Orioles' 2026 Triple-A Norfolk rotation to feature top prospects Gibson, German, Wells

Trey Gibson, Nestor German and Levi Wells are projected to anchor Triple-A Norfolk’s 2026 starting staff, part of a deeper pipeline that could also include optioned big-league arms and candidates moved between levels, according to recent reporting. The original report naming those three prospects also notes Luis De León and Juaron Watts-Brown may begin in Double-A before promotion, underscoring organizational depth across levels.

Norfolk’s lineup provided a vivid demonstration of that depth in a one-sided game against the Charlotte Knights, a contest the Tides won 26-11 while five top prospects combined to go 20-for-32 with 14 extra-base hits. Kyle Stowers hit three home runs in the game and Heston Kjerstad went 5-for-7 with 10 RBIs, performances the coverage said broke several Tides records, including most runs (29), most hits (29) and most home runs (8) in a single game. Jackson Holliday had four hits that Wednesday and “faced just one left-handed hitter on Wednesday and … showed he can handle it, smacking a double off Knights’ reliever Bailey Horn, one of Holliday’s four hits on Wednesday.”

The five position prospects who did not make the major-league roster out of spring training, Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby, Heston Kjerstad, Kyle Stowers and Coby Mayo, are all expected to reach the majors at some point this season, the reporting states. Holliday, described as “the top prospect in baseball,” has played second base only 29 times in his professional career, has two errors (one while playing second) and earlier in the season “hit a home run off a left-handed pitcher” in his season debut for Norfolk. Connor Norby moved from second base to play exclusively as a corner outfielder this season, and Colton Cowser remains on the major-league roster at 4-for-8 so far and noted as a strong defender at all three outfield spots. The outfield group the big club carries includes Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and Cowser, with Jorge Mateo and Ryan O’Hearn capable of filling in; promotion of Stowers would likely force an option of someone like Cowser or require an injury to a starter.

Pitching depth at the major-league level is creating parallel implications for Norfolk. Si’s reporting lists six bona fide starters in Rogers, Bradish, Baz, Bassitt, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer, and manager Albernaz said plainly, “We want to make sure that we’re putting our players in the best chance to succeed, and a six-man rotation might be an option, a regular five-man. It all depends.” Albernaz added, “For us, we’re talking through everything, as well we should. We just want to be prepared. I think I’d consider anything. I think all options are on the table.” Si notes Povich “is likely to start the year in the bullpen or at Triple-A Norfolk,” while Chris Bassitt signed a one-year, $18.5 million deal and “recently pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays in last year’s World Series.” Shane Baz was acquired at the cost of “multiple top prospects,” and Albernaz has called Baz’s upside “is a Cy Young winner.”

Health questions remain central to roster construction. Si highlights that Rogers must prove he can match last season’s return, Bradish must prove he can stay healthy, and Eflin is returning from a major back procedure in the offseason, all factors that increase the value of depth in Norfolk and Double-A. The combined offensive explosion in Norfolk and the crowded MLB rotation mean promotion timing for players from Gibson, German and Wells on the mound to Holliday, Stowers and Kjerstad in the lineup will be dictated as much by injuries and roster mechanics as by continued production; as one account put it, “At some point, though, it will become even more difficult to deny these five a spot in the majors.” Last night’s Tides performance, observers noted, “might keep Hyde tied down for a bit longer than usual.”