Orioles notes on players' approval of new left field dimensions, Rutschman's early bonding with new teammates, and more

The smiles appear before the response.

Ask a few Orioles hitters for their immediate reactions to news that the club is moving in the left field wall, and their approval can be seen on their faces.

“I mean, I’m not disappointed,” catcher Adley Rutschman said yesterday evening after the Birdland Caravan made a stop at PBR Baltimore.

“It’s definitely nice as a righty, and maybe as a lefty. I think everyone’s excited.”

No one more than first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who was robbed of 11 home runs over three seasons, per Statcast data, after the Orioles pushed back the wall and raised its height. The new dimensions bring it up at varying distances between nine and 20 feet.

“Excited,” Mountcastle said when asked for his reaction. He couldn’t suppress a grin. He didn’t try.

“It’s pretty cool. It was way back there. For them to finally move it back in, just happy to see what it looks like," he said.

“It’s a good feeling knowing that you can pull the ball again and get good results out of it. Hopefully I can, and we’ll see what happens.”

Jordan Westburg hit 18 home runs in only 107 games, losing about seven weeks to a broken hand. He can drive the ball to all fields, and his power will be a nice match with the corrected dimensions in left.

“I was happy,” he said with a laugh. “I know it took a lot of homers away from some of us righties, and I immediately thought about lefties, too, like Jackson (Holliday), Gunnar (Henderson), (Colton) Cowser, Heston (Kjerstad). All those dudes use the opposite field so well. It’s gonna immediately benefit those guys, too, so I’m pumped for it.”

* Rutschman has added a few tasks to his usual winter and spring routines: Get to know Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano and new backup catcher Gary Sánchez.

The process already started, with Rutschman saying that he participated in a video call with Sugano.

“Just kind of going over getting to know each other and kind of just what we see starting out this year, but a lot of it’s going to be once we get into bullpens in spring training and catching lives. But I think we’ve already got a good feel. But everyone’s excited to actually have those in-person interactions.”

Sánchez is replacing James McCann, who remains a free agent. Rutschman said they’ve had a few brief conversations.

“We’ve chatted a little back and forth,” Rutschman said. “Again, really excited to get those in-person interactions.”

Rutschman expressed confidence that he can reverse a poor second half, when he batted .207/.282/.303 with only three of his 19 home runs and 20 of his 79 RBIs.

“I trust my ability to bounce back and work hard and get healthy and do all the things necessary,” he said. “Got great guys around me, great coaches. Very excited.”

Rutschman didn’t share much about his offseason but said that he had “good conversations” with the coaching staff, hitting instructors and athletic trainers.

“Just getting everything sorted out and back to work, you know?” he said. “I think everyone’s excited for this year.”

Asked whether he changed anything over the winter, Rutschman said, “Yeah, a couple adjustments as far as hitting goes. As the season goes along, obviously you have to make those in-season adjustments, but really like where we’re at right now.”

The Orioles have a new bench coach, former catcher Robinson Chirinos, who replaces Fredi González. Chirinos stepped aside for Rutschman in 2022 and served as a mentor.

“He’s just, like, an all-time human being,” Rutschman said. “Great guy to play with and I’m really excited to have him around. He’s just going to be a great energy guy, a great coach. Super, super knowledgeable.”

* New outfielder Dylan Carlson is one of those offseason depth signings that can pay off big or bring little to no impact. The season won’t hinge on it. But he can be a piece at a reasonable cost.

Carlson’s deal pays $975,000 with a $25,000 plate-appearance bonus. He has three minor league options, which provides flexibility.

The club’s focus on right-handed production and better balance also led to Carlson, a switch-hitter with a career .285/.361/.431 line in 494 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

The Rays non-tendered Carlson after acquiring him from the Cardinals. The Orioles think he can get back to the form he displayed in 2021, when he finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The subsequent drop-off was caused in part by a slew of injuries to his hamstring, thumb, ankle and acromioclavicular (AC) joint. He underwent surgery on the ankle in 2023 and began last season on the injured list.

“I think he’s a very good addition for our depth in the outfield,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said yesterday. “He’s real versatile. He’s a switch-hitter and he can play all three outfield positions and he presents some flexibility to our outfield.

“I think we have a very long baseball season. We’ve got to focus on that, and we’re gonna need a lot of people to help us get through the season, and I think Dylan’s a really high-quality addition to the roster in that regard because of the versatility he provides. He's still very young and he’s coming off some injuries the last couple years that he’s got behind him, so hopefully he can have a bounceback.

“Even still, examining ways to just kind of bolster our outfield mix, and he was a big part of that.”

Elias wanted to give manager Brandon Hyde more roster flexibility, which also led to Carlson.

“Last year in the second half when we had all those injuries, it was really eye-opening what happens when your depth gets depleted,” Elias said. “That was a pretty extreme amount of injuries. I think, right now, with the way we're constructed, we feel good about the depth that we put together. Now, anything can happen. We'll see what happens, but I think that he's going to have a lot of options on both sides of the ball and that's a good thing.”