SARASOTA, Fla. — Nobody crowns a Grapefruit League champion. In three weeks, spring training records won’t mean a thing once the regular season gets underway. Yet, in looking to build off their success from a breakout 101-win season, the Orioles’ 2024 spring training season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
Baltimore passed the halfway point of its Grapefruit League season Sunday carrying a 14-2-1 record, good for the best in all of MLB so far this spring. The Orioles have dominated the Florida circuit and are four games better than the next-best team — the Boston Red Sox (10-6-1) — after the weekend.
“I think we’re playing really clean baseball,” infielder Jordan Westburg said, adding that manager “Brandon Hyde puts a huge emphasis on that, on playing good catch, on catching the ball clean, on getting the out when it’s given, moving guys over, good situational hitting. I think that’s showing up in spring. Whether guys are really trying to do to work on those things or not, it’s showing up.”
The Orioles have enjoyed success on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they rank third in runs scored (94). Including their nine-homer day in their split-squad games against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, the Orioles have hit the second-most home runs in the league with 26. Their pitching staff also carries the second-lowest team ERA (3.47) and third-best WHIP (1.22).
Hyde credited the team’s defense as a significant factor as well.
“Usually, you have some more clunkers out there or some games where you’re kicking the ball around, making four or five errors,” Hyde said. “Those things happen in major league spring training. Hasn’t happened to us. We’ve really taken care of the baseball.”
Helping the Orioles’ case has been the sheer number of MLB-ready players among both their veterans and prospects they have in camp. On any given day, they can trot out seven, eight or nine position players who will likely spend significant time on their roster this season. With a farm system MLB Pipeline named baseball’s best Friday, the Orioles’ lineups are deep even on days when they send mostly prospects on the road.
Many of the Orioles’ top prospects are competing for spots on the opening day roster, and their spring performances could go a long way in determining who breaks camp with the team later this month. They’re stepping onto the field trying to produce results rather than tinkering on specific aspects of their game as many established veterans do.
The outfield competition has been headlined by Colton Cowser, whose four home runs are tied for the MLB lead. Jackson Holliday has made a strong case to open the season as the Orioles’ starting second baseman by slashing .286/.310/.607 with five extra-base hits. Corner infielder Coby Mayo has a 1.029 OPS while racking up a team-high 10 hits. Top pitching prospects Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich have combined for one earned run allowed in six appearances.
“Obviously us as players, we’re just trying to go out and play good baseball,” Westburg said. “At the end of the day in spring training if it comes out with a W, great, and if not, there’s things to work on and it’s not the time to stress out. But, yeah, I think the on-field product and the record just shows that we’re a competitive club. Everybody in here is trying to do their best and they take that out on the field.”
But perhaps the most underrated contributors are the minor league replacements who have taken over for the starters late in games. Infielder Errol Robinson, a Boyds native who was added to the Orioles’ major league spring training roster last week, has sparked several late-inning rallies this spring and has hit .385 with four stolen bases in 13 games. Outfielder Daniel Johnson carries an .885 OPS in 14 games and he hit a walk-off home run in a game late last month.
“I got him right now top-five MVP candidate in the Grapefruit League for what he’s done for us, him and DJ,” Hyde said of Robinson. “They’ve played almost every single game. They’ve played extremely well. They’ve been an absolute joy. They play with a ton of energy. They’ve made those last three or four innings real fun for everybody to watch because of how hard they play.”
The opportunity for players such as Robinson, who has bounced around minor league systems and an independent league over the past three seasons, to get extended playing time in front of Orioles’ coaches and decision-makers is extremely valuable. That it’s helped translate to some wins doesn’t hurt, either.
“We’re getting into these close games later and into the game and coming back and winning them, which is cool,” Robinson said. “Certainly cool to be a part of that also but just trying to show my work as much as I can.”
Spring success is certainly not an indicator of what’s to come in the regular season. The Los Angeles Angels have finished with the best record in the Cactus League each of the last two years. Their place atop the spring training standings has done nothing to help them end their league-leading nine-year playoff drought.
Even so, the Orioles finished last season with the most wins in the American League. So far in spring, they’ve merely picked up where they left off.
