Orioles getting closer to newcomers arriving in camp
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.
Fortunately for them, it’s always a welcoming bunch. Foes become family in this organization.
The media will begin building a working relationship with backup catcher Gary Sánchez, who signed for $8.5 million on Dec. 10. The guys throwing to him will do the same.
“I loved the move,” major league field coordinator and catching instructor Tim Cossins said on WBAL-Radio’s Hot Stove Show. “I’ve known Gary from across the field for a long time and I’ve always been looking forward to an opportunity to potentially work with him at one point, and that’s going to happen. I’ve talked to him several times and I think he’s a good player and I think he could help this team, and I can’t wait to get to work with him.”
Reliever Ray Kittredge is signed for a guaranteed $10 million this season. He gives the Orioles a high-leverage reliever for the late innings.
“I don’t know him. I know him from across the other dugout,” Cossins said. “Everybody knows everybody in the game, and the people we’ve talked to love him. They said he’s fantastic, great for the team. A great teammate. All that stuff. I can’t wait to meet him, and of course I think he’s going to help us eat up some innings. I can’t wait to get down there and get started with him. I’m really excited about this bullpen, for sure.”
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.
Morton is reunited with pitching coach Drew French, the Braves bullpen coach for four seasons. They won a championship together in 2021.
“I 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,” French said on WBAL-Radio.
“I’m 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’s about, and so I think it’s going to be a really seamless transition with Charlie joining this rotation here in Baltimore.”
Veteran leadership is expected from a pitcher who turned 41 years old in November. Morton will deliver it in his own way.
“He’s a big culture guy, he’s a big clubhouse guy,” French said.
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’s brain.
“Dean Kremer walked up and he was asking Charlie a lot of pitching questions, and Charlie looked at Dean and said, ‘Hey pal, I’m still trying to figure this thing out, too.’ So it really kind of speaks to the humble nature of Charlie,” French said.
“Even though he’s made so much progress late in his career, he still knows there’s an awful lot to be figured out, and quite frankly, I don’t 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’s more of a culture guy and more of a clubhouse guy and less of a, ‘I’m gonna try to coach the guys around me.’ He leaves that stuff to us.”
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.
“Just starting to understand what he believes in, who he believes he is, his identity as a pitcher,” French said.
“What we know about him is this guy features unbelievable command. We’re gonna say above average to elite command. He’s 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’t really done as much in the past to try to get these major league hitters out.”
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.
The rise out of the rebuild began in Chirinos’ final season, when the Orioles unexpectedly won 83 games. His stats didn’t illustrate his importance, which manager Brandon Hyde often noted.
“There’s still remnants of Robby all throughout our clubhouse a couple years later,” Cossins said. “We’re all super excited to have him on board and I can’t wait to watch him grow into a coach. You could see he had that from Day One. He’s magnetic and he’s got great baseball knowledge and he’s just a fantastic person. He’s tough, and all those things you look for when you’re going through this wild ride that we go on. So can’t wait to see him.”
