One of the perks of playing in Florida this time of year is the nice warm weather.
Where as the Baltimore area braces for another winter storm, the Birds are in the warmth, forgetting snow even exists.
Spring training continues forward, and what is fun about the whole team coming together is that players that fans may not have heard of are turning heads.
One of those players is Rodolfo Martínez, a non-roster invitee who is taking advantage of the opportunity to showcase his potential.
A 30-year-old right-hander with a four-pitch arsenal (four-seamer, sinker, splitter and slider), Martínez has a fastball hitting 100-102 mph and brags that he even hit 104 mph while playing in Japan.
Signed in 2013 by the San Francisco Giants out of the Dominican Republic, Martínez reached Triple-A in 2019 and made one appearance. The pandemic hit, and Martínez was cut by the Giants, spending the next four years pitching in the Dominican, Japan and Mexico.
“You never want to get overly excited in spring training, especially early,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said. “But when a guy’s throwing high 90s with a high split like that and a slider he can throw for strikes, that does open your eyes. I had never seen him throw before Sunday, and that was exciting.”
Martínez continued to turn heads in his live bullpen today, showing he might be this year’s Albert Suárez. He faced five hitters, strong hitters at that, and showed he could compete.
Jordan Westburg walked, Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson both struck out looking, Adley Rutschman hit a ground ball single to right and Ramón Laureano struck out swinging.
To add to the fun, GM Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde were sitting behind home plate watching the live bullpen.
Dean Kremer threw two innings in his live bullpen today, and he looks ready for the season to start.
In his first inning, Kremer struck out Henderson and Laureano and walked Rutschman. He followed that up with a Rutschman flyout, a Laureano strikeout, a bloop single by Cedric Mullins and a groundout by Ryan Mountcastle.
Andrew Kittredge through a live bullpen today as well. His slider looks in mid-season form already, which is a pitch he throws nearly 50% of the time.
In Kittredge’s bullpen, Mullins singled, Mountcastle and Westburg both flew out, Colton Cowser struck out and Henderson grounded out.
Also throwing sessions today were Cade Povich, Albert Suárez and Jakob Hernandez.
Suárez is working on a new pitch but doesn’t know what to call it. It sits at about 83 mph and is in between his curveball and cutter.
“It’s kind of like a slider,” Suárez said of the new pitch.
Tyler O’Niell and Coby Mayo both put on a power show today at the stadium field. O’Niell hit one shot to left that bounced over the left field concession stand. Mayo hit three in a row that cleared the stands in left.
Hyde said that he wants to see the Orioles run and try to bunt more. The team finished tied for 18th with the Athletics with 98 steals last season.
The Birds will more than likely be without Jorge Mateo to open the season. That will put an emphasis on Cowser and Jackson Holliday to become more aggressive by working on their jumps and getting comfortable on the base paths.
“I think, as a young player, you don’t want to make a mistake, and so playing on the conservative side is more natural and more normal, especially when you’re playing close games, trying to win every game,” Hyde said.
Mayo and Samuel Basallo took extra reps at first base on the back fields today, while Heston Kjerstad took some early practice in the outfield.
During infield drills, Holliday was the only man at second, as Westburg was at third with Ramón Urías and Emmanuel Rivera.
SIDE NOTES:
– Hyde will announce the starter for Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow
– Tomoyuki Sugano will work with both Adley Rutschman and Gary Sánchez this spring
– Construction on the left field wall has begun in Baltimore
We will be back tomorrow to bring you another day, as the week winds down. Will there be another head turned? Who will dazzle in live bullpens, and who will hit moon shots that leave the park?
Come back tomorrow for another edition of SpringNotes 2025.
What are your thoughts on today’s updates 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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