Commenting on the camp competitions

I'd like to challenge readers here to pick their favorite camp competition, but it's hard to do without having a set roster.

I'm still putting Yovani Gallardo in the rotation until told otherwise. I won't bore you with another non-update update. Sides still talking, working out a few details, press conference would be held in Sarasota, etc.

OK, I just bored you with another non-update update.

Gallardo would join Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman. The only question is where to slot them. Manager Buck Showalter has a few ideas, but decisions won't be made before the Grapefruit League games.

"I haven't gotten that deep with it, because there's so many things that can happen and you're doing a lot of false work. Or I call it false hustle," Showalter said last week.

"You don't really know until you get down there and know exactly who you're going to have to pick from. If someone held a gun to my head, it would be pretty easy for me to rattle off how we would line them up, but I'm looking at April, I'm looking at the season, I'm trying to match up guys, who they pitch well against home and away. There are a lot of factors that go into it.

"Chris Tillman here, Chris Tillman there. Whether it's Miguel or whether it's Jimenez or Gausman or whoever. I think you've got to wait and kind of let that play out, because there are a lot of factors that you better take into consideration that give you a better chance to win in April."

The competition in right field closes if the Orioles sign Dexter Fowler and surrender their compensatory draft pick, the one obtained after left-hander Wei-Yin Chen signed with the Marlins. The outfield would be set with Fowler, Adam Jones and Hyun Soo Kim. Nolan Reimold, who's out of options and signed for $1.3 million, would be the favorite to back up at all three positions.

The Orioles wouldn't necessarily need to carry a fifth outfielder with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo on the roster. However, they selected Joey Rickard in the Rule 5 draft and plan on taking a long look at him.

L.J. Hoes, Dariel Alvarez and Henry Urrutia could be squeezed out of the picture unless the Orioles return Rickard to the Rays. Hoes was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Alvarez is staying on the 40-man roster. Urrutia doesn't have the same security, but batting from the left side does increase his value.

Ryan Flaherty can play the outfield in an emergency. He's is expected to break camp with the team as a super utility player despite having a minor league option. The Orioles value his ability to back up at every infield position, and this skill is especially important at second base, since Manny Machado can slide over to shortstop if J.J. Hardy is injured or needs a day off.

The infield consists of Machado, Hardy, Davis and Jonathan Schoop. The Orioles keep insisting that Davis is the primary first baseman, eliminating speculation that he could shift to right field on a regular basis. It's just not happening.

The needle on the drama meter isn't banging into the red when the discussion turns to catching. Matt Wieters is the starter. Caleb Joseph is the backup. Continue to breathe normally.

This is an important camp for Double-A catcher Chance Sisco, who's trying to shed the label of poor defender. The Orioles know he can hit. They need the rest of his game to catch up, so to speak.

Sisco will benefit from working with bench coach John Russell and catching instructor Don Werner.

Six of the seven bullpen jobs appear to be filled with Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Brad Brach, Brian Matusz, Mychal Givens and Dylan Bundy. Givens has options, but he earned a spot based on his work at Bowie and with the Orioles.

Givens averaged 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings in his 35 appearances with the Baysox and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in his 22 appearances with the Orioles. That's a valuable weapon to have with runners on base.

Games can be lost in the middle innings, too. Givens doesn't have to be slotted in the seventh or later.

I've heard that teams are inquiring about Brach, who's out of options. He's also extremely valuable to the Orioles.

Brach registered a 2.72 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 62 games last season, and he had a 1.92 ERA in his last 42 appearances. Brach also averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, with his 89 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings leading Orioles relievers. However, he also allowed 17 of 29 inherited runners to score.

T.J. McFarland could make the team as a left-hander backing up the five right-handed starters. You know how much Showalter values him.

Chaz Roe and Vance Worley are out of options. Worley will be shoved into the bullpen competition if/when Gallardo signs. He also will be a trade candidate.

Showalter warned against overlooking Jason Garcia, but the former Rule 5 pick is more likely to face Eastern League competition.

Odrisamer Despaigne has a difficult name to pronounce and three minor league options. I'm penciling him into Norfolk's rotation unless the Gallardo talks fall apart.

Joseph and Flaherty should comprise half of the bench. Reimold joins them if Fowler signs. Otherwise, Reimold could be part of a platoon, with a few left-handed bats remaining on the free agent market.

The pool of bench candidates runs fairly deep when you check the above-mentioned names and also factor in Jimmy Paredes and Efren Navarro.

Again, so much depends on what the Orioles do in right field. The picture will become much clearer under the sunny skies of Sarasota.