The first week of Orioles spring training camp is officially in the bag, as the march to the World Baseball Classic and Grapefruit League play has started.
Aside from some injury news to open camp, things seem to be moving along at a good pace, and with a full squad, things will start to shape up. Though no starter has been named for the Grapefruit League opener, manager Brandon Hyde did talk about getting pitchers ready for the WBC while in camp.
One pitcher, in particular, was Dean Kremer. Hyde has said he will pitch in one of the first few spring games but hasn’t yet determined which one or even if he will be the starter.
Hyde mentioned that hitters who faced Cade Povich came away impressed by the young left-hander. Strong impressions are important and help gauge where a young pitcher is in their progress.
Hyde also mentioned how the banning of shifts across the league could show more range and athleticism from shortstop Jorge Mateo. After last season’s defensive display, Mateo showing off more would only justify why he is the starting shortstop at this point in time.
Hitters taking live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium today were Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Joey Ortiz and Kyle Stowers. Some notable arms taking the bump were Grayson Rodriguez, Spenser Watkins, Tyler Wells and Cionel Pérez.
Nick Vespi threw off a mound yesterday. He said he felt good after throwing 20-25 fastballs and believes he will be ready by Opening Day.
Rodriguez was able to strike out Jordan Westburg, and with Adley Rutschman catching, the sound of the ball hitting the mitt was just pure power. Of course, Westburg was able to make up for it with strong contact against Spenser Watkins.
Reed Garrett, a non-roster invitee, threw a couple of fastballs by Anthony Santander, striking him out, leading to the bench erupting into cheers led by Mateo. Tony later hit a tater off prospect righty, Noah Denoyer.
Speaking of pitchers, Kyle Bradish is geared and ready to lock down a rotation spot. After a strong end to 2022, his mindset seems to be in the right place.
“I proved what I can do,” Bradish said. “I don’t know if I fully proved myself. There’s still stuff I need to work on. But I definitely improved a lot from that first half.”
As long as young players continue to know they have to keep working to improve, this will only benefit the Orioles in the long-term. It seems most players in camp are in that mindset already.
Of course, competition is what the sport is all about. Whether it be between players for rotation spots, utility roles or a roster spot in general, the motivation should always remain.
The Baltimore Battery will be back at it tomorrow with more updates and news from spring training camp in Sarasota.
Who do you think will start the first game of spring training for the O’s? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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I look forward to your articles. Thanks for providing great Spring Training coverage.
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Thank you so much. I’m glad you’re a fan. I enjoy being able to share with you all and bring you into the fold of what is going on. Thank you again.
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