Craig Albernaz's "go have fun" approach might be just what one Orioles infielder needed

Losing both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg early in spring training has put the Baltimore Orioles in a tough spot. Blaze Alexander went from an interesting depth piece to an integral part of the lineup, and Jeremiah Jackson went from Triple-A depth to an key major league bench player. However, the biggest change may be Coby Mayo going from first baseman on the trading block to potentially the Orioles' everyday third baseman.

Ever since the severity of Westburg's injury became known, every rep that Mayo has gotten at third has been scrutinized, and for good reason. Typically, when a player is moved to first base, that's the last defensive position on the field before they move to DH. It's not common to see a player get moved to full-time first base, the way Mayo was last year, and then see them go back to the hot corner.

However, the Orioles' new manager's approach to handling the switch could be exactly what is needed to pull it off.

It's reasonable to see Coby Mayo's name penciled in as the everyday third baseman and wonder: "Can he really do this?"

So far in spring training, Mayo's defensive performance has been up and down. He's made some nice plays. He showed off his arm, throwing out a runner from foul territory, and he's also demonstrated the advantage of his large frame by making some leaping grabs to rob a couple of batters of line drive base hits. However, the errors that pushed him to first base have persisted. There have been multiple errant throws and some awkward plays coming in on slow grounders.

It's spring training, so a certain amount of rustiness is to be expected, especially considering the position change he's going through. However, Mayo has to know that if he doesn't clean it up at third, he won't have a starting spot on the team. The mental aspect of the game is going to be important. Mayo has played enough third base throughout the minors and received plenty of coaching on the "how-to" aspects of playing third. What's going to decide whether or not Mayo sinks or swims at third in 2026 will be his mental approach to the position.

Mayo, having his future with the Orioles flash before his eyes every time a ball is hit to third, is not conducive to success. Putting that much pressure on every play will only result in more booted balls and wild throws. However, if you're Mayo, how is that not what's going through your mind? The Orioles have never prioritized him getting on the field. This offseason, they spent $155 million blocking him from playing time. This may be his last chance to win any sort of starting job in Baltimore.

That's where Craig Albernaz comes in. His "go have fun" attitude towards spring training is exactly what Mayo needs. This was best demonstrated by Albernaz moving Mayo to shortstop during a game when Gunnar Henderson needed to get some pre-WBC work at third.

Mayo had been told he would be moving to first, but Albernaz instead surprised him with the shortstop assignment. They told him right before the inning started, so he didn't have time to think, and the only word of advice he got from his skipper was "go have fun".

This was the perfect way for Albernaz to demonstrate his confidence in a young player while simultaneously taking a load of pressure off his shoulders. Asking Mayo to play short shows belief in his glove, but there's nothing that Mayo could do while playing shortstop on two minutes' notice that would change how the coaching staff views him. For the first time all spring training, Mayo was playing with house money.

The "Coby Mayo at third base" experience might not be a smooth ride all year. Mayo is going to commit errors and some of the balls that Westburg would have turned into outs will get passed him. There will be times after a misplay that Mayo will smack his glove and hang his head for a moment, but Albernaz will be there, at the top step of the dugout, to keep things light and keep the pressure at bay.