Stewart starts spring pursuit of outfield job
“A homer and a line drive? He swung the bat really well today. He dropped the barrel on the slider from [Aaron] Nola and got the ball up in the air to right field and then he smoked that ball to right field also in his second at-bat. I thought he had really good at-bats. I was pleased with Austin Hays’ at-bats. I thought we took better at-bats today than we did yesterday.”
CLEARWATER, FLA. — If outfielder DJ Stewart hits a home run every time he appears in a spring training game, he’ll have a strong case to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster.
He’s on pace after a first-inning, two-run blast Monday against Philadelphia Phillies All-Star right-hander Aaron Nola.
More likely, in his mind at least, it will be what he does on the days he’s not playing that helps him claim a roster spot before Opening Day on April 1 in Boston.
“Just because everyone sees these games, if you’re successful in these games it’s a testament to the hard work that you put in each day,” Stewart said Monday. “Games should be easy if you put in the right amount of work and work the right way. [Manager Brandon] Hyde preaches on it every single day; the days that we’re not playing, don’t think, ‘Oh it’s an off day, I’m not in the game.’ He wants us out there getting our work, and [it’s] kind of something that I was able to do last year at the alternate site [in Bowie], just putting in a lot of work with those guys.
“And then going into a game so you could see results right away when we were doing our early work and then the games. That’s kind of how I’m treating this spring training, that days that I’m working and not playing in a game I go out there and work, and the test is the game. It should be easy if I’ve done my work the correct way.”
Stewart’s at-bats were some of the best parts of Monday’s 4-4, seven-inning Grapefruit League tie against the Phillies at Clearwater’s BayCare Ballpark. He hung back on a two-strike breaking ball over the plate and crushed a two-run home run to right field in his first at-bat, then hit a two-strike line drive to right that was caught but was one of the best hit balls of the game. He drove in a third run on a ground ball up the middle in the fifth inning.
“The biggest takeaway of today, the first two at-bats, they were both with two strikes,” Stewart said. “Just kind of shortening
Manager Brandon Hyde
up, putting it in play. I know I talked about hitting the ball to all parts of the field, but I feel like I did a pretty good job of hitting those pitches where they were located and putting them in play.”
Stewart, whose career has featured both high strikeout rates and high walk rates, said he’s trying to work on his two-strike approach and also trying to cut down his strikeouts by not being so selective earlier in counts.
“I know I can do damage with those pitches, but I’m also comfortable hitting with two strikes, but sometimes you get the nastier stuff with two strikes,” he said. “It’s a balance thing that I’m kind of trying to work on in this spring training, to be aggressive early but also shortening up and putting it in play and trying to do the job. It was a good day for me but I know it’s going to continue to be a task that I’m working on every single day.”
This weekend, Stewart outlined a new workout plan and diet to help him lose weight and be better in the outfield on his reads and reactions on fly balls. His awkward route to a ball in the first inning shows there’s work still to do there.
As Stewart competes for an outfield job in a group that also features Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins, he’ll have to distinguish himself with more days like Monday.
“A homer and a line drive? He swung the bat really well today,” Hyde said. “He dropped the barrel on the slider from Nola and got the ball up in the air to right field and then he smoked that ball to right field
also in his second at-bat. I thought he had really good at-bats. I was pleased with Austin Hays’ at-bats. I thought we took better at-bats today than we did yesterday.”
Around the horn
Hyde was impressed with left-hander Zac Lowther, a prospect added to the 40-man roster in the winter, who allowed one hit and one walk in one inning of relief. He said he had to command his fastball better than he did Monday, but has a track record of minor league success and will get “a lot of appearances” the rest of spring.
Rule 5 draft picks Mac Sceroler (two walks, one hit, two strikeouts) and Tyler Wells (no hits, one walk, one strikeout) each worked around some early trouble for scoreless innings of relief. Hyde said both were probably amped up to appear in a game, but settled in nicely.
Left-hander John Means will start Tuesday against the New York Yankees.
The Orioles announced Monday that Katie Krause joined the organization as director of public relations. Krause was previously the senior manager of corporate communications for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and has 10 years of professional baseball experience, the team said.