With the Orioles settling into the routine of the Grapefruit League schedule, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Felix Bautista pitching in a game for the first time in 18 months was encouraging enough, but striking out two in a perfect inning made it even better. The splitter was sharp while the fastball was already touching 97 mph. That velocity should only improve as he gets more comfortable.
2. Baltimore’s bullpen has a deeper collection of arms with high-leverage experience, which should help Brandon Hyde stay away from using Bautista back-to-back days and for more than one inning — at least early in the season. You have to keep his long-term health and the big picture in mind here.
3. If you’re going to deal with nagging injuries to Gunnar Henderson (side) and Jordan Westburg (back), it’s better in late February and early March than during the season. Losing Westburg last August and September was a massive blow to a struggling offense that lacked right-handed pop.
4. Grapefruit League stats carry little weight, but Adley Rutschman getting off to a good start is a welcome sight after last year’s second half. Though I don’t get the lingering secrecy if his hand or another injury indeed contributed to his struggles, Rutschman being himself again is all that matters.
5. Tomoyuki Sugano has a six-pitch assortment headlined by his splitter — which got Boston’s Alex Bregman looking on Monday — and cutter, but he’ll need to rely on good command as his stuff won’t wow you. He might remind you a little of a very accomplished major league pitcher, however.
6. Charlie Morton will make history starting games for the Orioles, but few have had a more interesting career in recent years considering how he’s reinvented himself multiple times, which is wisdom he’ll surely pass along to younger pitchers. Whether that $15 million investment will move the needle is debatable, however.
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7. Though Coby Mayo has no clear path to the Opening Day roster without an injury anyway, a 1-for-17 start in the Grapefruit League isn’t ideal on the heels of last year’s struggles. It’s obviously very early, but you still want the 23-year-old to taste some success against major league arms.
8. In contrast, Cade Povich has built on his strong September with five one-hit innings including seven strikeouts and one walk over two spring outings. The Orioles are going to need the lefty to make starts at some point, and he’s looking like a legitimate depth option at the very least.
9. Stretching out Albert Suarez is a no-brainer during spring training, but I’m looking forward to seeing what his stuff looks like shortened up for relief. His first two spring outings haven’t gone well statistically with four walks and seven runs allowed over 4 1/3 innings.
10. You know someone really clobbered a baseball when his team goes out of its way to put a home run in a non-televised game on social media. The power is serious for Samuel Basallo, who doesn’t turn 21 until August.
11. I look forward to the lamenting from right-handed hitters being replaced by bellyaching from pitchers regarding the newest version of left field at Camden Yards. In all seriousness, Mike Petriello offered an interesting look at what to expect, but altered approaches and the psychological element are more difficult to quantify.
12. The early revenue-rich years of the MASN era were wasted by the Orioles, the franchise’s all-too-common theme over the last 40 years. The collapse of regional sports networks makes this a pivotal time for Baltimore’s new regime and Major League Baseball to carve out the optimal TV path moving forward.
