MASN announced yesterday that it will broadcast a record 20 spring training games this year, beginning February 20 against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. That’s more than double the eight games aired last season, and it means Orioles fans will get an extended look at the organization’s next wave of talent earlier than expected. The expanded coverage arrives at an opportune moment, with several promising prospects knocking on the door of the big leagues.
The Orioles already received contributions
from Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers in 2025, promoting the young catcher and outfielder on consecutive days last August. Both will open 2026 in Baltimore and shed their prospect eligibility early in the season. But the pipeline hasn’t dried up behind them. The organization’s international program, led by vice president of international scouting and operations Koby Perez, continues to produce talent, and several homegrown arms are approaching major league readiness.
Back in winter 2024, Matt Blood, Orioles VP of player development and domestic scouting, spoke about the fruits of the international program that Perez has built since arriving in 2019. “For a team to compete year in and year out you need a viable, high-functioning international program,” Blood explained. “Now we are starting to see what they started come to fruition. Koby has done a nice job finding players and I’d say we’ve put together a nice development process for them. We are starting to see them arrive to prospect status and maybe soon one of them makes the major leagues.”
One player who could vindicate that statement as soon as this year is left-handed pitcher Luis De León. The 22-year-old signed for just $30,000 as an 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic late in the 2020-21 signing period. Since then, the unheralded lefty has grown into one of the most promising pitching prospects in the Orioles’ system, finishing 2025 with a 3.30 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 87.1 innings across three levels. Over his last seven starts between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake, De León posted a 1.47 ERA and an 0.95 WHIP. He’d carry that momentum into the Arizona Fall League, where he dominated with a 1.08 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 8.1 innings, earning Pitcher of the Week honors.
De León’s raw stuff is among the best in the organization. He features a four-seam fastball and two-seamer in the 95-98 mph range that produces a ton of weak, grounded contact. MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra called De León’s strong finish “a sign of a pitcher peaking at the right time and a culmination of something that began long before August.” De León himself has cited improved command of his slider as a key development—he referred to it as “one of his worst pitches” at the beginning of 2025 before he started using it to his advantage throughout the season. Dykstra speculated that Baltimore could be “within reach by the second half of 2026” if De León continues his trajectory.
Center field remains the most obvious position for a prospect to fill. Enrique Bradfield Jr., the team’s first-round pick in 2023, is the most likely candidate to claim the role. The 24-year-old finished 2025 at Triple-A Norfolk before heading to the Arizona Fall League, where he was named Defensive Player of the Year while stealing 17 bases in 18 tries. His 80-grade speed makes him a game-changer on the basepaths and in center field, even if questions about his bat remain.
“I have high expectations to be able to at least go in there and compete,” Bradfield said of the upcoming spring training. “Whether I make the roster out of spring, whether I start in Triple-A, it does no different for me. I’m just going to show up every day, work, learn as much as I can and continue to do what I’ve been doing.”
Another name put forth by Koby Pérez as a potential call-up this year is second baseman Aron Estrada, who was one of the biggest surprises in the Orioles farm system in 2025. The switch-hitting Venezuelan signed for just $175,000 in 2022 and has outperformed expectations at every level since. Estrada hit a combined .288 with an .813 OPS, 10 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Chesapeake last season. Despite being 3.5 years younger than the average player at Double-A, he finished the year hitting .300 with five home runs in 27 games there. Baseball America now ranks Estrada as the organization’s 11th-best prospect, describing him as a contact-first hitter who “plays the game hard and maximizes his skills on the field.” He’ll likely start 2026 back at Double-A, but a strong first half could put him in line for a Triple-A promotion—and if injuries strike Baltimore’s infield, the 21-year-old could force his way into the conversation sooner than expected.
On the pitching side, right-hander Trey Gibson earned the organization’s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award after climbing three levels in 2025. The 23-year-old went from undrafted free agent to legitimate prospect in just two years, posting a 1.55 ERA in 10 starts at Double-A Chesapeake (including one complete-game shutout) before a late promotion to Norfolk. Gibson struggled at Triple-A with a 7.98 ERA in seven starts, but his five-pitch mix—featuring a fastball, slider, curveball, cutter, and changeup—gives him the arsenal of a mid-rotation starter. He’ll need more time at Norfolk, but a second-half debut isn’t out of the question.
Nestor German presents another intriguing option. The 24-year-old right-hander was an 11th-round pick in 2023 who has added velocity since turning pro, climbing three levels in 2025 and finishing at Triple-A. Like Gibson, German had a rough introduction to Norfolk with a 7.04 ERA in two starts, but his continued development could make him an option later in the season, especially given the organization’s depth concerns with starting pitching.
The Orioles would prefer not to rush any of these prospects (especially pitchers, considering how many starter arms they churned through in 2025: 16). But necessity has a way of accelerating timelines, and the expanded spring training coverage will give fans a better sense of who might be ready when the call comes. Alongside yesterday’s news about spring training coverage came reports of a record international class for the team, too. It would appear that the days of Orioles fans having nothing to watch in spring training are over.
