Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle Continues To Rake

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday behind the bat of Ryan Mountcastle.

For the second-straight day, the Baltimore Orioles took on the Pittsburgh Pirates in Grapefruit League action, a matchup that has proved highly entertaining for Orioles fans.

After recording 13 runs on 19 hits to take down the Pirates on Thursday, the Orioles added 11 more runs on 13 hits to win their second game against Pittsburgh in just as many days. Spring wins may not matter, but it was certainly fun to watch the Orioles perform so well on Friday.

One player in particular who stood out was first baseman/left fielder Ryan Mountcastle. The Orioles fourth-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline’s recently released list, went 3/3 with two doubles and a home run on Thursday, following that up with 2/4 day on Friday, including a double and a two-strike single rocketed up the middle.

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Defensive questions aside, Mountcastle can hit the baseball, there’s no denying that. He’s proven to be an effective hitter at every level of the minor leagues, routinely being one of the younger players in each league he has played in.

In five spring games, Mountcastle is now hitting .438 with three doubles, a home run, and three RBI, all with just one strikeout to his name. Due to service time, Mountcastle won’t make the Opening Day roster, I think it’s safe to say that’s a given, however, it won’t be long at all before we see him in the lineup at Camden Yards.

Elsewhere around the diamond on Friday, Richie Martin fell a home run shy of the cycle. The Orioles shortstop went 3/4 with four RBI, including a bases-loaded triple.

Rule 5 pick pitcher Brandon Bailey made his first spring start, tossing two scoreless innings. He did walk two batters, but he didn’t allow a hit and produced three groundball outs in his short time on the mound.

Yusniel Diaz made his spring debut as the Orioles designated hitter, going 0-2 at the plate with two strikeouts. No worries there. It’s just a positive to see him finally on the field after being held out of game action due to shoulder soreness.

The Orioles return to action on Saturday with a contest against the Miami Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm EST.