BALTIMORE -- A former pitcher from the early years of the Mike Elias era has returned to the Orioles -- however, he’s now a member of the club’s player development staff.
On Tuesday, the O’s announced the hiring of Thomas Eshelman as upper-level pitching coordinator. The 31-year-old will work with Minor League pitchers at Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Chesapeake, helping them continue their development with the higher affiliates.
Eshelman pitched for Baltimore from 2019-21, recording a 5.77 ERA in 31 games (14 starts). The Carlsbad, Calif., native retired as a player following the '22 season, then became a pitching coach in the Padres’ farm system, working in that role for Single-A Lake Elsinore in '23 and for High-A Fort Wayne in '24 and '25.
Here is the Orioles’ updated player development staff, which now includes Eshelman:
Vice president of player and staff development: Matt Blood
Director of player development: Anthony Villa
Director of Minor League operations: Kent Qualls
Director of pitching: Forrest Herrmann
Upper-level coordinator of instruction: Mike Shildt
Lower-level coordinator of instruction: Samuel Vega
Upper-level hitting coordinator: Mike Montville
Upper-level pitching coordinator: Thomas Eshelman
Lower-level hitting coordinator: Brink Ambler
Pitching coordinator: Adam Schuck
The hiring of Shildt (a former Cardinals and Padres manager) and the promotion of Vega had been reported in late November. Herrmann also received a promotion after previously serving as Baltimore’s director of pitching development.
Montville was promoted after working as Norfolk’s hitting coach in 2025.
The Orioles have also finalized their Minor League coaching staffs for the 2026 season:
Triple-A Norfolk
Tim Federowicz returns as the Tides’ manager after joining the O’s organization in 2025. He’ll be working alongside hitting coach Rick Strickland and pitching coach Jeff Ware, who are both new to the system. Strickland was the hitting coach for Triple-A Iowa (Cubs) the past two years, while Ware was the Blue Jays’ assistant pitching coach during the '23 and '24 seasons.
Double-A Chesapeake
Roberto Mercado will be the Baysox manager for the third season. The most notable addition to his Double-A staff is pitching coach Jeremy Hileman, who joined Baltimore’s organization last year and was the pitching coach at High-A Aberdeen. Hileman was also a pitching coach in the Arizona Fall League.
High-A Frederick
The Keys return as an Orioles affiliate with Collin Woody set to serve as manager. Woody is a former O’s Minor Leaguer who played 79 games for Frederick in 2018. He spent the past two seasons as the manager at Single-A Delmarva.
Single-A Delmarva
Adonis Smith is taking over as the Shorebirds’ manager in his second year in the Orioles’ organization. Last year, he served as a development coach for High-A Aberdeen. It will be his first time working as a Minor League manager.
Florida Complex League
Christian Frias returns as the manager for Baltimore’s FCL team. He’ll be joined by a pair of new pitching coaches (Alan Kolb and Tanner Cooper) and two returning hitting coaches (Zach Cole and Jake Welch).
Dominican Summer League
Chris Madera and Elbis Morel are back as the managers for the Orioles’ two DSL teams. The most notable additions to the staff are hitting coach Elio Prado and coach Noelberth Romero, a pair of former O’s Minor Leaguers who stopped playing after last season.
Prado and Romero were both acquired by Baltimore in the trade that sent right-hander Andrew Cashner to Boston in July 2019. Now, they’re starting their coaching careers at the same time.
NOTE: Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish won his arbitration hearing on Monday, according to a source. The 29-year-old will make $3.55 million during the 2026 season.