Mabry on Westburg: "It’s fun to watch him play his game"

What started as an innocent car ride home became a deep dive into the Orioles’ roster.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino needed a lift last Thursday with family in town, and new special advisor John Mabry provided taxi service. Mansolino used the one-on-one time with a respected former major league player and coach to discuss the team and everything happening around it.

“What do you think about all this?” Mansolino asked.

And then came his answer –without pause and aimed at the one player who usually gets lost in the crowd.

“Right away, it’s Jordan Westburg,” Mansolino recalled. “He’s like, ‘That’s the guy that nobody talks about. That’s the piece.’”

People are beginning to talk.

Mansolino referred to Westburg as “the glue to this whole thing,” before the Orioles could pry him from the injured list with a strained hamstring. Mansolino also used “unsung player” to describe him last week.

“I’m glad that you’re recognizing him,” Mansolino said during his media session. “We talk about Jackson (Holliday) and Gunnar (Henderson) and Adley (Rutschman) and all these star players. Nobody talks about Westburg enough. We’ve said it all year, that’s kind of the missing piece.”

Unfortunately for the Orioles, Westburg goes missing too much. About two months last season with a fractured hand, about six weeks this season with the hamstring injury and 10 days with a sprained left index finger that he aggravated later while diving into second base. He takes quality, grinding at-bats with him to the trainers’ room and bench, denying the Orioles one of their 2024 All-Stars and a player capable of filling a spray chart.

His percentage of batted balls up the middle have increased from 36.1 percent as a rookie in 2023 to 43.4 percent this season, according to Statcast data, and his pull percentage dropped from 45.2 to 33.6. He’s pulling balls in the air 12.3 percent of the time this season, compared to 24.5 in 2023 and 19.6 last season.

There's an entire field in front of Westburg and he's determined to use it.

“He’s sitting in that two-hole right now in between the two lefties," Mansolino said, "and it’s a heck of an at-bat."

Westburg was hitting .222 with a .703 OPS on June 25. He went 12-for-26 with three home runs and seven RBIs over seven games but had only one at-bat in the first – a run-scoring double – before reinjuring the finger and becoming day-to-day for a week.  

“And he’s a solid defender. And he’s not even cutting it loose on the bases yet because of the sliding issue that we have with him. But that’s another element to the game that he’s gonna bring," Mansolino said.

“You’re gonna look up here with these three guys at the top at some point soon, hopefully it’s soon, this year or next year, and they’re gonna be three guys that if you throw it over the plate, they’re gonna do damage, and if you walk ‘em, they’re gonna steal second, and then you’re gonna be in a little bit of a quandary. The same way with guys like Bobby Witt where, be careful throwing the ball over the plate and be careful walking them, because it’s gonna end up a double or another. So we’re thrilled with those three guys there, especially Westy.”

Mabry, no longer behind the wheel of his car, called Westburg “a solid pro” before a recent game. We can add it to the list.

“When you look around, guy can play multiple positions, All-Star, got power, got the ability to make a good game plan and approach, understands what it means to go out there every day,” said Mabry, hired by the Orioles on May 30 to provide more experience on the staff. “He’s battling some injuries this year, but he just goes out there and does the things he’s supposed to, and a little bit more when you watch it. He shows up early and stays late, that kind of deal. It’s the kind of mentality that you want in your clubhouse, that winning mentality.

“The guys around him, when they have that stabilizing force in there and they see him showing up every day, it’s that comfort factor that they have, as well. They look around and see he’s in there, they just kind of relax a little bit and play. It’s cool to watch the dynamics of it, and it’s fun to watch him play his game.”

The lack of attention on Westburg dates back to the minors, where the spotlight followed the other prospects. Westburg is a quieter personality with nothing flashy about his game. The lunch pail player.

“I’m sure a little bit of that plays into it, but a lot of times that would either motivate a guy or the guys likes it that way because he just wants to do his job underneath the radar,” Mabry said. “I think he’s more of the latter in that statement. He just wants to show up every day and do what’s right and do the next right thing. That winning mentality that you want to have in the clubhouse, it’s a stabilizing force.”

* Tomoyuki Sugano is getting more and more rest as he proceeds through his first major league season.

Sugano faced the Rangers on July 2 and didn’t pitch again until last Thursday in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

The Orioles are expected to begin the second half with Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Trevor Rogers starting against the Rays in Tampa, which leaves Sugano and Brandon Young for the Guardians in Cleveland. Sugano would be working on at least 10 days’ rest.

This isn’t by accident. The club has attempted to simulate Sugano’s schedule in Japan whenever possible, but 10 days is extreme.

Sugano has registered a 4.33 ERA and 1.370 WHIP in five starts on four days’ rest and a 3.94 ERA and 1.161 WHIP in eight starts on five days. He’s also made five starts on six days or more and posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.463 WHIP.

However, he was on six days when he held the Mariners to one run over seven innings in Seattle.

But also, he was on six days when he allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings against the Rays.

Don’t try to make sense of it.

* A draft leftover:

I’ve heard that the Orioles really liked Arkansas left-hander Zachary Root, chosen 40^th overall by the Dodgers.

Root was still in contact with the Orioles last week, I’m told, but they didn’t take a pitcher until Michigan State’s Joseph Dzierwa at No. 58 overall.

MLB Pipeline had Root, who transferred to Arkansas from East Carolina, as the 42^nd-best player in the draft.

* Another leftover:

The Orioles selected Oklahoma State second baseman Brayden Smith in the 13^th round. According to the school’s website, his favorite athlete is Freddie Freeman and his favorite show to binge is Duck Dynasty.

The more interesting tidbit is that climbing Mount Everest sits atop Smith’s bucket list.

Will the Orioles need to include a clause in his contract that prohibits dangerous activities like this, or could it become a team bonding activity like fishing and video games?