Rodriguez healthy again and ready to take the next step for Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. – Grayson Rodriguez’s big strike in the offseason happened on a hunting trip in Mexico, where he shot a ram and now waits for it to clear customs and arrive in the United States.

Rodriguez hasn’t managed to buy Corbin Burnes’ fishing boat but could make his pitch when the team is in Phoenix.

These are the topics that bring a smile to Rodriguez’s face, the more playful side that is buried during those moments when he’s got to be all business. And not the kind that purchases water crafts.

Orioles pitchers and catchers held their first workout yesterday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Rodriguez hasn’t appeared in a game since July 31 due to another lat/teres strain that he couldn’t rehab in time to make the Wild Card roster. He didn’t make it past bullpen sessions and watched his teammates get swept by the Royals.

“Feeling good,” he said yesterday. “Last year at the end of the year there was a chance that I was gonna come back and throw. It’s kind of what I was trying to do. Ultimately, it didn’t work out, but the first week that I got home I was fully cleared from the doctors to move on and do my offseason program and everything, and didn’t have a problem.”

Rodriguez should slot first or second in the rotation after Corbin Burnes signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks. He feels good about the five projected starters and the other competitors. Losing the ace hasn’t stripped his confidence.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I think these guys can handle it. I think we’re ready for that. You’re looking at Dean (Kremer) and Ef (Zach Eflin) down there, and obviously (Kyle) Bradish will be back. I think we’re really looking forward to it.”

Burnes set examples from the minute that he stepped inside the Ed Smith clubhouse last spring, drawing stares during his workouts and bullpen sessions. The way that he tackled every detail, making it impossible for anyone to exceed his preparation. What Rodriguez took away from being teammates was Burnes’ ability to be efficient and stay in games.

“Obviously last year, Corbin Burnes was pitching into the sixth and seventh inning a lot simply because he was just going out and going after the hitters,” Rodriguez said. “He wasn’t really around the strike zone, he was going right at them. That’s something I think a lot of us will be doing this year is just going out there, attacking the zone. Not necessarily being around it but just letting the guys on the field do most of the work.

“It was huge. Obviously for my career, being able to kind of see somebody like that up close and personal this early in my career was really special for me. Kind of seeing how he went about his day and his work, and I think it will help us a lot.”

The time has come for the 11^th overall pick in the 2018 draft to give the Orioles a full and productive season, to take those proverbial next steps and attain the status expected of him since before a pen touched his first contract.

“Obviously, you go out and attack every game like it might be your last,” he said. “You want to leave everything you have on the field. You want to be able to handle the pressure. I think that’s something that I’m ready for.”

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias doesn’t offer a rebuttal. They’re in the same camp and on the same page.

“He’s in great shape, we can see that,” Elias said. “He certainly has had the stuff, the pedigree, the performance to take a step forward, and I think he’s had some health frustrations the last couple of years that hopefully don’t happen this year. I’m very bullish on him and expect a great season from him.”

“Burnesy was a true No. 1 for us last year and pitched like it,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “It was great for Dean and Grayson to see what that looks like. I’ve got some high expectations for those two guys this year. I think that they’re really, really ready right now. They look great.

“The improvement that Dean showed every single year and what he’s been able to do. Unfortunately, Grayson got hurt last year. But I think both those guys have established themselves as good major league pitchers and continue to get better.”

Elias has brought in veteran starters to do more than consume innings. They’re also supposed to lead, whether it’s Burnes, Jordan Lyles or Kyle Gibson. He traded for Eflin at last year’s deadline and signed 41-year-old Charlie Morton, but Rodriguez is willing to take a stab at it, too.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “Obviously going on Year 3 now, have kind of seen some things. Haven’t seen everything, but I’ve kind of learned how to work through struggles. Obviously, every start’s not gonna be how you want it to be, but taking those bad starts and making them into something good I think’s the big thing. It’s obviously a long season, so just being able to stack starts together and go out there and limit the other team to score some runs, and hopefully your guys can score enough to win the game.

A few nuggets from yesterday:

* We found out that Heston Kjerstad is getting a big-time opportunity to break camp and receive significant playing time during the season in the corner outfield and at designated hitter. His stats this spring won’t factor into the decision.

Do they matter for other players?

“I think it’s a little bit more of an art than science, looking at spring training evaluations and performances,” Elias replied. “There’s a lot that goes into it. I think having a good spring is better than having a bad spring, but neither of those things is a black-and-white answer. But we have different ways of looking at it and we take a lot of subjective evaluation into the decisions that we make toward the end of camp. Certainly what happens out there in the Grapefruit League is part of the equation, but there’s scouting-based stuff that we do, too.”

* Catcher Samuel Basallo is the No. 13 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline and he’s only 20. He stands 6 feet 4 and rises above the hype.

There’s no way to watch Basallo hit in the cage and be anything except impressed. The left-handed swing is so sweet and so powerful.

Basallo isn’t here to make the club, but he can leave a deep impression.

“I think this year will speak a lot to whatever his timeline looks like,” Elias said. “He’s doing exceptionally well in terms of his timeline as a prospect and the age that he’s at and his development. He just got to Triple-A, he’s still learning a lot. We’re still working on his approach at the plate. He’s still learning how to be a major league catcher. All of those things are going great, but I don’t think he’s at the point yet where you want to start talking about timelines. But when you’re in Triple-A and if you’re doing well in Triple-A, that’s your timeline right there. So I hope he has a good season.

“He’s going to get a chance to compete here in camp and show himself to the major league staff I think in a way that he hasn’t been able to do until this year.”

* Hyde won’t commit to certain lineups just a few days into spring training, but he could expand how he uses the designated hitter spot.

Ryan O’Hearn usually was the DH against right-handers while Ryan Mountcastle played first base. Adley Rutschman would DH to provide some rest against left-handers, which put former backup James McCann behind the plate.

A possible full season out of Heston Kjerstad could see him at DH in many games.

“I think it depends on our roster, kind of where we are health-wise,” Hyde said. “If it starts today and Mounty is playing first, O’Hearn’s more than likely going to DH. I think that I’ve always got to be careful with Adley a little bit. I don’t want to wear him out. He’s an important part of our lineup, but he also catches and it does take a toll.

“I think you’d like to see kind of a versatile designated hitter, where you can move guys in and out of that spot to give guys a breather. So we’re taking it day to day.”

* Morton stood at his locker talking to a reporter when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him backward.

Morton had no idea who was responsible until he turned and saw pitching coach Drew French, who had a huge smile on his face. The men embraced, happy to be reunited after spending three years together with the Braves. French was the bullpen coach.

The chance to work again with French, a close friend, made it easier for Morton to sign with the Orioles.

* I wrote yesterday about Jackson Holliday’s latest layers of muscle. He’s even bigger this spring than how he looked last season. But no one can outdo Tyler O’Neill.

A guy wearing a T-shirt walked past the media scrum yesterday outside the baseball operations building and I thought he was a strength coach. His arms looked like they could bend the foul pole. The true definition of muscle definition.

It turned out to be O’Neill.

That explains the home runs.