BATTER UP
Modest expectations, prospect excitement greets O’s on eve of spring training
SARASOTA, Fla. — This time last year, when the Orioles were beginning their first spring training of a new era under manager Brandon Hyde, everything was new. The team’s rebuilding status meant for a productive but more relaxed camp, replete with music during workouts and a focus on building a positive culture — though that’s not to say work wasn’t done. As pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Florida, on Tuesday and position players join this weekend, the Orioles must balance pedestrian on-field results while maintaining the excitement caused by changes below the surface. These 2020 Orioles won’t have anything more than modest expectations, and their incentive might be the top pick in the 2021 MLB draft. But that doesn’t much matter to the nearly 70 players in major league camp or the coaches and staff members tasked with bettering them in the present. Here are five things to watch as spring training begins this week and the Orioles go about the business of trying to improve on last year’s 108-loss season.
1. Will there be enough pitching?
When executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias noted in his end-ofseason remarks that sometimes the pitching staff — specifically the bullpen — takes the blame for team losses, he was right. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Orioles’ pitching staff had historic struggles in 2019, allowing the most home runs in major league history (305) while pitching to a
5.59 ERA.
The ascension of John Means to the top of the rotation and an All-Star appearance for the homegrown left-hander was one of the main bright spots, as was the August cameo for former top prospect Hunter Harvey out of the bullpen. Journeyman right-hander Asher Wojciechowski seizing a rotation spot helped in the second half. Any other positive, though, can be compared with a handful (or handfuls) of examples in which said pitcher couldn’t get the job done.
The Orioles have used their high waiver position this offseason to grab some fresh bullpen arms and cycle some old ones off the roster while keeping them in the organization. Hyde hopes that a year of big league experience for many of them will make for improvements in 2020.
There are two waves of pitching on the horizon on the farm. The nearest one to the majors features holdovers from the last front office who are nearing the completion of their minor league development, like Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer. The one below them, with top prospects Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall, holds more promise but less immediate possible impact.
It will still be a while before they get the chance to prove pitching development shed the pitfalls of previous administrations, though. In the meantime, a group of major league pitchers will be tasked with showing improvement can happen at the highest level, too. field, hasn’t let such trade rumors affect him and is just focusing on what he needs to do each day. Givens seemed to use not being traded at the 2019 deadline as motivation. He had 12 scoreless appearances in his next 13 and found the aggression that Hyde was looking for in attacking the strike zone.
While the opportunities created by the players traded will be something to follow in camp, so too will be the trajectory of those who could have been moved but stayed instead.