Leftovers for breakfast

The 11-month mark arrived Monday since the opening ceremony of the Orioles’ new, state-of-the-art training academy in Guerra, Dominican Republic.

The 22.5-acre complex is home to the organization’s regional facility for Caribbean, Central and South American player development operations, with three full fields, a sports turf agility field, batting and pitching tunnels, dormitories, administrative buildings, entertainment spaces, a dining room with nutritious meals, and three classrooms with a computer lab. The expectation was that more than 100 players, coaches and staff would be housed there.

“It’s an incredibly impressive facility,” manager Brandon Hyde said that day. “I just think it’s so well done and it means a ton for the organization because this is part of the lifeblood of our team and lifeblood of our organization is signing players and giving them a great facility to train in. And this is the step one for a lot of our young players that we signed that are going to be Baltimore Orioles, and to have them be in this sort of facility is incredible.

“Everything is done extremely well, just from the fields to the artificial surface for the agility field, to what the clubhouse and the classrooms look like. Just a really, really well designed facility, and looking forward to our young players using it. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve been to a couple of facilities down here before. Every one is a little bit different, but this is like modern and this is a really, really, new-age type of facility.”

More young players will be arriving with the international signing period beginning on Jan. 15.

“Just really cool to see that investment starting to show the fruits of all the labors of so many people,” director of player development Anthony Villa told the media at the Winter Meetings.

People who were present for the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2021 seemed in awe of the transformation from 22.5 acres of dirt and trees. And the heightened level of excitement remains almost a year later.

“Awesome. It’s great down there,” Villa said.

“The building is beautiful, the space is awesome. The players comment on how much more comfortable it is. There’s a lot more space for player development to truly take place. It’s an absolute game-changer, and I think we saw that on the field this year.

“More bullpen mounds, more cages, much better weight room, bigger cafeteria, better food service. It’s a much more accommodating place to live and train at, and I think it helps us maximize our capabilities each day with practice, and then the games.”

Hyde and Villa were part of the Orioles’ contingent in January that also included executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, assistant general manager Eve Rosenbaum, vice president of international scouting and operations Koby Perez, vice president of player development and domestic scouting Matt Blood, director of player development Anthony Villa, director of minor league operations Kent Qualls and closer Félix Bautista. Former players Ubaldo Jiménez, Melvin Mora, Nelson Cruz, Hanser Alberto, Daniel Cabrera, Radhames Liz and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero were introduced as part of the Orioles family.  

“We’ve got a very good program now,” Elias said at the Winter Meetings. “Koby and his staff doing a great job scouting. Matt Blood and (Latin America coordinator of instruction) Sam Vega and the guys who run our development down there, Anthony Villa, they’re doing a great job putting in a nice program. I think the facilities, not just the baseball facilities, but the living conditions, the food, the weight room, the parking, all that stuff, it’s so nice to be there. It’s just a nice place for people to work, and I think that’s important, too. The staff is happy being there. People from the states, roving instructors, executives go down. It’s comfortable, it’s in a great location.

“I’m really looking forward to going back again this winter. And it’s something that we’re proud to show off.”

* New outfielder Tyler O’Neill doesn’t need anyone reciting his injury history. He knows the games lost and why. And he keeps working to stay on the field.

O’Neill spent part of Monday’s video call talking about his workouts and the changes made to improve his durability and get more production.

“I think the structure’s very balanced with what I do,” he said. “I think I don’t neglect small muscle groups that I might have in the past to kind of rush into getting heavy lifts in. Because it’s my background and that’s my M.O. and that’s always been my thing, right? Just being a power hitter and lifting heavy and stuff. So I’ve just had to modify things a little bit.

“And also making sure I’m giving my body the time to recover, the time that it needs to heal, and make sure that it’s in a good spot to be able to execute those full workouts in the program. So I really like where it’s at right now.”

O’Neill said he’s also talked to Elias and Hyde about where he’s at – physically and in his approach at the plate.

“For me to be able to take it to the next level with my training program and make sure my body is in a really good spot physically let me just stay more consistent last year and being able to get in a groove in the batter's box, and that's what it's all about. Being able to get in those rhythms and stay with the ebbs and flows of the season,” O’Neill said.

“I think my best representations of that are 2021 and 2024. … I've done what I can in the training side to make sure that I can be as consistent as possible and feel as good as I can on a day-to-day basis, and I think I'm in a really good spot there. So I have confidence in my body again to be able to go out and produce on an everyday basis.”

* Baseball America published its top 10 prospect lists yesterday and catcher Samuel Basallo is No. 1 for the Orioles.

Infielder Coby Mayo slipped to second. He had replaced Jackson Holliday at the front of the line.

Outfielder Heston Kjerstad still qualifies as a prospect and ranks third, followed by outfielder Vance Honeycutt at No. 4, right-hander Chayce McDermott at No. 5, outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. at No. 6, outfielder Dylan Beavers at No. 7, right-hander Michael Forret at No. 8, outfielder Jud Fabian at No. 9 and shortstop Griff O’Ferrall at No. 10.

Honeycutt was the 22^nd-overall pick in this year’s draft out of the University of North Carolina. Ferrall was taken 32^nd overall from the University of Virginia.

* One reason why the Orioles found Gary Sánchez to be a good fit as their backup catcher was his ability to speak Spanish. They considered it an added benefit.

Sánchez obviously hasn’t given it much thought.

“I don’t really know, to be honest, because us, the Hispanic pitchers, they speak some English as well,” he said yesterday via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “So, you know, not really too sure how to go about that one.”