More mashing expected of Mancini in 2018

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are boarding a bus today for Port Charlotte and if it seems like they were just there, you've been paying attention to the schedule and game coverage.

Two days ago. Same ride down I-75. Under an hour if the traffic and law enforcement cooperate.

Left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. makes his second start of the spring after allowing one run in two innings against the Twins.

Trey Mancini probably won't wear the gray pants today after going 2-for-3 yesterday with a single and his second home run. He can jump back in the lineup Friday afternoon against the Pirates in Sarasota.

Manager Buck Showalter was asked yesterday what he expects from Mancini this season. Pretty much the same, except Mancini no longer can receive votes for Rookie of the Year.

"I'd take that," Showalter said. "If I know Trey, he's ...

"He's sincere when he says he wants to continue to grow as a defender. You can tell. Nobody works harder at his trade than he does. Trey's going to have as good a year as he's capable of having and he's not going to get in his own way."

There's always the possibility of a sophomore jinx. Can it rear its ugly head? Or head to its ugly rear? I get those two mixed up.

Showalter isn't concerned about Mancini at the plate or in the field.

"People threw the kitchen sink at him last year," Showalter said. "It wasn't like, 'OK, this year we're going to start throwing him something different.' They tried everything.

"He didn't quite finish off. He had a really good year and had a chance to have above that and didn't quite finish it off. I think he's driven to do that."

Mancini has hit second in the order this spring, but he was sixth yesterday against young Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty. He batted first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth last season - just not in the same game. They have rules, you know?

"One thing you can say about Trey is he's one of our guys you can hit just about anywhere in the order. He really could," Showalter said.

The ninth spot in the order isn't a consideration for Mancini, but everything else is on the table. Tim Beckham is expected to bat leadoff, though he's moved down the last few home games to accommodate Colby Rasmus.

An early projection would put Manny Machado second and Jonathan Schoop third, with Mancini settling below Adam Jones and Chris Davis, but Showalter has lots of moving pieces at his disposal.

"The game has evolved as far as what we used to think a one-hole hitter looked like, a two-hole hitter, three-hole, four-hole. It's just evolved," Showalter said. "You see how many people are hitting what they consider their best hitter second. And a lot of people will tell you just take your best hitter and get him up to the plate as many times as possible.

"It's really hard to find what we used to look for in a leadoff hitter and I think the focus on not giving up outs takes away a lot of the conventional two-hole hitter. It's more about handling the bat, advancing runners. It's one of our things we talked about, having more productive outs if we do make an out. It could be a 10-pitch at-bat, it could be having somebody move up 90 feet even though you make an out.

"Trey can fit most of the criteria new and old for just about any spot there."

Mancini is projected to stay in left field, where he made tremendous strides last year - and not because of his long legs - but the club has considered scenarios where he moves to right to accommodate certain players. He's trusted to handle it.

"He got more sure of himself and we got a little more trustworthy on what he could do and what he couldn't do," Showalter said. "He was very sure-handed, threw the ball to the right bases, thought about things before they happened. He's a very proactive player. He tries to take care of things before they get to be a problem."