Baltimore Orioles: Caleb Joseph hopes for fresh season with O’s

Caleb Joseph didn’t have a good 2016 for the Baltimore Orioles. However, he hopes to turn things around and prove himself in 2017.

Caleb Joseph had an eventful season to say the least. After he lost an arbitration case to the Baltimore Orioles, Joseph decided to refocus his efforts on the upcoming season.

Joseph went 0-for-24 (.073) with runners in scoring position in 2016. That sole reason was why Joseph ended up only getting $700,000 versus the $1 Million he asked for in arbitration. Luckily, Joseph has another chance to prove himself.

Joseph said the following at Orioles FanFest late last month:

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“It’s huge and I already have (started over),” he said at FanFest. “Mentally, physically, I’ve already started over. I’m really excited for 2017, for multiple reasons. One, we’ve got a great team coming back. Two, I feel great. And three, I love this team.“Being with them at FanFest, even for just a couple of hours, was so much fun. Energizing. I’m ready to go. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and any other words you can throw in there. I’m ready.”

Joseph has always been toted as a solid defensive catcher, especially when it came to pitch framing and throwing out runners. That’s why he’ll have his chance to prove in Spring Training that he deserves the No. 2 spot behind Welington Castillo.

With Castillo heading to the World Baseball Classic, this gives Joseph a chance to have the Orioles undivided attention. However, Joseph won’t be the only catcher in camp; Francisco Pena and Audry Perez are both slated to get a look while in Florida.

While Joseph has a minor-league option remaining, Pena doesn’t. That simple fact alone could complicate things in camp if Joseph doesn’t perform up to the Orioles standards.

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But even with or without a RBI, Joseph is a core member of the team. And the Orioles would do almost whatever it took to make sure he was on the roster come April.