The first workout for pitchers and catchers is in three weeks. Players will take their physicals and head outdoors. The newcomers will get acclimated to a different city, camp and group of teammates.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for them, it\u2019s always a welcoming bunch. Foes become family in this organization.<\/p>\n
The media will begin building a working relationship with backup catcher Gary S\u00e1nchez, who signed for $8.5 million on Dec. 10. The guys throwing to him will do the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved the move,\u201d major league field coordinator and catching instructor Tim Cossins said on WBAL-Radio\u2019s Hot Stove Show. \u201cI\u2019ve known Gary from across the field for a long time and I\u2019ve always been looking forward to an opportunity to potentially work with him at one point, and that\u2019s going to happen. I\u2019ve talked to him several times and I think he\u2019s a good player and I think he could help this team, and I can\u2019t wait to get to work with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reliever Ray Kittredge is signed for a guaranteed $10 million this season. He gives the Orioles a high-leverage reliever for the late innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know him. I know him from across the other dugout,\u201d Cossins said. \u201cEverybody knows everybody in the game, and the people we\u2019ve talked to love him. They said he\u2019s fantastic, great for the team. A great teammate. All that stuff. I can\u2019t wait to meet him, and of course I think he\u2019s going to help us eat up some innings. I can\u2019t wait to get down there and get started with him. I\u2019m really excited about this bullpen, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlie Morton was added to the rotation on a $15 million deal. The Orioles are his sixth team in 18 seasons, including two iterations with the Braves.<\/p>\n
Morton is reunited with pitching coach Drew French, the Braves bullpen coach for four seasons. They won a championship together in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Charlie really well, and his family. We got to be pretty close over those years I was with him in Atlanta. And it was more of a confidant and more of a friend than it was as a coach,\u201d French said on WBAL-Radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to kind of explore a little bit of a different avenue with him. I know who he is, I know what he represents and what he\u2019s about, and so I think it\u2019s going to be a really seamless transition with Charlie joining this rotation here in Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veteran leadership is expected from a pitcher who turned 41 years old in November. Morton will deliver it in his own way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a big culture guy, he\u2019s a big clubhouse guy,\u201d French said.<\/p>\n
French relayed a story about Dean Kremer approaching Morton last year in Baltimore, during a June series at Camden Yards. He wanted to pick Morton\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cDean Kremer walked up and he was asking Charlie a lot of pitching questions, and Charlie looked at Dean and said, \u2018Hey pal, I\u2019m still trying to figure this thing out, too.\u2019 So it really kind of speaks to the humble nature of Charlie,\u201d French said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though he\u2019s made so much progress late in his career, he still knows there\u2019s an awful lot to be figured out, and quite frankly, I don\u2019t think anybody ever does. The fact that he’s continuing to fight in chase of perfection is something that the clubhouse is going to really benefit from. His presence is gonna be enough. He\u2019s more of a culture guy and more of a clubhouse guy and less of a, \u2018I\u2019m gonna try to coach the guys around me.\u2019 He leaves that stuff to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano received a $13 million contract and will join Morton in the rotation. French has spoken to him multiple times, during free agency and after the signing. One of the goals is to find more creative ways to retire batters a third time through the order.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust starting to understand what he believes in, who he believes he is, his identity as a pitcher,\u201d French said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we know about him is this guy features unbelievable command. We\u2019re gonna say above average to elite command. He\u2019s got a lot of different pitch types. He can do a lot of different things. I think our group on the pitching side is really excited to kind explore some of the things that maybe he hasn\u2019t really done as much in the past to try to get these major league hitters out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coaching staff includes new bench coach Robinson Chirinos, who ended his playing career with the Orioles in 2022. He brings no previous coaching experience but is highly regarded in the industry.<\/p>\n
The rise out of the rebuild began in Chirinos\u2019 final season, when the Orioles unexpectedly won 83 games. His stats didn\u2019t illustrate his importance, which manager Brandon Hyde often noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still remnants of Robby all throughout our clubhouse a couple years later,\u201d Cossins said. \u201cWe\u2019re all super excited to have him on board and I can\u2019t wait to watch him grow into a coach. You could see he had that from Day One. He\u2019s magnetic and he\u2019s got great baseball knowledge and he\u2019s just a fantastic person. He\u2019s tough, and all those things you look for when you\u2019re going through this wild ride that we go on. So can\u2019t wait to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chirinos settled into a backup role after the Orioles promoted Adley Rutschman, becoming a mentor to baseball\u2019s top prospect. Cossins believes that Chirinos can be a positive influence again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think just comfort,\u201d Cossins said. \u201cI think going back to a place that\u2019s familiar. And like I said earlier, Robby\u2019s such a fantastic person and he brings the same energy every single day, and I think it will be familiar to Adley and I think it will be kind of a way for him to be comfortable on a daily basis and have that experience to lean on and all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Closer F\u00e9lix Bautista doesn\u2019t fall into the newcomer category but he missed the 2024 season after undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery in his left elbow. The Orioles will ease him into his previous role while also eager to put the ball back in his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get goosebumps just talking about that,\u201d Cossins said. \u201cI\u2019ve actually thought about that, that first time that he leaves the (bullpen) mound and goes through that gate. That\u2019s gonna raise every hair on my body. I can\u2019t wait to see it. I can\u2019t wait for the city to feel it. And I can\u2019t wait for Felix to experience that because he\u2019s worked his tail off and we\u2019re very, very excited to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Note: The April 15 game between the Orioles and Guardians at Camden Yards will air on TBS beginning at 7 p.m<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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