O's 2016 top pick Cody Sedlock is fully healthy at minors camp

SARASOTA, Fla. - For Orioles 2016 top draft pick, right-handed pitcher Cody Sedlock, his first full season of pro baseball did not go as planned.

He spent two stints on the disabled list, injured for the first time in his life. He also could look at a stat sheet that he may not have liked, also probably for the first time in his life. He went 4-5 with a 5.90 ERA for Single-A Frederick. He missed time due a right elbow flexor strain and a forearm strain.

But he is back now, completely healthy and a full go at minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park. When the minor league spring games begin this afternoon, Sedlock is scheduled to pitch two innings for the Single-A Frederick team.

"It's going great," Sedlock said during a morning interview Wednesday. "I feel great this spring training. My elbow was kind of a nagging sort of injury and it was bothering me throughout the whole season. I kept compensating to get through it and finally it got bad enough that I couldn't pitch."

In early September, Sedlock got a stem cell injection in the flexor tendon and now he feels like a new man.

"Since then I haven't had any problems. My arm feels better than it has in a long time. It was injected directly into the tendon and it promotes healing. I feel now like a completely different person," he said.

Sedlock, taken No. 27 overall out of the University of Illinois, said surgery was never contemplated.

"No. The doctor said the tendon that was affected was a pretty strong tendon," Sedlock said. "It was just degraded. He said I didn't need surgery. The stem cell injection was the first option and it worked out well. No problems."

The Orioles' lower level A-ball clubs, Frederick and Delmarva, play at home today at 1 p.m. at Twin Lakes Park against Minnesota. Their higher level teams, Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, play in Fort Myers against the Twins.

Meanwhile, the O's 2017 top draft pick, lefty DL Hall, is a bit behind other pitchers in camp. That is because he had his tonsils removed in late January.

But he's thrown several bullpen sessions in Florida and will throw live BP next week.

"When my tonsils became a problem I had to stop my throwing program for about a week and a half. So I'm playing catch up a little bit. I am scheduled to pitch in two games the last week down here," Hall said.

This should not keep Hall from making a roster for opening day. He is expected to begin this year as part of the Delmarva rotation.

Here is a look at today's starting lineups in the minors. Here also is a disclaimer: The final rosters are not set yet. As more players come down from major league camp, some players get bumped down a level from where they may be playing today. Don't read too much into the lineups just yet. And yes, they can bat 10 and use two DHs in these games.

NORFOLK

CF - Mike Yastrzemski
RF - Jaycob Brugman
3B - Drew Dosch
LF - DJ Stewart
DH - Ryan Mountcastle
DH - Ademar Rifaela
1B - Garabez Rosa
2B - Adrian Marin
C - Martin Cervenka
SS - Anderson Feliz

BOWIE

CF - Ryan McKenna
RF - Jake Ring
2B - Preston Palmeiro
3B - Jomar Reyes
DH - Randolph Gassaway
LF - Cole Billingsley
1B - Alex Murphy
DH - Joe Maloney
SS - Chris Clare
C - Stuart Levy

FREDERICK

CF - Tim Nichting
2B - Kirvin Moesquit
C - Ben Breazeale
3B - Trevor Craport
1B - Ryan Ripken
SS - Mason McCoy
RF - Will Robertson
DH - Collin Woody
LF - Frank Crinella
DH - Steve Laurino

DELMARVA

DH - Adam Hall
2B - Max Hogan
DH - JC Escarra
1B - Seamus Curran
CF - Davis Tavarez
RF - Zachary Jarrett
LF - Jacob Brown
C - Bryndan Arredondo
SS - Alexis Torres
3B - Carlos Baez

Among today's pitchers for Norfolk are Asher Wojciechowski and John Means. For Bowie, Keegan Akin and Alex Wells. For Frederick, Sedlock and Zac Lowther. And for Delmarva, Michael Baumann and Brenan Hanifee.