Baltimore Orioles: Zach Britton on the road to recovery

While there hasn’t been much good news in the Baltimore Orioles offseason, Zach Britton delivered some over the weekend.

The Baltimore Orioles closer-extraordinaire shared that his recovery from surgery on his Achilles is moving along better than expected.

This news came from several sources, but most importantly from Britton’s own mouth.

He shared the news on Friday in an interview on Inside Pitch on MLB Network Radio. He also shared it on a conference call during the celebratory FanFest. The details of the conference call can be found in Paul Folkemer’s article on BaltimoreBaseball.com.

Britton shared that he is putting his full weight on his foot. Although he cannot pitch from standing, he can throw from his knees.

"Britton said: “Hopefully, before spring’s over, for the most part I’ll look like a healthy player, minus some of the things that we’ve got to make sure that the ligament’s completely healed.”"

Knowing that the Orioles could have Britton back as soon as June is outstanding news. His dominance on the mound is one of the key assets for the team. Although, Brad Brach has historically done well in Britton’s absence. But, Brach does not bring that same sense of doom for opposing teams that Britton does.

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In the interview on MLB Radio, Britton shared how comfortable he feels pitching out of the pen. He shared his thoughts on starting and from the sound of it, he has little interest in returning to that lifestyle. Hopefully, that interviewed squelched rumors of his return to the rotation. Dan Duquette will most likely have to go elsewhere for starting pitchers.

The Orioles need to get the starting rotation looking like one that belongs on a Major League team. If that can happen, Britton’s return could take the team in a positive direction. The Orioles have the hitters and the fielders to contend with the best. They also still have one of the best bullpens in the MLB. But, without a strong set of starters, things will be difficult.

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If only the front office worked as hard as Zach Britton, then maybe things would look different. Keep in mind that pitchers and catchers arrive on February 13. That’s not very far away.