Villar, Orioles ready to run wild in 2019

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Major League-wide suppression of stolen bases hasn’t exactly spared Jonathan Villar, but the Orioles' second baseman still breaks through it better than most. Only Billy Hamtilon and Trea Turner -- both world-class burners -- have more stolen bases than Villar’s 120 since 2016. No player has managed to eclipse his total of 62 from that year, the highest-single season total since '15.

Still 27 years old and entering his first full season in Baltimore, Villar now says, “I can get more.”

“That’s my game,” said Villar. “I don’t know what comes over me. When I get on base, I feel like I have to run.”

He’s come to the right place. By swiping another bag in Sunday’s 8-5 loss to the Phillies, VIllar helped swell the Orioles’ spring total to 21. That’s tops in the Grapefruit League, and registers as the clearest example of the emphasis on aggression that new O’s skipper Brandon Hyde has preached for weeks.

The strong secondary leads. The ball-in-the-dirt chances. The first-to-third gambles -- some good, some bad. The Orioles are running wild this spring by design. And if the mentality carries over, it’ll mark a serious identity change for a franchise that’s long been one of baseball’s premier station-to-station clubs.

“We’ve freed guys up a lot in spring because we want guys to showcase if they can run, if they can steal,” Hyde said. “In Spring Training, the leash is off.”

That leash, Hyde admits, will tighten somewhat once April comes, simply because it must. When the games matter, the score dictates strategy more. But until then, he’s encouraging experimentation, relying on lessons learned via recklessness.

“I want everyone to go first-to-third in camp, just to stretch their limits. Even if they think they’re going to be dead out, I want them to see how close they actually are, and how they can be safe on certain balls they probably didn’t think they could,” Hyde said. “We aren’t going to be as green-light basestealing-wise [during the regular season], but we have to be aggressive. We’re not going to be able to hit the three-run [homer] every time.”

That alone qualifies as a shift for the Orioles, who for much of the past decade relied heavily on the long ball. Now they project to be more active on the basepaths than they have been in years. A full season of Villar should make a huge difference; his 35-steal total last year alone eclipsed the Orioles’ entire output as a team from either 2016 or 2017. Speedsters Cedric Mullins, Richie Martin and Drew Jackson all also figure to see significant playing time.

All told, no team has stolen fewer bases than Baltimore's 671 since 2008.

“I feel like every pitch, I can run, and I feel more comfortable and happy for that because that’s my game,” Villar said. “I’ve played like this since Little League.”

Worth noting

• Chris Davis (strained left hip flexor) participated in baseball activities for the second straight day, taking several at-bats in a simulated game opposite Alex Cobb. Davis, who has been sidelined since March 3, is scheduled to return to game action following Monday’s day off.

• Cobb was originally slated to return as well, but has had his schedule altered due to the birth of his first child on Friday night. Sunday’s four-inning simulated game was a result of that; he also faced Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini on the backfields at the club’s Spring Training complex.

• Speaking of Mancini, Hyde said Mancini will start getting reps at first base beginning Tuesday. A natural first baseman, Mancini has been limited to left-field duty this spring, and projects as the club’s starter there as long as Davis and Trumbo are in the fold. But if Trumbo begins the year on the injured list, it’s not hard picturing a scenario where Davis serves as the designated hitter and Mancini slides to first, where he’s played 92 career games.

• On the main field at Ed Smith Stadium, left-hander Josh Rogers made his latest bid for a rotation spot by tossing 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies. Rogers allowed two runs, struck out four and walked none. His Grapefruit ERA rests at 2.53 across 10 2/3 innings pitched.

Up next

After an off-day Monday, the Orioles return to the field Tuesday night behind rotation candidate Mike Wright, whose latest audition comes in Tampa against the Yankees. Former Orioles reliever Zack Britton is scheduled to pitch at some point for New York, with first pitch slated for 6:35 ET from Steinbrenner Field.