Delmarva Shorebirds 2024 Hot Stove Banquet

SALISBURY, Md.– Baseball is right around the corner and the Delmarva Shorebirds had their annual Hot Stove Banquet on Thursday night. Fans had a chance to place bids on special items and speak to former Oriole Ben McDonald.

Last year was a big year for the Orioles organization, a lot of great talent came through the farm system last year, most notably Jackson Holliday and Samuel Basallo. The O’s won 101 games last season and won the AL East.

Tuesday night the Shorebirds sold out the civic center for the banquet, former Orioles legend and current broadcaster Ben McDonald was the special guest speaker. The Shorebirds also introduced their new skipper, Collin Woody.

There was a lot to be excited about on Thursday night and General Manager Chris Bitters talked about what it means to him to be a part of this special time in the Orioles organization.

“It feels great to see the O’s farm system produce so many players that are contributing at the major league level. You look through the 40-man roster, who’s on the field day in and day out; whether it’s Adley, Gunnar, Cedric, Westburg, Ryan, Means. Most of that starting 9 and a decent number of the pitchers came right through here in Salisbury. It’s really exciting for our fans to see that here locally. They won 101 games last year which is pretty impressive,” said Bitters.