After what was the strangest season in Major League Baseball history, one in which the Orioles didn’t finish last in the AL East but still managed to secure the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft, the club’s pitchers and catchers report Wednesday to Sarasota, Fla., and Ed Smith Stadium for a fresh start.
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The Orioles, who were 25-35 in last year’s truncated season, will have a somewhat different look in 2021, especially in the middle of the infield and the middle of the rotation. The outfield will be relatively the same, though, and the bullpen should be as well.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde will continue to focus more on the future than the present. But that doesn’t mean this spring in Sarasota will be without any intrigue.
Here’s a spring training primer, with some things to watch as the Orioles progress through the 28-game Grapefruit League schedule and on their way to the season opener April 1 at Fenway Park in Boston.
The top team storyline
Will the young players who made some impact last year be able to build on that progress and will more prospects graduate to the majors in 2021? Those are really the only things to monitor from a team perspective this year.
The Orioles dumped more payroll this offseason, dealing away shortstop José Iglesias and starting pitcher Alex Cobb in separate trades with the Los Angeles Angels while non-tendering second baseman Hanser Alberto and designated hitter Renato Núñez. That should open up some more opportunities for younger players to get a few more looks, especially if injuries occur to the penciled-in starters.
This season, like 2020 and 2019, isn’t about wins and losses and playoff aspirations. And that’s a good thing since several teams in the AL East got stronger this winter, and there are only five playoff spots in the AL this time around (the expanded playoff system from last year was not renewed). So, like it typically is in a rebuild, this is all about development at the big-league level.
The top individual storyline
It has to be the comeback of Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini, who missed last year due to Stage 3 colon cancer. He had surgery to remove a malignant tumor in March and underwent 12 chemotherapy treatments in the summer, finishing in September.
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He’s considered cancer-free and is hoping to build on his outstanding 2019 campaign in which he hit 35 homers, posted an .899 OPS and was named the Most Valuable Oriole. Mancini is the emotional leader of the team and arguably its best player. Everyone is rooting for a strong return.
If he does excel, however, there is a question as to how long he’ll remain on the team. He turns 29 in March and can be a free agent after the 2022 season. So, he’d be an intriguing trade chip if he is back to form and a contender wants a power bat with a team-first attitude.
That trade value will be determined, but one thing that seems certain is Mancini will be playing more at first base, his natural position, and less in the corner outfield. Rookie Ryan Mountcastle likely will spend more time in left with Anthony Santander in right. Designated hitter should be a revolving spot, and Chris Davis will have to hit to get playing time at first base, according to Hyde and Elias. So, for the first time in his MLB career, Mancini should be the club’s primary first baseman.
The young Oriole to watch
There are plenty to choose from here, but I’m going with Mountcastle, who batted .333 with an .878 OPS in 140 plate appearances last year. Still considered a rookie, he gives the Orioles a shot at capturing the AL Rookie of the Year Award for the first time since Gregg Olson in 1989.
But Mountcastle won’t be surprising anyone this season, so that means he’ll have to continue working on his plate discipline. That was a concern for him in the minors when he had just 24 walks and 130 strikeouts in 127 games at Triple A in 2019.
He worked on pitch recognition and selection at the alternate camp at Bowie in 2020, and it paid off once he was promoted. He had 11 walks and 30 strikeouts in 35 games for the Orioles. If he can improve on that, Mountcastle, who turns 24 this month, can be a fixture in the middle of the Orioles lineup for years to come.
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The most important newcomer(s)
I’m gonna cheat a little and make it two: Shortstop Freddy Galvis, 31, and second baseman Yolmer Sánchez, 28. They make up the Orioles’ new double-play combination and no unit is more important to the club’s growth this season.
Neither Galvis, who was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, nor Sánchez, who was claimed off waivers and signed a $1 million contract to avoid arbitration, are expected to be in Baltimore the next time this team is competitive. Heck, they could be gone by July.
But both can play defense. Galvis has been a Gold Glove finalist previously and Sánchez won one at second base in 2019 with the Chicago White Sox. So, no matter if they hit, so long as the duo can be sure-handed behind the inexperienced pitching staff, Galvis and Sánchez can fill a vital role in this rebuild in 2021.
The most intriguing newcomer
Right-hander Félix Hernández, and it’s not even close. The Orioles also signed former All-Star Matt Harvey, 31, and veteran lefty Wade LeBlanc, 36, to minor-league deals and all three will compete for the Orioles’ rotation this spring.
But it is Hernández, a former AL Cy Young Award winner, who is the real headliner here. Harvey (11.57 ERA in seven games) and LeBlanc (8.06 ERA in six starts) had brutal albeit brief 2020 seasons. Hernández, however, had a strong spring training 1.0 for the Atlanta Braves last year before choosing to opt out due to COVID-19 concerns.
There’s no telling how much Hernández has left, but he’s still only 34 — he debuted at age 19 in 2005 — and is exactly the kind of experienced and successful veteran that can be invaluable on a team like this. He’ll make $1 million if he’s in the majors with the Orioles, and I think that is likely a certainty unless he gets hurt this spring.
There are just too many openings in the rotation for Hernández not to get a shot. And, if he pitches well, he’ll be on the move in July.
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The prospect to watch
There are several names to keep an eye on this spring, but I’ll go with someone we’ve never seen before in an Orioles camp: Jahmai Jones, the 23-year-old second baseman whom Elias acquired in the Cobb deal.
A former top prospect, Jones is super athletic and has plenty of upside. He also has the ability to play center field — Elias said that is something they’ll keep in his toolbox, but the focus now is on Jones as an infielder — and he could bounce around the infield if needed.
The Orioles are looking for a utility infielder and have plenty of options including Pat Valaika, Ramón Urías, Rylan Bannon and the injured Richie Martin all on the 40-man roster, Stevie Wilkerson as a non-roster invitee, and Terrin Vavra and Seth Mejias-Brean, among others, on the “camp reserve” list.
But Jones debuted briefly with the Angels last year and a good spring could help him break camp with the Orioles.
The recyclables to watch
Elias made a point that there could be one or more players in the “camp reserve” group who could make the Opening Day roster. That reserve distinction is just an extension of non-roster invitees, but it mainly consists of the organization’s top prospects and players the Orioles have taken off the 40-man roster but want to keep around for competition.
Of that latter group, I think the ones to watch are right-handed relievers Evan Phillips, 26, and Cody Carroll, 28. Both have good arms and have had a taste of the majors but have had difficulty showing consistency. It seems like every year one of these types battles his way back onto the 40-man and contributes in the majors. Another player who could fall into this slot is lefty Josh Rogers, who is returning from 2019 Tommy John surgery.
All three were acquired in the Orioles’ 2018 fire sale. With a 2021 bullpen that is fairly set but has some opportunity in the middle, one of these pitchers could slip in with an eye-popping spring. It will be a little harder this year, though. Active rosters have been scaled back to 26 from 28 in the pandemic-shortened season.
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The player who most needs a good spring
There are several candidates, but I’m focused on outfielder DJ Stewart. The first-round pick in 2015 is 27 now and has been in the majors each of the past three seasons.
When Stewart is on a roll, he’s a force. When he’s not, he appears lost at the plate and in the field. With Mountcastle emerging in left and Santander in right, Stewart appears to be on the outside looking in. However, the decision to non-tender Núñez frees up some at-bats at designated hitter.
A good spring could give Stewart that role and one more chance in Baltimore to reach his potential.
The best camp battle
It’s the rotation. No question. John Means has a spot locked up. Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer are likely candidates. So is Hernández and maybe Harvey and/or LeBlanc. Then you have two Rule 5 pitchers (Max Sceroler and Tyler Wells), two guys who started briefly for the Orioles last year (Bruce Zimmermann and Jorge López) and a few longshot prospects.
The Orioles’ starting five (or six) in April is sure to be different than the rotation in August and September. This is going to be an incredibly fluid group in 2021. I predict at least one starter to earn a spot based solely on a tremendous spring showing.
It also will be interesting to see who — if anyone — emerges as the club’s closer this year, whether Tanner Scott or Hunter Harvey get that opportunity or if the incomparable César Valdez keeps fooling hitters. My guess is this battle goes on for much of the season and isn’t clear coming out of Florida. It’s just not something Hyde and Elias are too concerned about.
The most overblown storyline
We’ll all write about catcher Adley Rutschman. I’m certain of that. And we’ll do it because you want to read about the club’s best prospect. But I can’t see Rutschman, 23, doing anything this spring to get him to the majors in 2021.
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This is a developmental year for him after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019 and not playing in 2020 due to the pandemic. So, it’s a season in which Rutschman gets valuable pro experience in the minors and one in which the Orioles don’t start his big-league clock.
But that won’t stop the speculation, the intrigue and the analysis of his game when the actual games mean nothing. But, hey, that’s part of the glory of March baseball.
The most meaningless storyline
Can’t do a preview without mentioning Davis’ situation. I’ve fulfilled that contractual obligation.
Here’s the deal: It’s obvious, based on what was said this offseason by the team and the player, that Davis, who turns 35 in March, will be on this club for Opening Day. He wants to be, and the Orioles basically said he would, though he’ll have to hit to receive regular-season playing time.
So, anything Davis does in the spring — good or bad — is virtually meaningless. The only thing that could change that equation is his health. Otherwise, the Orioles are paying his hefty contract, he’s giving it another shot, and he’ll be on this club when it breaks camp.
(Top photo of Santander: Elise Amendola / Associated Press)