Trevor Rogers thought he had been tipping his pitches Tuesday in an exhibition game when newcomer Pete Alonso summoned the infield for a meeting at the mound.
The Orioles southpaw quickly learned that Alonso had something else he wanted to discuss during a sloppy 8-5 loss to The Netherlands.
“He was sort of like, ‘We aren’t playing with the energy that we need to play,’” Rogers told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “Coming from a veteran like that on March 3 really hampering down like we need to play with energy. Especially days like this, it’s really tough to get the body going, get yourself ready, the adrenaline pumping. So coming from a leader like that, he’s going to help us a lot.”
Tuesday’s moment showed how Alonso is already making a difference with his new Orioles team, despite not yet even playing in his first official game since signing a massive five-year, $155 million contract in December.
Alonso, 31, is hopeful to lead a return to contention in Baltimore after a disappointing 2025 season.
“It wasn’t about [Rogers] or anybody,” Alonso said of his mound conference, according to the Baltimore Sun. “It was like, ‘Hey, we just need to clean it up.’ If we want to go far in the playoffs, it’s all about doing the little things right even now, getting into good habits.”
Not every player signs a huge contract and assumes a leadership role with a new team, but it would appear that Alonso is taking on that responsibility early in camp.
Alonso is the team’s highest-paid player — although Gunnar Henderson will break that mark in a few years — and wants to instill a certain level of expectations for the AL East squad.
Baltimore certainly has the talent to contend in perhaps baseball’s toughest division, but is coming off an injury-riddled 75-87 campaign that featured underperformances from several notable stars.
“If you have that habit of playing good baseball, then it becomes second nature,” Alonso said, per the Baltimore Sun. “But now in camp, we need to lock in on it and play clean baseball. That’s just a good habit. That’s just winning culture. If we play clean baseball, good things will happen.”
The outlet reported that Alonso arrived early to camp and has been one of the loudest voices in these first few weeks of spring training.
Ultimately, Alonso will also have to speak loudly with his bat if the Orioles are to make noise in the American League, and he’s off to a solid start with his homer Tuesday, marking his third of camp.
If Alonso can produce like normal, he will have a shot at competing in the playoffs for the third time in his career and perhaps help the Orioles end a 12-year drought of postseason series wins.
This current group of Orioles made the playoffs in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, yet lost all five games, being swept by the Rangers and Royals, respectively.
“It’s a great group and these guys make it super easy to come to the field everyday and bring that energy,” Alonso said, according to the Baltimore Sun. “As you progress in your career, you start to become the older guy. For me, it’s just remembering lessons. Having that rapport with [teammates], where it’s like, you can hold each other accountable and not get your feelings hurt, and that’s super productive and great.
“It doesn’t matter how you deliver it, as long as the message is delivered and [teammates] are receptive and pulling in the same direction … it’s fantastic.”