A veteran Gibson could affect O's in more ways than one

SARASOTA, Fla. -- If he’s lucky enough, there comes a point in every MLB player’s career where his mindset shifts from fighting for a place on the roster to imparting wisdom to the next wave.

While the ultimate goal is still to play at the top of their game, guys who’ve stuck around long enough know the intangibles they offer can be just as valuable.

If a team is lucky enough, it can find both qualities in one player. And the Orioles know they have a gem in Kyle Gibson.

“He's been fantastic. We knew ahead of time how much of a great clubhouse presence he has been over the course of his career,” manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday. “... We have a lot of young starters, young pitchers in camp, and to have somebody with that kind of experience and maturity, it's going to be really beneficial."

• What to know about Orioles Spring Training

That team-first attitude endeared Gibson to the Twins, who snagged him in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft, and then to the Rangers and Phillies, with whom he spent two seasons each. And so, even though he was still getting used to all of the different surroundings, procedures and expectations a new club brings, the 35-year-old Gibson hit the ground running last week for his first O's camp.

While working the room, the righty made it known that he was willing and available to anyone who needed to bend an ear, talk strategy or just shoot the bull.

• Projecting Orioles' Opening Day roster

After 10 seasons in the Majors and with a guaranteed spot in the rotation as long as he stays healthy, Gibson feels like it’s the least he can do.

"It shouldn't be tough to help other people,” he said. "... Part of being older and around a lot of young guys is making sure you just make yourself available and that they understand if they do have a question, they can come up and ask."

Righty Tyler Wells has linked with Gibson already. The two came up through the Twins’ organization -- albeit 10 years apart -- and the shared background made for a good icebreaker.

"Him coming over here was really nice to be able to rekindle that," said Wells, who will vie for a rotation spot this spring after going 7-7 with a 4.25 ERA in 23 starts in 2022. "Even the first day that we came in and threw bullpens and stuff, I was already trying to pick his brain on certain things."

Baltimore signed Gibson to a one-year deal worth $10 million on Dec. 5 in hopes that he’d fill the void left by staff leader Jordan Lyles’ departure. Gibson has thrown some of his best ball in the past few seasons, going 13-7 in his final year with Minnesota in 2019, earning his first career All-Star nod with Texas in ’21 and appearing in a World Series with the Phillies in ’22.

It’s not too much of a stretch to think Gibson could be the Orioles' Opening Day starter, as he and fellow offseason acquisition Cole Irvin are the only two considered rotation locks for now, with a logjam of young talent (about 10 candidates) behind them.

Irvin is fresh off a career season during which he set individual best marks for ERA (3.98), WHIP (1.16), strikeouts (128) and innings pitched (181). He’s a lefty, though, and with righties Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez in the mix for a spot, it’s unlikely the O’s would roll out their only southpaw on Opening Day.

Gibson threw his first live batting practice of the year on Tuesday, a fiery sort of baptism that included facing Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins, the latter of whom caught him good a couple of times. Gibson joked that it was less a lack of dominance on Mullins' part than it was that he’d misread the scouting report and accidentally “threw him a pitch he likes,” before tipping his cap to his teammates and admiring their work at the plate.

A true veteran, Gibson knows the sharper the O's look now -- even against him -- the better they will look come Opening Day. This spring isn’t about proving his worth and fighting for a role; Gibson is content to use the next five-plus weeks to get into regular-season form and help others get there as well.

If Gibson is on the mound in the season opener, so much the better.

“I have no idea the front office’s ideal of where I’ll slot in," he said, “[but] if that opportunity is there, I’ll have a lot of fun."