SARASOTA, Fla. - Adam Jones has reported to camp, ready to rise and grind a day before position players are due.
We still haven't seen Manny Machado and Jimmy Paredes. I'm not sure whether I've seen Alfredo Marte. His locker definitely is here.
Pitcher Todd Redmond finally made it today. His wife, Leigh Anne, gave birth to son Wyatt on Friday afternoon in Stuart, Fla. She was due last Monday, but Wyatt won't be fined for reporting late.
"I was like, 'Why don't you just come Monday? It will be whole lot easier for me,' " Redmond said. "We planned on inducing on Thursday and then the hospital was packed and they called my wife and said, 'Ok, you're coming in later instead of at noon,' so it took a little longer. But everything went well and they got out of the hospital yesterday.
"He's going to be a pitcher, but whatever he wants to do, I'm happy with. If I can finagle him to be a lefty, that's fine with me, unless he's a righty that throws real hard."
Redmond will throw a bullpen session today. He already met manager Buck Showalter last Monday before leaving camp.
"I played catch, threw a bullpen, talked to Buck," Redmond said. "I said, 'Hey, this is the situation. I've got to go back.' Everybody's been real supportive and I was able to get the stuff I needed to do to get done and get back over here so I could start up again."
Redmond was in camp with the Orioles in 2013 before the Blue Jays claimed him off waivers in March. Does it seem strange being back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex?
"No, I like it. It's a great organization," he said. "They wanted me, and I had Wally (Dave Wallace) and Dom (Chiti) before with the Braves when I was over there, so it was kind of nice seeing them. And last year, when we were playing against them, it was fun teasing Wally and Dom. Coming back over here, easy transition. You're coming back to guys that you know. You're not going to a blank slate."wa
Redmond is joining a clubhouse that includes 29 other pitchers, with Yovani Gallardo on the way.
"It'll be real good," he said. "The way things are going with the new signings, we're going to be a very good contender this year and I can't wait to be part of it."
Mark Trumbo reported a few days ago and immediately felt right at home.
"No problem," he said. "It's been real easy. I know quite a few of the guys from playing against them, so that always helps."
Trumbo came to the Orioles in a Dec. 2 trade with the Mariners, who received catcher Steve Clevenger. The roster has undergone additional changes, most recently with pitcher Gallardo agreeing to terms on a three year contract that guarantees $35 million.
"It looks awesome," he said. "The addition of Yovani is huge. I faced him quite a bit the last couple of years and know firsthand how good he is and what he brings to the table. I think me and everyone else in here are probably extremely excited to have somebody like that on board.
"From a personal standpoint, I'm excited to be part of something that seems to be going in the right direction. Not that this team wasn't already a quality team, but it seems like when you see a lot of moves happening and a lot of pieces come into play, it shows a lot of commitment from ownership and management that everyone's on board to win and win now."
Power won't be in short supply in a lineup that also includes Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Jones, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy and Jonathan Schoop. Hyun Soo Kim hit 28 home runs last year in the Korean Baseball Organization.
"I guess any time you have a lineup that stretches that deep, it creates real headaches for opposing pitchers," Trumbo said. "I've talked to a few guys around the game, especially a few guys who play in the AL East, and I think they say this team already is one of the toughest, if not the toughest to face. And then you see some more pieces come into play and it just becomes that much more difficult. Especially the power component.
"It's one thing to be good hitters. It's another to have a constant threat to put balls in the seats up and down your lineup. You really have to tiptoe facing a team as deep as this one."
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