The Baltimore Orioles front office has understandably come under fire this season after the team woefully underperformed in the wake of what was, to put it generously, a very passive offseason. It is extremely clear that Mike Elias and Co. are not going to stray from their homegrown talent approach to roster building unless they are forced to, for better or worse. However, at least one Orioles legend doesn’t think relying solely on prospects working out is the way to go.

For Orioles fans of basically any age, Jim Palmer needs no introduction. The Hall of Fame pitcher won three Cy Youngs (1973, 1975, 1976), made six All-Star teams, and has three World Series rings. As a result, he knows a thing or two about baseball and has seen a lot of things go right as well as go wrong along the way.

At a recent event, FanSided’s own Adam Weinrib asked Palmer for his thoughts about the Orioles’ young prospects. His response was not the glowing endorsement that many would have thought.

Jim Palmer is not a fan of pinning the Orioles’ hopes on their prospects

In fairness to Palmer here, he has a bit of a point. Every organization would love to just develop its own players, pay them pennies on the dollar, and get to the World Series every year while raking in the cash. However, as Palmer pointed out, a lot of prospects are decidedly “suspect” until they prove they can perform in the big leagues.

Given how the Orioles performed this year, there is some reason to be skeptical. Heston Kjerstad struggled mightily this year, Jackson Holliday had an up-and-down season, and Coby Mayo certainly didn’t play like a top young bat in 2025. There is still time for these players to turn things around, but they certainly fit the “suspects” label Palmer put on them so far.

Again, you do need to have some homegrown talent, as no organization (yes, including the Mets and Dodgers) can afford to just buy an entire roster. However, Palmer’s comments are a reminder that even the teams that are best at talent evaluation and development still need to support their roster with proven big league talent if they want to have sustained success. Hopefully, the Orioles front office is listening.