As part of MLBPipeline.com's visit to all 30 Spring Training facilities, we'll be sitting down with prospects and getting to know them a little better. At Orioles camp, it was No. 2 prospect Cody Sedlock.
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Cody Sedlock was the Orioles' first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, taken No. 26 overall. After two years working out of the bullpen, Sedlock moved into Illinois' rotation as a junior and moved himself into first-round consideration. The right-hander had a solid pro debut and is preparing for his first full season of pro ball.
MLBPipeline.com: What are the things you needed to work on during Spring Training to get ready for your first full season?
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Sedlock: The coaches right from the beginning told me there was no rush. I'm trying to get one pitch at a time. As a starter, I have quite a bit of pitches. Also being a guy who throws a four-seamer and a two-seamer, or a sinker, it's one of those things where I had to find that first, which I did. That's what I worked on the first couple of weeks. It was frustrating not having all my other pitches right away, but I just keep working on it, trying to get a feel for all of my pitches and it's finally starting to come together.
It took a lot of getting used to. For me, with my competitive nature, I want to be at my best every single time I step on the mound and have my full arsenal. I'm used to going out and throwing seven-plus innings and 100-plus pitches every time out. Once I was told what I needed to work on, I stayed within myself and realized that if things are going to go the right way this year, I'm going to have to work on one thing at a time.
MLBPipeline.com: You mention the two-seamer. That's something you added more later. How did that pitch evolve into being your best weapon?
Sedlock: I always threw a two-seamer and four-seamer, but when I was out of the bullpen, it was mostly four-seamers. When I was in the Cape, one time I was throwing a bullpen and I was throwing a two-seamer. I had a good feel for it and the catcher missed it; it went right under his glove. I said, 'I'm going to try and do that again.' At first it was 20 percent of the time, then it worked to where it is now. Last year, about halfway through the season I made the commitment where I throw 90 percent two-seamers. I do throw the four-seamer once in a while still.
• O's Spring Training report
MLBPipeline.com: How much have you talked to Twins prospect Tyler Jay, your college teammate, about what to expect from this first Spring Training and first full season? Is he a guy you can use as a resource?
Sedlock: I talk to him all the time. He's one of my best friends. He told me even before Spring Training started, don't go full force before you get there and right when you get there. You're going to be throwing a lot because they're going to try and build your arm up. He really helped me with the process and what Spring Training is all about. I'm the kind of guy, I want to go full out right when I get here and he told me to take it easy. I talk to him every day about how his Spring Training is going as well.
MLBPipeline.com: You pitched out of the bullpen your first two years out of Illinois. When you moved to starting in your junior season, did you have to learn to pace yourself more?
Sedlock: I almost throw the same velocity starting as I did out of the bullpen, but starting it comes in the fifth or sixth inning for me. It really wasn't that different. When I was in the bullpen, I always knew, and my coaches always told me, that I'd be a starter in the future. I kept working on all of my pitches even though I didn't get to use them in games. Once I began starting, I'd use the first couple of innings to get a feel for my pitches, then I'd ride it out for as long as I can.
MLBPipeline.com: Some of the reason you were in the bullpen was because of a lack of feel for pitching and some command issues, right? Then you made some adjustments in the Cape the summer before your junior year that helped things click?
Sedlock: When I was in the bullpen, I had spurts when my command was good, but it wasn't as good as I knew it could be. In college, you play four games a week. When you come out of the bullpen, you can't really mix in those side bullpens in between because you never know when you're going to throw next. Once I was starting again and getting more reps, that's when in the Cape, my command started to get better. I learned how much better it was to be able to throw inside to hitters, and go in and out, up and down. Since then, the more reps I get, the better I feel.