masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIncluded among the memorable nuggets to spill out of FanFest, along with the boulder-sized announcement that Manny Machado would play shortstop, was executive vice president Dan Duquette’s confirmation that the Orioles have been in contact with utility infielder Ryan Flaherty.
A season ticket holder brought up Flaherty’s name during the Q&A session and Duquette noted the applause and the popularity of “Flash.”
Someone has to cover the four infield positions and, ideally, have the…

Included among the memorable nuggets to spill out of FanFest, along with the boulder-sized announcement that Manny Machado would play shortstop, was executive vice president Dan Duquette’s confirmation that the Orioles have been in contact with utility infielder Ryan Flaherty.

A season ticket holder brought up Flaherty’s name during the Q&A session and Duquette noted the applause and the popularity of “Flash.”

Someone has to cover the four infield positions and, ideally, have the ability to back up in the outfield. Flaherty spent six seasons with the Orioles as a former Rule 5 pick before reaching free agency and he remains on the market.

A shoulder injury limited Flaherty to only 23 games last summer, the gap in appearances stretching from May 18 to Aug.18. The club is seeking left-handed bats, but Flaherty is a career .215/.284/.355 hitter. Being trustworthy and versatile in the field has kept him in the majors and manager Buck Showalter became one of his staunchest supporters.

“Ryan Flaherty’s a really dependable player,” Duquette said. “He was here for six years and every time that we thought about, ‘Oh, we’re going to replace Ryan Flaherty,’ we thought, ‘Well, we need two players to replace Ryan Flaherty,’ because he’s a utility infielder and he can also play in the outfield. And Buck used him as a third catcher. So very rarely do you find a guy that can man all those positions and do the job for you. Plus, he’s a good kid to boot and he understood his job on the team.

“We’ve been talking to Ryan and we’ll see where that takes us. But obviously we like Ryan Flaherty.”

The utility guy must be a plus defender at shortstop. Flaherty’s sore shoulder kept him away from the position and the Orioles would need to know that he’s fully recovered.

Double-A Bowie infielder Steve Wilkerson was deemed a candidate for the job before his 50-game suspension for testing positive for an amphetamine. However, shortstop is the weakest of his positions and might have become an issue.

The Orioles traded for Éngelb Vielma, a switch-hitter, because he grades highest at shortstop and also can play third and second base. I’ve heard him compared to Erick Salcedo, already in the organization and also challenged to produce at the plate.

* Tim Beckham is removed from the utility equation as long as he proves capable of playing third base. The Orioles are going to find out.

Five starts with the Rays is a small sample size.

Beckham hasn’t committed an error at third base in nine appearances covering 52 innings. He’s had 12 chances with nine assists and three putouts.

The offseason for Beckham has been filled with interviews regarding his red-hot August and ensuring cooldown period and the possibility that he’d change positions after Machado requested a return to shortstop. He also made several appearances in the Baltimore area, including the annual OriolesREACH holiday party for kids at the Arundel Mills Mall and the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.

Beckham spent part of the weekend hosting his third annual baseball clinic for kids 6-14 in the Atlanta area, with special appearances by Chris Archer and Mallex Smith.

“Just being able to use a platform and being able to give back during those times and to allow those kids to be hands on with a professional athlete can play a major impact in their life,” Beckham said, “and I’m happy to be that guy.”

Beckham seemed to enjoy being at FanFest and the function that preceded it, getting reacquainted with teammates and bonding with some of the players who weren’t on the roster last summer.

“I don’t want to feel like the new guy,” he said. “I want everything to flow organically and that’s what we want.”

gausman-tongue-out-side.jpg* Kevin Gausman’s commitment to working out and preparation makes it easy to forget the fun anecdotes born from his obsession with mini powdered donuts.

He used to eat three or four in the dugout between innings. He found about 1,700 of them inside his spring training locker and taped to the edges, a prank orchestrated by Adam Jones in 2013. A Hostess sign hung above his nameplate.

The same pitcher who used to savor the circular sugary snacks spends the offseason focused on conditioning and studying video to avoid a repeat of his first-half struggles. He’s more interested in hanging donuts on the scoreboard than stuffing them in his mouth.

At least, not in bulk.

“For me, I never want to be a guy who shows up to spring training that’s not in great shape, that everybody’s talking about, ‘How did he put on 25 lbs.?'” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be that guy, but definitely don’t ever want to be. I want to be prepared as much as I can be.”

* Intense camp competitions are likely in the outfield and at catcher, where starters and backups still haven’t been determined.

I’m asked on a regular basis whether Austin Hays will be the starting right fielder. As a right-handed hitter, the odds aren’t in his favor. But he could platoon or serve in a backup role if he sticks in the majors.

I’ve read lineup projections with Chance Sisco behind the plate on opening day. He has to make the team first and, if successful, push past Caleb Joseph.

Whatever the outcome for Hays and Sisco, they have Trey Mancini’s seal of approval following their September auditions.

“They’re two very talented guys,” Mancini said. “Austin came up and did a great job last year and Chance, too. It doesn’t matter what day it is or where they are, they’re going to come out and play hard, so I have all the confidence in the world in those two guys.”

* The trade for Brewers catcher Andrew Susac certainly has some fans worked up, with a few of the more emotional types on Twitter accusing me of endorsing the deal. One of the really intelligent ones said I must be “drinking the cool aid.”

(So much wrong with that statement that I won’t waste any more time on it.)

What I’ve done is report the deal and explained, not endorsed, the reasoning behind it. Didn’t I say multiple times that the Orioles remained in the market for a veteran catcher to provide depth? Didn’t I say it was on the list, but not the No. 1 priority? Same with utility infielder and left-handed bats.

If you’re stunned that the Orioles grabbed another catcher, you haven’t been paying attention. I reported their intentions after they re-signed Audry Perez to a minor league deal and again at FanFest after I asked Duquette whether he remained in the market for one.

I know that starting pitching is more important. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have written it 500 times since the final out of the 2017 season. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Susac trade.

If the Orioles could get a quality starter as easily as a backup catcher or utility infielder, they would have done it.