Safe at Home: Crabs’ Virbitsky Loving Time in Maryland

Family ties and Orioles tenure add meaning to SMD success

Every baseball player on a roster has a hometown attached to their name. In the history of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, they have rostered players from as close as other towns in Charles County and as far away as Australia, Taiwan, and Great Britain. Plenty of players call Waldorf home for the course of the season, but a Media, PA native in starting pitcher Kyle Virbitsky has become a full-fledged presence in Maryland since before he joined the Crabs last season.

“My wife and I have been very lucky,” Virbitsky said. “She grew up in Frederick, so when I got traded to Baltimore [in 2023] to be around home, it was obviously great.”

Virbitsky spent three seasons with the Orioles organization after that January 2023 trade in which he and fellow right-handed pitcher Cole Irvin joined the team from Oakland for infielder Darrell Hernaiz. Being back on the East coast and playing in recognizable locales like Aberdeen and Bowie was a refreshing change for him after his professional career started with being selected by the Athletics in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

“To go all the way across the country was definitely one of the bigger changes I’ve had in my baseball career, but it taught me a lot about myself. I had really good teammates, but I was as far from home as I could possibly get so I was kind of alone out there. I’d start a 7 p.m. game over there and by the time I’m done pitching, it’s almost midnight or one in the morning for my family back here.”

Even though he was in an unfamiliar environment, he still found success during his time with the Athletics. During the 2022 season with Single-A Stockton and High-A Lansing, he led the organization with 140 strikeouts and was recognized by Baseball America as having the best control among all A’s prospects that season.

Despite a successful affiliated career which saw Virbitsky record a 3.94 ERA with 357 strikeouts in 328.2 innings, he was released by the Orioles last August. It didn’t take long for him to find a way to stay close to home.

“When the opportunity came to [play for the Blue Crabs], it seemed like a really good path for me and my family, so we jumped on it.”

Location wasn’t the only factor that went into his decision to join the team last year and to return for 2026.

“I’m really thankful for [2025 manager] Stan Cliburn and Brett [Jodie] for the opportunity to be a starting pitcher again. The Orioles had converted me to a reliever, which I was totally fine doing, but I think I’m at my best if you give me my day.”

The Blue Crabs have been rewarded for giving Virbitsky the chance to lead the starting rotation this year. Through 12 starts this season, he leads active qualified pitchers with a 3.97 ERA and is tied for third with six wins. He also ranks 10th in the league with 60 strikeouts and a .262 batting average against. He was the winning pitcher in Sunday’s victory over High Point which secured the South Division First Half Championship for Southern Maryland, the franchise’s first divisional title since 2022.

Even with his great numbers this season, Virbitsky feels like he can improve in the second half.

“There’s definitely a couple of pitches I want back, but I tip my cap a bit to some of the hitters in this league. I think I’ve been on a pretty good stretch recently of getting to the other side of some struggles. I’m trying to find new ways to keep hitters off-balance and constantly adapt with this game.”

When assessing the team’s success this season, he credits the composition of the roster for keeping the vibes high throughout the grind of the Atlantic League schedule.

“I think having some youth around the clubhouse this year has kept us energized. It’s been refreshing for me to get this lively feeling that had changed for me since I started pro ball. To get that back, I really think that this has been a perfect situation at the perfect time in my life.”

Like so many players around this year’s team, Virbitsky plays to win but his goals transcend beyond a singular end result.

“As long as I can look myself in the mirror and know I did everything to give myself a shot to be successful, I’ll be happy with that.”

The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have been proud members of the Atlantic League since 2008, the fourth-longest tenured team in the league. With a proud tradition of success on and off the field, many players have found a home while playing in front of Crustacean Nation, the nickname for the Blue Crabs’ avid fanbase. A host of former Major Leaguers have played for the Blue Crabs, including Chien-Ming Wang, Pat Mahomes Sr., and team legend Daryl Thompson. Many players have also made it to the Major Leagues after playing with Southern Maryland, including Isaac Mattson of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2026 marks the 18th season of Blue Crabs baseball at Regency Furniture Stadium, where Clawsome Times Await.