SARASOTA—Craig Albernaz has been pleasantly surprised by the number of promising young arms he’s found in Orioles’ spring training. The first-year manager read reports and looked at tape of several prospects, and he’s liked what he’s seen.
“That’s what I love about spring training,” Albernaz said. “You get to see a lot of these young guys live and in person to see what they’ve got. These guys have been better than advertised.”
Two of the young pitchers, Trey Gibson and Luis De Léon, have been attracting notice throughout the industry. Gibson, a 23-year-old right-hander who was named the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2025, is ranked as the 72nd best prospect by Baseball America, 46th by ESPN and 83rd by FanGraphs. He was 5-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 26 games with Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Chesapeake and High-A Aberdeen.
De Léon, a 22-year-old left-hander, who pitched well in the Arizona Fall League, is rated 95th by Baseball America and 64th by FanGraphs. Last season, De Léon was 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 20 games for Chesapeake, Aberdeen, and Single-A Delmarva. He had a 2.76 ERA in five starts in the Arizona Fall League, striking out 22 in 16 1 /3 innings.
In Gibson’s first Grapefruit League appearance, he pitched the final three innings of a 2-0 Orioles’ win over the New York Yankees on Friday, allowing two hits and striking out three.
Gibson’s breaking ball, the “death ball,” is one he’s featuring when he’s trying to strike out a batter.
“Pretty much saving it for two strikes, pretty much any opportunity I have to get a whiff,” he said. “I think it plays well with the sinker. Right now, I’m thinking it’s going to be my primary two-strike offering.”
None of the young starters in camp — Gibson, De Léon, Levi Wells, Nestor German or Cameron Weston — will begin the season with the Orioles, but each is trying to make a good impression.
“I’d say I’m on the right track right now,” Gibson said. “I feel pretty good where I’m at. I’m not trying to think too far ahead. Talking with the coaches, doing what they think is best for me and going along with that.”
He appreciates the high rankings among prospects but is finding time around veteran pitchers to be more valuable.
“That’s part’s nice, but jumping three levels and being around those guys in Triple-A, [Kyle] Bradish, [Tyler] Wells rehabbing down there, spending time with them, learning what it takes to be a big leaguer. Don’t take that for granted.”
This spring training experience is even better.
“It’s pretty awesome being around a lot of those guys, a lot of showtime experience.” he said.
De Léon is a step behind Gibson because he hasn’t yet pitched in Triple-A. He’s also in his first major league spring training and learning from veterans. He was pleased with how well he pitched with the Baysox when he had a 1.69 ERA in three starts while striking out 24 in 17 innings.
“I was very happy the way it went and, honestly, I wasn’t really expecting it to go the way that it did,” he said through a team translator. “Thankfully, I had a lot of confidence from my coaches, manager and teammates, and I think that allowed me to perform even better.”
Last month, Kobe Perez, the team’s vice president of international scouting and operations, said he thought De Léon could be the next homegrown Latin American prospect to make the Orioles.
“I think from what the team has told me and looking at the amount of work that I’ve put in myself, I think that I’m very close,” De Léon said. “It’s just a matter of continuing to be consistent and trusting God’s plan.”
De Léon has found spring training invaluable.
“I think continuing to get experience, talking to a lot of guys who have major league experience, seeing what it’s like to pitch at the next level and seeing what it takes to get there,” De Léon said.
Wells, who was the Orioles’ fourth-round pick in 2023, pitched two scoreless innings against Pittsburgh, giving up a hit and striking out two. He was 2-6 with a 3.48 ERA and two saves in 25 games for Norfolk and Chesapeake.
Weston, who was the eighth-round choice in 2022, was 5-9 with a 4.59 ERA in 29 games at Norfolk last season pitched two scoreless innings against Detroit, giving up one hit, walking one and striking out four.
He’s enjoying seeing his teammates stand out.
“I’ve been with them for a while. It’s always nice seeing them succeed as well,” Weston said.
De Léon has yet to appear in a game, and Albernaz can’t wait to see him.
“He’s really good. He’s left-handed. That’s always going to be a big factor,” he said. “It’s so easy and fluid on the mound. Even his arm has a lot of whip action to it. There’s a lot of stuff to like about him, the way he throws strikes. Couple him with Trey Gibson and Levi Wells. I like where the organization’s at.”
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