O's top draft pick DJ Stewart on being an Oriole and his unique batting stance

Before the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, some scouting reports expressed concerns about the very low batting crouch of Orioles top draft pick DJ Stewart.

Here is an excerpt from Baseball America's scouting report on Stewart:

"He has managed to make his unorthodox stance work in college, but scouts aren't sold that it will work at the next level. He crouches very low at the plate, which can make it tougher for him to unleash his raw power. Many scouts believe that if he just stands up a little taller, he'll be able to turn on inside pitches with more consistency and tap into more of his power."

The Orioles expressed no such concerns about Stewart's batting stance. They selected him with the No. 25 pick in the draft out of Florida State.

A 21-year-old left-handed batter, Stewart hit .318 this year for the Seminoles with 10 doubles, two triples, 15 homers, 59 RBIs and a .500 OBP, as he walked 69 times and struck out 49. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2014 with a slash line of .351/.472/.557.

Stewart said he has had that pronounced crouch since he was a freshman in high school in Jacksonville, Fla.

"A coach and my dad suggested it," he told me yesterday at Ripken Stadium. "I used to have a high leg kick with a more upright stance. I could hit for power that way, but was not consistently hitting the ball and struck out too much. I made that adjustment to be more of a contact hitter, as well. Wanted to become an all-around baseball player.

"I wasn't as low as I am now before, but over the years, I've just kept making little adjustments and gotten to the place that makes me feel comfortable. I like it the way it is now and I've had success with it. If I need to make an adjustment, I will."

Stewart said that he has actually gotten lower with the crouch over the years and opened his stance more. He has heard about the concerns of some scouts, but also knows he is now in an organization that supports his batting stance.

"I can't pay attention to things I can't control," he said. "I know myself and my swing better than anyone else. Some people will say what I can and can't do, but I know the Orioles have confidence in me and that is why they drafted me. Other scouts, they didn't draft me for a reason, that's on them. I'm happy to be an Oriole and they have faith in how I'm hitting. The Orioles feel confident in me to do that, so I'm happy and blessed to be here."

Stewart has now played two games with short-season Single-A Aberdeen. He went 1-for-3 with a single and walk when he made his pro debut on Thursday night. Last night, he went 0-for-3 in the IronBirds' 5-1 loss to Staten Island.

O's blanked again: The Orioles have allowed just three total runs over the past two games, but they have lost them both, being shut out 2-0 by Texas on Thursday and 1-0 last night by the Chicago White Sox. Last night's loss dropped them into second place, one game behind the Yankees, who rallied to beat Tampa Bay 7-5 by scoring four runs in the last of the 12th.

Over the past two games, the O's have hit just .136, going 8-for-59 without a single extra-base hit. The O's have gone 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in those games. They've suddenly stopped hitting and they'll try to end a 19-inning scoreless stretch when they play at U.S. Cellular Field today at 2:10 p.m.