Top draft pick Rodriguez checks boxes
Davis sits again against lefties; Machado leads AL shortstop vote
Sitting beside Grayson Rodriguez, the man he last week made the Orioles’ top draft pick and on Tuesday officially signed to a professional contract, Orioles amateur scouting director Gary Rajsich listed a host of credentials and qualifications — his mid-90s fastball, his four-pitch mix, his competitiveness and his on-line delivery.
It all added up to what made Rodriguez their man at No. 11 overall in the first round June 4.
“In a nutshell, Grayson checks all the boxes when you’re looking for a potential top-of-the-rotation starter,” Rajsich said. “That’s what we think he’ll be. We’re very happy to make him an Oriole today.”
Before Rodriguez put on his fresh Orioles cap and jersey, he said the same.
“It’s every boy’s dream to be drafted one day,” he said. “I got drafted by the Orioles and that was just a dream come true for me. I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more happy to be a part of this great organization, and I’m ready to get to work.”
Rodriguez was the first of the Orioles’ 40 picks to sign after last week’s draft, with a signing bonus of $4.3 million. He’s been in town for a few days, getting to know some members of the organization and dining at Jimmy’s Seafood. Now that he and his family got Tuesday’s ceremony out of the way, he’s ready to get on to his job.
“I couldn’t even begin to describe the experience,” Rodriguez said. “It’s very stress-relieving, I guess you can say. A lot of players, it’s a lot longer of a process for them. But everything went smoothly with us, and I just couldn’t be happier.”
Rajsich said Rodriguez was flying to Sarasota, Fla., on Wednesday to report to the club’s spring training facility before beginning his professional career.
“Once he does his little initiation and orientation down there, he’ll probably start down there at the Gulf Coast League,” Rajsich said. “Beyond that, I don’t want to say, because I’m not in charge of player development.”
Beyond signing Rodriguez, the Orioles have also have inked fifth-round pick Robert Neustrom, an outfielder from the University of Iowa, and 13 others selections. Davis back to the bench: With left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound Tuesday night for the Boston Red Sox and Chris Sale scheduled to pitch a day later, Orioles manager Buck Showalter left Chris Davis out of the lineup Tuesday and said this was likely another opportunity to give Davis an extended spell on the bench amid his continued struggles.
“Well, we’re trying a lot of things,” Showalter said. “Chris isn’t the only one. ... We’ve got multiple guys struggling compared to what they’re capable of, we think. But he’s been challenged for an extended period of time. Part of it is that, and part of is kind of my decision.”
After going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Monday’s 2-0, 12-inning loss to the Red Sox, Davis is batting .150/.227/.227, with his most recent home run coming May 9. Since then, he’s 10-for-88 (.114) with 43 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances. Hemost recently sat for two straight games in Toronto on Friday night and Saturday.
While Showalter’s refrain has constantly been that the team is trying to get Davis back on track in a variety of ways, he wouldn’t go into how drastic those have been. Machado leads shortstop vote: The Orioles’ Manny Machado holds a substantial lead in American League All-Star voting at shortstop in the first results released Tuesday by Major League Baseball.
Machado has a vote advantage of 321,887 to 211,756 over the Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor. No other Orioles are among the leaders at their positions.
The All-Star Game will be played July 17 at Nationals Park in Washington. Rasmus return unclear: Outfielder Colby Ramsus (hip) has eight days remaining on his rehab assignment, Showalter said, and he might not be activated until that time is up.
“He’s eligible anytime, but the end of his rehab is [June] 20th,” Showalter said. “So, anytime between nowandthe20th. That’s the way I have it figured. I could be wrong. That’s what I’ve got on the board, between now and the 20th.”