SARASOTA, Fla. -- There is light tower power. Then there is what Ryan Mountcastle has.

The Orioles’ No. 4 prospect made that clear even before he enjoyed his best day at the plate thus far this spring, doubling twice and homering in the Orioles' 13-0 win over the Pirates on Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium. He also put on a show beforehand, literally reaching the top of the light tower beyond the stadium’s left-center-field wall in batting practice.

The shot scattered a group of small birds that had gathered on the light fixture, thinking they were safe.

“I didn’t even notice,” he’d say later.

Everyone noticed Mountcastle once the game began: The 23-year-old doubled into the left-field corner against Pirates closer Keone Kela in the third and Geoff Hartlieb in the fourth, then took Chris Stratton deep to left in the fifth. Mountcastle’s first Grapefruit League homer helped him finish 3-for-3 with three RBIs on the day. He is now 5-for-12 with three extra-base hits this spring.

“That was the best I’ve seen Ryan swing the bat, not only this Spring Training but last Spring Training also,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s got huge power. I am just getting a look at him right now. You watch him in BP and he really drives the ball in the middle of the field. He generates a ton of bat speed and he’s strong. He’s trying to get the ball in the air and when he catches it on the barrel, it goes a long way. There is a lot to like about his swing and now it’s about getting at-bats.”

All told, it was a showcase of the skills that made Mountcastle the International League Most Valuable Player last season, and made him the most polished of the many prospects in Orioles camp. There are few questions about the bat that produced a .312/.344/.527 line and 25 homers last season at Triple-A, but Mountcastle’s glove remains a work in progress. A former shortstop and third baseman who played mostly first base last season, he’s made all three starts in left so far this spring. The Orioles also plan to give Mountcastle personalized instruction and game reps at first and third.

The question is: how much does he have to hit for the Orioles to ignore those and other service time concerns to bring Mountcastle north with them on Opening Day? With more days like Thursday, we might find out.

“I’ve got to come out here and perform, play my game,” Mountcastle said. “I’m not going to try to press too hard thinking I need to be amazing every day. I’m going to go out and play my game. If that’s enough, great. If not, I’m going to keep working.”

More from the game
• Though the headlines will be dominated by Chris Davis’ big day, Austin Hays was among other strong Orioles performers in Thursday’s 13-run breakout. Hays doubled twice, drove in two, scored a run and made two highlight-reel plays in center, turning in the kind of Grapefruit League performance he made custom last spring. Hays dove into the right-center-field gap to take a hit away from Kevin Newman in the first, then came in to rob Newman again with a sliding play in the third.

• More promising signs as O's Davis HRs again

• Fully recovered from the flu, Mychal Givens pitched a clean 1-2-3 third in his spring debut. The only victim of the virus left is Hunter Harvey, who was deemed healthy enough to be slated for a bullpen Friday. If he comes out of that feeling good, Harvey could begin appearing in Grapefruit League games this weekend.

Making progress
Right-handed rotation candidate Kohl Stewart, who has been sidelined by right bicep soreness, played catch Wednesday and was set to do so again Thursday. He plans to throw a bullpen Friday and potentially make his spring debut either Sunday or Monday. Stewart threw two two-inning live BP sessions before being temporarily shut down last week.

“Obviously I want to pitch, but the worst thing you can do is go out there and put yourself in a worse situation and then you need more time. The worst thing you can do is pitch through that in Spring Training, then April 1 comes along and you’re really freaking hurting.”

From the trainer's room
It appears as if rehabbing outfielder DJ Stewart is ahead of schedule. Hyde said Stewart, who had right ankle microfracture surgery in October, could be game-ready by the first or second week of March. That's a week or so ahead of the original prognosis. Stewart has made strides in recent weeks, routinely taking batting practice with his teammates on the Ed Smith backfields. But he still must ramp up his running program before being fully cleared.

Up next
Brandon Bailey gets his second start of the spring Friday as the Rule 5 righty looks to break camp with the Orioles. He will be opposed by veteran righty Trevor Williams when the Orioles travel to neighboring Bradenton to face the Pirates, with first pitch slated for 1:05 pm ET on MLB.TV.