Baltimore Orioles: Outfield Takes Shape Without Veteran Bat-Licker

So much for the Baltimore Orioles having nice things.

After a bit of excitement hoping the team would add a veteran outfielder to the young team, things just didn’t work out in the Baltimore Orioles favor.

Rather than adding the power-hitting, bat-licking Yasiel Puig to their lineup, they get to play against him when he joins the already-dangerous Atlanta Braves. With former Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis opting out in 2020, Puig makes a decent replacement to the career .288 hitter.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Possible Good News for Orioles Outfield

In a bit of good news, Anthony Santander finally reported to camp. Now, only Dwight Smith Jr.remains an unknown element of the team. Joe Trezza with MLB.com shared the news about Santander. What is odd about Santander’s return is the comment from Brandon Hyde:

“The key will be in assessing how quickly Santander’s body recovers after what was at least a two-week layoff from baseball activity.”

This begs the question of what Santander was doing during the two weeks that he was not with the team at camp. According to reports from players who had been with camp, they were busy practicing their baseball skills while at home. Pat Valaika held batting practice in his garage and Jose Iglesias spent time practicing at a park near his home.

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So, if Santander wasn’t practicing or conditioning, what was he doing? Hopefully, he wasn’t ill. And, hopefully, neither is Smith. But, with the Orioles reporting that they will keep the players’ COVID status private, this could be the case with both Santander and Smith. Sometimes, silence speaks volumes.

Now that Santander is in camp, the outfield looks to be taking shape. And, the Orioles made an interesting move in practice to fortify the outfield. If Santander can get into baseball shape, he’ll get back into right field. Austin Hays will most likely get to test out his official rookie season in center field.

Prospect Getting Reps in Left

But, the biggest question is who gets left field? With Trey Mancini out, could Ryan Mountcastle take his spot in 2020? In the same article that announced Santander’s return, Trezza shared that the Hyde has been giving the prospect time in left. The highly-rated prospect was drafted to be an infielder, but all spots between first and third are crowded. So, why not give the kid a shot at left? He played 26 games in left field in Triple-A in 2019.

The Orioles need to find a way to get Mountcastle’s bat into the lineup. They’ve already got their fair share of DHs with Renato Nunez and Chris Davis, but they need outfielders. Remember that Mountcastle won the International League MVP Award with his .312 batting average and eye-popping 25 home runs in Triple-A in 2019.