Rickard ready for outfield competition

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles added two outfielders on minor league contracts within a span of three days, signing veterans Craig Gentry and Michael Bourn. Good defenders, good speed, capable of backing up at all three spots.

Meanwhile, Joey Rickard shows up each morning and enthusiastically runs through every drill, tracking the ball in the outfield and in the cage without looking over his shoulder. It wouldn't work any other way.

No one handed Rickard a job on report date, but he didn't have to clear as many hurdles. As a right-handed hitter, he could platoon with Hyun Soo Kim in left field or Seth Smith in right. Or he could come off the bench in the later innings, whether as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner.

It still could happen, but the latest roster moves chip away at his security and leave him more vulnerable to a Triple-A assignment.

"Oh yeah, you think about those things," he said earlier this week. "You see them. But I got here by not thinking too much into those. Just kind of taking the positives out of it and seeing what I can learn and how they can help me out and better my game."

You won't find worry lines on his youthful face.

"It's always a competition," he said. "I knew what I signed up for when I decided to play baseball, so it's all fun at the end of the day."

The good times for Rickard ended on July 20 when he slammed into the right field fence at Yankee Stadium while chasing a fly ball. A torn ligament in his thumb ended his season after 85 games and 257 at-bats, enough to remove his Rule 5 status this spring.

Rickard was back in a lineup on Tuesday, batting ninth and playing left field for the orange team in the first intrasquad game.

"You're a competitor, so you want to be out there to keep you going," he said. "I'm excited. It's real early, so let's go out there and have fun."

Seriously, this kid isn't stressed out. Good for him. The Orioles are impressed with the way he's handled the arrivals of Gentry and Bourn. Don't think for a second that they're oblivious to it.

"You watch," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's a competitive place for all of us. I'm not going to call someone in here and tell them something I don't know is going to come to pass. I'm very careful about what they hear from me. I do look for, say, a Chris Dickerson or a (Logan) Schafer or, you know, all of the sudden the day after Michael Bourn gets here they're all the sudden different.

"I think they know what's going on here. We're going to take the best 25. The maneuverability and depth on the infield has been a challenge, but that's getting better."

Rickard batted .268/.319/.377 with 13 doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs and four stolen bases that actually led the team. He went 21-for-60 in his first 14 games, hitting safely in 13 of them, to keep Kim on the bench.

The Orioles didn't face a spring crisis with their Rule 5 pick. He easily made the team after batting .397/.472/.571 (25-for-63) with six doubles, a triple, one home run and five stolen bases in 28 games.

"You couldn't have a much better spring than he did last year and I've said many times that (injury) was a kick in the can," Showalter said. "He was doing some things for us that we couldn't find anybody to do the rest of the year. Then all of the sudden, there's a different set of circumstances around you. All the sudden, you're sitting there with (minor league) options. You're sitting there with 10 or 12 outfielders in camp.

"It's going to be interesting. It's going to be almost impossible for him to have the type of spring he had last year. We're not going to send somebody down because they've got options. We're going to take the best 25 and five or six outfielders or whatever we end up with and go from there.

"So far, he looks like the same guy as last year. I know he's not looking to give out advice to the other Rule 5 guys. Joey, he went from being a Rule 5 guy to doing commercials."

It may be tougher for the Orioles to carry a Rule 5 pick this year. They have 12 outfielders in camp, including Aneury Tavárez and Anthony Santander.

"A little bit, but it just takes some imagination," Showalter said. "Games are getting started before too long. Guys like Michael and guys like Gentry and there are a couple more, they've got a track record because they're still physically able to do those things. You've got an idea what you're going to get.

"Each one is a little different. With Gentry, with the injuries he's fought through, you know what he's capable of. If you look back at last year, where we were last year with that group, we're way ahead of that."