Mateo prepared for positional moves in 2024

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jorge Mateo is ready for anything that the Orioles throw at him.

He’s also prepared to catch it.

Mateo won a Fielding Bible Award at shortstop in 2022 and was a notable snub in Gold Glove Award voting. He made 95 starts at the position last season compared to 142 the previous summer, a prolonged slump and the emergence of Gunnar Henderson cutting deep into his time.

Jackson Holliday will break camp with the team or debut shortly after, giving Mateo another shove. But the at-bats should be available to him.

The Orioles gave Mateo two starts in center field last season and will give him plenty of work in camp. He wants it.

“I’m ready for it,” he said this morning in his first media session.

Workouts in the offseason and games with Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League already prepped Mateo for being on the move, which included second base.

“Five days a week I was working on it (center field),” he said. “Even in the winter, I played a lot of center field, a lot of left field, too, to be ready for the opportunity.”

Mateo burst out of the gate last season, batting .347/.395/.667 with five doubles, six home runs and 17 RBIs in 23 games the first month. His only other home run was an inside-the-park thriller on Aug. 20 in Oakland. His struggles were so bad that he finished with a .217 average and .607 OPS.

“I need to stay a little bit more focused,” he said. “Be aggressive, be ready for every opportunity they give to me, and be confident.”

Henderson was the American League’s Rookie of the Year last season and will hop between shortstop and third base. Jordan Westburg will play second and third. Holliday is viewed as a middle infielder. And Ramón Urías remains with the club and can rove the infield in a utility role.

Joey Ortiz was traded to the Brewers, eliminating him from the competition. Mateo isn’t worried that the remaining infielders could keep him on the bench or remove him from the picture. He expects the at-bats to be available to him and doesn’t care how he gets them.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “The more at-bats, the more opportunities I have to improve everything I can do.”

Mateo was one of the 17 arbitration-eligible players in the organization and none were non-tendered. He agreed to a $2.7 million deal, assuming the entire time that he’d return.

“I never thought that I wouldn’t be back with the team,” he said, switching to Spanish with interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I just tried to stay positive with what I could control.”

Manager Brandon Hyde is in control of the daily camp schedule and knows exactly what Mateo will be doing.

“He just adds so much versatility to us because he can play so many other positions and he is so athletic,” Hyde said. “I’m definitely going to expose him to some other spots, as well, whether it’s outfield, he’ll obviously stay at shortstop, as well, maybe move to second base a little bit. We just kind of want to keep our options open with him.

“He’s done it in the big leagues before and that’s really helpful. He’s been a shortstop his whole life, but when he was in San Diego he was a defensive replacement in the outfield. I remember when he first came off waivers, I think I played him at third base a couple games. Played second base in winter ball this last year. So he’s done a little bit of everything.”