Showalter speaks after workout

SARASOTA, Fla. - Six more pitchers need to be tested Tuesday on director of pitching development Rick Peterson's biomechanical analysis. I think you should pass the test if you can repeat that sentence without stumbling. Asked about Zach Britton's progression, manager Buck Showalter said, "So far, so good. It's kind of like trying to keep in mind where the finish line is. The only thing we try to do is slow him down a little bit." More from Showalter: On Andino: "I'm real proud of Robert. He's made a concerted effort to do a lot of things we ask of him, and he got a return and a reward for it last year. I think he also got one in the pocket book, too, which is good. I know he's got another baby on the way. He told me the other day. I enjoy talking to Robert and seeing how far he's come. From a baseball standpoint, he's a talented young man. I think the sky is the limit for him. You never know with the type of September he had last year and some of the venues and atmospheres he did it in, what it's going to mean for his career. Not many people walk on this field in the next couple months that carry any more pure ability than Robert does. I love the fact that he got aggressively smart. He pushed the envelope in the right places. He certainly had the baseball world's attention, with all the contact from other teams that we had. Probably middle of July last year, that was far from that case." Showalter would like for Andino to be "an irregular regular," which is his way of saying "super-utility player." "He's the type of guy you want to take advantage of his skills," Showalter said. On all the position players who reported early: "We had to split up BP today, we've got so many of them. Doesn't surprise me. I think you'll see more guys come in earlier. I think you'll see more guys move down here and live here in the offseason if they're not in Baltimore. It's such a great facility to take advantage of." On Chris Davis: "It's not going to be a pure statistical evaluation. We're still getting to know a lot of things about Chris. I'm anxious to see him healthy. He had some leg issues last year that really challenged him. That's another reason for the first base thing. He was kind of force-fed the Orioles and the organization and his teammates. Now you can already see in his face there's a different comfort level than he had last year when he first got here. He's healthy, he knows everybody, he knows what's ahead of him, he knows the potential of the opportunity he may get. It's kind of in his corner now and I think he likes that. He's going to be able to control it by the way he plays. I like the way that he's handled left-handed pitching over his career. That might be in his favor, too." On Nick Johnson: "We respect some of the challenges he's had physically in the past, but we think there's really no risk involved as far as the commitment. We think we have something to potentially offer him if he can show that he can stay on the field. We know that's been a challenge for him. I don't think anybody doubts if he's healthy and on the field, the contribution that he can make, so I'm curious to see it. I know a lot of people with the Yankees that know Nick real well over the years. Throw out the health factor and he's got a lot of things going for him. And there's a reason why people keep giving him an opportunity to see if he can stay healthy. He's a pro." On Dana Eveland: "There's some unknown. He did some things well last year in a tough pitcher's league, and there's a reason why he was on the Dodgers' roster. We felt like for the trade-off of what we gave up, it was worth taking a look at him and seeing where he was. There's some curiosity. I read the reports and I hear different people tell me some things, but I'd rather try to keep a clear mind about it. There are so many guys from that 28- to 32-year-old range, especially pitchers, who start to figure it out a little bit. More's not always better. We'll see if Dana's reached that point. So far, so good."