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2016 Spring Training Player Tracker and News


Tony-OH

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It's that time of the year again, hangouters. The gloves are snapping and the bats are cracking, so it's time to start tracking all the players in camp. As usual, you will be able to track how a player has looked so far with links to stories and other events throughout the spring. The Orioles official camp roster is listed below with brief commentary on each player's outlook posted next to their name.

Red = Locks to make team barring injury or trade

Blue = Bubble players trying to earn those last few spots up for grabs in the bullpen and on the bench

Black = Everyone else. They are considered long shots or no shots to break camp with the O's but that doesn't mean their outlook couldn't change as the Spring progresses.

This is where you can track all the spring training roster moves and get the latest info on all the players in camp.

Pitchers

35 Brad Brach - RHP

- Assured of spot in 'pen after strong '15 performance when he struck out 10.1 per 9 and put up a 2.72 ERA in 62 games 2/23

68 Parker Bridwell - RHP

- Put on the 40-man roster this offseason, it remains to be seen whether Bridwell will stay a starter or find his niche in relief. He should be among the first cuts to get him ready for his minor league season unless moved to the pen where he could be a factor at some point for the Orioles in 2016. 2/23

53 Zach Britton - LHP

- The Orioles closer looks to follow up on his dominant 2015 - 2/23

49 Dylan Bundy - RHP

- Out of options so he'll need to break camp officially. It would not be surprising if he's put on the DL to start the season and rehabbed in the minors as long as possible. We'll put him on the bubble since a "DL" stint is possible. - 2/23

43 Odrisamer Despaigne RHP

- Now that Gallardo is signed, he'll be competing for a bullpen slot in a pretty full bullpen. With options available, he's almost certainly ticketed to start the season at Norfolk where he will be starter depth. - 2/23

- Allowed a run on two hits today and now has allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks with no strikeouts in 2.1 innings this spring (15.43). - 3/8

71 Oliver Drake - RHP

- Pitched well last year and could compete for a final bullpen spot. With options remaining though he will need to convince the braintrust to keep up with a great spring. - 2/23

61 Jason Garcia - RHP

- Rule 5 pick made it through the season last year but the question remains will they move him back to the rotation in the minors or keep him as a reliever. In thoery he's competing for a bullpen spot but you have to imagine he's ticketing to the minors barring an injury. 2/23/B]

UN Yovani Gallardo - RHP

- The Orioles biggest free agent acquisition will replace Chen in the rotation if he can pass the physical. There could be some questions about his shoulder. 2/23

31 Kevin Gausman RHP

- Penciled into the starting rotation for the first time during spring training, only an injury or a complete implosion will keep him from pitching eveyr five days with the O's this season. Reportedly working on a curveball to replace his ineffective slider. 2/23

60 Mychal Givens - RHP

- Established himself as part of the three-headed monster at the back end of the bullpen - 2/23

50 Miguel Gonzalez - RHP

- The Orioles need a big bounce back season from Gonzo for them to compete this year. If he's back to 100 percent there's no reason he's not capable of getting back to where he was.- 2/23

- Not off to a good start as he was charged with seven runs in 1 1/3 innings in his first start of the spring. 3/2

- Gonzalez allowed one run and three hits in 2 2/3 innings before reaching his pitch limit. Brock Holt, the second batter of the game, homered off Gonzalez. Gonzalez threw 46 pitches, 30 for strikes. - 3/8

31 Ubaldo Jimenez - RHP

- The Orioles will hope that Mr. Inconsistency will be able to put a whole season together. He'll get the ball every 5 days minus injury or implosion. - 2/23

- Recorded only one out in the first and was charged with six runs in his spring debut - 3/1

69 Chris Jones - LHP

- Was rewarded with a 40-man spot after a nice AAA season last year but with options left and lot of competition, he'll go back to Norfolk as depth.2/23

62 Chris Lee - LHP

- There is a buzz already surrounding this young lefty after an impressive end to his season last year and eye opening instructional league. Can run it up to the mid-90s with sink. Going to end up back in the minors to start the year but could be a factor at some point in 2016. - 2/23

- Was taken out of the game after the Orioles noticed he wasn't wearing his goggles. He left them in the clubhouse. 3/8

17 Brian Matusz - LHP

- Dominated lefties once again last year and will most likely be the key left-hander out of the bullpen once more for the Orioles in 2016 - 2/23

- Has a back issue that will require an MRI, his return is not "imminent." - 3/3

- Has been diagnosed with a strained serratus muscle on his right side. The Orioles are saying that Matusz would be placed on the disabled list if this were the regular season, but they're not ready to rule him out for Opening Day just yet. However, it's unclear when he'll be ready to throw again, let alone be cleared for game action, so his availability for April 4 would certainly seem to be in question (Dubroff-Twitter). - 3/4

- Has played catch for the past two days and said his lower back is much better. The pain is gone. - 3/8

66 T.J. McFarland - LHP

- Smack dab on the bubble once again due to shortages in jobs. pitched well against lefties but righties torched him last year. with an option remaining, he's probably going back to Norfolk - 2/23

- Left game with elbow tenderness.- 3/6

- Reported that his X-rays on his left elbow came back clean and he feels great this morning. He isn't sure when he's going to start throwing again, but the news is encouraging. 3/8

56 Darren O'Day RHP

- Resigned to the big contract, O'day will remain the O's 8th inning and high leverage reliever - 2/23

65 Chaz Roe - RHP

- A tale of two halfs puts Roe square on the bubble this spring. If he pitches like he did in the first half of last year he's got a chance to win a job, but he was brutal the second half of last season. With no options remaining the Orioles will risk losing him if they DFA him. He's also a candidate to be removed from the 40-man roster if they need space - 2/23

30 Chris Tillman RHP

- Needs a big comeback season after putting up his worse season since 2011. Came to camp reportedly in great shape. - 2/23

- Tillman on why he was off last season - CBS audio link - 2/23

- Will throw another bullpen session on Friday as he continues his recovery from a left hip flexor. Tillman told Roch (MASN) that he'll also face hitters in another session before making his Grapefruit League debut. - 3/3

- Allowed three solo home runs in one inning of work. Didn't allow a home run in AA last season. - 3/4

63 Tyler Wilson - RHP

- pitched pretty well in his big league opportunities last year but concerns over his lack of missing bats led the orioles to go out and find a better option for the rotation. Could battle for a spot if an injury occurs or even a long reliever spot, but probably destined for Norfolk - 2/23

- Wilson has impressed this spring. Buck had some interesting quotes to give about the young righty after his 3.1 scoreless innings today. Buck: "He pitches every pitch like it's the seventh game of the World Series and you like that. There is some competition here that people haven't grasped." - 3/15

48 Vance Worley - RHP

- Now that Gallardo is signed, he will have to fight for a bullpen spot. With no options remaining, he's got a decent chance of sticking as a long reliever. - 2/23

- Tossed two scoreless innings against Blue Jays. His outing came after the last two starters, Ubaldo Jimenez and Miguel Gonzalez, combined to allow 13 runs in 1 2/3 innings. - 3/4

59 Mike Wright - RHP

- Probably has a hard time sticking after the Gallardo signing because the Orioles may want him down in AAA as starter's depth. Better suited for the pen so it will be interesting to see how the orioles use him this year - 2/23

Catchers

36 Caleb Joseph

- Will be the back up with Wieters returning but could see more action than a normal backup. Put up a 2.2 WAR last year despite playing in just 100 games - 2/23

- Has been dealing with the flu the last few days but is expected to return and start at catcher tomorrow - 3/12

27 Francisco Pena

- Barring an injury, Pena is scheduled to be the starter at Norfolk and be ready if the Orioles need an extra catcher. Known for having some pop in his bat and a decent arm, the son of former MLB catching great Tony Pena could have a future as a backup one day. - 2/23

32 Matt Wieters

- First Oriole to ever take a qualifying offer from the Orioles, Wieters will try to make good on his huge $15.8 million contract - 2/23

- Wieters left today's game with a sore right elbow. Buck gave an explanation in the post-game interview and doesn't believe it's a cause for concern. More of a precautionary measure than anything at this point. 3/12

Infielders

29 Pedro Alvarez

- Orioles officially signed Alvarez to a 1-year $5.75 MIL contract with $1.5 MIL in performance incentives. He is expected to be deployed mostly as a DH with Davis at first and Trumbo in RF - 3/10

- Alvarez makes his spring debut today for the Orioles - 3/13

19 Chris Davis

- Cashed in for the big contract after a huge second half of the year last season and is now entrenched as the Orioles 1st baseman over the next seven seasons - 2/23

3 Ryan Flaherty

- The man who can play every position will continue to be the utility man for this team in 2016 unless a huge surprise occurs. 2/23

2 J.J. Hardy

- Coming off an injury plagued year and with questions about his back, Hardy is looking to rebound at the age of 33. - 2/23

- Singled, tripled and scored a run. The wind robbed him of a home run yesterday. "J.J.'s swinging the bat well," Showalter said. "He's moving around good. He was telling somebody this is the best he's felt in spring in a long time and you can tell. He's running good and swinging the bat with a lot of freedom." - 3/8

13 Manny Machado

- At 22 years of age he became the Orioles best all around player and there is little believe he won't continue to get better in 2016- 2/23

6 Jonathan Schoop

- Entrenched as the Orioles starting second baseman, Schoop will look to improve his plate discipline this coming year. Worked out extremely hard this offseason. 2/23

- Currently leads projected regulars with a .414 (12-for-29) average this spring. Promising to see from a young player many believe could be headed for a breakout season in 2016 if he stays healthy. - 3/15

18 Christian Walker

- Solid second half of last year helped out his pedestrian AAA numbers. Ticketed for AAA but could also be trade bait with the emergence of Trey Mancini. - 2/23

- Walker could reportedly see some time in left field this season at AAA in an effort to improve his defensive versatility - 3/1

- The reports are true. Walker started in left field today and played a mistake free game with an outfield assist at third base. - 3/15

Outfielders

12 Dariel Alvarez

- Has a chance to earn a portion of the RF job if the Orioles don't land someone with more experience. As of the now he's the best defensive option in RF. - 2/23

10 Adam Jones

- Struggled with nagging injuries last year so a rebound season is in order. Still one of the team's best players, but might be better with more rest throughout the season- 2/23

25 Hyun Soo Kim

- Will get every opportunity to win the LF job. Line drive hitter is being counted on to provide OBP.- 2/23

- Went 0-for-3 and is now hitless in his first nine spring at-bats. 3/2

- Is 0-for-21 this spring after going hitless in his three at-bats on Wednesday. He hasn't even faced many major leaguers so far and hitters are usually ahead of the pitchers at this stage. 3/9

14 Efren Navarro

- Could be a 40-man casualty once the team needs speace. 1st baseman-outfielder with little power seems more like a AAAA guy then a guy with a chance to make the team. - 2/23

14 Nolan Reimold

- Could battle with Alvarez for a piece of the RFers job. Might be a better fit for a 4th outfielder/DH/PH. - 2/23

- Buck said that Nolan Reimold didn't throw today. Had a sore shoulder. - Eduardo A. Encina - 2/26

23 Joey Rickard

- Rule 5 draft picks who's odds of making the team go down significantly if the Orioles sign Dexter Fowler. Singles hitting OBP guy who can play center field. - 2/23

- Made a diving catch in center to rob Taylor Motte - 3/2

45 Mark Trumbo

- Will either be the full time DH or RFer but he's going to get 500+ PAs this year and the Orioles hope that will mean 30 bombs. - 2/23

- Singled and homered in his first two at-bats as the designated hitter - 3/4

- Collected two hits and played RF. He's batting .400 this spring so far and is one of the few regulars hitting the ball well. - 3/5

- With Alvarez in the picture now, Trumbo appears the favorite to see the lion's share of time in RF. Started there again today and picked up two hits and two RBI on offense. - 3/12

51 Henry Urrutia - Theoretically he's battling for a bubble spot but most likely will start the year in AAA without an injury. - 2/23

DH

38 Jimmy Paredes

- Right now he could be an option to start the year at DH with Trumbo if RF, but a terrible second half last year has put his future in doubt. - 2/23

- Suffered a sprain after attempting a diving catch in the second inning in Port Charlotte. He's is wearing a plastic cast on his hand and told Roch (MASN) that he's unsure how long he'll be sidelined. - 3/3

- May have hairline fracture and be out 4 to 6 weeks 3/5

- With Alvarez in the picture now as the likely DH, Paredes future with the Orioles would appear to be in doubt barring an injury to someone ahead of him on the depth chart. The wrist injury he's currently sidelined with certainly doesn't help his cause either. Will likely begin season on DL but may be DFA'd once he's activated - 3/12

NON-ROSTER INVITEES

Pitchers

57 Pedro Beato - RHP

- Former O's first round pick and former major leaguer, Beato will get a look but is targeted to start the year back in Norfolk again. - 2/23

20 Jeff Beliveau - LHP

- Former major leaguer with 45 career innings under his belt. He's a left-handed reliever who doesn't dominate left-handed hitters. Probably ticketed for Nofolk barring an injury. - 2/23

72 Hunter Harvey

- RHP - OH's No. 2 prospect, Harvey missed the entire 2015 season and hasn't pitched since July of 2014. He will get a quick look and sent off in bubble wrap back to the minor league camp - 2/23

- Fastball was clocked at 96 mph in his first spring appearance. - 3/2

58 Todd Redman - RHP

- Pitched pretty well for Toronto in 2014, but a poor 2015 saw him back in the minors and now with a minor league deal with the Orioles. Could get into the reliever mix with a great spring but he's most likely heading to Norfolk to be relief depth2/23

- Was the only pitcher to throw a clean inning, retiring the three batters he faced in the third. 3/1

Catchers

75 Audry Perez

- Bullpen catcher here to catch the pitchers in camp- 2/23

Infielders

15 Paul Janish

- Utility infielder who is middle infield depth. We'll put him on the bubble in case something happens to Flaherty or Hardy still has injury issues. - 2/23

18 Steve Tolleson

- Utility player who is good minor league depth to fill in for a few weeks here and there. - 2/23

Outfielders

70 Xavier Avery

- Left-handed hitting outfielder will be AAA depth - 2/23

28 LJ Hoes

- Seemed to be in position to battle for a spot, but then was taken off the 40-man roster. Will be right-handed hitting outfield depth at AAA - 2/23

80 Alfredo Marte

- Similar to LJ Hoes. Will be right-handed hitting outfield depth at AAA - 2/23

*********************

Depth Chart: Front runners

1B: Chris Davis

2B: Jonathan Schoop

SS: JJ Hardy

3B: Manny Machado

C: Matt Wieters

LF: Hyun Soo Kim

CF: Adam Jones

RF: Mark Trumbo/(Reimold/Rickard)

DH: Pedro Alvarez/Mark Trumbo

Backup C: Caleb Joseph

UTL: Ryan Flaherty

Extra player: Joey Rickard

Extra OF: Nolan Reimold

SP: Chris Tillman

SP: Yovani Gallardo

SP: Kevin Gausman

SP: Ubaldo Jimenez

SP: Miguel Gonzalez

CL: Zach Britton

8th/HLR: Darren O'Day

7th/HLR: Mychal Givens

LHR: Brian Matusz

RP: Dylan Bundy (Could be DL'd) Vance Worley

RP: TJ McFarland (LHP)

RP: Open competition between Drake, Worley, Wright, Wilson, Despaigne

Potential opening day lineup:

3B Manny Machado - R

CF Adam Jones - R

1B Chris Davis - L

RF Mark Trumbo - R

DH Pedro Alvarez - L

2B - Jonathan Schoop - R

C- Matt Wieters - S

SS - JJ Hardy - R

LF Hyun-Soo Kim - L

Released

74 Andrew Triggs - RHP

- A really nice story after being acquired from Kansas City last year in a minor league deal that barely raised a blip on the radar. Totally dominated AA hitters last year and was rewarded witha 40-man spot. He'll get an opportunity to do the same at Norfolk this year and if he does, he could become a bullpen option at some point. 2/23

- The Orioles announced that they have released Triggs from the 40 man roster to clear space for Pedro Alvarez. They will likely attempt to resign him to a minor league deal to keep him within the organization. 3/10

- Orioles announced that Triggs has been claimed off release waivers by the Oakland Athletics and is no longer with the organization. 3/13

Claimed off Waivers

Reassigned to Minor League Camp

3/12 Cuts

78 Johah Heim

- Bullpen catcher rewarded for being a good defensive catcher in the minors. Can't hurt to be around big leaguers for a few weeks. probably ticketed for Delmarva or possibly Frederick with a good spring.- 2/23

- No surprise first cut. Went 0-for-2 and should fight for a job at Delmarva or Frederick this year. 3/12

73 Chance Sisco

- One of the top prospects in the system gets some chances to mingle with big league catchers and pitchers. Ticketed for Bowie- 2/23

- Went 0-for-2 with a K in his limited PAs before being in the first cuts. Should be the opening day Bowie Baysox catcher this year. 3/12

67 Trey Mancini

- Big year for the hulking first baseman at Bowie and Frederick last year put him on the radar. Needs to put up another good season at Norfolk to cement his major league prospect status- 2/23

- Went 1-for-12 with a three Ks and a BB in his first major league spring training action. He'll head to Norfolk to start the year after being part of the fiest round of cuts today. 3/12

79 Ozzie Martinez

- Utility infielder depth behind Flaherty and Janish- 2/23

- First round cut casualty went 0-for-6 this spring. 3/12

60 Cesar Cabral - LHP

- Got a cup of coffee with O's last year but was unimpressive at Norfolk last year. More left-handed relief depth - 2/23

- A bit of a surprise he was cut so early after being fairly effective. Pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 3 K's in 3 innings of work. He'll be left-handed pitching depth at Norfolk - 3/12

41 Andy Oliver - LHP

- 28-year old lefty who pitched in Norfolk last year. Pitched in the big league back in 2010-11, now just more depth - 2/23

- Batter hit .500 off him in his inning and a third. He'll be deep depth in AAA. 3/12

76 Ashur Tolliver - LHP

- Been in the Orioles system since 2009, Tolliver gets a spring training invite after a solid AA season. Inconsistency is is problem, but when he's right he has a mid-90s fastball and plus change. - 2/23

- Batters hit .375 off him in his two innings of work. - He'll fight for a spot in Norfolk's bullpen. - 3/12

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2/23 NEWS: Orioles reportedly sign Dexter Fowler to a three-year, $35 million contract. Fowler will most likely play RF though his range could make him a better fit in LF if Kim's arm could handle LF. Fowler's signing will make it tougher for rule 5 pick Joey Rickard to stick since Fowler now gives the Orioles a viable backup center fielder when Jones needs time off. this also means Dariel Alvarez will most likely go back to AAA where he can play everyday and increases the chances of a healthy Nolan Reimold making the team as an extra outfielder.

With the addition of Gallardo (pending physical) and Fowler, two players will need to be moved off the 40-man roster. If no trades are made, Efren Navarro and Henry Urrutia are potential DFAs.

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2/23 NEWS: There may be questions about Gallardo's shoulder so the question is, will this affect his signing? If Gallardo doesn't sign, Vance Worley could be the main beneficiary though Tyler Wilson, Michael Wright and Odrisamer Despaigne would also theoreticlaly benefit from an open starters spot in the rotation.

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2/25 - The strange Dexter Fowler is over is he turned down a reported 3yr/$35million contract with Orioles for one year opt out deal with Cubs for much less than his QO. Appears Fowler has the worse agent in sports in Casey Close.

This gives Joey Rickard a better chance at making the club now barring any injuries due his ability to play CF.

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3/4 News -

- Brian Matusz been diagnosed with a strained serratus muscle on his right side. The Orioles are saying that Matusz would be placed on the disabled list if this were the regular season, but they're not ready to rule him out for Opening Day just yet. However, it's unclear when he'll be ready to throw again, let alone be cleared for game action, so his availability for April 4 would certainly seem to be in question (Dubroff-Twitter)

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3/5 News

- Jimmy Paredes has a sprained wrist with a severe bone bruise. X-Rays were negative and the wrist is enclosed in a plastic sheath for healing.

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3/7 News

- Kim is 0-for-18 this spring after going hitless in his two at-bats on Monday.

- Jimenez tossed three scoreless innings in his second start of the spring.

- Hunter Harvey walked two and gave up a run.

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3/8 News:

- The Orioles have agreed to terms with first baseman/DH Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez will be guaranteed $5.75M and can earn another $1.5M in incentives. He’ll take home $200K upon reaching 350, 400, 450, and 550 turns at bat, and an additional $250K if he gets to 600. Alvarez will most likely be the everyday DH which will move Trumbo to right field though he could DH against Left-handers occasionally.

- TJ McFarland reported that his X-rays on his left elbow came back clean and he feels great this morning. He isn't sure when he's going to start throwing again, but the news is encouraging. (Roch-MASN)

- Brian Matusz has played catch for the past two days and said his lower back is much better. The pain is gone. (Roch-MASN)

- Chris Tillman threw live batting practice yesterday and is ready to start Thursday's B game against the Pirates on the Camden Yards replica field. (Roch-MASN)

- Miguel Gonzalez allowed one run and three hits in 2 2/3 innings before reaching his pitch limit. Brock Holt, the second batter of the game, homered off Gonzalez. Gonzalez threw 46 pitches, 30 for strikes. (Roch-MASN)

- Chris Lee was taken out of the game after the Orioles noticed he wasn't wearing his goggles. He left them in the clubhouse. (Roch-MASN)

- J.J. Hardy singled, tripled and scored a run. The wind robbed him of a home run yesterday.

"J.J.'s swinging the bat well," Showalter said. "He's moving around good. He was telling somebody this is the best he's felt in spring in a long time and you can tell. He's running good and swinging the bat with a lot of freedom." (Roch-MASN)

- The Orioles are now 0-8 this spring! They are the only Grapefruit team without a win this spring.

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3/9 News:

- Yovani Gallardo made his Oriole debut today versus the Phillies. He worked two innings as expected. He allowed three runs on four hits in the first before retiring the Phillies in order in the second. Gallardo threw 35 pitches, 19 for strikes. The stadium gun had his fastball topping out at 89 MPH. (Roch-MASN)

- Hyun-Soo Kim's early spring struggles continued today with an 0-for-3 day at the plate. He's now 0-for-21 this spring. Should the Orioles be concerned yet, Eduardo Encina wonders.

- Manny Machado hit a long two-run homer in the third inning.

- T.J. McFarland continues to progress with his elbow, saying the swelling has gone down. No specific timetable yet but he could begin throwing again later this week according to Roch Kubatko. (MASN)

- The Orioles lost to the Phillies 8-4 and remain the only team without a win this spring with an 0-9 record

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3/10 News:

- Orioles have released RHP Andrew Triggs to clear room on the 40 man roster for Pedro Alvarez. The Orioles may turn around and re-sign Triggs to a minor league deal to keep him in the organization (a similar scenario that unfolded for LHP Chris Jones last spring).

- Orioles may make their first round of cuts later today, according to Buck. Stay tuned

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