Happy Valentine’s Day to all of Birdland. Hopefully, you treated your other half to a new Orioles jersey or tickets to a game or few this year.
Today is also day three of spring training, and that means we are inching closer to Grapefruit League games. It was time to start seeing some workouts, bullpen sessions, fielding sessions and hitting hitting the cages.
It’s starting to ramp up, so let’s dive in and see what today brings.
One noticeable subtraction in camp this year is former ace Corbin Burnes. After choosing to take less money and years to be closer to his family, the Orioles were left scrambling after their former ace signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
What Burnes left behind was his work ethic and preparation for the season. Taking notice of that was Grayson Rodriguez, who is determined to take the next step and try to make deeper starts.
“It was huge,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, for my career, being able to kind of see somebody like that up close and personal this early in my career was really special for me. Kind of seeing how he went about his day and his work, and I think it will help us a lot.”
Even manager Brandon Hyde didn’t hold back with his expectations of Rodriguez and veteran righty Dean Kremer.
“Burnesy was a true No. 1 for us last year and pitched like it,” said Hyde. “It was great for Dean and Grayson to see what that looks like. I’ve got some high expectations for those two guys this year. I think that they’re really, really ready right now. They look great.”
As bullpen sessions started today, all eyes were glued to Félix Bautista and his hulking presence on the mound.
Before his session, he said through his interpreter that he’s about 85% right now and expects to be at 100% for Opening Day.
Asked about Tyler Wells, Hyde said that it’s too early to determine if Wells will be stretched out to start after his rehab ends from Tommy John Surgery.
“That’s a little early,” Hyde said. “Just like Kyle Bradish, progressing extremely well. They’ve both been here for a while. I live here, so I’ve been at the complex quite a bit since January and seen a lot of them, both these guys. And they’ve both been doing really, really well.”
Bautista, Rodriguez and Colin Selby were in group one of the bullpen sessions. Newly acquired Gary Sánchez caught Bautista, and Adley Rutschman caught Rodriguez. Though Selby didn’t get as much attention, he did look good when he toed the rubber.
Bryan Baker, Corbin Martin and Matt Bowman pitched during live batting practice today. The aforementioned Kremer worked the first two innings, facing Cedric Mullins, Dylan Carlson, Ramón Laureano and Sánchez.
Keegan Akin then took the mound for the other side and faced Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser.
Mullins is ready to take on more of a leadership role this season as one of the few remaining veterans the Orioles drafted. As Austin Hays was dealt away and Anthony Santander signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, Mullins is getting acclimated with his new outfield while going into his final contract year.
“I feel like I’ve kind of made that stride over the past couple of years, so I feel like I’m just doing what I’ve been doing the whole time,” Mullins explained.
Tyler O’Niell showed off his power during batting practice today. He left an impression yesterday as he walked past the media at the baseball operations building. Wearing a T-shirt, his arms looked massive, and MASN’s Roch Kubatko thought he was a strength coach.
Samuel Basallo, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 prospect, is in camp. Though he isn’t there to make the big league roster, he is getting the opportunity to learn from others.
“I think this year will speak a lot to whatever his timeline looks like,” GM Mike Elias said about the young phenom. “He’s doing exceptionally well in terms of his timeline as a prospect and the age that he’s at and his development. He just got to Triple-A. He’s still learning a lot. We’re still working on his approach at the plate. He’s still learning how to be a major league catcher. All of those things are going great, but I don’t think he’s at the point yet where you want to start talking about timelines. But when you’re in Triple-A, and if you’re doing well in Triple-A, that’s your timeline right there. So, I hope he has a good season.”
SIDE NOTES:
– Outfielder Daz Cameron cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment with an invite to spring training
– The Orioles expect Tomoyuki Sugano to report this weekend after getting his work visa in Tokyo
– Position players are four days away from reporting to camp, and the first game is next Saturday for the team
We will be back again tomorrow for the fourth day of SpringNotes. Be sure to let us know what you think and what you’re looking for out of spring training .
Baseball season is approaching fast, and we will bring you inside the action as spring training continues.
What stood out to you today at O’s camp? 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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