A Perfect Plan For Orioles IF Rotation When Blaze Alexander And Samuel Basallo Return

Let’s think positively, Birdland, for a moment. Difficult as that may be considering the state of ownership and management around here.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Blaze Alexander – making a strong bid as team MVP before getting hit on the hand with a pitch just before the All-Star break – and catcher Samuel Basallo – the most prodigious under-22 power-hitting catcher in MLB history before succumbing to a linger shoulder issue – are back soon and pick up where they left off. What does that mean for the rest of this roster and how should failed baseball executive Mike Elias – who is particularly terrible navigating a roster in-season – respond?

As always, we’ve got a plan.

There is a cogent path this front office should take to both give respect to their outside chances of capturing the final Wild Card spot (but not really winning anything in October) but more importantly recognize the massive player-development questions that still need answering. Because as always here, with this mook in charge, the following season is more important than the current one.

That’s The Elias Way.

Here’s what should take place across the infield, and how duties and at bats should be dispensed, when their two big bats return from the Injured List. Our goal is to see as much of Alexander, Basallo, Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo as possible in these final two months, while trying to find a plan for Gunnar Henderson that gets him off his feet at least once a week entirely and has him DH at least once a week.

Third Base

Alexander: 2-3 days a week

Mayo: 2-3 days a week

Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Norfolk

Sorry CES, when Alexander comes up, you need to go down. He’s great organizational depth but there is homegrown talent with a higher upside we need to see. Alexander needs his feet in the dirt five days a week but he can play anywhere and if he plays more than three times a week at third, it does Mayo a disservice. Alexnader can also play a game in corner outfield if need be.

Giving up entirely on Mayo as at least serviceable at third in a pinch a few times a week seems silly now given the direction of this season. Very small sample size, but fundamentally his body control seems better recently there. And we have plenty of ideas how to keep his glove involved as we go around the horn. Kid needs a runway to hit.

Shortstop

Henderson: 3-4 days

Alexander: 1-2 days

Holliday: 1-2 days

This team’s fielding sucks. These kids were moved all over the place in the minors and at this point in another lost season in terms of any title hopes, they need to think big picture. So I don’t mind it here, especially considering Henderson is a below average hitter, fielder and baserunner since the 2025 All-Star break.

And Henderson is gone in 2027, folks. Everyone I discuss this with on “The Daily Flock Show’ agrees. He plays more than he can handle and presses more than he should. He is not a good shortstop and is never going to be a good one here. Maybe he’ll hit more as a DH; they tried like hell with Adley Rutschman and might as well with him. The poor decisions with the ball and not getting the lead runner and throwing all over the place … I’m over it.

Between Alexander and Holliday that’s two days a week Gunnar shouldn’t be in the hole. Start embracing the future and seeing more of these two there, knowing that landing an everyday CF and SS is very likely going to be a huge part of the ’27 offseason plan (and the free agent class sucks so it’s trade time).

Second Base

Holliday: 3-4 days

Jeremiah Jackson: 1-2 days

We’re going with pretty much what we’ve seen lately, but Holliday is going to play a ton for me and he is in the lineup against lefties. And super-tough lefties. We need to see how sustainable what appear to be very real changes in approach can be. When Holliday is at short, JJ is at second.

First base

Pete Alonso: 3-4 days

Basallo: 1-2 days

Mayo: 1-2 days

Again, we have to keep it real. It’s great Alonso is playing at a Gold Glove level but he’s here for his bat and one guy playing 155 games at 1B the way they developed Mayo and Basallo in the minors is idiotic. And this contract won’t age great and he’ll be doing a lot of DHing over the course of it, anyway. They need to start cutting back to keep others involved.

Mayo looked really good at first last year toward the end of the season. Just like we can’t just throw in the towel on him at 3B, we can’t do it here, either. Basallo is quite good there and with Carlos Narvaez more than capable behind the plate, let’s give this kid at least a game a week at first.

Catcher

Basallo: 3-4 days

Narvaez: 2-3 days

This is pretty obvious. They’ve come out and said they don’t think Sammy should be doing it more than four days a week at this point. I’m fine with that, and between DH and 1B we can move him around and keep him slugging.

We have Alonso, Basallo, and Mayo all as prime DH bats in this rotation – two options from the right and one from the left. O’Neill is a bench guy and let him keep relishing that pinch hitting role. Jackson is an IF bench guy. When September hits, I’m way more into seeing Enrique Bradfield Jr. or Heston Kjerstad than I am CES again.

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