Clevenger looking to catch on to opening day roster spot with Orioles

As a kid growing up in the Baltimore area, Steve Clevenger went to Camden Yards and dreamed of playing on that field for the Orioles one day. His dream came true late last season when the Orioles acquired him from the Cubs in July and he was a September call-up. In four games, Clevenger handled himself well behind the plate and went 4-for-15 with two RBIs. When he made his O's debut Sept. 13, Clevenger became the 22nd Maryland-born Oriole. That was a taste of playing for the orange and black, and starting today, the 2004 graduate of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore tries to win the backup catcher's job. What will be the key for him to do that? "I don't get into it too much, the competition," he said. "You go to spring training and can only control what you do. I'll work hard and do what I've got to do to show these guys that I can help the team win during the season and hopefully win a championship." Acquired with pitcher Scott Feldman from the Cubs for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, Clevenger has hit well in the minors, which included stops at Triple-A for parts of the last three seasons. His career slash line in the minors is .311/.373/.428 with an OPS of .800. He hit .324 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 20 games with Triple-A Norfolk after last summer's trade. But he's hit just .204 in 83 career big league games. Clevenger knows how important his defense will be to the Orioles. He said his pop time to throw to second base on steal attempts is usually in the 1.92-second range. He wants to work on his footwork to improve in that area. "I feel I block well and throw well, but I haven't thrown well in the big leagues and that is something where I have to step up my game," Clevenger said. "I needed to focus more on throwing out runners. Being a backup catcher, you are there for defense and to shut the running game down. It is something I need to work on and get better at. "It can be hard to back up a Gold Glove catcher. You have to follow that and may only play one day a week. But you can't put too much pressure on yourself and can only do what you are capable of doing." Drafted in round seven by the Cubs in 2006, Clevenger, who turns 28 on April 5, said he's dealt with a specific injury at times in recent seasons that led him to target some of his workouts this winter. "Spent some time trying to focus on my obliques," he said. "The last two years, I've had an injury bug with my obliques. Just been trying to strengthen them up and get my legs ready for spring." Clevenger's main competition to backup Matt Wieters at this point appears to be Johnny Monell. Both Monell and Clevenger do have options remaining and either could be sent back to the minors. I wrote about Monell in this post last week. After making a solid impression in a small sample size last September, Clevenger now looks to show what he can do this spring and hopes to run down that orange carpet on opening day. The Baltimore kid may get another shot to play for the Orioles. "Definitely. It's always good to be welcomed at home and play for your hometown team," he said. "This is something I cherish. I wanted to be a Baltimore Oriole as a little kid. I'll give it everything and this is special for me. "I was actually at the 2,131 game with Cal Ripken. And Joe Orsulak was my favorite Oriole growing up. I just liked being in the stadium and watching the team play."