Two Orioles Breakout Candidates in 2026

Opening Day is just one week away, and the Baltimore Orioles enter the new season with high expectations once again.

After what was the most successful offseason in Baltimore in a long time, the team finally has the look of a real contender that can compete with the best in the American League. New veteran stars like Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, and Chris Bassitt have given this team a completely new sense of energy and life.

But if the Orioles want to take the next step and make a deep playoff run, it’s going to take players stepping up and emerging.

Looking at the Orioles’ roster, two players clearly stand out as breakout candidates, and The Athletic’s Keith Law agrees. In his list of breakout candidates for the 2026 season, Law included two Orioles among his picks and noted he’s bullish on Baltimore, in part because of the breakout potential of these two players.

Coby Mayo

Mayo’s case to break out this season is clear for a number of reasons. Once a top prospect in all of baseball, he dominated in the minor leagues but has lacked a real opportunity to get consistent playing time in the majors due to being blocked by other players and a series of nagging injuries. When he has gotten that opportunity, the results haven’t followed, reflected in his -0.3 fWAR at the major league level.

However, in spring training, Mayo has been the talk of Orioles camp thanks to the strong performance he’s put together, and he's slated to take over as the starting third baseman while Jordan Westburg recovers from a partial UCL tear in his right elbow.

Toward the end of last season, Mayo looked like he was beginning to break out. In September, he hit .301 with five home runs and a .941 OPS. He’s carried that momentum into the spring, going 14-for-29 (.483) with two home runs, including one in today’s action against Yankees ace Max Fried.