On Tuesday, Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with fans at r/orioles. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here. Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
What is Adley Rutschman focusing on this Spring Training? I’m sure he’s hoping to hit his stride this year. -- u/xbrooksie
Rutschman was recently asked something similar in a media scrum (his focus during the offseason and heading into spring), and this was his response:
"A lot of it was trying to make sure that I'm healthy. First year being on the IL, nothing worse. Nothing worse than that. So just going through the offseason, trying to make sure that we're checking all the boxes on things that we can do not only during the offseason, but making a plan during the season to be able to have daily, 'OK, I'm checking this box,' and making sure that I'm healthy throughout the year, or at least doing all that I can to stay healthy, learning from last year."
So clearly, health is a big focus, because Rutschman did not enjoy the two stints on the injured list due to oblique strains in 2025. Manager Craig Albernaz has also praised Rutschman's hitting mechanics and athleticism early in camp and is impressed with what he's seen, compared to the video he had previously watched. No huge changes, just tweaks that Rutschman made in his offseason work that are now carrying over into spring.
This may sound hyperbolic, but arguably every Oriole not named Trevor Rogers had a disappointing season last year. That means there’s no shortage of bounce-back candidates. So, my question: which Oriole will have the most surprising performance (in a good way) relative to expectations? -- u/wompwump
Tyler O'Neill. Fans are clearly disappointed that O'Neill hit .199 and played only 54 games due to three stints on the injured list last season after signing a three-year, $49.5 million deal. He's frustrated by it, too. He doesn't want to let down the fans, and he's working hard to put himself in position for a bounce-back 2026.
A few of us in the media recently noticed that O'Neill is a bit slimmer this spring -- make no mistake about it, he's still absolutely jacked -- but he looks a little less bodybuilder and a little more baseball player, which could help his mobility, his swing, etc.
Let's not forget this guy hit 31 home runs and had an .847 OPS with the Red Sox in 2024. The talent is there. And the Orioles will try to find ways to keep O'Neill healthy, whether that's a bit more time at designated hitter or by giving him more regular days off here and there.
Two questions: 1. If you had to pick one non-roster invitee to make the Opening Day roster, who would it be? 2. I saw your story about the music at Spring Training. If you had the aux for a day, what three songs would you make sure are on your Spring Training playlist? -- u/mey2594
1. The obvious answer would be Albert Suárez, as I think he has a decent shot of being in the Opening Day bullpen. But let's go with a bit of a dark horse -- left-hander Eric Torres. The O's could use another high-leverage lefty, and Torres is a sleeper to eventually fill that role.
The 26-year-old Torres has never pitched in the big leagues and struggled at Triple-A in the Angels' system (a 9.44 ERA in 32 appearances). But he had a 1.59 ERA in 39 games in the independent American Association last year, then tossed 23 1/3 scoreless innings over 20 games in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He's an intriguing arm who may have figured something out in 2025.
2. J. Cole's "The Fall-Off" is in heavy rotation at the moment, so I have to pick something off that album -- let's go with "Safety." Then, we'll add two classics: "Let the Beat Build" by Lil Wayne and "Mr. Rager" by Kid Cudi.