Wrapping up the final day of minicamp (with pictures and video)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jesus Liranzo, Brian Gonzalez and Garrett Cleavinger completed their bullpen sessions this morning. Liranzo had the area to himself after Gonzalez and Cleavinger threw off adjoining mounds.

Chris Tillman stuck around again to watch the sessions after working out earlier in the day. This guy is a leader on the pitching staff and it shows.

The beard is an added bonus.

"He likes baseball," said manager Buck Showalter. "There's a confidence in what he can do. He doesn't look at them as competition for his job, even though he respects that. He looks at it as, 'Let me look at these guys who might help us win more games this year.' That's why he likes watching. And he likes talking baseball and pitching. And also, the mounds are closer to that pond back there."

Yes, Tillman still fishes in the pond behind the outdoor batting coach. A couple of poles were leaning against his locker this week.

Liranzo made a nice impression at minicamp, and not only because of today's throwing session. The Dominican native blends in nicely with the more experienced players. He also worked hard to learn English and didn't need Ramon Martinez, serving as interpreter, to relay his answers during this morning's interview. Martinez handled the questions, though Liranzo appeared to understand them.

"He looked good," Showalter said. "It's obvious that Ramon is a big fan of Liranzo. He's spent a lot of time with him. He's an interesting guy, especially when you think he's only going to pitch at 22 this year. He's basically a college senior coming out.

"He's got a good arm. He's got those high legs and the big hands and all the things that, if you were a scout and walked in, that guy would get your attention. He's got a good feel for pitching. Everybody likes him. Our guys have done a great job with some of the physical issues that he's had when he got here and it looks like that's behind him, knock on wood."

The minicamp served its usual purpose, including how new pitching coach Roger McDowell and minor league pitching coordinator John Wasdin became familiar with the group in attendance.

"I was telling Johnny Wasdin today it's so nice ... He said, 'I don't really know any of these guys. I'm trying to get faces and names.' It's good," Showalter said.

"Roger hasn't seen them. Alan (Mills) has seen most of them, but John ... It's just a fresh look and fresh eyes and being able to see things that we might not have seen. Sometimes, we get so close to it and we're so quick to try to paint guys in a box and say, 'Here's exactly what they are.' And they change. They may see something we didn't see. I try not to prejudice them too much. I really want to hear what they think. They've got some ideas."

Showalter also received needed health updates on a few players, even from a significant distance. Reports are good on outfielder Joey Rickard, who joined catcher Chance Sisco and first baseman Trey Mancini for workouts in California with team executive Brady Anderson.

"More than anything, health and knowledge of the guys," Showalter said, reflecting on the benefits of minicamp. "Chris Lee has put on 20 pounds since the season ended, and it's good weight. You get to see a lot of things that ... Getting an update on Chris Tillman, who's been here. Feeling confident that he's going to be feeling good this year physically. Just a lot of the physical updates on these guys.

"Some guys just need their program monitored a little bit. (Ryan) Mountcastle is here. Got to spend a little time with him. See the guys starting to filter in and work out more and more and more and talking to them. We also get a head start with Roger and Alan and John, that relationship that we're going to have to have. It's all part of it. A lot of things that you want to accomplish.

"It's not about trying to make the club or anything, but I guarantee that there are going to be some people who are here right now that may not be on some people's radar that will be. I wanted to get a look at (Stefan) Crichton and (Jimmy) Yacabonis, two guys who pitched well at a higher level.

"We could have invited a lot of guys. Some of them we had some work visa issues. We couldn't get them here."

Rule 5 outfielder Anthony Santander had a locker set up, but he wasn't able to obtain his visa. He's recovering from shoulder surgery that could force him on the disabled list.

McDowell found plenty of benefits attached to the minicamp, which has been held in Sarasota the past four winters.

"Obviously, meeting here with Buck and the staff that's here, Millsy and I getting together here, getting acclimated to this facility and the directions," he said. "I still don't have it down very well. Turned the wrong way to go to the cafeteria probably 90 percent of the time. Not that I go there a lot.

"Seeing the fields, and most importantly seeing the pitchers here in the minicamp and getting a jumpstart on forming relationships with 12, 13 guys. When spring training rolls around, we already have the foundation with those guys who have a chance to be in Baltimore. I think it's very important for us to start that foundation. Not only me getting to know them, but them getting to know me as well."

McDowell spent the past 11 seasons as Braves pitching coach before replacing Dave Wallace.

"It's different (in that) you have new surroundings," he said. "The job is pretty much the same but the players, the people around you are going to be different.

"Last year when I went to spring training, I hadn't seen 21 or 22 of the guys. Had never laid eyes on them. So getting familiar with someone is not foreign. But getting familiar to surroundings, new organization, what preferences are. It's my job to find out how things tick around here and try to fit in as best as possible. It's me fitting in."

As part of the bonding process, McDowell said he's called every pitcher on the 40-man roster since taking the job.

"I haven't gotten to speak to everyone, but I have reached out," McDowell said. "I thought that was important rather than having their first conversation with me be the first day of spring training. I think it's important to know I have an interest and they are that interest."

McDowell didn't single out anyone he watched this week, saying he was impressed with all of them.

"Not just on the mound, the pitching," he said. "You get to know the player and get to watch them through the course of the day. You get to know who goes to the weight room and who plays ping pong. I think that's probably the biggest thing is getting to know their personalities and the rest will take care of itself."

McDowell and Mills met with each pitcher for 20-30 minutes. Guys would wait their turn outside the coaches locker room. Showalter joked that it was like being back in school.

"Those are things where, we've got two teams in our division that paid a luxury tax last year," Showalter said. "It's who we are. We're going to try to out-relationship you, out-knowledge you. Try to make somebody the best they can be. It's a lot more fun, quite frankly, instead of trying to outbid on people.

"That's kind of who we are. We have to do things like this to find somebody that nobody really knew about. We know about them. Shame on us if we don't know about them. It creates a great morale in the organization and it starts with the pitching coaches, the pitching coordinator, the pitchers themselves, because they know that's where they're going, and their job is very important. You know who you are, and we have to do those things.

"It's as much getting to know these and knowing that Chris Lee's dad passed away when he was 10 years old. It gives you a perspective on them when you're dealing with them every day. You better know these things. I hate talking about it because a lot of people aren't willing to do those things. They think they're all robotic pitchers. It's important to know the challenges Mike Wright is having with his mother. That's one of the reasons we brought him here. He needed a three- or four-day break."

McDowell and Mills were teammates on the 1996 Orioles. No longer in the same bullpen, they showed this week that they're on the same page.

"I think it helps that we played together during the same era," Mills said. "When we were in meetings the last two days talking to pitchers, a lot of things he said, it was funny. I'd look at the guy we were talking to, because a lot of them I've had, and I'd be like, 'OK, you've heard that before.' It was actually refreshing where he's hitting them again with the same messages in that room, so I really look forward to helping him, assisting him in any way possible."

Relievers Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart opened eyes at past minicamps, reached the majors and became valuable contributors. Is there another wave in Sarasota this week?

"I've got about three, I think," Showalter said. "I'm hoping all of them. But you put the stats sheets together, you put what people who had them for 140 games tell you, and (see) if your eyes match up with the narrative.

"I've said it many times, spring is one of the worst times to evaluate players. It is. It's a big fooler. Wind blowing out, wind blowing in, facing Double-A and Triple-A hitters. Those are things that we have to take into consideration when we're doing this, so track record means a lot in how you feel about them emotionally and mentally. Now, can you trust them when the finger is on the trigger?"

All of the Orioles coaches and assorted major league, minor league and front office personnel are now under contract for 2017. This should lead to an announcement about new hires, including Wasdin, assistant hitting coach Howie Clark, Gulf Coast League manager Carlos Tosca and short-season Single-A Aberdeen pitching coach Mark Hendrickson.

The Orioles haven't announced their full list of spring training invites, but it includes pitcher Richard Rodriguez, outfielders Chris Dickerson and Logan Schafer, first baseman/outfielder David Washington and catchers Sisco, Audry Perez and Austin Wynns.

The camp roster currently holds 47 players. The Orioles aren't done making moves.

"There are 59 lockers, and we're at 47, so yeah," Showalter said. "There are guys that come on the waiver wire every day that we look at and we say, 'Is he better than whoever is the first guy you might take off the roster?' "

Garrett Cleavinger and Brian Gonzalez throw their bullpen sessions on adjoining mounds.

Minor league pitching coordinator John Wasdin chats with right-hander Mike Wright.

Manager Buck Showalter talks with athletic trainers Brian Ebel and Richie Bancells on the last day of Orioles minicamp.