notes
McDowell to work with what he has
Pitching coach expects starting opportunities to be available for young arms
“Here’s the thing,” McDowell said. “You know what my job description is? Take the pitchers that we have and get them better and compete in the American League East. That’s what we’ll do. Whoever we have, that’s what we’re going to have, and you know what? My job is to get them better and hopefully do well, not only in the American League East but throughout the course of a major league season. It’s a daily process, and I think we made a lot of progress with a lot of guys last year. Hopefully that process will continue with whoever we have.”
As it stands, the Orioles have just
And those will be the pitchers McDowell occupies his time with going forward.
“We do have a number of guys who are going to get opportunities that may not have been presented to them if you have different people here,” McDowell said. “So, they’re going to get that opportunity, and I’m very much looking forward to working and starting the process, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, of getting better.”
That the Orioles haven’t added any free-agent pitching yet isn’t atypical for them, as they usually do most of their business in late January and February. But the fact that the free-agent market is moving at a glacial pace means business could drag further into spring training, and means the Orioles coaches have to prepare for the possibility that the pitchers they have will be the ones they take from Florida.
“I think every year is a little different because of the dynamics of how our industry works, and you have different numbers and different quality of guys who are free agents and people who come out,” manager
“Well, it doesn’t. We’ve got a lot of people that are pulling for us not to sign anybody, not to trade for anybody. I guarantee if you go talk to Mike Wright, who’s out [training] with [vice president of baseball operations]
“I’ve been doing the rehabilitation, and it’s going pretty good so far,” Álvarez said through pitching instructor
The Orioles haven’t gotten to see much of him as a pitcher, as Álvarez converted last March after he was cut from major league camp. He was set to go to Low-A Delmarva to pitch in relief with some days as the designated hitter in between, but the arm injury occurred early in the season.
“I never had any arm problems, but it happened,” he said. “It just happened.”
The Orioles outrighted him off the 40-man roster soon thereafter, but re-signed him to a minor league contract to rehab him. At the minicamp, he did a long-toss routine Monday and worked on his delivery on flat ground under the watch of McDowell and Showalter.
Showalter said he could tell Álvarez was “very upbeat,” and warned that while there were a lot of ifs involved in whether he could get back healthy and embrace being a pitcher, he could be on the major league radar before long.
That will require Álvarez to get back to the pitching mindset he carried as a two-way player in Cuba before the Orioles signed him. Many clubs thought higher of him as a pitcher than a hitter, but the Orioles let him play the outfield, and he was a career .293 hitter over four minor league seasons while getting major league stints in 2015 and 2016.
However, the club decided his future was on the mound, and after some convincing, Álvarez agreed.
“I was kind of surprised last year,” Álvarez said. “That was the reaction. I was a little bit in shock that I’d become a pitcher with the mindset of a hitter, but after a while, I got back and set my mind in a positive way. It’s my chance. I think I have a better chance to become a pitcher and get to the major leagues.”
“You pull up pictures of his dad [former major league reliever
“Getting over that hurdle, a lot of times it’s a mental hurdle for guys when they come back from injury. ‘When I get release or get extension, how’s it going to feel?’ I think it’s good that he was able to get down here. I know him and his dad have been doing some work. It was good to see him.”