SARASOTA—Orioles catcher Maverick Handley is an interesting fellow. A world traveler, Handley had an important choice to make in 2019. He could have gone to medical school or played professional baseball.

Handley was the Orioles’ sixth-round draft choice in 2019 and finally made it to the majors last season. His 2025 season was truncated when he suffered a concussion and a sprained wrist. Handley, who turns 28 on Tuesday, hit .073 (3-for-41) with two RBIs in 16 games.

Question: You’re in your fifth spring training with the Orioles. Do you feel like a grizzled veteran now?

Handley: “I definitely feel like I have a little bit more perspective than a lot of these guys with everything changing.”

Question: How important was that time in the big leagues last year?

Handley: “It was really important. I got to achieve a childhood dream, got to experience baseball at the highest level, and see what it’s like at the top.”

Question: Last year, you were one of seven catchers the Orioles used. Now, not only are there Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, but here’s also Sam Huff, who has more big league time than you do.

Handley: “It really doesn’t change it all. After last year, you can see that anything is possible at the catching position. Depth does matter. I think at the end of the day, it’s going to be who’s playing best, Basallo is obviously a really good player, and he should be up there the whole season. Like they say, you’re always playing for all 29 other teams. Hopefully, if I’m able to play well enough where the Orioles find value with me, and I’m able to help the team in a potential trade or even just add depth as a third catcher, potentially.”

Question: After finally making the big leagues, would it be hard to spend the whole season in the minor leagues again?

Handley: “Not really. Obviously, everybody wants to be in the big leagues. Norfolk’s a good place, though. I’m pretty comfortable with it. I would like to be with the Orioles. If I’m in Triple-A, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, and I’m going to play my ass off and play for another opportunity next year.”

Question: With the additions of Chris Bassitt and Shane Baz, how does this starting rotation compare with the one you saw last year?

Handley: “I think it’s much improved, just in terms of stuff, mentality. Guys are jelling really well this year. It’s easy to predict what it’s going to be like in the future, but when it comes down to it, guys are going to have to perform every fifth day, potentially every sixth day.

“It’s definitely improved seeing [Trevor] Rogers doing what he’s doing this year. When he got traded over here, he was in Triple-A, and he was struggling, and to see how he’s turned that around has been really awesome, seeing . We’ve even got a young core of starting pitchers in Triple-A that are really good and could have an impact.”

Question: The potential starting rotation for Norfolk this year is far better than last year, correct?

Handley: “No doubt.”

Question: Who are some of the guys who’ve impressed you?

Handley: “Obviously, Levi Wells, not the biggest guy, not the biggest starter, throws absolute gas. Trey [Gibson] really impressed me. I only got a couple of starts out of him in Triple-A. Faced him in [batting practice] lives the other day. It was pretty elite stuff. Seeing what he can do over a full season. Cam Weston, his velocity has ticked up this spring training. Faced him a couple of times. It’s much improved. The velocity is hanging around 92, 94.

“It’s going to be really fun in Triple-A. Guys are going to be developing, guys are going to working hard. We should win a good amount of games, too.”

Question: Have you gotten a chance to know Chris Bassitt?

Handley: “I’ve talked to C Bass quite a bit. He’s kind of a veteran, ‘I’ve been around,’ and shoot the guy has over 10 years service time. He could be done if he wanted to, but he has this hunger for the games, this passion. I think that has definitely imposed upon these young guys to show.  Hey, this guy likes to compete. This is what it takes to be in the league, and he’s not a guy that throws 100. He’s a guy that knows how to pitch and knows how to utilize his stuff and knows how to be the guy on the mound, and I think that’s really important for some guys that don’t have as much experience to see what it takes for a guy to go out there and perform.”

Question: When you’re done playing, what do you want to do?

Handley: “That is a great question. I enjoy coaching. I think I have a lot of baseball knowledge I’ve collected over the years. I’ve got a Stanford bioengineering degree sitting in my back pocket. I don’t think I’d be playing baseball this long, to be honest.

“I was fully ready to go to med school, and I think that’s now off the table. I don’t know that I want to go back to school for seven to 10 more years, accrue a bunch of debt. This whole AI boom and bubble is changing the job market.

“I’m really not too sure. I think I’ve got about three to eight years left in baseball. I’d like to sell out there, but I’m going to need some time to reflect on what pushes my buttons.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected]