It’s the day before full squad workouts, and players have shown up ready to rock and roll.
As of today, all Orioles camp invites and roster players have reported outside of Ronald Guzmán, who is having visa issues.
It was a day of live batting practices that allowed pitchers to get some work in but also position players to get some batting reps as well, as everyone participated.
Anthony Santander focused on nutrition and diet during the offseason, attributing it as a key to belong, stay healthy and prepare the body to play daily. He hired a nutritionist from Miami to help get him on track.
On the day, Santander, Ryan Mountcastle, Adley Rutschman and Kyle Stowers were making loud contact, sending balls out of the park.
Mountcastle appeared dialed in, sending a shot off the base of the scoreboard in center field. Having Mounty locked in after his strong second half last year will only help jump start the offense.
Jackson Holliday was put up against Cionel Pérez and Nick Vespi to challenge him with left-on-left match-ups. He would fly out off Pérez and walk against Vespi.
Rutschman was in mid-season form, lining a shot up the middle that almost hit Pérez, and Stowers went deep off both Pérez and Vespi, winning those left-on-left battles, something he’s known to do.
Tyler Wells was in prime form today. He forced Santander into a soft grounder, struck out both Mateo and Ramón Urías, forced Jordan Westburg into a sharp grounder and had a double laced down the line by Mountcastle.
Back on the mound and pitching to live batters was Dillion Tate. He struck out Connor Norby, walked Holliday, forced a fly out to Tyler Nevin and gave up a long ball to Rutschman.
Westburg will be getting work between second and third with a little bit of time at shortstop this spring, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Mateo will be getting work in center field as another option to expand his ability to help the team.
“He helps us out in so many ways. One, he plays a premiere shortstop. We can start with that. For me, he should have won the Gold Glove a couple of years ago and the ability to play everywhere else. I know he’s played second base in winter ball. He’s played outfield in his career. He played center field a couple of times for us last year. We’re going to keep our options open with him. He really increases the versatility we have on this club. He can cover us in a lot of places.”
– O’s manager Brandon Hyde on the versatility of Jorge Mateo
Ryan O’Hearn will get most of his reps at first base but will also get some work in the corner outfield spots.
“Just because of Mounty and Santander also, guys who can play first base. To keep all their bats in the lineup. To be able to go play some corner outfield, it’s going to be important.”
– O’s manager Brandon Hyde on Ryan O’Hearn
O’Hearn spoke about being back in camp with the young prospects and back with the organization that saw a career season from him.
“It’s fun for me after seeing them last year in camp. Some of them made their debuts and helped contribute to the team. Seeing them another year older and a little stronger, it’s really exciting. It’s an exciting time to be an O’s fan, and I’m really excited to be back here as well.”
– Ryan O’Hearn on returning to O’s camp
Hyde is impressed with pitching prospects Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich but does not envision them starting the season with the big league club.
“I think we’d prefer to have them continue on their development track and not rush anybody too early. That being said, you never know with anything anytime, but I would think more than likely they’d start in Triple-A.”
– O’s manager Brandon Hyde on Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich
With Matt Krook in camp, Hyde still hasn’t figured out the newly acquired left-hander’s role. His ability to start and pitch out of the pen makes him more flexible. Hyder is still learning more about him before they decide what course to take.
Another player Hyde will learn about is right-hander Kaleb Ort, who was acquired today from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. Outfielder Peyton Burdick was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Ort, 32, has a career ERA of 6.27 in 47 big league games. In 51.2 innings pitched in parts of three seasons, Ort has struck out 51 batters and walked 25.
Tomorrow will begin organized team workouts, and games are not too far off from there. With the full squad in camp, we will start to see the 2024 roster come together.
What will tomorrow bring? We will let you know on another edition of SpringNotes.
What news out of camp stood out to you? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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