A look at some players who did well in winter ball, plus other notes

When we report on minor league players in this space, we are often talking about the top prospects and up-and-coming young talent. But there are also times that the more veteran players who don't get ranked on those prospects lists deserve some attention, too.

That would include two vets who helped Double-A Bowie win the Eastern League title last September - outfielder Quincy Latimore and infielder/outfielder Garabez Rosa. Both had strong seasons in winter ball.

In 68 games in the Mexican League, Latimore hit .292/.370/.485 with 19 doubles, 10 homers and 45 RBIs. He was second in the league in RBIs, fifth in slugging and tied for fifth in home runs.

Originally a fourth-round draft pick of the Pirates in 2007, Latimore has also played in the Indians and Nationals organizations, along with a 2013 stint in independent ball. But his bat took off last year in the second half at Bowie as he found a few things that clicked with then-hitting coach Keith Bodie, now the manager at Single-A Frederick.

Latimore hit .274 with 20 homers and 64 RBIs for Bowie in 2015 and was among the Eastern League leaders in several offensive categories. But after the All-Star break, he hit 15 homers in 191 at-bats and produced a .961 OPS. Then he hit three homers and drove in 14 runs in nine games during the postseason.

"He is building a resume," O's director of player development Brian Graham said of Latimore. "He has put himself on the map as a guy that can hit. He's a solid defender and good baserunner, as well. He is definitely building his resume. I would love to see him make the (Triple-A) Norfolk team and prove that he can hit at that level, as well."

At the very least, Latimore will be a solid bat for either Bowie and/or Norfolk this year. At the most, he could be a late bloomer that makes a case for a major league shot with another big season.

Rosa is a longtime Oriole. Signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2006, he is about to play his 10th season on the O's farm. He hit .253 in 107 Bowie games last summer, but really turned it up in the postseason. He hit .385 with three homers and 10 RBIs in nine playoff games.

In 37 games and 123 at-bats in the Dominican Winter League, the 26-year-old Rosa hit .358/.406/.512 with four homers and 21 RBIs. He posted the best average, OBP, slugging and OPS of any O's player in winter ball. Rosa has been a versatile defender who can play several positions and that makes him valuable for the higher levels on the O's farm. We'll see if he can push his career past that point.

"Rosa is definitely a late bloomer," Graham said. "He has gotten better every year. He is an interesting guy because he can play so many positions and he plays them well. He can play shortstop and that is a commodity."

O's Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard played well in winter ball in the Dominican. In 50 games, the outfielder hit .277/.344/.450 with 13 doubles, one triple and six homers. A right-handed batter and left-handed thrower, Rickard hit .362 with runners in scoring position.

Yermin Mercedes is a 22-year-old catcher who hit .272 in 64 games for Single-A Delmarva in 2015. It was his first year in the organization. Signed originally by the Nationals, Mercedes was released by Washington late in the 2013 season.

In 18 games and 56 at-bats in the Dominican, Mercedes hit .357/.362/.482 with a homer and 12 RBIs. He went 5-for-11 (.455) with runners in scoring position and hit .452 in 31 at-bats versus left-handed pitching.

What about Mancini and Walker in the outfield?: I asked Graham if the O's plan to look at either Trey Mancini and Christian Walker in the outfield now that Chris Davis is returning at first base in Baltimore.

"Right now, we have not discussed that. It is something we would have to put on the back burner for a later date," Graham said.

My take is that while these are two very good first base prospects, they would have a hard time with such a transition. You would not want that to impact their hitting and their defensive skill set probably profiles only at first base. At least in the American League, there is always a DH spot to get another bat in the lineup.

Early camp: The Orioles will hold an early minor league spring training camp again this year, Graham said. It will start on Feb. 24 at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota. Pitchers and position players at that camp could appear in some early major league spring training games. The O's are still finalizing the roster for the early minor league camp.

Have the O's improved?: That is the question fans are asking and some are concluding the Orioles have not. They base this mostly on the starting rotation, which has not yet been upgraded and lost Wei-Yin Chen.

I see some flaws in this thinking. Whichever player takes Chen's spot in the rotation and whether or not that player does as well as Chen, won't the other starters make about 80 percent of the starts? How that group does will have as much, if not more, to say about the rotation's performance in 2016.

Because Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez pitched below expectations last year, doesn't guarantee they do the same next year. They have a track record of three solid seasons each before 2015.

None of that means the O's rotation will be good enough next year. But whichever pitcher takes Chen's starts could do well or not. But that pitcher is one part of a bigger wheel. The take that the Orioles are not improved and are only an 81-win team could prove to be true. But basing that only on the additions and subtractions forgets to take into account about 20 other players on the active roster and perhaps 40 or more over six months of baseball. They'll have something to say about the record as well.

There are up and downs for all players. Since 2012 the Orioles have won 93, 85, 96 and 81 games. What happened in 2014 didn't go the exact same way in 2015. The team cannot be judged solely on an offseason's additions and subtractions.