The Baltimore Orioles lacked an adult in the room last season. The Orioles were one of the biggest disappointments of the 2025 campaign, fired their manager by the end of May, and had the biggest sell-off at the MLB trade deadline. In other words, it's no surprise that those who stuck around last year weren't exactly willing to be the frontman for failure. The Orioles may point to Pete Alonso's power as the reason they signed him, but his being the adult in the room moving forward likely played a part in their interest.
Halfway through spring training, Alonso has looked the part. Sure, Alonso has 2 home runs in 17 plate appearances this spring, but his biggest impact is being felt behind the scenes. Between being the hype man during practices or engaging in some playful trash talking, Alonso has brought a new vibe to Baltimore.
It's an important change, considering where the Orioles were last year, and the latest example of Alonso's impact was felt during Tuesday's exhibition game against Team Netherlands. Yes, it was a rough outing for Trevor Rogers, but Alonso also wanted to ensure the focus of the infielders was on good habits.
Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, the franchise’s prized $155 million offseason acquisition, deemed a mound visit necessary in a seemingly meaningless exhibition game against Team Netherlands after the team made a pair of fielding errors.
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) March 4, 2026
“It wasn’t about [Trevor Rogers] or… pic.twitter.com/vB7O9M6EoG
Pete Alonso isn't afraid to say uncomfortable truths for the Orioles if it means there'll be a payoff in October
“It wasn’t about [Trevor Rogers] or anybody,” Alonso told reporters. “It was like, ‘Hey, we just need to clean it up.’ If we want to go far in the playoffs, it’s all about doing the little things right even now, getting into good habits.”
It's a small detail, sure, but this is an Orioles team that was afraid of saying hard truths for much of the past year. Why else would former manager Tony Mansolino feel like he needed to be saved from the organization?
If Alonso sees bad habits developing, he isn't afraid to call it out--even if it's during an exhibition game of no consequence. There are things that will be a greater determination of the Orioles' success in 2026--rotation stability, healthy, effective bullpen management--but Alonso's role can't be understated.
