Orioles pitchers and catchers took the field for the first time and went through the usual PFP (pitchers’ fielding practice) drills and bullpen sessions, with manager Buck Showalter very much back in his favorite element, leading bunt defense drills by squaring up in the batter’s box.
“Everybody loves it. The players, everybody does,” Showalter said. “It’s one of the best times of the year. I think a lot of managers, the one thing they miss is coaching. You still pick your spots because there’s such a pull on your time with other things. It really reminds you why you do what you do in an element you want to be in.”
Though the early drills may seem monotonous, Showalter said that the players know what they need to do and why they need to do it.
“Our guys don’t seem to ever lose the attention to things because they know how important it is during the year, how many outs that we can get,” Showalter said. “It’s good to have people who have been here a while that kind of know why we do it. I’m always real comfortable if somebody asks why we’re doing something. ‘Here’s exactly why.’ We come in here and we go over it video-wise. ‘Here’s what we’re going to do today, here’s what it’s supposed to look like.’”
Around the horn: Thirteen pitchers threw their first bullpen sessions of the spring. Those pitchers were right-handers Mychal Givens, Tyler Wilson, Logan Verrett, Mike Wright, Jason Garcia, Oliver Drake, Gabriel Ynoa, Parker Bridwell, Joe Gunkel and Richard Rodriguez as well as left-handers Donnie Hart, Jayson Aquino and Zach Stewart. … Besides the announcement that Chris Tillman has been dealing with shoulder soreness since December and won’t be available to start the regular season opener, Showalter said he didn’t expect any other pitchers to be held back this spring.
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