On Wednesday, MLB.com Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with O¡¯s fans at r/orioles. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.
Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
How worried is the team by F¨¦lix Bautista's velocity thus far?
I don't believe there's huge concern at this point. As alluded to, Bautista hasn't thrown harder than 98 mph (either during Spring Training or in the regular season), which certainly isn't the triple-digit heat he was blowing past guys in 2023.
The belief remains that Bautista's velocity will continue to tick up as he gets more outings under his belt. We've already seen a gradual build. It helps that his splitter has still looked as nasty as before. His slider and his new cutter are also going to be key to his success while his heat builds back up.
Here's what manager Brandon Hyde said after Monday's game, which I thought was a good reminder for everybody:
"It might take a little while. This is his second game pitched since late August of [2023]. He¡¯s not going to be perfect, almost like he was. There¡¯s going to be hiccups, and he¡¯s still figuring things out. ... He¡¯s going to have certain things that are going to be check marks along the way."
What's Tyler O'Neill's impact in the weight room been like? I'm a big fan of him joining the O¡¯s, and I feel like he's going to help the younger guys just get completely yoked.
The Orioles probably had to order some heavier weights (just kidding ... well, maybe).
Certainly can't hurt to have a guy like O'Neill in the weight room around the younger kids. Of course, Jackson Holliday's weightlifting program seemed to work quite fine even before he was around O'Neill.
I think there's a lot for players to learn from O'Neill, who is quite diligent with his work throughout the offseason and Spring Training, which sets him up so well for the season. He's clearly already a popular clubhouse guy, hence many of the other players joining him in wearing cutoff T-shirts for batting practice on sunny days.
Any rumblings about contract extensions for any of our guys?
This has been a popular topic as other teams continue to sign players to longer-term deals, and I get it. So do the Orioles, who surely understand how beneficial it would be to have those guys around a while. I've been thinking back to owner David Rubenstein's quote from Spring Training:
"I certainly would like the best young players we have on the team -- and those are two I just mentioned [Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson] -- to stay here in their career, just like Brooks Robinson was here in his entire career, Jim Palmer was here in his entire career. ... We¡¯d like to have players stay with Baltimore for a long, long time and their entire career.¡±
I believe the Orioles are better positioned for potential long-term extensions than they have been in quite some time with an owner who doesn't "have a financial limit," as Rubenstein put it.
There are no rumblings because of how close they keep this kind of stuff close to the vest. But it would not surprise me if a long-term extension happened at some point relatively soon.
Which Orioles prospect outside of their top five are you particularly high on?
I've been high on right-hander Keeler Morfe (O's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline) for quite some time, even before he started the Spring Breakout game on March 15. An 18-year-old who already throws 99-plus mph? Impressive stuff. And I think that was the biggest takeaway from his Spring Breakout performance. It's not surprising he struggled a bit facing much more advanced hitters, but I thought it was a clear sign of his potential to see him strike out Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr.
Outfielder Austin Overn (O's No. 30) is another intriguing player, one of several from the 2024 Draft class. I didn't get to see a ton of him this spring, but he stood out every time I did watch him. Great speed. Great glove. And he has potential for the bat to improve with pro experience.