Albernaz on 2026 Orioles: ‘I feel good about this club’

On Friday, manager Craig Albernaz and several Oriole players joined fans and media in helping assemble meals for “Blessings in a Backpack,” a charity that provides food for students to eat during the weekends. After the event at the Warehouse, Albernaz answered questions from the local media about his new team.

Here are excerpts:

How do you feel about this club right now?

“I feel good about this club. That just speaks to the job that [president of baseball operations Mike Elias] have constructed. What I love about Mike and his crew is that they’re identifying how to get our team better, and they’re not just trying to win the offseason, signing everyone.

“They’re very thoughtful and calculated on how the type of people we’re bringing in in the clubhouse, and also how they fit with the players we already have.”

How do you feel about the rotation with the addition of Shane Baz and the return of Zach Eflin?

“Bringing back Eflin, he’s such a great clubhouse guy and person, work ethic. He’s going to have a bounce-back year. He said it last year, battling some injuries last year and not having the year that he wanted. He put a ton of work into this  offseason. I’m excited about what he can do, and obviously when you bring in a talent like Shane Baz. I have a little bit of history with him, seeing him with the Rays, but only for a little bit.

“The stuff jumps out, and he’s such a competitor. Even at a young age, he was different than his counterparts at the same age.

“So bringing in two guys like that to support the rest of the starting pitching group, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

The roster seems set. Where do you see competitions during spring training?

“That’s the beauty of me coming in, year one, fresh eyes. Our guys have put in a ton of work in the offseason. They’ve made changes. They’re trying to get better. I want to see where they’re at and go from there. Hopefully, we’ll have competition all over the field because that’s a good thing, which means our guys are competing and getting better.”

When you talked with Heston Kjerstad, how did the conversation go?

“It was awesome. With Heston, he’s itching to get back … With Heston’s pedigree, he had to prove how good he was in the minor leagues, and going to the [Arizona] Fall League and winning MVP, that’s not an easy league to do that in.

“It was a great conversation. He’s very thoughtful. He knows what he has to do to get back, and that’s our job as a coaching staff is to support him in that development.”

Is he expected to be a full participant in spring training?

“Yeah, full participant.”

Do you think players have been motivated by their injuries last season?

“Every single player, they’re always. motivated by what happened the year before. Organically with these guys, there are injuries, and just getting back to feeling their best, and going out there and playing to the best of their ability.

“We want those guys to get better every offseason. They’ll put the work in. It’s such a different time now in this game, where there’s not much downtime. It’s consistent development, consistently trying to work on getting better, working on their craft, and that’s something our guys do already.”

What are your thoughts about Samuel Basallo?

“Basallo is a unit. He’s a big dude. A lot of those guys are big. Well to me, everyone’s big. He’s an impactful player. There are so many at-bats to go around and also performance is going to dictate a lot.

“The only thing I know is in all my conversations with him, and the background on him, is he’s a competitor. He wants to get better. He’s a team-first guy. When you have that makeup, he’s going to be just fine, and there are going to be plenty of at-bats for him.”

Will you allow Basallo and Jackson Holliday to face tough lefties?

“It all depends on them. I’ve been saying that for a while, the players make the moves for you. If a player has a tough time hitting lefties, what are you doing to get better at hitting lefties, and you’re putting the work in. We’re going to definitely find opportunities for them to hit lefties, but also if there’s a guy on the bench who has a .900 OPS versus a left-handed pitcher and the game’s on the line, it’s very tough to just have that guy sit there.

“For us, it’s just challenging our guys to get better. There are going to be decision moments in the game, and we have to do what’s best for the team, and sometimes, that’s leaving a player in to face lefties, and sometimes that’s making a pinch-hit move. Sometimes that’s pinch-running. Sometimes that’s defensive replacement. Sometimes, that’s going to the bullpen.

“There’s all decisions and points in the game. It’s up to us as staff members to make the right decisions.”

What are you looking for from Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson this spring?

“Coby is doing a lot of great work this offseason. I’m excited to see where he’s at. He was dealing with a little injury last year, too. He’s definitely trying to prove himself, especially with the minor league track record he has. I’m excited just to see him play.

“With JJ, being new to the utility-type role deal, he’s such a dynamic athlete, that’s going to be something we’re going to talk about, and to have him get comfortable and see what that plan looks like for him. He can do a lot of different things. Guys like that make the team impactful and kind of help everyone else play.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.