SARASOTA, Fla. – Zack Britton stood behind the row of bullpen mounds Tuesday morning with another former Orioles pitcher, Ben McDonald, and watched the side sessions. He went indoors earlier with a fungo bat in hand to retrieve his glove, unsure whether he might actually use it.

This is Britton’s first experience as a guest instructor, and the enjoyment is amplified with older brother Buck in camp as the new major league coach. The former All-Star closer is settling into a new role and admiring the Orioles’ progress since they traded him to the Yankees at the 2018 deadline and began their rebuild.

“It’s been great, I think just getting around everybody again, getting back in the organization,” he said earlier today. “A lot of memories here, a lot of good ones. Nice to meet a lot of the new front office people, a lot of the new coaches. Fun to see my brother out here interacting with the guys.”

Britton spent 7 ½ of his 12 major league seasons with the Orioles after they drafted him in the third round in 2006. They turned him into a closer and watched him earn back-to-back All-Star selections, his peak season in 2016 with 47 saves in 47 chances, a 0.54 ERA and 0.836 WHIP in 69 appearances, and a fourth-place finish in Cy Young voting. It was one of the finest performances by a reliever in baseball history.

The Orioles played in the Wild Card Game in Toronto, didn’t use Britton in an 11-inning, walk-off loss, and began tearing down the team in the summer of ’18. They didn’t return to the postseason until 2023, the same year that Britton was first out of baseball.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Tommy Joseph noticed it right away.

After spending the 2024 season as assistant hitting coach in Seattle, Joseph accepted the same job with the Orioles and immediately was struck by the positive atmosphere and tight bonds formed among players who genuinely care about each other. They’re teammates but also friends. They have the same goals and each other’s backs.

The hitting philosophies are almost universal, with Joseph saying, “You try to score more runs as the other team. You’ve just got to find as many ways to do that as you can every day.”

And then, there’s this:

“In terms of the environment and the culture, just being here a couple days, you can tell it’s very special. They’ve built something very special and the players really bought in on everything here," he said.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zack Britton reports to Orioles spring training in two days to serve as a guest instructor. His older brother is excited to see him again. They have lots to talk about beyond their families.

Buck Britton spent the last three seasons as Triple-A Norfolk manager before the Orioles promoted him this winter to major league coach. He began coaching in 2017 with Single-A Delmarva, managed the Shorebirds for one year and held the job for three with Double-A Bowie.

The call to the majors never arrived while playing from 2008-16 after the Orioles drafted him in the 35^th round. Zack, meanwhile, went from third-round pick and failed starter to two-time All-Star closer who converted all 47 save chances in 2016.

“He was super fired up for me,” Buck said this morning.

“It will be cool. We got to spend some time on the field together in Triple-A when we were playing, but he was a little more serious back then. He’s unemployed, by the way. I’m the guy who’s still hanging on here. But it will be fun. I’ll get to tell stories, probably lie a little bit about them, but in my favor. I just want to see him hit a fungo because I don’t know if he can handle that.”

Under the Mike Elias regime, Matt Blood has played a prominent role for the Orioles. He was hired first as director of player development in September of 2019. On his watch, the O’s farm system became the first to be ranked No. 1 in five straight rankings by MLBPipeline.com. 

Blood was promoted to his current role, vice president, player development and domestic scouting in October of 2023.

He was involved in the recent hiring of Triple-A Norfolk manager Tim Federowicz, someone he knows since both were students and involved with the baseball team at the University of North Carolina.

When Buck Britton was hired to move to the O’s big league coaching staff, the club interviewed several candidates for their Triple-A opening before the recent hiring of Federowicz.

Federowicz had a 13-year pro career and played parts of eight season in the majors as a catcher with six teams. He retired in December of 2021.

The turkey will be the star today in many households, but I’m more of a sides guy. They can make or break a meal.

Trading for or signing a starter the caliber of Corbin Burnes, if not actually him, would be baseball’s turkey. The same goes for a big right-handed bat.

Three more minor league signings on Monday were sides.

The Orioles didn’t make any bold moves last November, their final transaction of the month a minor league contract for left-hander Jakob Hernández. They claimed outfielder Sam Hilliard on waivers from the Braves and gave right-hander Adrian Heredia and left-hander Andy Tena minor league deals.

The most important business this month has involved restructuring the 40-man roster, with relievers Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb unexpectedly entering free agency, and finalizing the coaching staff. Those are the primary sides. We’re talking stuffing, potatoes and casseroles. The minor league stuff, while necessary to build depth, is more like the relish tray.

We found out yesterday that former O’s backup catcher Robinson Chirinos and the O’s Triple-A manager Buck Britton, are joining their big league coaching staff.

Those hires no doubt will be most popular in the clubhouse. A clubhouse that Chirinos shared in 2022 with Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and several others. That 2022 season was the year the Orioles went from 52 to 83 wins. They ended the losing and set the stage for playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.

During that 2022 season, I had several enjoyable interactions and interviews with Chirinos, a player his then cohorts called a “a great teammate.”

That summer he told me being called that was important to him.

“It is (meaningful to me). When you understand as a player it’s not about you; it’s about the team. It’s about how many people you can impact on your team. So many people we talk every single day to that end that make baseball more fun. This game is so hard every day. When you take away the focus on yourself and you’re trying to get the best out of people, it makes baseball more fun.

Former catcher Robinson Chirinos is making his coaching debut in 2025. The Orioles are bringing him onto their staff, and they aren’t easing him into the next phase of his professional life.

Chirinos was hired as bench coach, with the club making an announcement this morning. He replaces Fredi González, who wasn’t retained.

Also debuting is Buck Britton, who’s promoted from Triple-A Norfolk manager to major league coach. Britton, older brother of former Orioles closer Zack Britton, replaces José Hernández.

Chirinos, 40, is widely viewed as a future major league manager and he drew heavy praise from manager Brandon Hyde for his knowledge and leadership as the backup catcher in 2022. Chirinos, an 11-year veteran with six clubs, batted .179 with a .552 OPS in 67 games before retiring as a player.

From 2013-19, Chirinos ranked as the sixth-most valuable primary catcher with a 13.0 bWAR.

The month of October can be slow for teams that aren’t in the playoffs. That’s sort of the idea. The spotlight shines on the ones who remain in the championship chase. The others quietly take care of their business and wait until free agency begins and other important dates arrive. Big announcements are frowned upon.

The last Orioles transaction is left-hander Tucker Davidson choosing free agency on Oct. 7 after he was designated for assignment on Sept. 29. However, changes are being made in the front office.

According to a source, Bill Wilkes, Ben Sussman-Hyde and Sam Berk will not return to the advance scouting and strategy department in 2025.

Wilkes served as the Orioles' manager of major league strategy since October 2021 after spending three years as advance scouting operations manager. Sussman-Hyde was major league video/run creation strategist manager after three years as major league video/advance scouting coordinator. Berk finished his first year as an advance scouting analyst after his promotion from advance scouting fellow.

Director of baseball strategy Brendan Fournie remains in the department.

The Orioles have removed three coaches from their staff. That’s one more than they did after winning 101 games and the division title in 2023, returning Chris Holt to an exclusive role as director of pitching, and dismissing assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes.

The trend continues of making changes under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde. They’ve been together for six seasons and the staff hasn’t stayed the same, though it came really close in 2023.

Hirings were made later than usually for the 2019 season after Hyde’s hiring a month earlier. You have a good memory if you can recite them. Only Tim Cossins remains as major league field coordinator/catching instructor, though he’s relocated from the dugout to the bullpen.

More emphasis was placed on experienced veterans like pitching coach Doug Brocail, hitting coach Don Long and first base coach/outfield instructor Arnie Beyeler. José Flores was named third base coach/infield instructor, replacing Bobby Dickerson after entire staff had been retained for 2018.

Howie Clark stayed as assistant hitting coach but was gone by 2020. John Wasdin was promoted to bullpen coach after spending the past two years as minor league pitching coordinator. José Hernández was major league coach, changed titles later, went back to this one and lasted until Friday.

MIAMI – When a family member texted him with news that O's infielder Jorge Mateo had left a game injured, it was news to Connor Norby. He had not heard anything to that point. Soon he found out much more and that he was headed to Miami for his second stint in the majors with the Orioles.

Not happy how it happened but ready to show he can play at the big league level.

“Unfortunate, but ready to fill a spot when the team needs it,” he said pregame Thursday in the O’s clubhouse after arriving from Triple-A Norfolk.

Norby went 3-for-14 in four early June games with the Orioles. But he felt more comfortable each day and when he was sent back to the minors, he went back confident about his big league future.

“That I can play here,” he said was what he learned in that first taste of big league life. “I still think there is another level to me. As crazy as that sounds at times for me. But I think there is more in the tank. Trying to be as consistent as I can but the biggest thing here is helping us win games. The biggest thing I learned is I can play at this level.”

MIAMI – After a series-opening 6-3 loss in Miami last night, the Orioles take the field tonight looking to turn around their recent poor play and even this series.

They do it with right-hander Chayce McDermott making his big league debut on the mound. The 2023 Jim Palmer Award winner as the O’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year was 3-5 with a 3.96 ERA at Triple-A Norfolk. Over 91 innings in 20 games, he had a 5.34 walks-per-nine-innings rate and 12.76 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate.

He leads the International League in strikeouts and is tied for the overall minor league lead.

Ranked as the O’s No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, he is No. 7 via MLBPipeline.com, which provides 60 grades on his fastball and slider and 45 for his control.

In 10 Triple-A games to end the 2023 season, McDermott pitched to an ERA of 2.49 and 1.01 WHIP and felt then he was on the way to making command gains.

On Tuesday night during the All-Star game in Texas, no doubt at some point the national television audience will hear one of the broadcasters point out the two O’s starters in the game – Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson – were the first two draft picks by Mike Elias after joining the Orioles.

Rutschman was the No. 1 pick in that 2019 draft but the Orioles got Henderson at No. 42 overall. Baseball America had him at No. 30 in their pre-draft projections.

The first two picks of the new regime are now All-Stars.

“It is definitely a testament to Elias,” Henderson said in the clubhouse pregame yesterday. “I know Rutch was obviously the consensus 1/1 pick. But to take a chance on me, I can’t thank him enough for that. Just glad to be able to go out there and help the O’s win some games.”

So why was Gunnar still there at pick No. 42?

When this baseball season began, Buck Britton, the third-year manager of the Orioles’ Triple-A Norfolk Tides team, was 37. He turned age 38 on May 16, just six days after he recorded his 400^th win as a minor league manager.

The Orioles have the No. 1 ranked farm system in the majors and many people have had a hand in that. But to hear some players with the Orioles now that have played for Britton, he is a very big reason why.

His last season as a Triple-A player was in 2016, so he’s young enough to relate to current players, experienced enough to have seen a lot in a seven-season minor league career and savvy enough to know what he doesn’t know or had lesser knowledge of at one time. He brought himself up to speed with the data and analytics in the game and when you put it all together, Britton, as the Birds' Triple-A skipper, has a lot to offer the talented youngsters he works with daily.

“He’s a great manager,” said outfielder Kyle Stowers. “He has a good gauge of what is going on in the clubhouse and what guys need. How to get guys ready to go. He is willing to work with guys. I see him all the time getting in work with the infielders.

“His door is always open for anyone that needs to talk with him. I’ve spent quite some time with him now and really enjoy playing for him.”

We were probably impressed when the Orioles’ Triple-A Norfolk farm team scored 39 runs in their first four games. Their top prospects were spraying line drives in the gaps and hitting baseballs over outfield walls.

As it turns out, the players on the top farm club for baseball’s No. 1 ranked farm system were just warming up.

Wednesday night, Norfolk scored 17 runs from the sixth through the eighth innings at Charlotte and set several team records in a 26-11 victory.

That was a franchise single-game record for runs, breaking the mark of 23 set April 13, 1982 when the Tides were a Mets affiliate. They would not become an O’s farm club until 2007. The Tides set team records with eight homers and 29 hits and Heston Kjerstad’s 10 RBIs is a team mark, two better than any Tide ever. The nine doubles tied a club mark.

So much for some of the top prospects there being too down after not making the Orioles' Opening Day roster.

The World Series remains unsettled and free agency is on hold until five days after the conclusion of it. However, a mailbag can be sorted and shared at any time.

Let’s begin a new month with a fresh batch of questions.

Some of the responses might be stale. Some might prove inaccurate. I’m counting on short memories in these cases.

You should remember that I do minimal editing. Tampering with clarity is a rarity. I’d walk miles to maintain your unique styles.

Also, my mailbag hands out full-size candy bars at Halloween and yours gives out toothbrushes.

The Orioles were shut out yesterday in Fielding Bible Award selections. They’ll have to settle for having three players with a chance to win a Rawlings Gold Glove.

That’s the extent of their glove love in 2023.

Jorge Mateo won the award at shortstop last season, though he was excluded from the list of finalists for a Gold Glove.

The Cubs’ Dansby Swanson earned the Fielding Bible Award in 2023, the only unanimous selection. He led all shortstops with 18 defensive runs saved.

As you’ve probably figured out, only one award is handed out at each position. There isn’t a separation of the two leagues.

Former Orioles closer Zack Britton didn’t pitch this summer after failing to reach agreement on a free-agent contract, providing him with the opportunity to spend more time with a family that’s grown to include four children ranging in age from nine to two. And to more easily follow along on his older brother’s journey to a Triple-A championship.

He knew that Buck Britton was wired to coach and manage. That the short-circuiting of the former infielder’s playing career wasn’t the end of his baseball life.

It was just the beginning.

The Tides set a franchise record with 90 victories, won their first International League title since 1985 and secured their first Triple-A crown since 1983.  Britton was selected as the league’s Manager of the Year, following his award in 2019 with Double-A Bowie. He’s 164-135 in two seasons with Norfolk and 381-312 in five years in the Orioles’ system, beginning in 2018 at Single-A Delmarva.

The gig fits like a fielder’s glove.

When the regular season was winding down for the Orioles, they went through an eight-game stretch from Sept. 15-22 when they allowed nine runs once, seven runs twice and five runs twice. But then their pitching was really rolling in the season’s final eight games, pitching two shutouts in that span and allowing one run or less five times.

But the Baltimore offense was certainly not rolling. They hit just .138 scoring eight runs in the last four-game series versus Boston. In the last 11 games, the Orioles scored two runs or fewer seven times.

But over the long haul, the stats covering all 162 games, this just served to improve the O’s in the pitching stats. Their final team ERA of 3.89 ranks fifth best in the American League. And while their final runs scored per game dipped under 5.00 to finish at 4.98, that is still fourth best in the AL.

And while there are many different stats we could look at to evaluate their pitching and offense, ranking fifth in pitching ERA and fourth in scoring is a pretty good combination, one that led this team to 101 wins.

But should Birdland worry about an offense that scored just 32 runs while hitting only three homers in those last 11 games?

The Orioles know which team to prepare for, the opponent that dictates how their roster is constructed in the American League Division Series.

No other reasons to wait. The Rangers eliminated the Rays in the wild card round by a combined score of 11-1. The matchup is set.

The teams split six games this season, with Texas taking two of three at Camden Yards in May, including a 12-2 victory in the series opener. The Rangers were the Orioles' first road opponent and lost twice.

Jacob deGrom prevented a sweep with one earned run and 11 strikeouts in six innings, but he hasn’t pitched since April 28 and underwent Tommy John surgery two months later. Austin Voth was charged with the loss after relieving Grayson Rodriguez and allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings, but he isn’t with the club.

Hardly worth mentioning, I suppose, but there it is.

After a season when he rose to No. 1 in prospects rankings and has already been named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, today shortstop Jackson Holliday was named winner of the Orioles' Brooks Robinson Award as the organization's Minor League Player of the Year for 2023.

The Orioles named right-hander Chayce McDermott the recipient of the Jim Palmer Award as the club's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Norfolk manager Buck Britton won the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award. Dave Jennings won the Jim Russo Scout of the Year award.

Holliday has played at four levels in the 2023 season, beginning the year at Single-A Delmarva and later moving to High-A Aberdeen, Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He ended the regular season with Norfolk and will play with the International League champion Tides tonight against Oklahoma City, winners of the Pacific Coast League title, in the Triple-A Championship game in Las Vegas.

Over 125 games this year between the Shorebirds, IronBirds, Baysox and Tides, Holliday, 19, has hit .323/.442/.499/.941 with 30 doubles, nine triples, 12 homers, 24 steals, 154 hits, 101 walks, 113 runs and 75 RBIs.

“Yeah, I’ve got no complaints," Holliday said via a Zoom call today with reporters about his remarkable season. "This year has gone about as well as I could possibly imagine. My goal was Double-A, and to make it to Triple-A is quite something. It’s been quite a year."