3 Orioles hitters who’ve captured our attention in spring training

The Baltimore Orioles have been playing spring training games for about four weeks now. Following Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the O's are 9-11, which isn’t great but nobody wins the World Series in spring. The goals right now are to get the regular players up to speed and to see what bubble guys step up. 

It’s great to see your star players get off to a hot start like several Orioles have done. Guys like Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser have been tearing the cover off the ball and will be leaned upon heavily throughout the season. But the most talked about Orioles hitters have been the bubble guys. 

The Birds top prospect Samuel Basallo has made some very loud contact this spring. The chances Basallo breaks camp with the big league club are slim at best but he’s definitely making an impression. The stud catching prospect has amassed eight RBI’s and two home runs.

Basallo’s power has been on full display as his two home runs have been nothing short of colossal, with the first one receiving estimates of nearly 500 feet traveled. The ball was hit so far over the scoreboard that the scoreboard operator had time to change the screen to the next batter before the ball landed. He’s also added a triple, showing he can run for a big man.

As impressive as Basallo has been this spring, he is still just 20 years old and the Orioles have shown extreme patience with their young prospects. Rutschman is firmly entrenched as the team’s starting catcher and free agent acquisition Gary Sanchez was brought in to add some right handed pop to the lineup. Basallo’s time is Baltimore is rapidly approaching but he’s going to have to continue to prove himself in Triple-A to start the season. 

These 3 Orioles hitters are making a ton of noise in spring training

The surprise name that has generated some buzz is Vimael Machín. Signed as infield depth over the offseason, Machín is batting .419 and leading the O’s in hits, doubles and total bases while being near the top in at-bats, home runs and RBI’s. The Orioles are loaded with infield talent but Machín is doing everything he can to get back to the majors. 

Originally from Puerto Rico, Machín is entering his 11th season of professional baseball. He was drafted in 2015 by the Chicago Cubs and spent four years in the minors reaching as high as Triple-A. He spent the next three seasons with the Oakland Athletics and appeared in 112 games in the majors with limited offensive production. Machín signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies last season and spent the entire season in AAA. 

Getting a fresh start with the Orioles, Machín must know that he entered a crowded infield, but that hasn’t stopped him from standing out. We have already seen this season how quickly injuries can mount. Having a guy who has been there before ready and waiting can be a big help. Machín being locked in at the plate is an added bonus. 

Also getting a lot of attention for his work at the plate has been Coby Mayo. Unfortunately it’s been for all the wrong reasons. The Orioles number two prospect is a bat first player who’s been known to struggle in the field. After a disastrous MLB debut last season, Mayo was looking to bounce back in 2025. There’s still plenty of time for that but he certainly got off on the wrong foot. 

There was hope in the beginning when Mayo rocketed a missile up the middle for his first hit in his second spring training game this season. Mayo then went hitless in his next seven games and dropped his average to .043. But just when fans started to lose hope, a glimmer of hope has begun to shine through. 

Over his last seven games Mayo has reached base five times going 6-16 with his first two extra base hits and first multi-hit performance. Mayo has prodigious power and has been locked in over the last week. There is no clear path to Baltimore for Mayo at the moment with Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle manning the corner infield positions, but it's encouraging to see Mayo finally have some success on offense.