It’s Tuesday, and we’re less than five days until the first spring training game for the Birds.
Everyone is in camp, and the focus should be on how the team drills are looking.
Then again, this is the Orioles that seem to find that one player each season who everyone wants to see. This year, that player has arrived all the way from Japan in the form of a veteran pitcher who has accomplished just about everything in Nippon Professional Baseball.
He has now brought his talents east to Baltimore, and his first bullpen session was today. After arriving to a massive contingent of media on Saturday, the eyes of the team, the media and the brass were all on Tomoyuki Sugano to see just how his throwing session would go.
Needless to say, Gary Sánchez was all smiles afterward, and Sugano even smiled at one of the splitters he threw.
Sugano would throw his 4-seam fastball, cutter, splitter, sinker and curveball effectively and efficiently. He painted the corners with ease, and his battery mate even commented on how easy it was to catch his bullpen.
“I felt like I could close my eyes, and the ball would land in my mitt,” Sánchez said. “The command and the way he controlled his pitches were really impressive.”
Sugano threw 35 pitches in his first bullpen, leaving only his slider out of his array.
“It’s everything that was advertised when we started vetting him in free agency,” said pitching coach Drew French. “That’s what our scouts said and our organization loves. We think at times it’s going to be 80 command. It’s really, really good. Definitely sides of the plate, he understands horizontal game, and how he mixed his pitches. It was just nice to finally be in person and see him do his work.”
Zach Eflin got live bullpen/batting practice started today. He would pitch an inning of work, striking out Ramón Urías, walking Gunnar Henderson and Sánchez and giving up a double to Ryan O’Hearn.
Keegan Akin would follow with an inning of work as well. He would strike out Jordan Westburg, allow a double to Colton Cowser, a groundout from Urías, a walk to Henderson, flyout to Sanchez and strike out of O’Hearn.
Behind Akin, Bryan Baker threw an inning, and he was bringing straight gas. Baker struck out both Westburg and Cowser, starting them with 98 mph fastballs. He would finish them off with his changeup, with the one to Westburg clocking in at 84 mph.
Baker tried to sneak a high fastball by Sánchez, but he sent the 0-2 offering out to left field, his second day with a home run off of live pitching.
Nate Webb threw his first bullpen session yesterday. He is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Wednesday and Saturday this week.
Webb was signed by the Orioles in October of 2023 to a two-year deal. He was recovering from Tommy John Surgery when he tore his Achilles tendon in May, right before the Birds could assign him to an affiliate.
Webb is now 27 years old and is looking to still make his major league debut. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2016.
Coby Mayo hit some long balls during morning batting practice, but it was Adley Rutschman who stood out once again, crushing three straight home runs while hitting from the right side of the plate.
Rutschman’s approach this spring is catching the eyes of many, as he tries to prove last year’s second-half struggles were a fluke.
Hyde is encouraged with what he sees from Rutschman in camp.
“He came in great shape,” Hyde said. “He’s really inspired right now.”
The first round of infield drills today included:
- 1B: Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn
- 2B: Jackson Holliday
- SS: Gunnar Henderson
- 3B: Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and Emmanuel Rivera
Jorge Mateo did some light throwing with the rest of the infield, eventually moving to 90+ feet.
He did leave the field when infield drills started, so he has not yet been cleared for that and is still swinging one-handed.
Hyde did say that Westburg would spend more time at third base this season, leaving the path open for Holliday to claim second base. Hyde also said that Westburg would still play some second, keeping that in his back pocket.
SIDE NOTES:
– Hyde told the media that he is not ready to name his starter for the Grapefruit League opener as of yet
– Orioles minority-owner Michael Arougheti took in batting practice today while sitting with GM Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde
That wraps up today’s edition of SpringNotes. We will be back tomorrow with more updates and news out of Sarasota.
What stood out to you today from 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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