SARASOTA—In recent years, the Orioles have become more aggressive in adding former players to their spring training camp as guest instructors.
Two former pitchers who have served as instructors in previous years, Ben McDonald and Scott McGregor, returned this year.
The 72-year-old McGregor, who won 138 games, sixth-most in team history in a 13-year career, is best remembered for pitching a shutout in the decisive Game 5 in the 1983 World Series, the last time the Orioles won the Series.
McDonald, a longtime team broadcaster, was the overall No. 1 draft pick by the team in 1989 and was 58-53 with a 3.89 ERA in seven season with the Orioles.
He concluded his stint with the team on Sunday and is back in Baltimore preparing for a series of remote Grapefruit League broadcasts. McDonald was impressed with the arms he saw in Sarasota.
“It’s different than what is was five or six years ago when you talk about the depth in the minor leagues with the pitching,” he said. “There are options now. When you look at the overall stuff, there’s a time when I came here four or five years ago, when I said, ‘I don’t see it here.’ Now you’re starting to see the development. You’re starting to see guys who are going to come up here in the near future and make a difference at the big level.”
McDonald liked what he saw of the two relievers the Orioles acquired in trades from the New York Mets last July, Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez.
“Those guys look pretty good to me, too,” McDonald said. “I like Nunez’s stuff. Foster is a guy that throws hard, too. Neither of those guys has been in the big leagues.”
Last season, McDonald watched Grant Wolfram pitch, and he sees a better pitcher in 2026.
“Wolfram is a guy that’s a sleeper. He’s throwing a lot more strikes this year,” he said. “Who’s going to be the left-hander that’s going to come in against the big lefty and be able to dominate? Wolfram could be that guy.
“His stuff is just getting it over the right part of the plate. His slider is a lot better this year. His command is overall better. That’s a little bit of a concern when I look at that. They’re going to need to develop somebody that can really specialize against left-handers.”
McGregor was watching Zach Eflin throw live batting practice during his time at camp, which ended Tuesday. He liked watching Eflin and catcher Sam Huff talk between innings.
“They’ve got some nice veteran quality starters to add to it,” he said of the team. “Obviously, this is a good bunch of guys who are having fun together. It’s nice to watch. It’s encouraging.”
He likes the additions of Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt and thinks they’ll pair well with Kyle Bradish.
“I had some really good talks with all those guys, really knowledgeable,” McGregor said. “They actually knew who I was. That was very encouraging.”
Longtime Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones spent an extended time in camp, and outfielder John Shelby, a teammate of McGregor’s, also were here. Former manager Sam Perlozzo is due this weekend and Orioles Hall of Famers Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis are on the schedule for next weekend.
Manager Craig Albernaz enjoyed having McDonald and McGregor in camp and believes the pitchers profit from them in ways that can’t be measured.
“It’s just having conversations with the guys and their experiences is the biggest thing,” he said. “It’s tough for the guest coaches to come in and actually really get technical because they just don’t have the history with the guys, what the actual plan is and what our pitching coaches are doing. Our pitching coaches are doing a good job of looping them in, but the biggest value for them is the conversation they’re having about their experience.
“When you have guys that played in the big leagues for a long time here, they’re great mental skills coaches. They’ve been through it. They’ve seen it from the other side. They’ve had time to reflect on their own career. Those guys are paying it forward to the next crop of pitchers.”
McGregor knows the game has changed markedly from when he played in the 1970s and 1980s.
“I remember when I was starting, I came to the ballpark, there were two new balls, one in each shoe and a chart from the last game I pitched,” he said. “I looked at it and I could tell who had adjusted, who I have to change, who I could stay the same with. We’ve come a long way with that.”
In an important way, pitching hasn’t changed.
“When you go out there on the mound, you have to read the situation and make pitches and not get overwhelmed by the surroundings,” McGregor said.
He’s bullish on the team for 2026
“They’ve going to have a nice lineup, nice starting rotation and the bullpen is tough,” he said.
McGregor, for many years, a minor league pitching coach in the organization, wants to know the current players and wants them to know him.
“They know who I am, and if they don’t, everybody tells them.”
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