The spring training experience is different for everyone. Veteran players head down to shake off the rust and dive into a proven routine that works year after year. Bounceback candidates appreciate the opportunity for a fresh start. Prospects relish the chance to get in on the action, while some non-roster invitees treat it like a business trip.
I’ve left out one crucial category. In my opinion, the fans have the best spring training experience. Supporters flock to sunny Sarasota to watch their favorite
players perform in an intimate atmosphere. The beers cold, the vibes are strong, and baseball is back.
I just returned north after spending a long weekend watching the Orioles play in Sarasota and Bradenton. It’s a trip that I can’t recommend highly enough to the sickos like us that think about baseball 365 days a year. I’ll stop bragging now and tell you what I saw.
Mountcastle looks unbothered
Ryan Mountcastle knows what it’s like to share first base. The 29-year-old watched his platoon partner Ryan O’Hearn emerge as an All Star last season. He took a back seat last September when the team wanted to provide Coby Mayo an extended look at first. Still, neither of those compare to the current roster crunch on the right side of the infield.
Baltimore inked Pete Alonso to a five year, $155 million deal to play the role of a power hitting first baseman. We’re not talking about Mayo or Samuel Basallo logging a few starts a week. This guy made 160 appearances at first last season, and the starting position clearly belongs to Alonso moving forward.
Mountcastle has heard his name in trade rumors, but he still works for the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. The Orioles have yet to include him and any type of deal, and teams can do a lot worse than Mountcastle as a bench bat available late in games.
Mountcastle joked around with his former teammate O’Hearn before smoking a 104 MPH double down the left field line in Bradenton. He hit multiple balls hard and continued to look like a steady defender at first. Mountcastle served as the DH the following day and ripped a single up the middle.
Rutschman can still rip
With Basallo briefly sidelined (he’s since returned to game action), Adley Rutschman made consecutive spring starts behind the plate. He worked a walk in Bradenton, but he brought his big bat to the yard on Saturday. Rutschman doubled from the left side in his first at bat before launching a deep blast from the right side of the plate.
Everyone knows the boost Rutschman can provide if he returns to form at the dish. He entered today slashing .267/.353/.533 with a pair of walks in six appearances. For what it’s worth, Sam Huff is doing what he can to justify a spot as the third catcher. Huff went deep on Saturday, has a pair of doubles under his belt, and entered today hitting .333 in limited action.
The Honeycutt hype train is back
You’ve likely heard about Vance Honeycutt’s strong start by now, but the performance is worth repeating. Honeycutt has three official at bats so far this spring, and he’s 3-for-3 with three home runs. Honeycutt destroyed a hanging slider in his only AB of the day on Saturday.
The late innings of a spring game rarely feature the best competition, but the power surge is a reminder of what the former first-round pick brings to the table. Enrique Bradfield Jr. will receive the lionshare of the early attention, but look for Honeycutt to generate more buzz with a hot start to his minor league season.
McDermott faces uphill battle
Spring training often serves as a reminder that prospects don’t always develop. Non-roster invitees are often former top-prospects from other clubs that failed to develop. The spotlight on fresh faces like Ike Irish and Aron Estrada often steals some shine from forgotten favorites like Chayce McDermott and Jud Fabian.
McDermott became the first true camp cut yesterday along with some players not expecting to compete for a roster spot. McDermott struck out the side with some increased velocity back on February 24, but things fell apart on Saturday. The lefty surrendered home runs on three consecutive pitches in the eighth inning. McDermott had thrown multiple different pitches, so this wasn’t a case of him just working on a fastball or anything like that.
There’s always a place in the bullpen for a hard throwing lefty with options, but McDermott will have to earn his next opportunity at Norfolk.
Defensive versatility remains a priority
The Orioles emphasis on defensive versatility has continued under new skipper Craig Albernaz. Baltimore is providing Mayo a path to playing time at third base, and he looked comfortable at the hot corner on Saturday.
Albernaz had some fun with Mayo by shifting him to shortstop for an inning, but nobody should expect to see Mayo play the six in the regular season. But Dylan Beavers in center? That’s the type of defensive work that can prove valuable over 162 games.
