Things are going well in O’s camp, Holliday is running, and Rodriguez starts against the Twins today.
Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles had a day off from games on Tuesday, so there is even less to talk about than normal. They will back at it this afternoon in Fort Myers, where the Minnesota Twins set up shop in the spring. Grayson Rodriguez will start on the bump, likely looking to toss 2-3 innings. There will be no TV coverage, but the Twins radio team will be on the call if you want to tune in that way.
What else is there to talk about? Not much, and maybe that’s a good thing.
As many of us expected, there simply aren’t a ton of roster battles in camp. Nothing has happened to this point to really change that yet. Albert Suárez has struggled, and if he continues to do so his bullpen spot might not be as guaranteed as we thought. Other than that, it’s business as usual.
Injuries have been relatively minimal, and the team is taking things slow. As long as Gunnar Henderson gets back on the field sometime this week, we will all exhale without issue.
Félix Bautista appears to be right on track. He struck out two in his lone inning of the spring and now has three weeks to get himself in position to be the team’s closer on Opening Day. That was not always the clear outcome, but it feels more likely than ever.
Any of us hoping for a big trade will likely be disappointed. Elias said earlier in the week that this is not really the time of year for such things, although some smaller deals could happen towards the end of camp with out-of-options players. That is, of course, true, but it doesn’t change the fact that it still feels like an ace is needed at some point.
And that is about it. Opening Day is approaching fast, and things are rather quiet in Sarasota.
Links
A Q&A with Orioles’ No. 12 prospect, slugger Willems | Orioles.com
If Creed Willems does get to Baltimore and turn into a contributor, that will be a major tip of the cap to Mike Elias and the Orioles developmental teams. They gave him an over-slot bonus out of the 2021 draft, which surprised some people. Willems just doesn’t look like a baseball prospect. But he sure can hit.
Rotation rolling as Orioles resume exhibition schedule | Roch Kubatko
The stats have been good. That doesn’t always translate to the regular season, but I would prefer this over disaster. Rodriguez is the ceiling-raiser on this team, so it will be interesting to see/hear how he does today.
In his quest to add speed, Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday had to relearn how to run | The Baltimore Banner
It does seem like Holliday has been given the message to get aggressive this spring. That does not mean he will be stealing all the time during the summer, but at the very least he is getting his timing down. It all feels like a plan to make him into this team’s lead-off hitter by mid-summer.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- L.J. Hoes turns 35 today. The Washington D.C. native became an intriguing prospect with the nearby Orioles, but ultimately played in just three games for them between 2012 and ‘13, before he was dealt (along with Josh Hader) to the Astros in exchange for Bud Norris.
- Érik Bédard is 46. Between 2002 and 2007, the southpaw pitched to a 3.83 ERA over 658 innings for the Orioles, eventually becoming the staff ace. But he will be remembered in team history for being traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and George Sherrill, among others.
- Jeffrey Hammonds celebrates his 54th birthday. He patrolled the Orioles outfield for parts of six seasons from 1994-98.
- José Mercedes turns 54 as well. Between the 2000 and ‘01 seasons, the righty tossed 329.2 innings for the Orioles.
This day in O’s history
1996 – Legendary Orioles manager Earl Weaver is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Weaver had a .583 winning percentage over 17 seasons with the O’s.
2003 – The MLB Players Association sends out a warning against the use of the diet supplement ephedra following the death of Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.