The long-time O's farmhand that made his MLB debut with Toronto

When the Orioles drafted catcher Mike Ohlman in the 11th round of the 2009 draft and signed him to a hefty overslot bonus, they probably envisioned a day he would be playing at Camden Yards. He did too. Just not as a player for the Toronto Blue Jays.

But Ohlman is here in Baltimore this weekend enjoying his first trip to the major leagues as Toronto's backup catcher. He was batting .246 with seven homers and an OPS of .982 for Triple-A Buffalo when he got the call on May 8. Toronto put catcher Russell Martin on the DL with left shoulder nerve irritation, and Ohlman got that phone call all minor league players are looking for.

He played six seasons on the O's farm. Signed to a bonus of $995,000, he got the second biggest bonus for that O's 2009 draft class, less money only than top O's pick pitcher Matt Hobgood.

His bat really took off in 2013. He won the Carolina League batting title with Single-A Frederick, hitting .313/.410/.524 with 29 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in 100 games. His slugging percentage was a Keys single-season record.

Ohlman was one of eight players from the Orioles organization that helped the Surprise Saguaros win the Arizona Fall League championship in November 2013, and later that month, he was added to the club's 40-man roster. That winter he was rated as the Orioles' No. 9 prospect by Baseball America. He was advancing toward Baltimore.

But he hit just .236 with a .628 OPS for Double-A Bowie in the 2014 season. Then, he was designated for assignment to make roster room when the club traded for outfielder Travis Snider on Jan. 27, 2015. A week after he was DFAd, he was traded. On Feb. 3, 2015, St. Louis purchased his contract for cash considerations. Fast forward after Ohlman spent two seasons with the Cardinals, he became a minor league free after the 2016 season and signed with Toronto last November.

"They always say you are playing for 29 other teams plus the one you are with at the time," Ohlman said Friday in the Blue Jays' clubhouse. "I got my opportunity. I bounced around a bit and got my chance with a good team in a very good division. Not too far away (from the Orioles)."

He is 2-for-9 in five Toronto games. He got his first major league hit, an RBI single, last Monday against Atlanta in the fourth inning.

"It's been incredible," Ohlman said of his first several days in the majors. "I'm just trying to take advantage of everything we have here available to us and have a little bit of fun. Soak it up as much as I can. The call happened pretty quickly, and it took some time to set in.

"But sitting there the first game and with the crowd and everyone into it, it is just on a different scale. My first game, just putting the uniform on, I got a little nervous. But then everything seemed second nature. I didn't feel overwhelmed or nervous at all. My first hit came in the middle of the game, and you didn't have time to think about it. But then I got the ball and that was pretty cool."

Ohlman said he still has plenty of friends and good memories from all the time he spent on the O's farm. He said he feels good looking back at his six seasons in the Orioles' organization.

"Absolutely. There are people I still ... anytime I saw (catching instructor) Donnie Werner in Norfolk. He was a huge helper, mentor and inspiration for me. (Director of player development) Brian Graham is another guy that helped me," he said. "I won't bad mouth anyone. It didn't work out with them, and ultimately, I reached my goal. It just happened with another team. I'll see a lot of guys I know (Friday) and haven't seen in a long time. The Orioles obviously did help me or I would not be here.

"I think I will have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I'm here to win for the Blue Jays. You say hello before the game and then the competition starts."

So, why did he say he'll play with a chip on his shoulder?

"Just because I want to show them maybe what they could have had. No bad feelings, but I'm here to perform and win. I want to do better in front of people that I know and people that know me," Ohlman said.

Tillman talk: Last night, Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman made his third 2017 start. He said it was easily his best as he gave up five hits and three runs over six innings in the Orioles' 5-3 win in 10 innings over Toronto.

Tillman is coming back from shoulder issues that led to him getting a platelet-rich plasma injection in December and a cortisone shot in mid-March. His fastball velocity is down, at 90.2 mph this season from a 92.9 average mph on his four-seam fastball in 2016.

Tillman was asked if he feels more velocity and improved pitch quality will continue to come for him as he makes more starts.

"I mean, I feel like I can compete and win ballgames with what I have. If more shows up, then so be it," he said. "From what I'm hearing, it normally does the more you pitch. I'm not looking for it. I know I can win ballgames and get guys out with what I have. But if more comes, then take it."

Tillman is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA, a WHIP of 1.50 and a .267 batting average against through three outings.

Beefy stats: Catcher Welington Castillo, who hit a pair of two-run homers last night, including the walk-off winner in the 10th, is putting up some impressive offensive stats. In three games since coming off the DL on Tuesday, he is 9-for-15 with two homers and seven RBIs. Over his last six games, he is 15-for-30 (.500). During an eight-game batting streak, he is 17-for-38 (.447) with three homers and 10 RBIs.

Last night was his first walk-off homer and his fourth career multi-homer game. He also became the first O's catcher ever to have a multi-homer game in which one of the homers was a walk-off shot. Castillo tied his career-high with four RBIs, and he now has four consecutive three-hit games. He is batting .365 for the season.

The Orioles have two walk-off homers this year. Mark Trumbo hit one April 3 on opening day versus Toronto, and then Castillo last night. Both came off Toronto reliever Jason Grilli.