Vance Honeycutt putting himself back on Orioles prospect map

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Vance Honeycutt has been one of the biggest surprises of spring training.

Although Honeycutt is not part of the major-league portion of training camp, he has received five plate appearances with the Orioles. He has made the most of that opportunity, leading the Orioles with four home runs in only four at-bats. His other plate appearance resulted in a walk and another run scored.

This run of success is a far cry from Honeycutt's first full season in professional baseball. The 22nd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft posted a disappointing .171/.284/.275 batting line in his 435 plate appearances at High-A in 2025, hitting seven homers and 12 doubles. While he drew 56 walks and stole 32 bases, Honeycutt also struck out 178 times.

Vance Honeycutt giving hope he can be an impact player for Baltimore Orioles

Honeycutt was ranked as the 22nd-best prospect heading into the 2024 Draft. He was considered to have plus power and speed, with his impressive raw power giving hope that he could be a 30 homer/30 stolen base force in the middle of the lineup. Honeycutt was also considered a possible Gold Glove center fielder, lauded for his impressive range and strong throwing arm.

The biggest question for Honeycutt was his hit tool. While his swing has solid loft and a high bat speed, he struggled to make consistent contact in the strike zone and would chase pitches out of the zone. Those concerns were evident in his 2025 campaign as Honeycutt posted a 40.8% strikeout rate.

Honeycutt has made changes to his swing during the offseason. Instead of trying to pull everything for power, he is focusing on working the middle of the diamond. He is looking for pitches he can put a good swing on while looking to make better decisions as to what he does swing at. So far, the results could not be any better.

Vance Honeycutt may be the hottest hitter in spring training. If the changes to his swing and approach stick, he could rocket up the Baltimore Orioles prospect rankings.