3 under-the-radar Orioles prospects to keep an eye on in spring training

With spring training games finally underway, the Orioles season is off to the races. The O's are looking to head back to the postseason for the third straight year, a feat they haven't accomplished since the stretch between 1969-1971.

And while the O's will need their stars to remain healthy and productive in order to get there, they'll likely need to get some contributions from some unexpected players along the way. Players will inevitably get injured and when that happens, any of these three under the radar prospects could find themselves in a position to make an impact in the majors in 2025.

It's been a couple years since Jordyn Adams was seen as a top prospect, but he was once a highly touted name in the Angels organization. Adams joined the Orioles this past winter on a minor league contract and despite the fact that he struggled at Triple-A in 2024, there's undoubtedly some post-hype intrigue here.

Adams is, importantly, a right handed hitter, which is something the Orioles were short on coming into 2025. The team addressed that deficiency in a couple ways, adding guys like Ramon Laureano and Dylan Carlson, but we can count Adams as part of that group.

The 25 year old has some limited major league experience and throughout his career has been a strong defender and baserunner. Adams swiped 44 bases in 109 games at Triple-A in 2023, and stole 28 bases in 128 games last year. He's an efficient base stealer and competent defender, giving him a high floor as a major league contributor. If the Orioles run into injury problems early, Adams could be one of the first guys to get the call.

These 3 under the radar Orioles prospects could make real contributions in the majors in 2025

As a starter turned reliever, there will be at least a handful of names ahead of him on the depth chart but Carlos Tavera is definitely a guy to keep an eye on this spring. The 26 year old righty split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024 and while he struggled in Norfolk, Tavera shined during his time at Bowie.

In 38 innings with the Baysox, Tavera pitched to a 3.08 ERA with a stellar 2.85 FIP, along with a 27.6% strikeout rate. He made all but two of his appearances there out of the bullpen but did have several multi-inning outings, including an appearance against Altoona in which he threw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts.

Tavera was recently ranked as the O's 31st best prospect by FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen. As Longenhagen notes, Tavera has struggled with walks during his time with the Orioles. However, his increased velocity after shifting into a bullpen role has helped, as has adding a cutter to his arsenal to limit his reliance on an iffy slider. If he's able to recreate the success he saw at Double-A in 2024, Tavera could be contributing in Baltimore in 2025.

Another guy who's had success at Bowie but struggled at Norfolk, righty Kade Strowd was a surprise addition to the Orioles' 40-man roster earlier this winter. Strowd's biggest issue has been an inability to control his pitches. However, when he's on his stuff is electric.

Strowd sits 97-98 mph with the four-seamer and has a solid cutter, a mid-80's curveball, and a changeup in his arsenal as well. He misses bats with all four pitches and his elevated strikeout rates are the focus point here. Strowd struck out 30.7% of batters in 51.1 combined innings last year. Those numbers were in line with what we've seen from him at lower levels as well, so we know he has potential.

The thing for Strowd will be whether he can get major league hitters to swing and miss at his stuff. Almost in the mold of a guy like Blake Snell, Strowd lives on the edges of the zone and throws a ton of balls in the dirt. It's worked for him in the past, as his stuff is so good that he's been able to fool hitters in the process.

Snell is elite in this regard - he recently won a Cy Young award with the highest walk rate among qualified starters. Obviously it's not a 1-1 comparison, as Strowd isn't a starter. Whether Strowd can mimic that kind of success remains to be seen, but he's shown a propensity to be successful enough to make an impact. With any luck, that success will continue into 2025.