Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. Spring Training is now taking place, and I’ll be in Sarasota, Fla., through the end of camp on March 24. Make sure to follow along on Orioles.com for coverage all spring, while this newsletter will continue to land in your inbox twice a week ... 

SARASOTA, Fla. -- It’s time for the O’s to play ball.

The 2024 Grapefruit League season has arrived, with the Orioles hosting the Red Sox in their spring opener at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It’s the first of 32 Spring Training games for Baltimore, the defending American League East champions.

New Orioles ace Corbin Burnes got the starting nod for the first Grapefruit contest. The 29-year-old right-hander is also likely to get the assignment for Opening Day on March 28 vs. the Angels at Camden Yards.

For players like Burnes -- and about 14-16 others on Baltimore’s roster -- Spring Training stats won’t matter. They’re already locks to break camp with the team. But others may need to play well in Grapefruit action to win an Opening Day roster spot.

Here are five players on the roster bubble (listed in alphabetical order) to monitor closely during Spring Training games over the next month.

OF Colton Cowser

Cowser (MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 overall prospect) is among six outfielders battling for either one or two spots on the Orioles’ roster. The 23-year-old struggled during his brief 26-game debut stint in the Majors last year, but he likely still has a bright future ahead.

Also, Cowser had an impressive showing at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 -- a .300/.417/.520 slash line with 18 doubles, 17 homers and 62 RBIs in 87 games -- and the taste of the big leagues should have been a valuable learning experience. He has an opportunity to play his way onto the Opening Day roster.

INF Jackson Holliday

Of course, Holliday is a top player to watch in Grapefruit League action. The No. 1 overall prospect in MLB is a future star with a legitimate opportunity to break camp with the O’s (and make an Opening Day MLB debut) to begin his second full professional season.

“I’m not trying to do anything crazy. Just play my game,” the 20-year-old  Holliday said. “Talking to certain guys, that’s what their advice was, is to just keep playing the game that I love and not change too much.”

LHP Cole Irvin

Irvin’s odds of cracking Baltimore’s rotation greatly increased with the news that Kyle Bradish (right UCL sprain) will go on the injured list and that John Means (left elbow recovery) is likely headed there as well. Irvin, who is out of Minor League options, now slots in as the probable No. 5 starter to open 2024.

But Irvin still needs to go out and secure his spot after posting a 4.81 ERA over the 12 starts he made in 2023 (his first year with the Orioles). It will also be interesting to see how his stuff looks in games, as he spent the offseason improving his cutter and adding more break to his sinker.

OF Heston Kjerstad

Like Cowser, Kjerstad (Pipeline’s No. 32 overall prospect) is among the six outfielders on the O’s roster bubble. However, the 25-year-old slugger may be the frontrunner heading into Grapefruit action after he made a 13-game MLB debut last September/October and then was included on Baltimore’s roster for the AL Division Series.

Last spring, Kjerstad put up big numbers, slashing .381/.409/.810 with four doubles, four homers and nine RBIs in 23 Grapefruit League games. Another spring like that and he should be making his first career Opening Day roster.

RHP Dillon Tate

When Tate takes the mound for his 2024 spring debut, it will be his first game action since last June 21, when he made the final appearance of a Minor League rehab stint that was shut down without him returning to the big leagues. The 29-year-old never pitched for the Orioles last season due to elbow/forearm issues.

Only four relievers appear locked into Baltimore’s bullpen -- closer Craig Kimbrel, Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe and Cionel Pérez -- with the other four spots up for grabs. Tate has two Minor League options remaining, so he could be sent to the Minors if he struggled this spring. But if he returns to his 2022 form (a 3.05 ERA in 67 games), he should be in the Opening Day 'pen.

Who was Baltimore’s starting pitcher for the Grapefruit League opener in 2019 (Brandon Hyde’s first year as manager)?

A) Andrew Cashner
B) David Hess
C) John Means
D) Yefry Ramírez

A new voice has been added to the Orioles’ broadcast team for the 2024 season.

The O’s have hired Ben Wagner, who spent the past six seasons as a Blue Jays play-by-play announcer for Sportsnet and the team’s radio network. He will appear on radio and select MASN television broadcasts this season.

Geoff Arnold (primary radio play-by-play), Kevin Brown (primary TV play-by-play), Scott Garceau (TV/radio), Brett Hollander (TV/radio), Rob Long (TV), Ben McDonald (TV), Melanie Newman (TV/radio) and Jim Palmer (TV) will all be returning.

During the early weeks of Spring Training, I’ll be using this space to highlight some of the new players in Orioles camp this year. In this edition: Nick Maton.

Who is he?
Maton is a 27-year-old utility man acquired from the Tigers in exchange for cash considerations on Feb. 7. A seventh-round pick of the Phillies in the 2017 MLB Draft and a native of Chatham, Ill., he has primarily played in the infield during a three-year big league career that spans 179 games -- 86 with Philadelphia (2021 and '22) and 93 with Detroit ('23).

What should you know?
A left-handed hitter on the 40-man roster who is out of Minor League options, Maton is a long shot to break camp with the Orioles this spring. But he should get plenty of playing time in Grapefruit League games over the next couple of weeks, so he’ll have an opportunity to showcase his skills.

Maton’s brother, Phil, is also a big leaguer who joined an AL East team this offseason. The 30-year-old right-hander -- a seven-year MLB veteran -- signed with the Rays on Feb. 14.

What did he say?
“It’s always good to have a fresh start anywhere, especially in an organization like this. I mean, they had a heck of a year last year, and there are a lot of good people in this clubhouse and a lot of good people up top helping everybody out. I’m just excited.”

D) Yefry Ramírez

Ramírez spent two seasons with the Orioles, recording a 6.07 ERA in 21 games (13 starts) across the 2018 and '19 campaigns.

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