FanFest follow-up: Notes and quotes with Hyde, Davis, McKenna, Mountcastle and Hall

Young players on the Orioles will be getting some on-the-job training in 2019. It's been said of prospects in baseball that many truly finish their development only when they get to the majors. New Orioles manager Brandon Hyde concurs and expects some of that to be happening with players on his first team in Baltimore.

"I think it's not just us," Hyde said. "Players are getting younger in the big leagues and there is so much development that is still happening with even championship-level teams that are still developing players in the big leagues. The way the game is now, there is a lot of coaching that happens in the major leagues.

"We may have a few more than other places, but that's great. It's going to be workmanlike, it's going to be positive. We're going to have some adversity, but that's part of development also. There is so much development still happening in the majors in most places, that I don't think it's rare that it's happening here."

* Orioles first baseman Chris Davis had the longest interview session with Baltimore reporters on Saturday. There was a lot to talk about. At the top of the list were Davis' struggles. In 2018, he hit .168/.243/.296 with 192 strikeouts, 16 homers and 49 RBIs. The same player that produced an OPS of 1.004 in 2013 and .923 in 2015 posted a 2018 OPS of .539.

But Davis said he's making some adjustments this winter and also is digging well into his baseball past for coaching help. Not only does he feel he can have a better year, he feels it can go well beyond that. I asked him if he has another big year in him, like in 2013 and 2015.

"Absolutely. Absolutely," said Davis. "And that was my goal after '15: I wanted to lead the big leagues in home runs. That was a personal goal for me that year. But moving forward, I wanted to continue to be a threat at the plate as a power hitter.

"I don't feel physically like I've lost a step. I don't feel like I've lost any ability. If anything, I have a lot more perspective than I had a couple of years ago. I still feel like I'm at the top of my game. I still feel like I can compete with anybody. And I'm looking forward to a chance to redeem that."

So if Davis feels all the skills are still there, how does he get the previous production back on the stat sheet?

"I think for me a lot of it was really the mentality," he said. "And I know that is kind of vague. I was searching for a certain feeling, something I had done my whole life, I feel I had my whole life, that I for some reason had lost touch with it over the past couple of years.

"But I made a lot of changes this offseason. I saw a lot of different people. People that I hadn't seen in a decade, but that knew me at a younger age when I was in the Rangers minor league system. And I feel that just kind of opened me up. Going through last season and failure day in and day out really got me to the point where it was like, 'OK, now we have to exhaust all options and really take a step back and make an adjustment.' I don't feel like an old man or that I've lost a step. Honestly, I feel great."

The words are encouraging. Soon we find out if the production is there to match the optimism.

* Ryan McKenna was one of three young O's minor league outfielders that got a non-roster invite to spring training, which starts next month. McKenna will turn 22 on Feb. 14 and coming off his strong play in the Arizona Fall League, he is fired up after getting the spring invite.

"It means a lot," he said at FanFest. "It's going to be an awesome time to be around older guys, guys that have been in the big leagues, and just learn. Really excited to be a sponge and soak up all the information that I can. Just get to know all the guys a little bit more in depth. It will be exciting."

McKenna tore it up to begin 2018 for Single-A Frederick, batting .377/.467/.556 in 67 games. But then he lost well over 100 points on his average when he moved to Double-A Bowie. With the Baysox in 60 games, he hit .239/.341/.338. That adds up to a year with a .315 average at two levels. He then followed that up producing a strong line in 17 games in the AFL. For Glendale, the right-handed hitting center fielder batted .344/.474/.590 and his OPS of 1.064 rated second in a league filled with top prospects.

"There are a ton of talented players out there. I was definitely honored and thankful for the Orioles community to vote me in for the Fall Stars Game. That was a blast. Great to learn from and be around those other players," McKenna said of his time in Arizona.

* Another young player that was rewarded with a non-roster spring invite a few days ago was infielder Ryan Mountcastle. Last season with Double-A Bowie, he hit .297/.341/.464 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs in 428 plate appearances and his .806 OPS was a career best.

"It means a lot," Mountcastle said of the spring invite. "It means they are looking at me as one of the guys that can maybe help produce up there, in my opinion. I'm grateful for the opportunity."

When a reporter asked him how many gloves he was taking to Florida, Mountcastle said he had his third base glove with him. He felt he made gains at the position last year. When asked if he'd move to the outfield if asked, he said, "Yeah, whatever they want me to do, whatever it takes to get up to the big leagues and produce, that's all I'm here for."

* O's lefty pitching prospect DL Hall was ranked No. 90 last night by MLBPipeline.com on its latest top 100 prospects list. Earlier, Hall was rated No. 54 by Baseball America and No. 92 by Baseball Prospectus. The 20-year-old southpaw and O's 2017 top draft pick was at his first FanFest on Saturday.

While his record was just 2-7, his ERA was 2.10 ERA in 22 games for Single-A Delmarva in 2018. Hall allowed no more than one earned run in each of his last 13 starts after June 10, pitching to an 0.89 ERA. After the season, Hall was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America.

While the rankings and accolades are nice, they don't seem very important to Hall.

"It's exciting to see things like that. But as a player, I try to tune those things out. Just try not to focus on rankings and be the best player I can be," he said. "But it is a good feeling to have people feel that way. It's a cool honor, but it won't help you on the field. The guy in the box doesn't care you are ranked. They want to knock you down the rankings."

Outfielder Yusniel Díaz was rated No. 64 by MLBPipeline.com and Mountcastle was ranked No. 71.