Pictured: Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, left, forces out Red Sox Nathan Hickey in the fifth inning of the 2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training season opener at Ed Smith Stadium. Photo by Kenneth K. Lam for The Baltimore Sun.

As temperatures begin to rise and alligators emerge from their winter slumber, the 30 teams in Major League Baseball have also begun to shake off the cobwebs. The on-field action of Florida’s Grapefruit League has neared its halfway point ahead of MLB’s Opening Day on March 28, making now as good a time as any to check in on how the three teams that nest in the Sarasota-area are doing this year.

The Baltimore Orioles, calling Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium their home away from home have plenty to be excited about this spring. Fresh off an American League best 101-61 season, the Orioles go into this year ready for a chance at postseason redemption and armed with more young talent than ever. The biggest story out of camp is of youngster Jackson Holliday and his quest to make the big league camp out of spring. The 20-year-old shortstop is looking to force management’s hand—as of Tuesday, he’s hit .333/.364/.619 in 22 plate appearances this spring.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, migrating to Bradenton’s LECOM Park each February, are largely defined by their prospects. Right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes, the no. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft, impressed in his Grapefruit League debut, hitting 102 mph with his fastball twice. 19-year-old Termarr Johnson, the fourth overall selection in 2022’s MLB draft, has also impressed this spring after a strong showing for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders last summer.

Down in North Port’s CoolToday Park—which is, in fact, a very cool stadium—the Atlanta Braves are hard at work preparing to defend their National League East division title. On Monday, the Braves trimmed their big league spring training roster by eight members. Pitching has stood out for the Braves this spring—earlier in the week, top prospect Hurston Waldrep, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Florida, impressed with his upper-nineties fastball. The Braves’ ace in the hole, former seven-time all-star Chris Sale, has also been a bright spot, having yet to let up a run in either of his two starts in camp.

Pictured: Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, left, forces out Red Sox Nathan Hickey in the fifth inning of the 2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training season opener at Ed Smith Stadium. Photo by Kenneth K. Lam for The Baltimore Sun.