Baltimore Orioles: Mountcastle, McKenna, And More Invited To Camp

The Baltimore Orioles have invited 18 players to spring training camp.

Happy FanFest eve, Baltimore Orioles fans! Despite common sentiment among a portion of the fan base, I find myself becoming more and more excited for the return of Orioles baseball in just a few weeks. Are we going to watch another 100-loss team in 2019? It is very likely, however, few things in life bring me the kind of joy that a day at Camden Yards with my family brings. I hope to see a healthy amount of fellow Orioles’ fans at FanFest tomorrow, gearing up for another season of Baltimore baseball.

In the meantime, MASN.com’s Roch Kubatko has tweeted the list of 18 non-roster invitees who will report to spring training camp with the Orioles, featuring a number of top prospects on the verge of breaking into the big leagues. You can also view the full list below, starting with the pitchers.

A few intriguing names here. Pop and Kremer came over as part of the package received for Manny Machado at last year’s trade deadline. Pop brings with him an electric fastball that reaches the upper-90s and is coming off a dominant year in the minors. Strictly a bullpen arm, Pop recorded 64 strikeouts, limited hitters to a .175 average, and gave up just one home run across 64.2 innings in two levels of A-ball and Double-A. He’s a guy that fans will see at some point in 2019, even if he doesn’t make the active roster out of spring.

Kremer is going to be a guy that fans quickly fall in love with. In eight starts with the Bowie Baysox, Kremer went 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 innings. He’s averaging more than 10 K/9 IP in his three-year minor league career and has been effective at keeping the ball in the ballpark. Kremer is one of the top pitching prospects in the system and is on the verge of earning a spot in the Orioles’ rotation. A solid spring training may make that happen a little earlier.

Chris Lee was a name to watch out for, but even I have jumped off the Chris Lee train. I’m fairly certain I was the last one on board, but after another big injury in spring training last season, Lee faces long odds at producing for the Orioles at the major league level.

As for the hitters getting an invite to spring training,

The three Orioles’ prospects receiving some of the most hype heading into 2019 will be with the big league ballclub to start spring training in Mountcastle, Diaz, and McKenna.

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Mountcastle returned from injury and answered the organization’s call to make a few big adjustments in his game, resulting in a very positive 2018 campaign. Defensive questions aside, Mountcastle hit .297 with a .341 OBP, 13 home runs, and a wRC+ of 121 with the AA Bowie Baysox, cutting down his strikeout rate and improving his walk rate to a career-high 6.1%. It will be interesting to see how the Orioles approach this if Mountcastle has a successful spring. I believe it all depends on where the new regime believes he is the best fit on defense.

Fans who follow the minor leagues closely will be happy for one particular name on this list, Mike Yastrzemski. The 28-year-old outfielder has spent the last six seasons working his way up through the organization. In 94 games for the Tides last year, Yaz hit .265 with 33 extra-base hits and reached base in 36% of his plate appearances. Playing time in the outfield may be hard to come by, but Yastrzemski will get every chance to prove his worth, a chance he has earned.

Next. Orioles Winter League Roundup. dark

Anyone on this list you are particularly excited to see? Plans to attend FanFest tomorrow? Let us know below!

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