NORTH PORT, Fla. — A persistent theme that emerged across the Orioles’ roster last season has carried over into this year’s spring training: versatility.
Jordan Westburg made his first start at second base of the spring Saturday in the Orioles’ 10-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves, manning the position he played the most in 2023. The natural shortstop also spent time at third base; he expects to start at all three positions this season.
“I grew up playing every spot in the infield,” Westburg said. “So, game changes, the game speeds up and with that you have to make adjustments, but as soon as I got into the organization I was reintroduced to bouncing around. So, to me, it’s second nature at this point just to be on your toes and to just continue to work in all three spots because if there’s a way to get in the lineup, I want to be in the lineup.”
Westburg is far from the only infielder without a permanent defensive home. Among the Orioles’ 13 infielders listed on their spring training roster, 10 are capable of playing multiple infield positions and the other three — first basemen Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn and second baseman Connor Norby — have logged time in the outfield during their careers.
It’s true just as much of the Orioles’ prospects as it is their veterans. Second baseman Kolten Wong played third base Friday night for the first time in his professional career, majors or minors, as he tries to make the team as a utility player. Shortstop Jorge Mateo has worked all spring on adding center field to his own defensive skill set.
Baltimore has taught versatility to gain a competitive edge for the long season. If good players are capable of covering multiple positions, it gives the Orioles more days off throughout the year and plays a key part in their ability to absorb injuries without sacrificing much production.
“I think that’s one of the reasons of success the last couple of years was our versatility and being able to give guys a day or two off and be able to not lose much, or any, when you sub in,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Keeping guys as fresh as possible, especially in today’s game, is really, really important and the more you have versatile guys out there that can play different spots in the infield — I have guys that can move the outfield on occasion — it’s really helpful.”
Top prospects stay hot
The Orioles sent two of their top prospects to North Port on Saturday in Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser to face a Braves pitching staff that trotted out several MLB-quality arms, including starter Chris Sale and reliever Aaron Bummer. They responded in turn by combining to go 4-for-7 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Mayo provided the biggest hit of the day, a two-run home run against Bummer that landed in the parking lot beyond the lawn seats in left field of CoolToday Park. It was the first long ball of the spring for Mayo, who has gotten off to a scorching start by slashing .346/.452/.654 over his first 12 games of Grapefruit League play.
“A few games ago, I was feeling a little off and in the cage in Clearwater, I put some good work in with [Double-A hitting coach] Sherman Johnson and got back to my old ways a little bit and something clicked and just, yeah, I feel great,” Mayo said.
Not to be outdone was Cowser, who has been just as impressive at the plate with a .444/.565/.944 slash line and three home runs in eight games. The 23-year-old outfielder collected two of those hits, the first of which was a single that ended Sale’s day early.
Both Cowser and Mayo are hoping to force the Orioles to make some tough decisions this spring and add them to the opening day roster. Cowser faces a perhaps clearer path with only three outfielders locked into roster spots in Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays. For Mayo, making the team would likely mean the Orioles have to cut ties with another player.
“I think you can’t really worry about the those things,” Mayo said. “I think you’ve come into camp preparing to do everything you can for them to make a tough decision and, whether that’s going back to Triple-A or making the team, I just want to do everything I can to give myself an opportunity.”
Around the horn
• Hyde said in his pregame news conference that the Orioles have not yet discussed internally where their roster battles stand with players still getting settled in to this point. However, he added that they will start to “evaluate a little bit harder” moving forward as they begin to trim their roster down to 26.
• Facing a Braves lineup that included stars Matt Olson and Austin Riley, Dean Kremer completed four innings with two runs allowed, including one that was scored when center fielder Ryan McKenna lost track of a fly ball. Prospect Cade Povich allowed just one unearned run in three innings and both Keegan Akin and Wandisson Charles put up scoreless frames to clinch the victory.
• With the win, the Orioles improved to 13-2 to remain atop the Grapefruit League standings by a healthy margin. Their .857 winning percentage isn’t just the best of any team in Florida; no one else clears .600.
Grapefruit League
Orioles (SS) vs. Blue Jays (SS)
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