) with a home run in his five games this spring. Most importantly, he’s looking like classic Adley at the plate, with two walks and a couple of good at bats, including one against Paul Skenes.
Above anything else for this roster in 2025, we need No. 35, and it seems like he knows that. Along with the return of Bautista, these couple things have really eased the minds of Oriole fans, including myself.
On Monday in Ed Smith stadium, Bautista returned to the mound for the first time in 556 days and delivered a typical Mountain outing. He induced two swinging strikeouts, one on a fastball and the other on a splitter. He topped off at 97 mph on his fastball and retired all three batters he faced in order.
I think I speak for all Oriole fans when I say that this outing, along with that post-inning hug and standing ovation, is one of the best moments we have witnessed in a long time. Just the simple sight of Bautista on the mound again brought me an ease I haven’t felt since the day he walked off the mound with the trainer.
Hopefully, he will continue to respond well to this and follow the schedule that Brandon Hyde imposed of no back-to-back days or multiple innings. If he does, that will go a very long way.
One other player that has been showing off so far is left-hander Cade Povich. Through his five innings between two starts, he deserves his flowers. In his second start, he tossed three innings with six strikeouts against the Pirates and was able to land every location with his fastball and breaking pitches in a way you would have thought it was mid-season.
Getting more of this positivism from Povich this spring is something I will be looking forward to, and I am glad I got to witness that second outing live from Ed Smith.
Povich does impose a question mark that will be seen more this spring, however. With signings of Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano and those guys pitching and adapting well to being Orioles, Povich’s spot in the rotation is questionable. Alongside Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer, the rotation would seem to be set.
Also with the fact Hyde wants to push both Albert Suárez and Roasny Contreras out as starters, Povich will have even more camp competition. So far, Slim would be winning that race based off each player’s last outing.
Regardless of how that scenario continues to play out, having Povich pitch well will continue to make me feel a lot better. However, personally, I can’t think that Povich would have a rotation spot over any of those five, even as good as he has been.
What are your thoughts on these player’s performances this spring? 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!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Justin’s content? Follow him on X – @orioles4life96
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment