Dwight Smith Jr. looking for a repeat spring performance

When spring training games began last year, outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was still with the Toronto Blue Jays. But he would end the spring season on a hitting tear for the Orioles. That led to him making his first big league opening day roster.

The Orioles acquired Smith last March 8 for international bonus money. The Blue Jays had designated him for assignment three days earlier.

Smith joined the Orioles and started mashing the ball. In 12 games, he hit .429 (12-for-28). He homered five times, all five coming over the last six spring games. Two came in the final spring game in Sarasota versus the New York Mets. Smith hit the five homers in a span of 20 at-bats.

He then got off to a fast start for the Orioles. In his first 37 games through May 12, the 27-year-old lefty-batting Smith hit .286/.333/.510 with eight homers, 27 RBIs and an OPS of .844. But he could not keep up that pace. Over his final 64 games, he batted .210/.272/.343 with an OPS of .614.

"I think I can always do better, no matter how good or bad my season is," Smith said. "I feel good about my season last year. I learned a lot of things that were unknown before. How to deal with a full season. Now it's nothing new to me. I know what to expect so just go out, have fun and play."

And being with the team most of last year leads him to a comfort level for spring this time around.

"Everybody was pretty much new to the team. We had to build chemistry. I think it will be way better this year because we kind of know each other more. I think that will show on the field when we play," Smith said.

Smith's season included him recording an RBI in a career-high four-straight games starting April 18. It included him producing three straight multi-RBI games and driving in a career-high six runs June 4 at Texas. That was the most by an Oriole in 2019.

But it also included an 0-for-33 stretch that began June 30 and ran through July 20. For the year, over 101 games and 392 plate appearances, he hit .241/.297/.412 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.

What was his focus in workouts this winter?

"I worked on my flexibility more," he said during the Birdland Caravan. "Worked on my hitting habits that would decrease inflammation in my body. And I just worked on areas I need to improve on, like my defense and my agility, running and my conditioning. Feel pretty good going into this year,"

Spring training begins with seven outfielders, including Smith, listed on the 40-man roster and three more in Florida with non-roster invites.

It's crowded and Smith will need another spring like last year after his late struggles in 2019. Struggles due in part to injuries. He suffered a concussion in June and a left calf strain in late July.

"My competition is facing the other team. Not my teammates. So that is all I'm worried about," Smith said.

Markakis chimes in: Plenty of major league players have been extremely critical of the Houston Astros for the cheating scandal and critical of commissioner Rob Manfred for a lack of discipline for the players.

But the latest to join the chorus was a bit of a surprise. Mild-mannered former Oriole Nick Markakis took aim at the team.

"It's anger," Markakis told reporters of his reaction to the scandal. "I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating. It's wrong. They're messing with people's careers."

Markakis added: "There's right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it. I 100 percent disagree with the way they did it. There's a lot of people that were hurt by it, and it was wrong."

The backlash here is stunning in one respect. I've never seen Major League Baseball players speak this way against other players.

One story recently indicated it would have been hard for Manfred to discipline the players and that the players' union would step in and fight it. But that same union also represents all the players speaking out, right?

It seems if there could be a union vote about whether to discipline Houston players, that measure would overwhelmingly win.