Ward hoping defense gives him edge in catching competition

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' bullpen sessions today will feature many of the top pitchers on the roster. Ubaldo Jimenez, Darren O'Day and Bud Norris are in Group 1, Tommy Hunter, Chris Tillman and Ryan Webb are in Group 2, Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen and Zach Britton are in Group 3, Brad Brach, T.J. McFarland and Kevin Gausman are in Group 4, and Dylan Bundy and Mark Hendrickson are in Group 5. Alejandro De Aza is in Sarasota and should be in camp later today. Jayson Nix has a locker set up, but it doesn't include a number or uniforms. It's just an empty locker with his nameplate above it. Brian Ward sits among the other catchers in camp inside the Orioles' clubhouse, unsure whether he's got a shot at a backup job. His chances improvement tremendously if Matt Wieters begins the season on the disabled list. Manager Buck Showalter has referred to Ward as "the best defensive catcher in the International League." He was surprised that a team didn't take Ward in the Rule 5 draft. "That feels good," Ward said. "I always knew that Buck takes great pride in the minor league system, so to hear him say that feels good." Ward is a career .240/.342/.318 hitter with 15 home runs in six minor league seasons. He turns 30 in October and he didn't play at the Triple-A level until last summer, when he batted .227/.330/.286 in 65 games. It's all about Ward's work behind the plate. The pitchers in Norfolk loved throwing to him. "I feel like the pitchers like throwing to whoever they're throwing good to, but it's good to hear," Ward said. "I've got a good relationship with all the pitchers, so it's always good to hear." Ward said he didn't feel that he needed to make a big adjustment moving up from the Double-A level last season, "but I learned a lot more." "Playing with (manager) Ron Johnson, he taught me a lot, and (pitching coach) Mike Griffin talking about the hitters and stuff like that," Ward said. "As far as the speed of the game, there wasn't that big of a difference, but as far as me learning, I learned a lot. "I feel like I'm always going to develop every part of my game, and hitting is definitely something I want to get a lot better at." Caleb Joseph figures to have the inside track on the backup job if Wieters is ready on opening day, but there are plenty of legitimate candidates on catchers row, including Steve Clevenger, J.P. Arencibia and Ryan Lavarnway. "If you're in big league camp, I feel like you've got a chance to make the team," Ward said, "so that's my goal." Note: The black leather glove that 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier used to deflect Derek Jeter's fly ball into the right field seats for a home run against the Orioles in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series sold at auction for $22,705. No idea who bought it, but I'm rooting for Tony Tarasco.