SARASOTA, Fla. — For years, the Britton brothers and the Orioles have been synonymous.

The path was forged by Zack, the younger of the two, a top prospect turned two-time All-Star relief pitcher. It was continued by Buck, who played in the Orioles organization before becoming a minor league manager, playing a major part in preparing current stars for the big leagues.

And this season a Britton will once again be in the major league dugout wearing black and orange. Buck will serve as a major league coach, a jack-of-all-trades resource for the team, while Zack happily lives out his retirement and follows from home.

“He’s unemployed, by the way,” Buck was quick to point out. “I’m the one who is still hanging on here.”

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Two things have always been clear to the Britton brothers: Zack had the makeup to be a major league star, and Buck was the guy everyone went to for advice.

Becoming a coach, though, was not initially the plan for Buck. He wanted to join the CIA, thinking he would make a good interrogator.

Baltimore Orioles guest pitching coach Zack Britton, left, walks with pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek through the main field during Spring Training at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Orioles guest pitching coach Zack Britton, left, walks with pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek through the main field during spring training on Thursday. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Orioles Major League Coach Buck Britton, right, hits ground balls to infielders alongside third base coach Tony Mansolino during Spring Training at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Orioles major league coach Buck Britton, right, hits ground balls to infielders alongside third base coach Tony Mansolino. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)

“My verbal assault is like my best thing, so I thought maybe I could change characters, something they would be into,” he said.

But he got drafted in the 35th round out of Lubbock Christian University and decided to give it a go.

Although Buck made it to Triple-A as an infielder, he was never a top prospect like Zack was. As Buck grinded through the minors, Zack debuted in 2011 as a starting pitcher. In 2012, Zack was optioned to the minors, and the two brothers shared a field for a brief period.

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Buck wasn’t happy to see him. It wasn’t where Zack belonged, Buck thought, so the two brothers got to work getting Zack back up to the majors.

“He would be like ‘Man, you have all the ability. It’s just more like finding a way to get it done,’” Zack recalled Buck telling him. “We had a lot of good conversations when I first got sent down about how to get back to the big leagues and, you know, with the ability that I had, just putting in the extra effort and really trying to have a big league career.”

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Orioles defeated the Yankees 6-4.
Zack Britton, then with the Orioles, pitches against the New York Yankees in 2017. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

He made it back and went on to play for parts of 12 seasons, first for the Orioles and then the Yankees. Zack never stopped going to his brother for guidance, no matter how experienced he got.

“He was the guy that I talked to,” Zack said. “He was the guy who would give me the harsh criticism when others wouldn’t.”

Buck retired in 2016 and became a hitting coach for Single-A Delmarva the following season. He was named manager of the Shorebirds in 2018 — the same year his brother was traded to New York — and worked his way up to become Triple-A Norfolk’s skipper in 2022.

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That year, hidden-camera videos of Buck informing many of the team’s current stars, including Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, they were heading to the majors started to go viral. In his three years as Norfolk’s manager, Buck was the one to deliver to the news to nearly half of the current Orioles’ roster that they were going to fulfill their childhood dreams.

Last winter, he got to experience that moment from the other side when the Orioles called and asked him to join the major league staff. He doesn’t have a specific title, but Buck expects to help Tony Mansolino coach the infielders in addition to being a liaison between the majors and the minors.

Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton gives a thumbs-up before a game. As manager of a talented Triple-A team, Britton often gets to tell players they're going to the majors.
Then-Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton gives a thumbs-up before a game. (Scott Sears)

“It’s kind of crazy,” Buck said. “I was there when Zack got the call home and said he was going to the big leagues. I think it’s a little different as a player, but yeah, like I said, these jobs are so valuable and you know it’s not easy to get them. I’m going to cherish every moment of this.”

This week, for three days, the brothers shared a field again, just as they did as kids in their backyard. Zack, who retired in 2022, is at Orioles camp as a guest coach. He’s been wanting to get involved with the organization again, and his brother’s first camp as a big league coach seemed like the perfect time.

Much has changed since the last time Zack was here — a new owner, a new core and a new coaching staff. But one thing is the same as it used to be: There’s a Britton in an Orioles uniform. Perhaps there will even be one as a major league manager one day.

“He used to watch me on TV, and now I can pull for him and his team,” Zack said. “I hope he does great things in the game and is around for a long time.”