Wednesday, July 23

Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s play three more games in Cleveland this week before returning to Baltimore for a homestand vs. Colorado and Toronto.

BALTIMORE -- As Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft unfolded during the night of July 13, Caden Bodine sat at the Pennsauken Country Club (close to his hometown of Haddon Heights, N.J.) surrounded by friends and family. Then, the moment came.

Bodine, a catcher out of Coastal Carolina University, was selected by the Orioles at No. 30 overall, a compensation pick after the first round. He also became the second backstop taken by Baltimore in a span of 12 picks, as Auburn’s Ike Irish previously went to the O’s at No. 19.

Was Bodine surprised to go to the Orioles after watching a fellow catcher get taken by the organization shortly before?

“I mean, he’s a good player, right?” Bodine said.

Indeed. In fact, Irish and Bodine are both good players, which is why Baltimore did what it did.

The Orioles have assembled quite a pipeline of catching talent. Adley Rutschman (the 2019 No. 1 overall pick) is in the big leagues. Samuel Basallo (Baltimore’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 overall) is at Triple-A Norfolk as the top catching prospect in baseball.

Creed Willems (O’s No. 11) is at Double-A Chesapeake. Ethan Anderson (O’s No. 18) is at High-A Aberdeen.

Now, Irish and Bodine have joined the organization and will begin to work their way up the Minor League ranks.

For Irish, there’s been uncertainty about whether he’ll stick at catcher long term. The 21-year-old was only behind the plate for 12 games this year at Auburn due to a fractured right scapula. He played 45 games in the outfield, with 41 of those coming in right.

With the scapula “totally healed,” Irish is ready for whatever the Orioles have planned for him -- which could be a little bit of everything at first.

“We haven’t had those conversations yet. And to be honest, wherever they think is best,” Irish said. “If they think that catching is the best route, I’m all in. If they think the outfield is the best route, I’m all in. And if they think that it’s a combination of it, then I’m all in.”

No matter where Irish plays, Baltimore is expecting big things out of his left-handed bat. The former Tiger has a 60-grade hit tool and 55-grade power, both of which he showed while hitting .364 with 19 home runs and a 1.179 OPS in 55 games during the 2025 season at Auburn.

“The biggest thing is my ability to hit,” Irish said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that the Orioles liked was my ability to hit the ball to all fields and showcase power and have a track record of doing it.”

The switch-hitting Bodine also has a 60-grade hit tool. The 21-year-old hit .318 with a .915 OPS in 67 games during the 2025 season at Coastal Carolina, helping the Chanticleers reach the College World Series finals (where they lost in two games to LSU).

But Bodine is a more natural catcher. He even won this year’s Buster Posey Award, which is given each season to the top backstop in NCAA Division I.

“I grew up watching [Posey] my whole life, and he’s always been a role model for me,” Bodine said. “I just love catching. Catching is my baby. I’m just super fortunate to be able to be back there and control a pitching staff and be in every single pitch. I love it.”

Bodine believes he can bring more to the Orioles’ organization than plus hitting and prowess behind the plate, though.

“Just the winning mentality. The blue-collar mentality,” Bodine said. “Coastal is a really big advocate of that, and just really looking forward to fine-tuning some more things and helping the team win.”

Irish and Bodine have each reported to the O’s complex in Sarasota, Fla., to complete medical itineraries and get checked in. They could play games in the Florida Complex League before eventually going to Single-A Delmarva sometime in the near future.

Matt Blood, Baltimore’s vice president of player development and domestic scouting, is eager to see where the catching duo’s careers go from here.

“We are thrilled with the talent we got,” Blood said.

The Orioles’ next homestand begins Friday, when they’ll open a three-game weekend set against the Rockies. The O’s will then play four games in three days vs. the division-rival Blue Jays, a series featuring a split doubleheader on July 29.

Here are the giveaways fans can receive during the homestand:

Friday, July 25 vs. COL: Floppy hat (first 20,000 fans 21 and older)

Monday, July 28 vs. TOR: Jordan Westburg bobblehead (first 15,000 fans)

Tuesday, July 29 vs. TOR (Game 1): Clear stadium bag (first 10,000 fans)

Tickets are available for purchase at Orioles.com/Tickets. 

The July 31 Trade Deadline is quickly approaching, and it’s becoming more likely the Orioles will be operating as sellers.

Here’s what general manager Mike Elias said during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday morning:

“We’ve got to be realistic about our situation, and the conversations that I’m having right now are more oriented towards being what’s out there for some of our available Major League players. We’re not blowing up the team, and we think we’re going to be very good again in 2026 and have that intention. 

“We’re not interested in changing the foundation of the team, but to the degree that we have players that interest other clubs that are coming towards the end of their contract, we’ve got to listen to that. So that’s what we’re spending our time on. You talk about everything, you listen to everything, you explore opportunities, but we’re trending in that direction right now.”

To subscribe to Orioles Beat, visit this page and mark "Orioles Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Orioles or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.