Swing Changes Paying Dividends For Orioles C/1B Prospect Adam Retzbach
Chesapeake Baysox catcher and first baseman Adam Retzbach is seeing the changes he made to his swing pay off.
Retzbach hit .178/.309/.326 in 87 games last season, 82 with High-A Aberdeen and five at the Double-A level. As such, the 24-year-old dedicated the offseason to change his stance and swing.
“I think one thing that I do a good job of is I’m very aware of what I may struggle with and what I’m good at,” Retzbach said on Glenn Clark Radio July 3. “I got hurt in 2023, so I missed a lot of time, and then in 2024, that was really my first full season, so I really got a good understanding of where I needed to improve.”
“I went into this offseason having a full offseason to myself with no rehab or anything,” Retzbach continued. “So I had a lot of time to work on what I needed to work on and really build my swing and my whole offensive approach to the place that it needed to be to compete at the Double-A level.”
In his first full season with Chesapeake, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound utility man is slashing .239/.346/.410 with 20 extra-base hits in 68 games entering play on July 10.
Retzbach understands that batting average does hold value, but he is more focused on his power and doing damage at the plate.
“I want my batting average to be as high as it can, but at the same time, with my profile as a player, I need to hit the ball hard, do damage and slug,” Retzbach said. “And sometimes, unfortunately, that’s going to come with a little bit of a sacrifice of maybe a higher batting average where you’re putting the ball in play a little more but not hitting it as hard. But with who I am as a player I need to play to my strengths, and that’s hitting the ball hard and trying to walk a little bit more.”
Taken in the 14th round out of Lehigh University in 2022, Retzbach says he has made strides forward this season by maintaining an open mind.
“If you just keep [doing] what you’re doing and you’re stubborn, that’s not going to be good for your career,” Retzbach said. “I sought out some help from some of our coaches here, and I worked with them through the course of the offseason. Even during the season, I continued to work with the coaches and really trying to nail down the best version of myself.”
“I was very open to changing my swing because I was very aware that it was not going to play anymore,” Retzbach continued.
Retzbach has played a lot of first base for the Baysox in 2025, but he may be behind the plate more in the near future. With so many injuries to Orioles catchers recently, Silas Ardoin has been promoted to Triple-A Norfolk. That leaves Retzbach with an opportunity to gain more experience catching for Chesapeake.
“I just want to play,” Retzbach continued. “I want to be on the field. … I love playing and whatever that looks like, I’m going to try to make the most of my opportunity.”
For more from Retzbach, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Joe Noyes/Chesapeake Baysox