Baltimore Orioles Make Major Shakeup, Part Ways With Head Athletic Trainer Brian Ebel

Brian Ebel, who spent the last 40 years in Baltimore, is not being brought back by the Orioles following an injury-riddled 2024 season that ended in the AL Wild Card Series.

Jul 11, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (6) reacts as trainer Brian Ebel examines him after being hit by a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Coming off an injury-plagued season that ended earlier than anticipated, the Baltimore Orioles are making a major change to their training staff.

The Orioles will not be bringing back head athletic trainer Brian Ebel for the 2025 season, The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli reported Tuesday afternoon. The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka and others corroborated the report shortly after.

Ebel just completed his 40th season as a member of the Orioles' organization and his seventh as the leader of their big league training staff. He had been part of the club's MLB staff for 28 years.

The Orioles are not bringing back longtime head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, multiple sources told The Athletic. Ebel had been with Baltimore for 40 years and was part of this past year's All Star Game's AL training staff.

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) October 22, 2024

Ebel's resume is extensive, as is his list of accolades over the years. He was given the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association in 2022, and his staff earned the Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year Award in 2023.

However, the Orioles were among the most injury-prone teams in the league this season, especially in regards to their starting rotation.

John Means, Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish all underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Grayson Rodriguez, on the other hand, made his final appearance of the season on July 31 due to a lat strain.

That left the Orioles extremely shorthanded for the playoffs, even with the offseason addition of Corbin Burnes and the deadline acquisition of Zach Eflin. Baltimore wound up getting swept by the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild Card Series, failing to win a postseason game for the 10th year in a row.

All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, who suffered seemingly minor hand and back injuries over the summer, notably hit just .207 with a .585 OPS in the second half of the season. It's difficult to blame Ebel for that kind of dropoff, but such a sharp decline was surely hard to ignore.

The Orioles now head into the 2025 offseason with plenty of holes in their coaching staff, training staff and scouting department. Burnes, Means and slugger Anthony Santander are also pending free agents.

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