Orioles invite top prospect Chance Sisco to minicamp

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter is finalizing his roster for next month's minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, with certain players requiring their approval. Catcher Chance Sisco will be part of it.

Sisco, 21, is viewed as the eventual successor to Matt Wieters if the latter leaves via free agency. He's ticketed for Triple-A Norfolk to start the 2017 season, but could push for a promotion later in the summer.

In the meantime, the Orioles want to take another look at Sisco behind the plate and offer further instruction as he tries to refine his defensive skills.

How will the Orioles know when Sisco is ready?

"I'm going to lean on a lot of people," Showalter said this morning during an interview with MASNsports.com.

"He's going to come into the minicamp. Last year, I took him over to Fort Myers and had him sit with me the first three or four innings. He was real quiet early on. It was kind of entertaining for me. And then he kind of opened up.

"That's kind of when you get to know a guy. 'What would you throw here? What did you think about that? What did you think about this?' He's got a lot of want-to, but I think he understands that it's going to be about a lot more than just about his bat, because that would be a huge jump for him with the pitching that he's going to be facing at some point. And I think that's going to be an evaluation we're going to have to stay on top of of 'when.'"

Showalter will seek input from director of player development Brian Graham and minor league catching instructor Donnie Warner "and the people who are experts at that."

Bench coach and catching instructor John Russell will work closely with Sisco, the organization's top prospect according to Baseball America. The minicamp provides a nice head start.

"He's probably one of the best catching instructors," Showalter said of Russell. "He's been so instrumental in our catching game, so I'm anxious to get him around Chance. And a couple other kids down below, like Austin Wynns and Stuart Levy. There are some kids who have really been impressive for us down there, especially defensively."

The last minicamp included catchers Jonah Heim and Chris O'Brien. Heim was traded to the Rays on Aug. 1 for Steve Pearce, who has signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Blue Jays.

Outfielder Joey Rickard, this season's Rule 5 pick, also will attend the upcoming minicamp. The Orioles invite players coming off injuries or surgery to monitor their progress.

Rickard avoided surgery after tearing a ligament in his thumb on July 20.

Reliever Richard Rodriguez, 26, will attend the minicamp after going 6-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 48 games with Triple-A Norfolk. Opponents batted .216 against him.

The Orioles re-signed Rodriguez to a minor league deal last month.

Pitcher Logan Verrett may receive an invitation after the Orioles acquired him from the Mets last week for cash considerations. They want to check on his health and get reacquainted after selecting him in the 2014 Rule 5 draft.