Orioles happy to have 'electric' Kimbrel on their side

SARASOTA, Fla. -- For the past 14 seasons, Craig Kimbrel has been striking fear into big league hitters. His pre-windup pose is unmistakable: The right-hander bends his torso down, tucks in his left arm and uses his right arm to balance at a 90-degree angle while peering at his catcher for the next signal.

Before Wednesday, Kimbrel had never struck the unique pose while wearing an Orioles uniform.

“That thing is scary,” first baseman Ryan Mountcastle said. “At least he’s on my team this time around.”

Kimbrel, who Baltimore signed in December, took the mound at Ed Smith Stadium for live batting practice on Wednesday afternoon. The 35-year-old is ramping up for his first season with the O’s, brought in to be the closer in place of the rehabbing Félix Bautista, who is out for the year after Tommy John surgery.

The group of hitters facing Kimbrel included Mountcastle, James McCann, Ryan O’Hearn, Anthony Santander and Ramón Urías. There were nine total at-bats vs. the veteran closer.

How’d Kimbrel feel while donning orange and black for the first time in a live setting?

“I felt like it was the first time I faced hitters since last season,” Kimbrel said with a grin. “I come into spring to work, to get ready for the season, and I’m pretty happy with where I am right now. Ball’s coming out good, body feels good and just work on progressing as spring goes on.”

The Orioles’ hitters were impressed with how Kimbrel looked. Mountcastle said the righty had “electric stuff,” giving high praise to “one of the best to ever do it.” Kimbrel enters the 2024 season with 417 career saves, the eighth most in AL/NL history and second most among active pitchers. (Boston’s Kenley Jansen has 420.)

McCann describes Kimbrel as “a pro,” who appears “right on track” in his spring progression.

“He’s been doing it for so long, he’s got it down to a science,” McCann said. “He knows exactly where he needs to be at what point in time in camp. He doesn’t get caught up in the velocities and the results. He gets caught up in, is he making the pitch he wants to make?”

Wednesday’s results were good, too. Kimbrel finished the session by striking out three of the final four batters he faced. Mountcastle looked at a called strike three, Santander swung and missed for a strikeout and O’Hearn couldn’t hold back on a check swing to get K’d.

It marked the second time in camp that Kimbrel has worked with catcher Adley Rutschman, who was also behind the plate for the righty’s bullpen session a few days ago. That relationship is starting to develop as the two get more familiar with each other.

“I told him before we went out there, I said, ‘We’ve just got to throw with each other, and the more we throw, the more we’ll get comfortable,’” Kimbrel said. “He’ll learn me and I’ll learn him, and then everything will come together. And we’ve got plenty of time for that.”

G-Rod gearing up for game action
Another pitcher who took the mound for live BP on Wednesday was right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who is building up for his second big league season. The 24-year-old worked two simulated “innings,” getting a short break between his two trips to the hill.

Rodriguez, who had a 2.58 second-half ERA last year, appears to be in a good spot early in camp. He showcased impressive stuff against Urías, getting the infielder to swing through a fastball for a strikeout.

“Just good to see hitters in the box, get used to some game-speed-type stuff,” Rodriguez said. “Getting to face our guys is a lot of fun, getting to talk a lot of trash in the clubhouse and all that stuff. Like I said, it’s a fun day at work.”

Roster construction
Baltimore has six outfielders in big league camp competing for roster spots. Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Santander are locked in as the starters, while Colton Cowser (MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 overall prospect), Heston Kjerstad (No. 32), Sam Hilliard, Ryan McKenna, Kyle Stowers and Daniel Johnson (non-roster) are trying to break with the team.

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While the Orioles could carry five outfielders on their roster, manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ruling out keeping only four. That available roster spot would be valuable if they decide infielder Jackson Holliday (No. 1 overall prospect) is ready for the big leagues.

“You definitely want to be able to cover center and left at our place. For me, that’s why [Jorge] Mateo is a little bit of an X-factor for us,” Hyde said. “I honestly don’t know at this point if we’re going to carry four or five, how that’s going to look. ... Our outfield competition, I think, is really, really strong.”