Mancini among the early arrivals at spring training

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've reached the official day that Orioles pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex. However, it's more of a formality. Lots of guys already have shown up, and that includes position players who aren't due until later in the week.

Trey Mancini arrived on Thursday and began his workouts the following day, unsure whether he's going to head north with the team or how the Orioles will use him. The possibility of spending most nights on the bench doesn't concern him. It beats a regular presence in a minor league lineup.

"If that's my role, then I'm absolutely great with that," Mancini said last week on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "My goal is to make the team on opening day and to be an Oriole on opening day. If it's in a part-time role like that, then great with me.

"I came up in that role at the end of the season last year, DHing every so often whenever a lefty would pitch or being ready every game to come in and pinch-hit. It was something that I had a little bit of experience with in the minors, but I definitely got thrown in the fire there. It was exciting to have that role last year and I think it gives me confidence this year that if that's my role, I can perform it to the best of my ability."

Just don't expect him to keep hitting home runs at the same rate. Three in his first five major league games. Three in his first three starts.

Mancini became the third player in major league history since 1913 to homer in each of his first three starts. Trevor Story homered in his first four starts from April 4-8, 2016 and Carlos Quentin did it in three starts from July 20-25, 2006.

"I'm hoping my first three games of this year nobody's expecting the same thing," Mancini said with a chuckle. "It would be great, but it's a tough act to follow. But I'll try my best to do it."

Mancini launched 13 home runs in 536 plate appearances last summer with Triple-A Norfolk. He isn't sorry to leave Harbor Park, which has frustrated its share of prospects over the years. Brandon Snyder wanted to demolish the place with every bat in his bag.

Hitters embrace Camden Yards. They want to use every bat in their bags to erect a shrine.

"It was nice. I'm not going to lie," Mancini said. "Harbor Park can be tough, but at the same time that's just how the cookie crumbles. You're going to play at some parks where the ball just doesn't carry as well for whatever reason.

"I think a lot of it there is you have the harbor out in right field and the wind blows in there a lot. It makes it a little more challenging, but even there if you hit a ball really well you can get it out. But it's definitely preferable and nicer to hit at Camden, I'd say."

Mancini has been a huge hit since the Orioles chose him in the eighth round of the 2013 draft out of Notre Dame. It started with the .328/.382/.449 slash line in 68 games at short-season Single-A Aberdeen and kept snowballing.

"Coming out in 2013, if you had told me that I'd make my major league debut in 2016, I would have been very thrilled with that," he said. "A lot of it is a testament to the development that I received coming out of college. I got so much better as a player with my approach and just my physical skills, and defensively, too. I've come a long way, I think, and a lot of that is the instruction I've gotten from countless people in the organization.

"It's really been a pleasure so far and I'm very happy with how everything has been turning out."

Mancini will be wearing an offensive lineman's number again this week, which seems backward considering that he's the one being blocked at first base.

(See what I did there?)

"I walked into the locker room and they had a 67 jersey hanging up and a 67 by my name, so I said, 'I guess I'm 67.' So yeah, I'm just going to roll with it," Mancini said. "It treated me well last year, so why change it, I guess."

Never tempt the baseball gods.

"I'm going to leave it be," he said.