Stewart's adjustments to right field and the bench

SARASOTA, Fla. - I've learned over the years that spring training exists to get players ready for the upcoming season, to determine how to plug holes in the roster and to give sportswriters a chance to post grainy photos and pretend to sympathize when it snows back home.

It also sharpens our skills at fitting a bar tab into our per diem.

Managers use the annual camps to do a little experimenting. Where else are you going to turn Trey Mancini into a left fielder and try to turn Pedro Álvarez into a right fielder? Where else are you going to spend a few days watching Javy Lopez play first base and Billy Rowell track fly balls before the sympathy pangs strike?

In one of the most startling transformations, Albert Belle almost turned into a nice guy as he limped out of Fort Lauderdale Stadium for the last time.

(For the sake of accuracy and fairness, Belle was pleasant at FanFest and in the early weeks of spring training, but he'd slowly morph into someone who might snap your neck if you wore an ugly shirt.)

DJ Stewart is the latest Oriole to spend March outside his comfort zone. Or the place where he's most comfortable. He knows right field. He just lacks the experience gained in left.

Stewart has been a defensive substitution in right for the last three games. I wrote yesterday morning that Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette discussed the idea with manager Buck Showalter.

How does Stewart feel about it after making four starts in right last summer at Double-A Bowie?

"At every level I've played right field one or two games, so it's nothing new for me," he said.

"In left field, you're going to have that lefty slice. In right field, you're going to have the slice from the righties. Just getting used to that. And it's also just a different angle on the ball. But for me, I need to just get more reps in BP and stuff because it's something I've played, but I've played left more continuously, so left is more natural to me right now. So just getting more work in BP and during drills and stuff like that and just perfecting it."

Stewart also must adjust to a bench role. He's accustomed to being in starting lineups. He didn't sit in high school or at Florida State University. He didn't sit as the 25th overall pick in the 2015 draft.

"Trying to get used to the whole coming into the game," he said. "It's not something I've ever done, but it's something that I've got to get used to. You never know your role whenever you're with a big league team, so something that could be called upon me to do whenever I'm up there. Any way I can help the team. So just trying to get used to that adjustment. But everything's honestly going great.

"Learning a lot from the guys around me, just how they go about the game and do everything. And just trying to get better every day."

Being a reserve, which is bound to happen as the regulars get the home assignments, also means finding ways to stay ready. He can't just plop down on the bench and zone out in his first major league camp.

"Not really able to take swings just because most of the games have been road games, so the cages are kind of far away, but just trying to stay loose every inning," he said. "Stretching a little bit, even though you're not in the game, getting used to it. Staying loose. And honestly, the biggest thing, because it's spring training and I haven't seen pitching in a while, just trying to get my timing.

"The last couple days I felt good in the box, but I haven't seen a lot of pitches, so just trying to time it up the best I can. You can simulate games in BP, but it's still not the same. Guys aren't throwing 97-98 (mph) in BP, so just trying to get used to that and when I do get it, try to see as many pitches as I can. But also not take cookies. You know what I'm saying?"

Has a whole different meaning to sportswriters. We do, in fact, take cookies. Every chance we get.

"You want to take pitches to kind of get your timing, but if they give you a good one, swing at it," he explained. "Just trying to get used to that, get my timing going. Something I'm getting better at each day and just trying to learn."

Stewart remains 3-for-15 this spring after drawing a walk yesterday, but the box scores don't tally quality at-bats. For example, he lined out to center field in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game against the Twins in Fort Myers. Put barrel to ball and made a loud sound. And it happened after he fouled a ball off a sensitive area of his body and had to be checked by Showalter and an athletic trainer.

"Ah, a bad spot. It hit me in a bad spot," he said. "But yeah, it's something where I kind of got out front of the ball a little too much and it kind of hit in front and bounced up a little bit. I'm sure you've experienced something like that before."

Only if I reach for the last cookie.

"Just needed to take a little bit of time and get my breath going and settle down a little bit," he said, "and I was fine after that."

He could have left the game or popped up weakly and decided whether sitting on a hard bench also was outside his comfort zone, but he dug in and blistered a pitch. It didn't go unnoticed in the visiting dugout. Stewart figures he probably scores a few points with that out.

"I felt like it was a quality at-bat," he said, "and with the role I have right now, making an impression is having the quality at-bats. I think that at-bat it was either 1-2 or 0-2 and I worked it to 3-2, so just trying to have a quality at-bat. And knowing the situation in the game, we were down one, so I'm trying to do the best I can to get on base any way. Work the count.

"He put a good pitch there, I squared it up. It kind of got in on me a little, but I'd mark it down as a quality at-bat. But not successful because I didn't get my job done, get on base for us to win the game. But it's OK, I guess."