Zimmermann ready for battle to win back job

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Spring Training has provided a “fresh start” for Bruce Zimmermann. That’s how Orioles manager Brandon Hyde views it, and the 28-year-old left-hander tends to agree.

Last year, Zimmermann broke camp in Baltimore’s rotation. He earned the starting assignment for the Orioles’ home opener and began the season with 14 consecutive scoreless innings over his first two-plus starts. However, he had a 7.32 ERA in 10 outings from April 28-June 15, which prompted a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk.

After that, Zimmermann made only two additional appearances for the Orioles -- both relief outings, and only one coming in the second half. The Ellicott City, Md., native felt he was making the right adjustments, evidenced by his 3.77 ERA In 14 games (12 starts) for Norfolk. But a spot on Baltimore’s staff never reopened.

“Our guys were pitching amazing in the big leagues, so I just had to kind of wait,” Zimmermann said after tossing two innings in the Orioles’ 14-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium on Monday afternoon. “So coming into this camp, yeah, that’s how I felt -- it’s getting back to a little bit more of a grinder mentality and winning that position back.”

It’s not going to be easy, and Zimmermann knows that. He has looked around the clubhouse and seen the veterans (Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin), top prospects (Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall) and other talented pitchers among the dozen competing for rotation spots.

“The last five guys standing are really going to be a good, competitive product to really push this year and build on what we did last year,” Zimmermann said.

But Zimmermann is confident he’s a better pitcher now than he was in early 2022, following an offseason in which he retooled his arsenal.

First, Zimmermann focused on differentiating his four-seam and two-seam fastballs in an attempt to better separate them as unique offerings. Then, he readjusted his slider grip to one he had used in the past to get more shape on the pitch, which should help induce more swings and misses. Finally, he worked on improving his curveball so he doesn’t have to rely on his changeup as much in spots where he’d like to throw an offspeed pitch.

On Monday, Zimmermann was satisfied with how his stuff felt against a Tampa Bay lineup stacked with regular big leaguers. The only runs he allowed came when Wander Franco deposited a 3-2 slider over the left-field fence for a two-run homer with one out in the first.

Zimmermann set down five of the final six batters he faced, which included retiring Francisco Mejía, Isaac Paredes and Vidal Bruján in order in the second.

“It felt really good, to be honest with you,” Zimmermann said. “I mean, I could have done a little better job being somewhat more aggressive, especially with Franco. But just knowing how well of a fastball hitter he is, I think I was just a little bit too on the edges with him and then got unlucky with the slider at the end there.”

Zimmermann called it a “positive first outing.” But he’ll need to build on it if he’s going to earn a spot on Baltimore’s 26-man roster for Opening Day.

“There are jobs to be won on our pitching staff, and hopefully, he can go out and show us the kind of pitcher that we think he is,” Hyde said.

Urías not mixing in at shortstop
Last spring, Ramón Urías spent significant time at shortstop, as the Orioles didn’t have a clear starter at the position heading into the 2022 season. That’s no longer the case, and Urías’ Spring Training work has been appropriately adjusted.

“This year, with [Jorge] Mateo and Gunnar [Henderson], I’m not in a hurry to put Ramón over there,” Hyde said.

Urías, who is expected to serve in a utility bench role in 2023, will instead spend all of his time this spring at either second base or third base, where he won an American League Gold Glove Award last year. Urías started at the hot corner for his Grapefruit League debut on Monday, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single and making a nice play on a grounder for the game’s first out.

With Henderson and Urías likely to cover the available time at third -- and Adam Frazier and Urías combining to handle second -- Hyde plans on playing Mateo exclusively at shortstop “for right now.”