When they were pups, he showed them how to be pros
Machado, Schoop reunited with mentor Andino, who helped guide young stars
SARASOTA, FLA. — Five spring trainings ago, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop’s time in big league camp was limited to cameo appearances. They were occasionally shuttled in from minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park for the purposes of playing in mop-up innings of Grapef ruit League games.
At the time, they were far from the cornerstone players they would become. The duo dressed in the auxiliary clubhouse at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. The young players wore No. 85 and No. 86 on jerseys that bore no names on the back because they were recycled daily for different players coming in from Twin Lakes. Notes: O’s acquire LHP Bleier from Yankees
SARASOTA, FLA. — Even though there was little chance Matt Wieters would re-sign with the Orioles this winter, the news that he had agreed to a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday provided some closure for his former manager and teammates.
Not that anyone was holding out hope that he would suddenly appear at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and platoon with new catcher Welington Castillo, but Wieters was a much-loved figure in the Orioles clubhouse. It had become painful for his longtime friends to see him twist in the free-agent wind while they were back in camp.
Many of them kept in touch with him and manager Buck Showalter phoned and texted him regularly.
“On a personal level, I’m glad that he’s settled in some place,” Showalter said Tuesday. “They’ll be happy with him. He’ll do well for them. I’m The Orioles’ Manny Machado, left, and Jonathan Schoop, right, credit Robert Andino, center, for helping them get their footing in the big leagues.
Those kind of things indicate that players don’t completely belong in big league camp. Orioles manager Buck Showalter refers to them as “JICs,” minor league camp players who will play in games “just in case.”
Machado and Schoop acknowledged feeling out of place initially, but they found a friendly face in infielder Robert Andino, who took it upon himself to show the duo the ins and outs of a big league camp.
“When you first walk in, you’re a little scared,” Schoop said. “Not scared, but I remember walking [through the hallways] here, and I didn’t even want to pass by [the main clubhouse entrance]. I didn’t want people to see me.