No closer designation yet for Givens
O’s plan to user reliever in high-leverage spots; Kremer sidelined with oblique strain
SARASOTA, FLA. — Just because Mychal Givens is the most experienced reliever in the Orioles bullpen doesn’t mean that he’ll waltz into the closer’s role come Opening Day — because the Orioles may not go with a traditional closer at all.
Manager Brandon Hyde said Givens’ role right now is “to pitch in high-leverage situations,” and Givens said that’s fine by him.
“Whether that’s closing or that’s the seventh or that’s the eighth, obviously we’re in a good spot when Mychal comes in the game to pitch,” Hyde said. “We haven’t determined roles or anything like that. Mike’s a class act, has pitched in big games, postseason games, and he’s got back-end bullpen stuff, so he’s going to be a big part of shutting down an offense for us.”
Givens, who assumed the closer role late last summerafter Zack Britton, Brad Brach and Darren O’Day were traded, had spent most of his career to that point in the do-it-all role requiring him to pitch in high-leverage situations in the mid- and late innings. That training made him comfortable in any role with the Orioles, andcould allow himtopitch more often than a traditional closer would on a team with modest expectations as this one has.
“We’re just in a situation of trying to win games,” Givens said. “I don’t expect myself to be a closer. I don’t expect myself in any situation. I’ve beenlucky to be around Darren O’Day, Zack, and Brad, and we all mixed and worked off each other. Another big namewas Andrew Miller, who I’ve gotten to work with a lot, I actually hung out with him a little this offseason and with Team USA in 2017. Just be prepared to play any role in any situation and just go out there and try to win a ballgame and try to stop the bleeding.”
Hyde said decisions on who pitches when in the bullpen will be mostly determined by personnel and situation, but he certainly subscribes to the idea that the most important outs of the game may come before the ninth inning, before the save statistic is typically applied.
“If you have an elite closer, a Mariano Rivera or an Aroldis Chapman type, then you want them pitching at the end of the game in an ideal world,” Hyde said. “But I think there’s high-leverage situations that happen the last nine outs of the game. You try to line upyourguystopick parts of the lineup, to attack their hitters the best way you can.
“I’m not going to manage to a save statistic, per se. I’m going to manage to try to win the game, and whether that’s certain guys pitching the seventh, eighth, ninth inning, it might change nightly. That depends on what our club looks like at that point.”
For Givens, who had nine saves in 13 chances while pitching to a 3.99 ERA last year, the experience of coming into the game in a jam has seemed to spark moresuccess for him than the types of clean innings that a closer may often inherit. But having experienced what closers go through, especially on teams with scant leads to protect in the ninth, will only help prepare him for whatever Hyde and company ask.
“You learn each year what your body tells you and how you prepare,” Givens said.
Kremer’s setback: One of the most promising young pitchers in Orioles camp suffered a setback before he could even report this month.
Right-hander Dean Kremer, one of five players the Orioles acquired in their July trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Manny Machado, suffered a left oblique strain late last month and hasn’t participated in camp yet.
“It’s just something with my oblique that happened a couple weeks ago — a week before I got to camp,” Kremer said. “Nowthat I’m here, they get to get a look at it and help me recover from it and just play it out. It’s got to take its time to heal.
Kremer said that the medical staff said he should be able to throw again within the next couple of weeks, and has urged him not to rush his recovery along.
Kremer, 23, led the minors with 178 strikeouts during to his time in the Dodgers and Orioles farm systems last year, and was the No. 9 prospect in the Orioles’ organization this offseason, according to Baseball America.
In eight starts for Double-A Bowie, Kremer went 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, giving him a 2.88 ERA between Bowie, High-A Rancho Cucamonga, and Double-A Tulsa.
Infante ailing in Venezuela: Right-hander Gregory Infante is being held back in his native Venezuela due to illness, Hyde said, and the club is awaiting clearance to bring him to the United States for spring training.
“He’s got an illness that he has to stay back for, and as soon we get clearance to get him over here, he’s going to be welcomed over here and have the care that needs over here,” Hyde said.
Infante, who was signed as a minor league free agent after missing most of last year due to injury with the Chicago Cubs, was set to join the team’s bullpen competition. While the illness wasn’t specified, the priority seems to be for him to get healthy.
Catcher Jesús Sucre is also delayed in Venezuela due to visa issues, and the team is unsure of when to expect him.
Because of Sucre’s situation, the Orioles summoned minor league catcher Cael Brockmeyer to fill his spot on the training camp bullpen schedule.
Brockmeyer came up through the Cubs organization and spent last season in the Dodgers minor league system. He was with the Cubs at the same time as Hyde and Tim Cossins, but said he had been in contact with the Orioles before they were hired by the team.
“I had some history with Hyde with the Cubs and Tim Cossins — hopefully some good history and they know me well,’’ Brockmeyer said. “They asked me to come and help out with these guys and I was eager to jump on the opportunity and get a chance to come here. Hopefully, I can take advantage of it.”
Hyde changes things up: Hyde has made some adjustments in Orioles camp compared to years past to make things more like what he’s used to, with music playing throughout stretching, drills, and batting practice on the fields behind Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.
From that to having the entire Double-A and Triple-A coaching staffs at major league campandaddingbullpen moundsbehindthe stadium, Hyde said it all contributes to the efficiency and environment he’s seeking.
“It’s not new to me, to be honest with you,” Hyde said. “It’s just stuff that we’ve done for 13, 14 years. I’m just trying to create a great environment that I’ve been part of for years, so whether that’s music or more mounds or being a little lighter in certain situations — the bottom line is I want guys to be pros when they’re out here and get their work done. I’m really big on quality of work. I want to have a good atmosphere while they’re working, so I always feel like music. ...
“When you’ve been a minor league coach and been on Field 76 in the back and it’s 97 degrees out and there’s no music, I know what that feels like. That’s the opposite of what I want here. I want guys with a little pep in their step, whether that’s music or whatever it is, I think that’s important to create that atmosphere.”
Around the horn: As report day for position players nears, new arrivals at camp include outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, nonroster catcher Cael Brockmeyer and infielder Rio Ruiz. ... Fourteen pitchers threw bullpens Thursday: Alex Cobb, Yefry Ramírez, Pedro Araujo, Mike Wright Jr., Zach Pop, Bo Schultz, Miguel Castro, Givens, Josh Lucas, John Means, Josh Rogers, Donnie Hart, Paul Fry and Chris Lee.