The 2025 Major League Baseball regular season is finally upon us.

Expectations for the Baltimore Orioles in 2025 are high, but optimism may not be as high for many after a less than thrilling offseason. However, projections predict big things for the Orioles this season.

It’s now time to play the actual games on the field and not in the spreadsheets and for the Orioles to reach their high expectations, a number of young prospects will likely be helpful in that journey.

The Orioles pitching depth is already being tested to start the season.

 Veteran RHP Kyle Gibson is back in Baltimore on a one-year deal to add more depth to the organization, but it’s going to take a long list of arms to get through the upcoming 162 game season.

RHP Brandon Young was added to the Orioles 40-man roster this offseason to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft and he saw a good bit of action early on in spring training.

The 6’6″ UDFA signed out of Louisiana-Lafayette back in 2020 appeared in three games and showcased a true big league fastball and increased velocity.

Spring training stats aren’t important, but Young’s pitch data in spring was. His fastball averaged 94.4 mph, a 2 mph bump from his 92 mph average in Triple-A last season.

Used 43% of the time, Young’s heater produced a 53% whiff rate and showed more effectiveness up in the zone. The pitch was one of the better fastballs among Orioles pitchers early on in spring.

These 3 Orioles prospects could make their MLB debuts in Baltimore this year

Featuring a changeup, cutter, and curveball as well, all three offerings showcased the spin, movement, and metrics more in line with his Double-A data last year when Young dominated in his return to the mound. The pitch metrics backed up a bit in Triple-A with the switch to the MLB ball and likely some fatigue, which was to be expected after returning from his second Tommy John surgery last year.

Young will be one of the top arms in Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation to start the year, but as long as he picks up from where he left off in spring, Young will be called upon at some point this season to be a contributor in the big leagues.

The low-hanging fruit here for Orioles prospects who will make their MLB debut in 2025 is catcher Samuel Basallo. It’s not a guarantee that the 20-year-old catching prospect will see big league time this season, but after a dominant spring campaign and numerous positive reports about his defensive improvements, Basallo’s bat could force the issue by the end of the season.

Orioles GM Mike Elias recently announced that Basallo would DH only in Triple-A for the first few weeks of the season due to elbow inflammation, but this could something very similar to Basallo’s injury issue last season. Basallo had a limited spring camp due to a stress fracture, seemingly caused by a heavy workload on his young, developing (and large) body.

Knowing the work he put in this spring, and given that he’s still just 20 years old and continuing to develop physically, the elbow inflammation very likely isn’t a major issue.

Continuing to improve defensively is a necessity for Basallo if he wants to stick behind the plate long-term in Baltimore, but for 2025, it’s the bat that will make noise.

Lastly, a dark horse pick. Orioles fans could see RHP Cameron Weston make his MLB debut in 2025. The 24-year-old righty was an 8th round pick out of Michigan in 2022 and is coming off his first full, healthy season in the minors.

Weston was impressive in Double-A, posting a 3.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 108/25 K/BB in 92.1 Double-A innings and pitched a scoreless, effective inning recently in the Orioles Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees.

Weston is Rule 5 draft eligible this offseason so he could be used as part of a trade this season, but with a deep pitch mix, improved velocity, a propensity to induce a high volume of groundballs, and a delivery that features a more sidearm release and just enough funk to give hitters a unique look, if Weston starts the minor league season on a high note, he could be a bullpen option down the road if injuries/fatigue pile up and the Orioles want to go ahead and add him to the 40-man roster.

Despite seeing a large class of prospects find their way to the majors recently, the pipeline is still strong with plenty of talent pushing their way to the major leagues.