Showalter talks about Tejada and Phillips

Miguel Tejada signed his minor league deal with the Orioles today and served as the designated hitter in an extended spring training game. That's all I know. I'd pass along his stats if I had them. Manager Buck Showalter hasn't said much about Tejada, who contacted the Orioles seeking a tryout after being unable to land a major league deal. "You can talk to Dan (Duquette)," Showalter said. "I know Dan was dealing with Miguel and his agent. He told me about it over in Boston. I know he had talked a little bit about it earlier, just letting me know because he thought I might be asked about it. "I don't know Miguel that well. I've heard good things about him from guys that were here with him, as far as a teammate and everything. Everybody speaks real highly of him. I don't know him that well. I'll lean on the people in extended, and we've got good people down there. "I don't know what the process or the plan is at this point. He got his physical and he came through that fine. I know that. He hasn't played since January, I believe. Probably the Caribbean games. I'm focused here, happy with the guys we have. "We've got more than just him. We've got some guys in Triple-A we think a lot of that can help us if we have that need. I'm hoping we don't have that need. I know Dan signed Billy Hall and there's a lot of 'what ifs' that if something happens, you want to make sure you're covered." Showalter won't hang the "lefty specialist" tag on reliever Zach Phillips, but it's a nice fit. Left-handed hitters were 2-for-20 against Phillips last season, and having him in the bullpen gives Showalter the option of using him for matchups late in a game. Troy Patton could be used more as a multi-inning guy. "I don't think there's enough track record there to feel that for sure, but both these guys - he and Troy - have the potential to do both, which is unusual," Showalter said. "You can look back at the prospect list two or three years ago, (Phillips) was right there with Texas. He's really a good young man. He's a guy you like looking at every day. He competes. Smart." Phillips gave up two runs and four hits in 13 1/3 innings in spring training, with two walks and eight strikeouts. He had an option remaining, which cost him a spot on the Opening Day roster.