Baltimore Orioles: Three Up, Three Down As Spring Camp Continues

Who has been exceeding expectations and who is failing to meet their expectations this spring for the Baltimore Orioles?

As of Thursday, March 14, the Baltimore Orioles have posted a 10-8-2 record and are hitting .268 as a team (8th in MLB), reaching base at a .343 clip (9th), while hitting 27 home runs (9th), 42 doubles (7th), and swiping 22 bags (2nd). Sure, these are just spring training games, but it’s been fun to watch this team get on base and manufacture runs by being aggressive on the basepaths and producing key hits.

With about two weeks worth of warmup games remaining and two rounds of camp cuts complete, let’s take a look at which players are exceeding expectations and which players are raising additional questions about their 2019 season, rather than answering some initial questions.

Baltimore Orioles’ top prospects shined during their camp experience.

Before we dive into those players remaining in camp, it’s important to take another quick note of what top prospects OF Yusniel Diaz and IF Ryan Mountcastle achieved during their time with the big league squad. Both have recently been reassigned to minor league camp for regular playing time (minor league spring training games began March 13).

Diaz racked up 11 hits in 33 at-bats, four of which went for extra bases. There was some talk among fans about the possibility of Diaz coming with Baltimore for Opening Day, but that would involve the Orioles adding Diaz to the 40-man roster and beginning his service time clock. While manipulating this clock is absurd, Diaz would clearly benefit from additional time in the minor leagues, but not for long.

Diaz flashed the potential he has a major league outfielder and will certainly join Ryan Mountcastle on the big league roster at some point in 2019.

The biggest takeaway from Mountcastle’s spring was his defense. Has he finally found a home? Brandon Hyde recently stated that Mountcastle will work at third and first in the minors, but his future is clearly as a first baseman, as soon as leadership acknowledges that Chris Davis is done. Mountcastle moved well, made a few not-so-routine plays, and bailed out his infielders a few times with solid pick plays.

Three up for the Baltimore Orioles.

Now, for the guys still hanging around big league camp. Here are the top three players trending up as Baltimore enters the backside of their spring training slate.

OF Austin Hays- When I made my early 25-man roster prediction, I did not include Austin Hays. Very few writers and bloggers had Hays on their early guesses for the 25-man roster, but he might be changing a few minds.

Hays is among the team leaders in hits with 11, seven of which have been extra-base hits (two doubles, one triple, and four home runs).

An injury-riddled 2018 season put Hays on the backburner in the minds of many fans, myself included. Combine that with undergoing ankle surgery to complete the season, Hays seemed like a clear choice to begin the year in the minors to continue his rehab. With DJ Stewart‘s relegation to minor league camp, Hays just may find his way on the plane to New York for Opening Day.

Not sure how a 115-loss team can keep a man who hits bombs like the one below down in the minor leagues. The opposite-field double is also a beautiful shot.

RHP Miguel Castro– Armed with an upper-90s fastball and slider that limited hitters to a .208 slugging percentage and produced a 34.5% whiff rate, Castro’s command has continued to be an issue in his two seasons with the Orioles. His walk rate jumped from 10% in 2017, to just over 13% last season, issuing 50 free passes in 86 innings.

In five spring appearances spanning five full innings, Castro has given up no runs on three hits, striking out eight, and keeping his walk total at zero. Even with a small five-inning sample size, having no walks to his credit is a positive sign for Castro. He’s been pitching later in games, once the majority of the starters have been pulled, but he has been missing bats, which is what I like to see.

3B Rio Ruiz– Claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves back in December, third baseman Rio Ruiz has quietly put together a very solid spring training. With much of the talk surrounding Diaz, Hays, Chance Sisco, and Chris Davis, Ruiz may be flying under the radar and landing as the starting third baseman for Brandon Hyde.

In 10 spring games, Ruiz is slashing .345/.444/.655 with a 1.100 OPS. He has chipped in five extra-base hits and drawn five walks, tied for the second highest mark on the team. His counterpart, Renato Nunez, has two huge home runs to his credit and is projected to finish with the highest fWAR among the 2019 Orioles, but he is hitting just .185 with a .200 OBP and has nine strikeouts to his name with no walks.

The numbers at the plate aren’t as concerning for me, it’s the fielding. Whenever Nunez gets his glove on a ball, I find myself holding my breath, unsure of where the throw is going to go. On the other hand, Ruiz has looked steady at the position. He isn’t a longterm answer, but he won’t hurt this team on defense and this pitching staff needs any bit of help they can get.

What about those players who haven’t been as successful this spring? Let’s take a look at three guys who have disappointed through February/March.