The unsung heroes of the Orioles win end of season award at Winter Meetings

Baseball's Winter Meetings are where a lot of moves are made by teams looking to improve heading into the next season. There is also a lot that happens as far as off-field things are concerned. The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society announced that the Orioles' athletic training staff has been named the Athletic Training Staff of the Year for 2023.

The Orioles' athletic training staff was the best in baseball in 2023

The athletic training staff does their job in private, helping injured players recover and get back to game action as soon as possible while also helping healthy players stay healthy throughout a long and grueling season. They are the unsung heroes of a baseball team, both in the major and minor leagues.

Besides just helping their own players, PBATS said that the Orioles' staff of athletic trainers are heavily involved in education and outreach within the community, hosting different events for coaches, parents, and athletes themselves on safety protocols and injury prevention practices.

Brian Ebel, the Orioles head athletic trainer, was appointed to the position ahead of the 2018 season as the team's fourth head athletic trainer after already spending 33 seasons in the organization, with the previous 21 having been as an assistant athletic trainer.

In 2022, Ebel was elected into the Maryland Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame and won the National Athletic Trainer’s Association’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. Assistant athletic trainers Mike Shires, Patrick Wesley, and Chris Poole worked with Ebel at the major league level this year.

Ebel had this to say upon receiving the award:

We are extremely humbled by this honor. Of all the accolades that could come our way, one voted on by our peers in the industry means the world to me and the Orioles’ Athletic training staff.

Congrats to Brian, Mark, Patrick and Chris on this prestigious award, keep up the great work!