Starting rotation takes shape: Stewart could be in the mix
No area on the Orioles roster had more turnover than the starting rotation this offseason, and as baseball makes its second attempt at a season after a monthslong shutdown for the coronavirus pandemic, pitching coach Doug Brocail believes there’s enough depth and quality there to get the team through the season.
The Orioles signed 2013 No. 4 overall pick Kohl Stewart to a major league free-agent contract in December, and added veteran left-handers Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone on minor league deals in spring training, to add to a rotation that already features John Means, Alex Cobb and Asher Wojciechowski.
It’s a rotation, however, that no longer has the pitchers responsible for 89 of the162 starts in 2019 because of the trades of Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner plus a host of releases.
Brocail said: “It’s not the depth that I’m worried about, it’s, ‘Can I get these guys enough innings so we’re not killing the bullpen in the first few weeks of the season?’
“I have two veterans looking at those spots right now. I’ve got LeBlanc and Milone. They’ve been there; they’ve done it. … Kohl Stewart, younger guy, probably a little more energetic, athletic. The worry with him is did he get enough? Did he get enough while we were gone in that three months to be able to build up to where we need him to be with the two weeks that are left?”
Asked whether there was anything specific that prevented Stewart from getting built up, Brocail said there wasn’t, but that the 25-year-old right-hander doesn’t recover as quickly between outings as other guys and is someone the team has had to watch closely during the shortened camp this month.
Stewart, a former Minnesota Twins prospect who has impressed in his limited opportunities on the mound for the Orioles in both the spring and summer camps, is the type of high-upside option that the team is short on otherwise in the rotation.
He pitched just once in spring training due to arm soreness before camp shut down, and had one live batting practice session before a four-inning intrasquad start Saturday.
“The three times I’ve seen him throw against hitters has been impressive,” manager Brandon Hyde said, noting he has “top-of-the-first-round talent and velocity” with a fastball up to 95 mphand a cutter and slider that Hyde liked.
Around the horn: Infielder Richie Martin broke a bone in his right wrist diving into a base during Friday’s intrasquad game. An X-ray revealed the break, which doesn’t have a recovery timetable but will certainly put Martin out of contention to start the season with the team. Martin, the team’s Rule 5 pick in the 2019 season, was preparing for a utility middle-infield role after the offseason signing of José Iglesias at shortstop. … Right-hander Dillon Tate, who got hit in the arm with a line drive Friday, is dealing with swelling, Hyde and Brocail said.