Could Coby Mayo learn to play outfield for Orioles? | MAILBAG

Question: Is Coby Mayo athletic enough to play corner outfield? Fast enough? Strong enough arm? Hard working? Fast learner? From: Buzz Roberts

Answer: Buzz, I also received a similar question from Gerry Mack. Buzz lists five attributes. To the final three, I can answer, yes. He was a third baseman, so he has a strong arm. He has worked diligently to learn how to play first base, and I think he made great progress.

While my initial inclination was that the Orioles would try to trade Mayo for a starting pitcher, and I think that still may happen, there is a position for Mayo to play, and that’s designated hitter.

As a longtime baseball man pointed out to me, players with Mayo’s power are pretty rare, and perhaps the Orioles could keep him and use him as the designated hitter.

I think fans often underestimate the challenges players face when learning new positions. Mayo spent much of 2025 learning first base, and now he should learn to play left or right field? I don’t know if that’s a good idea.

I’m not sure he’s athletic enough or fast enough to play in the outfield, but if the Orioles can use him as the DH, that might be the best use for him.

Question: Are there any other rookies besides Samuel Basallo, Jeremiah Jackson or Dylan Beavers who could surprise and make the opening 25-man roster? From: Bill Connor

Answer: Bill, it’s a 26-man roster, and Jeremiah Jackson is no longer a rookie because he had 170 at-bats and 66 days of service time, exceeding the limits in both categories.

There are currently three rookie pitchers on the 40-man roster — Jose Espada, Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez. It’s not out of the question that one of them is on the Opening Day roster.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.