A dozen observations from Orioles spring training

SARASOTA, Fla. – A week of exhibition games seems like an appropriate time to share some observations before the Orioles play the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich opposes Paul Skenes in a rematch from Spring Breakout, except this one airs on MASN.

Povich went three innings and allowed two runs, but hardly anyone noticed because Skenes was the dominant figure before he threw a pitch. Skenes retired the side in order in his only inning, striking out Jackson Holliday and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

That's the distant past. Let’s move a little closer.

* Rodolfo Martinez is a camp darling, though I wouldn’t necessarily use that word around him because the scowl could melt concrete. Media became infatuated with his high-velocity fastball, impressive side and live batting practice sessions and absence from an affiliated team since being in the Giants system in 2019. Who doesn’t love a good camp story?

Comparisons to Albert Suárez were inevitable because of their similar treks through foreign countries. In Martinez’s case, he’s still waiting to make his major league debut.

He must pitch better to improve his chances.

Martinez surrendered a long two-run homer to the Phillies’ Christian Arroyo and also walked a batter in his first appearance Sunday in Clearwater. He faced the Pirates Wednesday in Bradenton and allowed two more runs on two hits in the eighth inning. A pair of sacrifice flies followed a single and double.

The first pitch of the inning was a four-seam fastball clocked at 99.2 mph. Matt Gorski, trying to wrestle the Jake Fox Award from the Sarasota camp, saw a 99 mph fastball and an 87.1 mph cutter that he hit 400 feet to center field at 107.5 off the bat for a sac fly. Abrahan Gutierrez’s fly ball came against a 99.6 mph heater. Nick Solak lined out to center at 102.9 mph, one pitch after Martinez hit 101.1 mph.

Stating the obvious here, Martinez’s velo is fine. That isn’t the issue. But batters are squaring him up early.

* Suárez isn’t making the same spring impression this year.

He started the opener and allowed two runs with three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He entered yesterday’s game against the Twins in relief and allowed five runs and six hits with two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer, the ball traveling 395 feet to right field.

The dust settles and you discover a 14.54 ERA.

Suárez’s four-seamer averaged 94.8 mph last season, where he topped out yesterday. He pretty much sat at 94, though the home run came on a 92.6 mph fastball. Ryan Jeffers’ RBI single was only 72.2 mph off the bat. Edouard Julian followed with a 74.8 mph single, another fly ball that fell. Another run scored on a 304-foot sacrifice fly at 88.1 mph.

Carlos Correa, the first batter faced, lined out at 112.1 mph, but the rest of the contact was much softer. Still counts as hits and runs, but maybe it puts the outing a little more in perspective. Suárez isn’t a worry after two appearances.

* Bryan Baker doesn’t have an obvious spot in the bullpen, but he’s going to pitch in the majors again this year.

I don’t know whether it’s with the Orioles, since he’s out of options, but he’s impressing.

Baker recorded the save in Tuesday’s 8-7 win over the Tigers by retiring the side in order in the ninth. He induced two popups around an Andy Ibañez strikeout. The fastball was sitting at 97 mph.

Baker has faced six batters and retired them all, including three in Saturday’s exhibition opener against the Pirates. Two grounders were sandwiched around a fly ball.

“He’s throwing the ball so well now,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Bake had a really good year for us a couple years ago and kind of an up-and-down year for the last year and a half, but he came to camp ready to go. He’s throwing 97-98 early in camp right now, and the changeup has developed, too. That was a real weapon for us in ’22, ’23 coming out of the bullpen, and he’s got a lot of confidence in that changeup right now.”

* Tomoyuki Sugano does, indeed, have an expansive pitch mix and seems to be equipped to command everything.

Is it done perfectly? No. He walked a batter in the second inning Wednesday and only half of his 22 pitches in the frame were strikes. But it’s hugely important to note that he isn’t operating as he would during the regular season.

This is spring training. Pitchers don’t obsess over matchups and sequencing. They’re “working on things.” Sugano will concentrate more on how he’ll actually go after batters in his next outing.

We also could see more of the sweeper, which he threw only once against the Pirates but carries in his bag of tricks.

The media aren’t seeing much of Sugano’s interaction with teammates. The real bonding apparently is done outside of our hour access. It’s quite different from Koji Uehara’s arrival. We saw players joking with him - laughter, attempts to teach him English words and phrases that would amuse everyone.

Sugano is available and cooperative when he’s in the clubhouse, but the translated responses are short, and interpreter Yuto Sakurai is a no-nonsense guy around us. I was going to start a pool on the first time we saw him smile, but it happened yesterday morning as he walked past a few reporters.

* Tyler O’Neill is going to make a big contribution to the Orioles if he stays healthy, and not only with his side gig as the team’s bouncer.

O’Neill’s power is ridiculous. He’s destroying baseballs in morning batting practice and he obliterated one Thursday afternoon, again threatening to knock down the structure beyond the left field fence until he cleared it. I’m waiting for him to smash the windshield of a passing car – in Bradenton. But he’s also emerging as a team leader. Players like and respect him.

They certainly get a kick out of his body-builder physique and his attempts to recruit everyone to go sleeveless in BP. A couple of players sat on the bench as O’Neill prepared to enter the cage and joked about it, wondering if any media members were willing to go along.

I didn’t hear any volunteers.

O’Neill doesn’t come across as an outsider who’s seeking acceptance. He got it right away.  

“I’ve been really impressed with this entire group here,” he said. “It’s such a young core and no egos, and everyone works so hard. It’s really good to see. I’m just trying to fit in how I can, where I can. I think I fit in really well here and I just want to continue the good work. And getting to know the guys and just chatting on the bench, just talking baseball, has been great with everyone."

* The Orioles didn’t make a big strike in the offseason, but they got deeper and we’re reminded again why that’s important.

Jordan Westburg hasn’t played since last Saturday’s opener because of some lower-back discomfort. Gunnar Henderson races to his right and leaps to snatch a line drive Thursday, runs out a ground ball and leaves the game with soreness in his right side.

Neither one is regarded as serious but the Orioles are fortunate to have plenty of options in the infield.

“I think it’s one of the strong suits of the roster, the way that I look at it,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “We do have depth in a lot of areas and we feel like that’s something that we need, something that we’re able to possibly carve out an advantage for ourselves in a very competitive landscape.

“You never know, but you look on paper and it’s a very talented group of position players. There’s way more than 13 guys in this organization that probably deserve to be in the big leagues, but a lot can happen here in Sarasota, so I don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch. But it should be a very, very deep group.”

It isn’t just the infield.

“This locker room has a really good collection of talent and definitely really good talent in the outfield room,” said Heston Kjerstad, “so it’s good for all of us.”

* Samuel Basallo is legit. There’s a reason why he’s untouchable in trade talks, and why teams keep trying anyway.

The power rivals O’Neill’s, and a member of the front office kept marveling at the ball Thursday to straightaway center field that ended up on the practice field next to the baseball operations center. He pointed to the area as he walked past reporters.

My question is, what happens if Adley Rutschman or Gary Sánchez is injured early in the season? Basallo won’t be ready. We don’t know whether he’s going to debut in 2025, and if he does, it’s happening later in the summer.

The other catchers in camp are non-roster invitees David Bañuelos, Maverick Handley and Silas Ardoin. They have a combined one major league at-bat. The Orioles must trust one of them as the backup or consider bringing in a veteran.

Basallo’s day is coming. The rest of the league is on notice.  

* Grayson Rodriguez has the stuff to be a No. 1 starter. Now he’s made two important changes that finally could earn him the status in 2025.

Rodriguez induced a weak swing Thursday with his sweeper, which he’s worked on during bullpen sessions. He could have a third breaking ball to further complicate the lives of opposing hitters.

Rather than risk a third career lat/teres injury, Rodriguez concentrated this winter on lessening the load in that area by bringing back his arm at a higher position.

* Kjerstad belted an opposite-field home run for his only hit of the spring before yesterday. It was a beauty, though.

Kjerstad struck out six times in his first eight at-bats, but he didn’t whiff yesterday in three plate appearances and stroked a run-scoring single in the fourth inning. Whatever. The Orioles aren’t basing their opinions on exhibition games.

* Jackson Holliday has committed a fielding error, but he looks much quicker and smoother in his transfers to second base.

The Orioles are smart to bring in former players as guest instructors. Embrace the past and attach it to the current club. And having Brian Roberts work with Holliday at second produced immediate results.

It’s all in the footwork.

Holliday hit his first home run yesterday, a two-run shot in the fifth inning.

* Vimael Machín is the extremely long shot to make the club as a utility infielder. He would need an injury or maybe three. Four tops. As we've discussed, it's a deep unit, but he's stubborn.

Machín went 2-for-2 yesterday with two RBIs and a run scored. He's a hitting ... machine. Maybe a love machine, too. I don't know him that well.

I'll admit that I didn't know him at all, but he was in the Cubs system and Hyde always liked having him around. The guy is a gamer. He's also a camp standout with his .455 average (5-for-11), a double, a home run, four RBIs and a 1.273 OPS.

* Collin McHugh is a new arrival in Orioles camp, but he isn’t making a comeback.

McHugh is working this year as a consultant with the Orioles’ baseball operations department as they assess player programs and facilities for future club investment.

Elias was in the Astros’ front office when McHugh pitched from 2014-18.