Leftovers for breakfast

The Orioles were shut out yesterday in Fielding Bible Award selections. They’ll have to settle for having three players with a chance to win a Rawlings Gold Glove.

That’s the extent of their glove love in 2023.

Jorge Mateo won the award at shortstop last season, though he was excluded from the list of finalists for a Gold Glove.

The Cubs’ Dansby Swanson earned the Fielding Bible Award in 2023, the only unanimous selection. He led all shortstops with 18 defensive runs saved.

As you’ve probably figured out, only one award is handed out at each position. There isn’t a separation of the two leagues.

Austin Hays is a Gold Glove finalist in left field, along with the Guardians’ Steven Kwan and the Blue Jays’ Dalton Varsho. Kwan won his second Fielding Bible Award yesterday after leading all left fielders with 16 runs saved and 24 “good fielding plays.”

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle also is a Gold Glove finalist, but Arizona’s Christian Walker, a former Oriole, received the Fielding Bible Award.

The Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno earned his first Fielding Bible Award after leading all catchers in defensive runs saved and ranking second in pitch blocking. Adley Rutschman is a Gold Glove finalist.

The Dodgers' Mookie Betts was chosen as the multi-position player. Gunnar Henderson isn't counted among the Gold Glove utility finalists.

* I posed a question yesterday morning about the need for a No. 1 starter in the Orioles’ rotation. Whether finding one via free agency or in a trade is a necessity.

Within the story was mention of Kyle Bradish’s growing qualifications for the role.

Manager Brandon Hyde stated during his media session following the club’s elimination in the Division Series that Bradish has “got an opportunity to be a No. 1.”

So, maybe not as this exact moment, but he’s trending in the right direction.

“I think when you talk about No. 1 starters, it’s a handful in this league, true No. 1s, and it’s hard to be a true No. 1,” Hyde said. “Does he have the ability to? Absolutely. Does Grayson (Rodriguez) have the ability to? Absolutely.”

Hyde has his own questions, but he also comes armed with answers.

“They’re a ways away. You know what I mean? They’re a ways away,” he said.

“A true No. 1 is a guy that is going to stop any sort of losing streak, a guy that’s going to go dominate a team in the postseason. Those types of guys. And those are hard to find. But those two guys have the stuff and the ability to be that type of guy.

“I’m hoping those guys develop into that possibly. I don’t know what we’re going to do this offseason and that’s not my department. I’m going to do the best I can with the roster that’s given to me, and I know Mike (Elias) will be in discussions and Mike will talk to me about roster stuff through this offseason and the Winter Meetings and all that stuff. I can’t believe we’re talking about that. But we’ll see.

“I honestly don’t know what moves we’re going to make or what additions we’re going to do. We haven’t even discussed next year at this time.”

* There doesn’t seem to be any uncertainty in how much the Orioles weigh individual performance over 162 games versus the three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers.

Elias and Hyde go with bulk-size output.

“In the world of analytics, there’s big samples and there’s small samples,” Hyde said. “They tend to look at the big sample, so three games is kind of a small sample. It’s also a first experience for a lot of those guys. We’re going to evaluate everything going forward. We just got our teeth kicked in, so we’re still wearing it.”

Elias said the Orioles want to “overweight” their failures during the self-reflection period in the offseason and push to get better. And they won’t get too caught up in what happened in the final three games.

“We’re going to weight heavily as an organization,” Elias said, “but in terms of like finite events on the field, there’s much larger samples to draw from.”

This philosophy also applies to successes in the Division Series, including how Henderson was 6-for-12.

“If he had gone o-fer, I wouldn’t think any less of him,” Elias said. “But everything he does at his age and the way he does it, as somebody who’s been watching baseball my whole life, it’s a treat to watch Gunnar Henderson play baseball. I’m so happy that we have him, can’t say enough good things about him.”

* The world of analytics is a comfortable residence for Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton, which at least partially explains why he’s winning games and earning accolades.

The Tides set a franchise record with 90 victories, claimed their first International League title since 1985 and secured their first Triple-A crown since 1983. Britton was selected as the league’s Manager of the Year, following his award in 2019 with Double-A Bowie. He’s gone 164-135 in two seasons with Norfolk and 381-312 in five years in the Orioles’ system, beginning in 2018 at Single-A Delmarva.

All of which you could have read in the story that I wrote last week.

Brother Zack Britton, the former Orioles’ All-Star closer, believes that Buck’s background in that type of data and philosophy has aided his post-playing career.

“He was always good with that, and I think it helped him playing with the Dodgers back when they were just becoming really analytical throughout the minor leagues,” Zack said. “I think Gabe Kapler was the farm director and a lot of that implementation – and you saw how it got applied with the Dodgers and obviously with the Orioles, who I hear are one of the best at applying it – helps in identifying players and using it to assist the players.

“It’s always good to have that background, and the results are showing that he’s doing a good job at applying it. And then also using his baseball mind to assist.”

* The Orioles sent nine players to the Arizona Fall League’s Mesa Solar Sox. Heading into last night, one of them was tied for fifth in home runs with three.

First baseman TT Bowens is 11-for-53 in his first 14 games, but he's collected two doubles and three homers. He has nine walks and 11 runs scored, but also 21 strikeouts.

Two of the home runs were hit in Mesa’s second game – a two-run and solo shot, the latter measured at 432 feet to center field. Bowens hadn’t hit multiple home runs in a game as a professional.

Bowens, 25, signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Central Connecticut State. The draft was shortened to five rounds because of the pandemic.

The 2023 season began with Bowens on the injured list with a strained hamstring, but he went 2-for-3 with a double and home run in his first game on May 9 with High-A Aberdeen. Bowens debuted with Double-A Bowie on May 16, went back on the injured list in July and missed over a month before starting a rehab assignment with Single-A Delmarva on Aug. 31.

Bowens returned to the Baysox on Sept. 12 and finished with a Double-A slash line of .226/.317/.402 with eight doubles and seven home runs in 47 games.

Trey McGough, the former Mount St. Mary’s pitcher selected by the Orioles in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, struck out 11 batters in 8 1/3 innings.

Carter Baumler had 15 strikeouts in 10 innings but also allowed five earned runs and 11 hits and issued six walks.