Baltimore Orioles Young Star Knows He Needs To Perform This Spring

It was an interesting winter for the Baltimore Orioles to say the least.

They lost their two stars, brought in some volatile hitters and veteran pitchers to replace the departed production and then added more players to the outfield mix despite already having a solid group in place on paper.

With spring camps beginning across Major League Baseball, the dust has pretty much settled on this offseason with only a few notable players remaining unsigned and the potential for a late blockbuster to take place seeming unlikely.

The Orioles appear like they're done making moves.

Despite the national sentiment being Baltimore will take a step back in 2025, there is internal confidence that they not only won't have a drop off, but they can actually be an improved team compared to the last two seasons.

Much of that has to do with their young stars taking the next steps in their careers.

Jackson Holliday is the one getting a ton of attention heading into the campaign after he had an underwhelming first year in The Show, but Adley Rutschman's late-season collapse and bounce back has been another topic of conversation along with how Coby Mayo factors into the mix.

Someone under the radar is Heston Kjerstad.

The slugging outfielder is going to play for the Orioles this year.

Both Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde have said as much, but the question is how much he'll get onto the field after the additions of Dylan Carlson and Ramon Laureano which followed the original signing of Tyler O'Neill.

Kjerstad will be used a lot during Spring Training games, and he knows this is his opportunity to prove why he should be getting everyday reps in the 2025 season to become a featured part of this roster moving forward.

"The sooner you can become established in the big leagues, the better for your career. That's what you want to do. You want to be there as long as you can and be there as soon as you can, and that's everybody's goal," he said per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

It looked like he arrived last season.

Following his second call up of the year in late-June, he had a torrid six-game stretch to close the month by going 7-for-16 with two homers and eight RBI. That carried over a bit into the next month, but on July 12, he was hit in the head by a pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning against the New York Yankees, halting his momentum by getting placed on the concussion list.

Kjerstad was negatively affected, going 2-for-18 when he came back which caused Baltimore to send him to Triple-A.

That stretch before getting hit by a pitch is what he's drawing his confidence from, though.

"The first half proved to me that, OK, I can obviously perform at this level. It's just a matter of doing it consistently and that's the name of the game. So definitely know I'm capable of it and want to be able to do that for a full season," the slugger said.

It seems like Kjerstad is going to at least get at-bats against right-handed pitching, something that will allow him to carry a consistent role whether it's in the outfield or at designated hitter.

But at 26 years old, the time is now for the young star to leave his impact.

"Any time you show up to camp, probably in the best position I've been in so far over the last few years. But it's just like any team, you've got to earn your spot, you've got to keep your spot even once you're in it. It's one of those things, I'm going to control what I can control and just keep working on my craft and be ready to go and do whatever role my team needs me to do this year," he added.

Spring is an important time for everyone.

It's especially important for Kjerstad when it comes to where he's at in his career and what a strong showing could mean for his future.

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