Wondering about a nine-man bullpen, scouts watching Orioles outfielders, Henderson getting early MVP attention

SARASOTA, Fla. – With the Orioles committed to keeping 13 pitchers and 13 position players, they’re operating under an assumption that they head north with a set five-man rotation and eight relievers. Roster mocks divide the bullpen into the “locks” and “others” categories, as the club would operate under normal circumstances.,

However, there’s nothing normal about having five off-days before May, including March 29 after the opener against the Angels at Camden Yards.

The schedule could lead the Orioles to begin the season with four starters and keep a ninth reliever who operates as a long man. They’re discussing various scenarios and the factors that could be influencers, such as the number of pitchers who are out of minor league options.

At the risk of being charged with murder by monotony, I’ll share again that I think Craig Kimbrel, Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe, Cionel Pérez, Mike Baumann and Dillon Tate are the safest bets to go north, and that Keegan Akin has thrust himself onto the frontrunner list.

The eighth spot could come down to Jacob Webb, Bryan Baker, Julio Teheran, Albert Suárez or Andrew Suárez. My mind narrows it to Webb, Baker and Teheran, with Albert Suárez, who starts tonight against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, hopping into Triple-A Norfolk’s rotation. Andrew Suárez would be a fourth left-hander, which seems extreme in an eight-man ‘pen.

Teheran is stretched out to be a true long man, but the need is diminished by the off-days. And using only four starters temporarily could push left-hander Cole Irvin into that role.

We’re just kicking around scenarios here.

There's also the possibility of a waiver claim or late trade. Remember Coulombe's arrival last spring.

Irvin was the early talk of camp with his increased velocity and back-to-back scoreless outings. He’s hit a snag, with 10 runs, 10 hits and nine walks in his last two starts over 7 1/3 innings. But manager Brandon Hyde doesn’t seem concerned about the command issues carrying over and expects Irvin to work through them.

“When you evaluate players in spring training, it’s one of the hardest things to do,” Hyde said. “People read box scores and see highlights and things like that. It really equates to very little when it comes to the regular season. So, when you’re evaluating a young player, when you’re evaluating a starting pitcher, you’d like to see them throw more strikes than he’s been throwing. And maybe he’s been working on things. Maybe there are certain different circumstances. But I’ve seen really good starters have awful springs. I’ve seen guys hit 12 home runs in spring training and get DFA’d two weeks into the season.

“There’s no rhyme or reason why spring training doesn’t replicate the regular season, but that’s just the way it is. Cole, last couple of appearances not great command. Maybe he’s going through a little dead arm. I don’t know. But hopefully when the season comes around and the lights go on in a normal baseball setting that he will pick it up a little bit.”

* Scouts from other teams are monitoring the Orioles’ outfield situation, wondering if the surplus can spill into their organization.

They sit in the stands before games and compare notes and opinions. They know the starters are Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander and Austin Hays, and are finding out that Colton Cowser has the upper hand on the fourth spot after batting .342 with a 1.231 OPS, five home runs and 11 RBIs.

The math can be confusing for them, as well. They see that it’s possible for the Orioles to bring infielders Jackson Holliday, Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo to Baltimore, but it probably works only if the number of outfielders is capped at four.

Kyle Stowers has grabbed their attention, of course. He’s hard to miss. But Ryan McKenna also is drawing interest.

McKenna is out of options and would have to clear waivers before being sent down. The Orioles could try to swing a trade rather than lose him for nothing if they don’t put him on the 26-man roster.

Stowers can be optioned if he isn’t on the club, with the likelihood that he’s recalled at some point. But he’d also bring back more in a trade.

The question is whether the Orioles would consider parting with him. He was one of their top prospects while qualifying, and his power and ability to play multiple outfield spots and hit left-handers make him a valuable commodity.

* Hyde didn’t reveal anything yesterday when asked whether players have been told that they made the club. He decided to just have some fun with it.

“Rutschman’s made it,” he said.

Gunnar Henderson?

“Yeah, he’s on the team,” Hyde said. “We’re not going to keep going. I’ll end it with Rutschman and Gunnar are going to be on the team.”

In other words, this trail won’t lead to Jackson Holliday.

Henderson hit his first spring home run last night, a tape-measure shot down the right field line that he admired with a head tilt and feet still. He’s batting .464 with a 1.197 OPS and attracting more talk that he’s a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player in the American League.

Hyde agrees.

“Yeah,” he said. “Gunn can be as good as anybody in the game. He’s just a really, really talented guy.”

What are the next steps for Henderson? Hyde repeated the question and let it swirl in his head for a few moments.

“Well, he’s only 22,” Hyde said. “What are the next steps for Gunnar? Just keep doing what he’s doing.

“He’s such a good player right now. I think that he’s really made some huge improvements in his overall game, especially facing left-handed pitching. That’s something you don’t get a lot of in the minor leagues at times and he’s just made big strides last year with that, especially in the second half. His defense got better and better last year. He’s going to hit for power. He’s going to be exciting on the bases. He just needs to keep playing.”