SARASOTA, Fla. — Believe it or not, spring training is already half over. The Orioles enter Tuesday’s off day with nine games under their belts and opening day a little more than three weeks away.

The early results of spring are promising yet not necessarily indicative of how a player will perform once games really matter. Still, there were several standout moments from players this week that bode well for their early season action.

Each week of spring training, The Baltimore Banner will highlight a handful of players who impressed. This week, many of the names are familiar, beginning with their franchise catcher and ending with a young starting pitcher who is doing his best to make sure the rotation isn’t as set as it seems to be.

Adley Rutschman

After a tepid second half of the 2024 season for Adley Rutschman, he entered camp with a fire. That has shown itself in the early goings of spring games, particularly at the plate. Rutschman throttled his first homer of the spring Monday against Boston Red Sox right-hander Hunter Dobbins.

After the All-Star break, Rutschman only hit three homers. To see his power return would be promising in itself, but it goes beyond that. In a matchup with Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, Rutschman hit an opposite-field line drive for a single. His opposite-field approach dwindled last year compared to 2023 (31.5% vs. 23.6%).

In four games this spring, Rutschman has three hits and two walks.

“I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now,” Rutschman said. “I like how I’m seeing the ball at the plate and how some of my misses are going, as far as some line drives the other way on balls that I’m late on, and just making sure those launch angles are keeping in a good range and those misses are still good outcomes.”

Charlie Morton

The 41-year-old Charlie Morton has almost been too efficient. He wanted to reach 40 pitches in his start Monday, but following a clean two innings that lasted just 22 pitches, Morton got his pitch count up in the bullpen to allow right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano to enter the game. Morton, signed this offseason, has comported himself well in camp. In two appearances, he hasn’t allowed a run.

He isn’t the lone starting pitcher performing well early in camp, with Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer also posting zeroes this week (Kremer threw three scoreless Sunday). But Morton, who has flourished late in his career, receives this nod of recognition.

“I feel like my arm is starting to move a little bit better each outing, and I feel a little bit more timed up and a little looser,” Morton said.

Luis Vázquez

Before manager Brandon Hyde joined the Orioles, he was with the Chicago Cubs. And near the end of his time there, he first met a young player named Luis Vázquez. The middle infielder picked up four hits, including a double, in his last five games. But that isn’t the main reason the 25-year-old nonroster invitee has caught Hyde’s attention.

“I love the way Vázquez plays defense,” Hyde said. “I am really impressed with his defense. He comes well-regarded defensively, and he’s showing really well in camp.”

Jackson Holliday

Jackson Holliday looks all around more prepared for his first full season in the majors than he did for last season’s debut as he combines contact with power and speed to be a constant threat. He blasted his first homer of the spring on Friday as part of a two-hit day, and he has recorded four knocks in his first five games. His latest hit, coming Sunday against 2024 All-Star Cristopher Sánchez, was a 102.5-mph liner in a two-strike count.

“He’s got incredible stuff and he had a really great year last year, so it’s a fun at-bat to have early in spring,” Holliday said. “He left a changeup up … and I was able to just continue to turn through it and put a pretty good swing on it.”

On top of that, he has looked solid at second base and he’s working on his baserunning by taking off almost every time he reaches first. He’s been caught twice on four steal attempts, but the Orioles want him to practice pushing the envelope.

Cade Povich

For the sake of variance, we tend to mix up which players are listed here. But left-hander Cade Povich impressed enough in his second start that he earns a repeat appearance. Povich struck out six batters in three innings Saturday while allowing one walk and one hit.

There might not be an easy path for him to join the starting rotation, but with the risk of injury or a change in form always possible, Povich is valuable depth. At this point, he looks slated for Triple-A Norfolk to begin the season, but it’s not out of the question that he could surpass another arm or be part of a six-man rotation.

“He’s been throwing the ball really well in camp,” Hyde said. “The changeup has come a long way. … Really happy with the life to the fastball. Good changeup behind it, especially to right-handed hitters. I like what we saw.”

Honorable mention: Félix Bautista returned to the mound for the first time since August 2023 and struck out two batters and forced a third into a weak groundout. Bautista’s velocity hovered around 96 mph but he expects it to be back near 100 mph for opening day at the end of this month.