Getting his shot
2nd-year infielder Westburg has started in each of O’s first 5 games
Amid fielding one of baseball’s deepest and most coveted infield depth charts, the Orioles chose Jordan Westburg.
When Baltimore made its final roster cuts ahead of opening day, they had options. Top prospects Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Connor Norby all put up good numbers in Grapefruit League play and their resumes from last season alone were enough for each to merit strong consideration for a roster spot.
Instead, the Orioles sent them all down in favor of Westburg, a 2020 first-round pick in his own right who held the advantage of having already spent the second half of last season in the majors. While he was more of a platoon player then, only starting against left-handed pitchers and filling in as a defensive replacement, Westburg has started and finished each of the Orioles’ five games to begin the season.
“I know there’s a lot of guys that, not only in this clubhouse but that are in Norfolk, that are ready and are chomping at the bit to come up,” Westburg said Monday afternoon. “So, for me to have my name in that lineup the past four days, it’s special to me, special for my family. I don’t take this for granted. I’m very fortunate, very blessed to be in this position, so I’m going to try to work my butt off to continue to be here.”
Westburg has taken full advantage of the opportunity so far, reaching base at least once in all five games and delivering the first signature moment of his young career with a walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. He’s also started at both second and third base and played a couple of late innings at shortstop, impressing coaches with his athleticism even as the natural shortstop adapts to two positions he rarely played before he was drafted.
“I want to give him an opportunity early,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He played a lot from a platoon basis last year and he came up and did a nice job and just looking to get a little bit more of a look early this year, try to get him as comfortable as I can.
We believe in him and his talent.”
The confidence stems from the impression Westburg made in 2023, when he joined the Orioles in the middle of a pennant race and made the most of irregular playing time. He hit .260 with 22 extra-base hits and a .715 OPS in 68 games. Westburg only had three home runs, and while his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame lends itself to greater power potential, he’s not setting out to hit more balls out of the yard.
Rather, Westburg’s approach is centered on spraying the ball around the field. He wasn’t trying to hit a homer in his ninth-inning at-bat Monday but made quality enough contact on an 0-2 offspeed pitch to clear the fence in right field for an opposite-field blast. Westburg took it as a positive sign that his swing is in a good spot on the young season.
“When I was coming up, that’s where I felt my bread and butter was is just the right and center field,” Westburg said after the game. “Especially here in Camden [Yards] as a righty, going to left can be tough at times and so as long as I can say to the center field, right-center alleyways, I’m happy with that. … In my work, that’s kind of what I focus on, so to see it happen [Monday night] on a heater away was really cool.”
Defensively, Westburg split his time last season between second and third, recording one error in just under 500 innings. Advanced metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average were split on the quality of his defensive work at each spot, but he graded out around league average. Westburg set out to improve at both positions in spring with an emphasis on handling hard-hit balls at third base, where he’s had the least experience.
“He’s got a great skill set to play third base,” said third base coach Tony Mansolino, who also coaches the infield. “He’s incredibly athletic for how big he is, similar to Gunnar [Henderson], really unusual with the athleticism and the speed package with the size. … It’s going to be a learning experience, but his athleticism, his hands, his arm, his accuracy will allow him some room for error if he needs it. If he doesn’t make the perfect read on an angle, the other skills will make up for it and get him through on that play and he’ll learn from it.”
The time will come for the Orioles to make difficult decisions about which young infielders will stick in their everyday lineup long term. Holliday, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, is being groomed to play second opposite Henderson at shortstop, which makes Westburg’s most logical home third base. Yet the margin for error is thin with Mayo, a more highly regarded prospect now than Westburg was a year ago, having already proved he’s mastered Triple-A pitching.
But tomorrow is tomorrow. Right now, Westburg is getting his chance.
“I feel more comfortable in here, certainly,” Westburg said of the Orioles’ clubhouse. “I feel more comfortable about my situation. I do think I still need to focus on being a producing ballplayer for the club in order to keep that role. I’d like to keep that role. I love playing for this team, so I really don’t care what my role is. Obviously, I want to play more times than not, though, so in order for me to continue to have my bat in the lineup every day I know I need to produce.”