We are officially in the home stretch of the 2026 season, and the Baltimore Orioles still have plenty of meaningful baseball left to play.
With the final American League Wild Card spot very much in reach, the Orioles have continued to hang around despite a season filled with uncertainty.
When president of baseball operations and acting-GM Mike Elias sold off several key pieces at the trade deadline to replenish the farm system, many viewed it as the official white flag on the season.
Baltimore has gone 7-9 since the deadline and now sit two games out of a playoff spot. The starting rotation has been nails, while Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have caught fire.
However, one of the club’s most important contributors during this recent stretch has been an unlikely source: right-hander Cam Sanders.
Baltimore acquired Sanders from the Pittsburgh Pirates in July in exchange for cash considerations, and he has quickly become a valuable option in the Orioles bullpen.
With Tyler Wells shipped to Tampa Bay, the Orioles have been thin in the late innings. Sanders, however, has delivered nearly every time his name has been called.
The sample size remains small, but Sanders has posted a 4.00 ERA, 2.53 FIP, nine strikeouts and a 0.889 WHIP across eight appearances with Baltimore.
Sanders appeared in three games in the huge four-game series against the Rays this past weekend, recording two saves and throwing 3.1 scoreless innings in a series Baltimore desperately needed.
So, what has Sanders figured out in 2026?
Sanders relies heavily on a fastball-slider combination, but his pitch mix has shifted significantly this season. His slider usage has jumped from 25% in 2025 to 38% in 2026.
That slider has easily been Sanders’ best pitch this season, producing a 44.4% whiff rate, a .150 expected batting average and a run value of four. It has also played a major role in his strikeout rate jumping from 11.8% in 2025 to 27.1% in 2026.
While the fastball still leads the way in usage, it has dropped from 52% to 43%. Sanders’ heater features around 15.9 inches of induced vertical break, giving it enough life to play well off his slider.
He also occasionally mixes in a changeup, which he has thrown 15% of the time, along with a sinker at just 4%.
Whether Sanders is a flash in the pan remains to be seen. But his ability to generate swings and misses is something the Orioles bullpen has badly needed, especially following Wells’ departure.
At the very least, Sanders has earned more opportunities as a leverage arm during the Orioles’ push to October. And with every big inning that comes along over the final stretch, Baltimore may need Colonel Sanders to keep answering the call.
What are your thoughts? Are you buying into Cam Sanders, or do you need to see more? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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