Teammates talk up Tillman's simulated game

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman wanted feedback from his teammates following yesterday's simulated game at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Give him the good and the bad and don't hold back. Mincing words serves no purpose as he eases back into competition.

Tillman threw 42 pitches in two innings and drew positive reviews. Most important, they were honest reviews.

"I thought he had a nice mix to his pitches," said Mark Trumbo. "Thought his changeup looked real nice. He dropped some really quality curveballs for strikes, as well. He's got a lot of deception to begin with. As a hitter it looked like it would be a tough at-bat if it counted."

Craig Gentry, recovering from a hamstring injury, also took his swings against Tillman.

"He looked good, he looked really good," Gentry said. "He had good movement on his breaking ball. Threw me quite a bit of changeups, actually. His changeup looked great. He had some life on his heater, his arm speed looked really good, so I was pretty impressed. I thought he looked great."

The Orioles need the non-2017 version of Tillman after signing him to a deal that guarantees $3 million and can include $7 million in incentives and bonuses.

"It's very important, obviously," Trumbo said. "We're much, much better if he's healthy and contributing like he has for the majority of his career. I think there's a lot of excitement here because a healthy Chris Tillman is a very quality big league pitcher and a team like us, it's going to be that much better if he's out there doing his thing."

Tillman had just started throwing last year at this time due to a sore right shoulder. He's so far advanced this spring that he's completed multiple bullpen sessions and his first simulated game, with another one later this week that will expand to three innings.

"I think right now it's just getting up and down," he said. "I think that was a big part of that one. We went 15-20, sat down for a little bit and then got another 15-20. I wanted to see what I had been seeing in bullpens, which I did for the most part, but anytime you go out for the first time, I was a little excited, but that's part of it."

The feedback, which also came from young outfielder Austin Hays, was appreciated.

"It's good," Tillman said. "Anytime that you're able to talk to hitters about it, period, it's good. You can't necessarily walk into the other clubhouse and ask them what they're thinking and what they're seeing. It's good to get a hitters perspective on what things look like and what might be good or bad and what you might need to work on."

And be truthful at all times.

"Absolutely," he said. "Especially the guys that were there, I don't think they're going to be shy about it. It's not a secret. They did the same thing with (Andrew) Cashner, they did it with me. They've done it with multiple guys this spring. They were honest, which is good."

Tillman said his sim game also got the approval of pitching coach Roger McDowell.

"He liked it," Tillman said. "He said that I actually changed a lot more this offseason than (what) we had worked on last year. I didn't feel like I did. Having someone see it, that's good."

We know where Tillman stands now compared to last year, but what about a normal spring training? What about the days when the shoulder wasn't an issue, he served as the staff ace and appeared to be lined up for a big payday in free agency?

"Other than innings pitched in spring training games, I'd say I'm a little bit ahead," he said. "I got so far ahead in the offseason that now I'm kind of taking a step back and then progress more normal."

Tillman eventually will be allowed to pitch in a Grapefruit League game against hitters who don't dress in the same clubhouse. He can't go through an entire spring without it.

"I think at some point you're going to have to," he said. "I don't see a need right at this moment. I'm not panicking by any means, but it's going to have to happen sooner or later. But I think that's part of the reason why Trumbo got in there, Gentry got in there.

"We talked after. They're just as good at giving me a read as the other guys are, although they're probably a little nicer about it. I asked them not to be nice and it went well."