The next step
Opening Day roster crunch.
“You don’t make too much of it, but it doesn’t hurt to know that there are maybe one or two spots and that’s it,” he said. “But I’m working hard every day to try to be that guy who gets it.”
Realizing he would have to fight for a roster spot this season, Mancini — a Winter Haven native who attended Notre Dame — moved to Nashville, Tenn., for the offseason to work out at Vanderbilt. For a second straight offseason, he went to Southern California to work out with Anderson for a week.
Mancini’s play this spring will help determine whether he opens the year in Baltimore or in the minors.
“We’re going to try to do what’s best for the Baltimore Orioles, but what’s best for Trey Mancini is what’s best for us,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s got a chance to make this club. Does he have anything else to [learn] in Triple-A? Sure. We all do. He could benefit from that, but he’s got a chance to make our club. I don’t know what else a guy can do to warrant a look and get a chance.” former baseball teammate of Mancini’s at Notre Dame who was also drafted by the Orioles but is playing in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers. “… I kind of expected this from him, and all the things that he’s doing are the things he’s capable of. I think that if and when he gets a consistent opportunity, he should keep getting that confidence.”
Anderson said the numbers Mancini has put up in the minors show he’s a major league hitter, noting that there are great players — Orioles star third baseman Manny Machado was a .269 hitter in the minors, for example — who didn’t have that kind of success in the minors.
“I think he’s been prepared for years,” Anderson said. “You look at the year he had two years ago. … There’s always more you can learn [in the minors]. The at-bats help, especially if you’re having quality at-bats . ... But in my opinion, he’s a major league hitter right now, and has been for years.”
Mancini realizes his performance this spring will determine where he starts this season.
“You can’t get too high on anything you do,” Mancini said. “No matter what you do, you come back the next year and it’s a clean slate. You’ve got to keep going out and performing year after year. I know that what I’ve done up to this point is great, but at the same time it’s not good enough to just let me kind of waltz onto the team.
“I’ve got to keep working hard. I know I’ve still got a lot to improve in that regard, and I’m still trying to do that.”