O'Day on mentoring Bundy, Davis' return and expectations for 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Rule 5 outfielder Joey Rickard reported to camp this morning, another position player arriving early.

Dylan Bundy mentioned yesterday that he's counting on the veteran relievers to assist in his transition to a bullpen role. Darren O'Day is the obvious choice as the leader of the group.

Bundy made two relief appearances with the Orioles in September 2012. O'Day was there. So were the laughs.

"I wonder if he talked about the first time we mentored him in Fenway when he made his debut," O'Day said this morning. "The phone rang and Billy Castro was the bullpen coach at the time and he said, 'Bundy, it's for you!' And he's wearing his sunglasses at the time and he jumps up and goes, 'What do I do?' We said, 'You warm up.' He jumps up on the mound and it was like, 'Take your sunglasses off, too.' We've got some work to do.

"We'll help him out for sure. He's obviously talented. I still remember the first bullpen I saw him throw. The quality and consistency of four pitches was incredible to stand behind and watch for a kid that young. He's had a tough couple years with injuries and that can be frustrating for anybody. You get down on yourself, so I think he's got a time here where he's got to show what he can do and we'll help him as much as we can."

Bundy probably will be given the chore of carrying the backpack filled with candy to the bullpen before every game. The players choose the color and design, and it's never flattering to the kid handling it.

"He'll look great," O'Day said. "I was in the airport the other day and they had some really nice Hello Kitty bags, so if Bundy is the guy with the bags, we might have to make it more pink."

Just as long as Bundy carries it with his non-throwing hand.

"We'll make it light," O'Day said.

O'Day is pretty good at keeping the mood light. He joked at his press conference, set up at Camden Yards after he signed a four-year, $31 million contract, that he grew a bushy mustache in hopes that it would entice Chris Davis to return. Davis eventually signed for $161 million.

Coincidence?

"Ultimately, I don't think it was the mustache," O'Day quipped. "There are a lot of good reasons to come back here. You'll have to ask Chris what his ultimate decider was."

O'Day was thrilled that the sides reached agreement, bringing back a player who led the majors in home runs for two of the last three seasons.

"Yeah, we're an overly right-handed lineup, so we needed a big left-handed power hitter, obviously," O'Day said. "We already had a guy that we know what he's capable of in the field. He plays all over the place, he hits and he's a good teammate, and obviously he's a good friend, so it's just a great fit. He's a great player, so we're glad to have him back.

"There are a few different ways to improve as an organization, as a team, to commit to winning. Whether it be through the draft or through trades or through signing free agents. So I think they showed a commitment to winning, really, to putting a good team on the field by signing some of these guys who were pretty expensive.

"It's really challenging to build a team on a low-dollar budget to win games, so to play at this level, you've got to spend some money. Our team did. They're always pretty creative with these late-season signings. We had some pretty good ones a couple years ago, so we'll see if they can pull some magic again."

O'Day stayed in touch with Davis during the free agent process. He didn't necessarily recruit Davis to stay in Baltimore. It was more like "comparing notes," O'Day said.

"The emotional play. With Chris, he already knew what was here, the guys here, the group, the environment we come to work in every day, so it wasn't so much telling him what that would be like. It was more so just reminding him of the stuff he had done here. It was more so talking to a friend. And growing a mustache."

O'Day admitted that he never would have imagined after the 2015 season that he'd still be sharing a clubhouse with Davis and Matt Wieters.

"Frankly, no. I'd be surprised," he said. "There's quality players and quality men. There's a lot to like about this team and the players they've assembled, so it is surprising a little bit, but obviously it's a really nice pleasant surprise. Personally, I couldn't be happier to be back, and I hope I speak for the other guys."

Despite returning three prominent free agents, the Orioles are picked to finish fourth or fifth in the division by the majority of prognosticators. The news isn't a heavy burden for an organization that's grown accustomed to being taken lightly.

"It's motivation," O'Day said. "As a logical person, I understand that. I think it's going to be the most competitive (division) in baseball, and to play these other heavyweight teams, what is it, 19 times? It's tough. Somebody's got to finish fourth or fifth. I don't think it's going to be us. But they've got to pick somebody, and if you look at rosters and think you know everything, maybe you pick some other teams. But I would never count us out.

"I think we've shown that over the past four years that we play kind of a different brand of baseball that you can't quantify. Maybe steal some wins. But it's going to be a good year in the AL East."

Darren O'Day heads out to a spring training workout at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.