Orioles announce spring training guest coaches

The Orioles today announced that they have invited nine former players to serve as guest coaches at major league Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla. The list includes Zack Britton, Al Bumbry, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Ben McDonald, Scott McGregor, Brian Roberts, and John Shelby. Bumbry, Hardy, Markakis, McGregor, and Roberts are members of the Orioles Hall of Fame, and Jones is a Special Advisor to the General Manager and Community Ambassador. Together, the guest coaches have 14 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves, and three Silver Slugger Awards. A complete list of guest coaches and dates is below:

Guest Coach                       Dates

Scott McGregor                February 12-22                  

Ben McDonald                 February 18-22

Zack Britton                    February 18-20

Brian Roberts                  February 24-28

J.J. Hardy                       February 20-26

Adam Jones                February 24 - March 7

Al Bumbry                           March 1-5

John Shelby                         March 6-10

Nick Markakis                      March 6-10

In eight seasons with Baltimore from 2011-18, Britton posted a 30-22 record with a 3.22 ERA (185 ER/516.2 IP), 1.27 WHIP, and 425 strikeouts to 194 walks. He began his career as a starting pitcher, making 46 starts before transitioning to the bullpen in 2014. He would go on to record 139 saves for the Orioles, which ranks second all-time among O's relievers. Of those saves, 120 came from 2014-2016, which was the fourth most in Major League Baseball over that span. Britton’s best season came in 2016, when he made his second career All-Star team (also 2015), finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting, and won the Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year Award, given out annually to the best relief pitcher in the AL. His 47 saves that year were the third most in a single season in franchise history, and his 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP were single-season bests among Orioles pitchers with at least 65.0 IP. Britton retired in 2022 following a 12-year MLB career, and his older brother, Buck, currently serves as a major league coach for the Orioles after managing Triple-A Norfolk for the past three seasons. 

Nicknamed “The Bee,” Bumbry made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Baltimore, taking home the 1973 Rookie of the Year award after posting an .898 OPS while finishing tied for the AL lead with 11 triples. His 11 triples are also tied for the second most in a single season in franchise history, and his three triples on September 22, 1973, against the Milwaukee Brewers remain the most in a single game in Orioles history. Bumbry became a key cog in the Orioles lineup over the next 11 seasons, including an All-Star appearance in 1980 and a World Series Championship in 1983. Across 13 seasons with the O’s, Bumbry slashed .283/.345/.380 (1422-for-5053) with 217 doubles, 52 triples, 53 home runs, 392 RBI, 252 stolen bases, 464 walks, and 700 strikeouts in 1,428 games. He ranks third in franchise history in steals and triples, eighth in runs scored (772), and 10^th in games played. Bumbry was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1987.  

After being acquired by the Orioles from the Twins in 2011, Hardy went on to spend his final seven major league seasons (2011-17) in Baltimore, appearing in 889 total games with the O’s and slashing .252/.293/.398 (1488-for-5805) with 107 home runs and 385 RBI. He ranks second in home runs among Orioles shortstops, trailing only Cal Ripken, Jr. (345). As an Oriole, Hardy was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop (2012-2014), Silver Slugger Award winner (2013), and appeared as a starter in the 2013 All-Star Game. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2018.

Jones played 11 of his 14 major league seasons with Baltimore from 2008-18, primarily as a center fielder. A five-time All-Star, six-time Heart and Hustle Award nominee, four-time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time Most Valuable Oriole, and 2013 Silver Slugger, he anchored the resurgent Orioles teams that won more games than any other AL club from 2012-16, including an AL East title in 2014 and Wild Card berths in 2012 and 2016. He ranks among the club's overall career leaders in hits (4^th, 1,781), total bases (4^th, 2,929), runs scored (5^th, 875), home runs (5^th, 263), extra-base hits (5^th, 595), RBI (5^th, 866), doubles (7^th, 305), games played (8^th, 1,613), and triples (T-10^th, 27). Jones is the all-time home run leader at Oriole Park with 146 long balls. In 2023, he signed a ceremonial contract to officially retire from baseball as an Oriole, and in January 2025, he rejoined the organization as Special Advisor to the General Manager and Community Ambassador.

Markakis played nine of his 15 major league seasons with Baltimore from 2006-14 after being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. His .994 fielding percentage ranks first all-time among MLB right fielders, and he ranks among the all-time Orioles leaders in doubles (6^th, 316), hits (7^th, 1,547), extra-base hits (8^th, 473), runs (9^th, 749), and RBI (10^th, 658). In 2008, he led the AL in times on base (283) and bWAR (7.4). Markakis earned two of his three Gold Glove Awards as a right fielder (2011 & 2014) for the Orioles and was voted Most Valuable Oriole in 2007. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2024. 

McDonald, a right-handed pitcher, spent seven of his nine major league seasons with the Orioles from 1989-95. He was selected by the Orioles in the 1989 First-Year Player Draft as the first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history. He threw a four-hit shutout in his first career start and went on to win 40 games from 1992-94.He finished his career with an overall record of 78-70, including 58-58 with the O’s, and he threw more than 200 innings in a season three times (1992-93, 1996) In addition to his major league and collegiate baseball career, McDonald also won a gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, picking up two wins for Team USA. In 2008, he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. McDonald currently serves as a color analyst for the Orioles on MASN and Louisiana State University Baseball, his alma mater. He joined the Orioles’ broadcast team full-time in 2018. He also serves as a color analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network, including covering the Men’s College World Series and 2024 AL Wild Card Series.

McGregor, a left-handed pitcher, played his entire major league career with the Orioles from 1976-88. In 1981, he was selected to the All-Star team. McGregor finished his career with an overall record of 138-108, recording a 20-win season in 1980 and throwing more than 200 innings in a season six times. In Game 5 of the 1983 World Series, he shut out the Philadelphia Phillies in a complete game to end the series, four games to one, leading Baltimore to their third World Series championship. In six career Postseason starts, he pitched to a 1.63 ERA (9 ER/49.2 IP), the eighth-best mark of all time (min. 40.0 IP). McGregor was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1990 and spent 18 years as a minor league pitching coach and coordinator with the Orioles from 2002-19.

Roberts played 13 seasons with the Orioles from 2001-13, compiling a .278 (1,452-for-5,214). He ranks first in Orioles history as a second baseman in nearly all major offensive statistical categories. Roberts is also among the club’s overall career leaders in stolen bases (2^nd, 278), doubles (4^th, 351), runs (6^th, 810), triples (6^th, 35), extra-base hits (7^th, 478), walks (7^th, 581), hits (9^th), at-bats (10^th, 5,214), and total bases (10^th, 2,149). Drafted by Baltimore in the first round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft (No. 50 overall), Roberts made his debut with the Orioles on June 14, 2001. He appeared in 51 games at shortstop in his first season with the O’s before making the transition to second base the following year. He made his first Opening Day roster in 2004, starting at second base. He led the O’s in hitting (.314) in 2005 and led the team in stolen bases six different times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), tying for the AL lead in 2007 with 50 stolen bases. Roberts was a two-time All-Star (2005 and 2007), two-time Most Valuable Oriole (2005 and 2009), and was also named AL Player of the Month in April of 2005. In 2018, he was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. He currently serves as a Community Ambassador for the Orioles.

Shelby, an outfielder, spent the first six-and-a-half seasons of his 10-year career with the Orioles after being selected by Baltimore with the 20^th overall pick in the 1977 First-Year Player draft. During his first full year in the majors, he was a member of the 1983 World Series Championship team. Shelby hit .444 (4-for-9) with a run and an RBI in the 1983 World Series against Philadelphia, knocking in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning of Game 4. As a pinch hitter for the Orioles, he hit .288 (23-for-80), and his 222 appearances off the bench rank tied for seventh most in team history (since 1954). 

Orioles pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout on Thursday, February 13, while the first full-squad workout is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18. The Orioles are slated to open 2025 Grapefruit League play at home on Saturday, February 22, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.