masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles have their first and only scheduled off-day, with most players allowed to sleep late, play golf or vacation with their families. I’m guessing that Disney is a popular destination.
Meanwhile, Yovani Gallardo must report to Twin Lakes Park for a start in a minor league game. Jeff Beliveau will pitch in relief his first spring inning.
This is a good day to reheat some leftovers.

* A scout from another organization checked the Orioles transactions page and noted how…

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles have their first and only scheduled off-day, with most players allowed to sleep late, play golf or vacation with their families. I’m guessing that Disney is a popular destination.

Meanwhile, Yovani Gallardo must report to Twin Lakes Park for a start in a minor league game. Jeff Beliveau will pitch in relief his first spring inning.

This is a good day to reheat some leftovers.

* A scout from another organization checked the Orioles transactions page and noted how the best arm in their system is at Double-A Bowie. He was referencing left-hander Chris Lee, who was cut over the weekend.

The scout said Lee “easily” is the best arm. Not even a debate in his mind.

* Kevin Gausman’s right shoulder tendinitis provides another reminder of the importance of building pitching depth in the system. The Orioles have a batch of starter candidates if Gausman’s condition becomes more serious.

“Each one’s a little different,” said manager Buck Showalter. “You’re talking about (Odrisamer) Despaigne, you talk about Mike (Wright), you talk about Tyler (Wilson). It’s optionable, it’s guys we can move around if they don’t make the club. (Vance) Worley’s a little different case, a guy like Chaz Roe is a different case. Each case is different. But it’s something that we put as a priority in the offseason.

“You’d like to do it from within, but make sure that we’ve got some other things, too. Adding Gallardo, bringing the rest of the guys back. Hopefully, being able to continue the development of Mike and Tyler. There are some other guys down there. That Double-A rotation is going to look pretty good.

“We’ve got two or three guys we can go pick. All of a sudden you need a pitcher and the guy pitched the night before, at least we’ve got two or three options to choose from. We’ve got Chris Jones down there, too. He had a good outing (Saturday).”

Showalter added that he’s “comfortable” with the depth.

“It’s better than where we were last year at this point,” he said. “Worley is a different case from the rest of them. I wouldn’t lump him in there, just because of the options.”

* The Orioles optioned Parker Bridwell to Bowie over the weekend. He had no shot at winning a job in the rotation, but he arrived with the right attitude.

“This is my first big league camp,” he said. “Obviously, I’m trying to make a spot. Even if there’s not one, that’s my mentality. Every day I come in, I’m going to get my work done and go about my business as I do normally.

“It being my first big league camp, I enjoy watching the veterans, see how they carry themselves and pick apart and take anything I can that can benefit me in my career. It’s a good experience and I’m just taking it all in while I can.”

I asked Bridwell which veterans have been most helpful.

“I try to talk to as many as I can,” he replied. “(Zach) Britton and (T.J.) McFarland are both in my group for PFPs and stuff like that, so I get to talk to them a little more. Just try to pick the brain of guys who have been there and done it. It’s something that I think is really valuable to young guys like me.”

Showalter is intrigued by Bridwell.

“I like Parker,” he said. “The problem we’ve got to figure out is inconsistency. He’ll pitch a game as good as anybody, and I’ll watch tape of that game the next day and I go, ‘Wow.’ Most of its got to do with the changeup. He’s got a plus-changeup, a plus-arm. And then the next outing somebody else shows up.

“He sweats a lot. I know it’s been a challenge for him, actually gripping the ball. But he’s what they look like, big and strong. And there’s a lot of interest around baseball about him. We got asked about him a lot.”

Tyler Wilson white night.jpg* Showalter praises Wilson for being a “very trustworthy starter.” He’s used the term frequently when asked about the University of Virginia product.

“One of those guys who you bring up and you need a spot start and what happens is, we’re always so quick to put those guys in a box and they’re maybe better than you think they are,” Showalter said.

“Smart, not scared, trustworthy. He’s the type of guy who comes up and will pitch five or six quality innings before the other team knows it. Watch him against some pretty tough competition last year. I like the package. He’s not going to wow you with stuff, but he’s going to wow you with the other stuff that’s hard to find.

“He’s a great senior sign out of Virginia. You take every one of those guys you can find because they figure out a way. He’s been successful in his whole career in winning baseball games, from his 10th grade year in high school to his senior year at Virginia. Winning the games just follows him around.”

* Earlier in camp, I wrote about catching instructor Donnie Werner and his recovery from Stage 3 breast cancer. Werner, who also throws batting practice, tends to stay behind the scenes, but his work is valued throughout the organization.

“Guys fight over who gets to hit off Donnie,” Showalter said. “He’s one of the best throwing batting practice pitchers and he’s a great catching instructor. He and John (Russell).

“You talk about a lot of these catchers, I think we’ve done a good job with it and Donnie’s been instrumental with it. He’s the one who kept telling me Caleb Joseph, about (Matt) Wieters, about (Jonah) Heim, about (Chance) Sisco, about all our guys.”

* Reliever Mychal Givens tossed a scoreless inning yesterday in an intrasquad game at the minor league complex. He’s allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings in the Grapefruit League.

“You keep waiting for Mike to show a little bit of his experience level, but a lot of time with position players, they have a feel and understand the game so much more,” Showalter said. “Mychal’s pretty good. It hit me the other day because just about all my looks at Mychal have been from the dugout and I’ve been able for the first time to get behind the hitter and see the presentation. I got it now. You don’t really get a grasp for the movement he has until you get behind the target. And he’s got some good people around him.

Mychal Givens Orioles.jpg“Mike, it would be hard for me to imagine if he took some major steps back, but we’ll see what the spring brings. Conventionality would tell you that he might not be quite as good as we saw, but I wouldn’t bank on it. I wouldn’t bet against him. I don’t think he’s going to get comfortable with his status, whatever it may be. Mike’s trying to come in here and make the club. He knows last year was last year.”

* Orioles minor league infielder Jeff Kemp is two days short of his 26th birthday. The Bowie native is hoping to move up to the Double-A Baysox this season after batting .260/.332/.371 with 19 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs last summer in 107 games at Single-A Frederick.

The former 33rd round pick out of Radford University has played every infield position and one game in right field in the minors.

“Extremely versatile,” said Brian Graham, the Orioles’ director of player development. “Great makeup, fundamentally sound, can play shortstop and second base, real tough out. He’s one of those kids you can count on, you can trust. He’s a good player.”

* I’m surprised we haven’t seen first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp among the batch of players brought over from minor league camp. The Orioles signed him on March 4 and executive vice president Dan Duquette brought up his name Thursday on the “Hot Stove Show” on 105.7 The Fan. But no sign of him at the Ed Smith Stadium complex or at road games.

I guess it’s too soon for a player who signed earlier this month.

If Carp stays in the organization, he gives the Orioles another left-handed hitting option in the outfield.

“He had some success in the big leagues with Seattle and the Red Sox,” Duquette said. “He had a great year in 2013. Didn’t play a lot last year. He’s back and he wants to do a good job. He’s over there in the minor leagues getting in shape and hopefully we’ll be able to take a look at him later on.”