Can Janish win utility job?

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles should have enough utility infielders after yesterday's signing of veteran Jayson Nix to a Triple-A deal with an invitation to spring training. It's time to say "when."

Nix, who can earn $750,000 if he makes the team, is a career .212/.282/.345 hitter in seven major league seasons with eight teams and a .259/.330/.415 hitter in 14 minor league seasons. He's a former first-round pick, which always brings a certain appeal to executive vice president Dan Duquette

Nix is trying to wrestle the utility role away from Ryan Flaherty, but he's not alone. This isn't a one-on-one competition. It also isn't a battle royal. There aren't that many candidates.

Rey Navarro agreed to a major league deal in November, but the Orioles view him primarily as a second baseman despite how shortstop is his natural position. He needs to demonstrate in spring training that he can bring plus defense as J.J. Hardy's backup. Otherwise, he's ticketed for Norfolk.

Flaherty has stayed in the majors because manager Buck Showalter trusts his defense at every infield position.

Paul Janish might be my choice as the dark horse this spring. Showalter already has mentioned that Janish is an excellent fielder at short, where he's appeared in 344 major league games, compared to 57 at third and 21 at second. He can really pick it, as they say.

"That's kind of my natural position, but at this point in my career I'm pretty much comfortable anywhere in the infield," Janish said Monday on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "It definitely was something that they kind of brought to me, and last year with J.J. having some of the back issues. ... Obviously, when he's healthy he's going to play pretty much every day, which is what everybody in Baltimore is hoping. But, yeah, that's kind of my role.

"On a good, winning team you've got to have a guy like that, and fortunately in the past I've had the chance to be that guy on a few different teams and hopefully get the chance to do it again."

Janish, 32, hit a combined .268/.323/.359 last year in 113 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs and Triple-A Omaha. Selected by the Reds in the fifth round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Rice University, Janish is a career .214/.284/.288 hitter in 431 major league games with the Braves and Reds. He spent 2014 in the minors.

The Orioles signed Janish (pronounced YAN-ish) to a minor league deal in November and gave him a spring invite.

"It just seemed like a good fit," he said. "I heard a lot of good things about the coaching staff, and obviously last year was a good run for the team and hoping to do more of the same this year. For someone like myself, it's hoping to fit in with a guy like Buck who's an old-school mindset and kind of fits my game. I look forward to getting in with the guys and mixing it up."

Where did Janish get his old-school approach to playing baseball?

"You know, that's a hard thing to pinpoint," he said. "I think it's a little bit how you're raised and where you grow up, but for me personally, I know playing at Rice, my college coach was an old-school guy, a guy named Wayne Graham, and he's about as old-school and about as hard-nosed as they get.

"At that age, that's when a lot of guys get their mentality established and it wasn't really a whole lot different for me, so I think it's just kind of grandfathered in for me."

Janish is aware of the numbers stacked against him as he tries to win a job. He already did the math before the Orioles signed Nix.

"At this point in my career, it's one of those things where from my perspective I'm hoping those things work themselves out," he said. "I know that team has a lot of good chemistry in that clubhouse and they're big on team guys and that's kind of my mantra, so for me I'm excited about getting in and mixing in the clubhouse and hopefully being a good fit."

Asked what he brings to the table, Janish talked about his postseason experience with the Braves and Reds, and understanding his role.

"Fortunately, I've been able to be on some teams that have been good and gone to the playoffs and done well, and my role on those teams for the most part has kind of been filling in gaps when guys go down. And over the course of a season, that's kind of an inevitable thing," Janish said.

"For me, obviously, I'm kind of a defense-first guy and I know that's something Buck preaches and they're big on that as a coaching staff, and hopefully that's good for me. Being a guy that's older and has been around, I have the ability to kind of fill in on a moment's notice and sit around for a week or two if that needs to be the case, and then be ready when called upon, so those things all combine.

"I think it's a good fit for myself and hopefully the coaching staff sees it the same way."