Notes on Ryan Mountcastle, David Hess and more from minor league camp

SARASOTA, Fla. - A few notes from the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park. This is the home of the Orioles' minor league camp, where today at 1 p.m. teams representing Single-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva will play the Boston Red Sox.

At the same, teams representing Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie are on the road playing Boston in Fort Myers. O's minor league games continue through March 30.

The opening day rosters are not set yet for the four full-season affiliates and more will change as players are cut from the Orioles and sent to minor league camp. You can't put too much stock yet into the minor league rosters and lineups.

* A bigger and stronger Ryan Mountcastle is beginning his third season in the organization. He put on 15 pounds during the winter after a strong 2016 season at Delmarva.

He hit .281/.319/.426 with 28 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 51 RBIs for the Shorebirds. Drafted 36th overall in 2015, he is the organization's No. 3 prospect per Baseball America.

Mountcastle is expected to move up to Frederick this year where, at 20, he will get a real challenge in the Carolina League.

"Definitely the pitching will be better," Mountcastle said. "The game gets faster when you move up. But just excited to get the season going and see where it takes me."

As with most young players, the Orioles feel Mountcastle could grow into more power as he gets older. It has happened for others, including Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop.

"Yeah, I feel like I've gotten a little more power during the offseason, just lifting and getter bigger. It will come. Pretty excited to see what the future holds," he said.

* At the end of the 2015 season, right-hander David Hess, the club's fifth-round draft pick in 2014, looked like he might be on a fast-track to the majors. He went 10-5 with a 3.64 ERA between Frederick and Bowie. He ended the season pitching great, including in the playoffs as Bowie won the Eastern League title.

But last season with the Baysox, the 23-year-old Hess went 5-13 with a 5.37 ERA. Hess said spotty fastball command was an issue for him and some mechanics tweaks hopefully will get that locked in better this year.

"A lot rides on fastball command," he said. "We changed up a couple of small mechanical things. Nothing too major. Also really just worked on a lot the mental aspect of things. Coach (Alan) Mills helped me worked through that and how the mentality can affect the physical aspects, as well.

"The (lack of) fastball command was such a big thing. The year before, when I was having success, I really did well at keeping the ball down. I was working in and out and up and down. Keeping hitters off-balance with my off-speed pitches. Last year, I just wasn't doing that as well. I had some flashes of it, but it was not there consistently."

* The Orioles have re-signed infielder Jason Heinrich, their fifth-round draft selection in 2015. He was released by Arizona on Wednesday. Heinrich was traded to Arizona on Aug. 31, 2016 for outfielder Michael Bourn. Now he's an Oriole again.

* Rafael Palmeiro's son, Preston Palmeiro, drafted in round seven as a first baseman by the Orioles last June, is now also playing second base. He'll be at that position here today at Twin Lakes Park.

Today's minor league lineups:

NORFOLK

2B Sean Coyle
CF Logan Schafer
DH Aderlin Rodriguez
1B Juan Francisco
SS Garabez Rosa
RF David Washington
LF Michael Choice
C Austin Wynns
3B Derek Peterson

BOWIE

2B Steve Wilkerson
3B Cameron Kneeland
DH Ryan Mountcastle
DH Austin Hays
LF DJ Stewart
RF Conor Bierfeldt
1B Alex Murphy
SS Erick Salcedo
C Stuart Levy
CF Ryan McKenna

FREDERICK

SS Ricardo Andujar
2B Drew Turbin
3B Jomar Reyes
RF Tristan Graham
DH Austin Anderson
1B Steve Laurino
C Jerry McClanahan
DH Garrett Copeland
CF Markel Jones
LF Austin Leyritz

DELMARVA

CF Cole Billingsley
3B Frank Crinella
2B Preston Palmeiro
C Christopher Shaw
1B Seamus Curran
RF Gerrion Grim
LF Jaylen Ferguson
DH Jason Heinrich
SS Alexis Torres