O's have ample OF competition in camp

Starting right fielder, fourth outfielder jobs open

February 20th, 2019

As we inch closer and closer to Opening Day, we'll continue to take a position-by-position look at the Orioles’ roster options and remaining questions. With full squad workouts officially underway, now feels like a good time to take a look at the outfield, where much will be decided over the next five weeks.

Projected starters: Trey Mancini (LF), Cedric Mullins (CF)

These are the easy ones to place.

The third-place finisher in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2017, Mancini’s roster spot is secure despite some regression at the plate last summer. The third-year player qualifies as an elder statesman on an Orioles team that, with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo still in the fold, has little choice but to keep Mancini in left despite his defensive limitations.

Mullins’ status is more tenuous, but he should have the inside track on the center field job after a capable 45-game cameo in the big leagues last season. Mullins profiles as the only true center fielder on the 25-man roster, by virtue of his speed alone.

Right field candidates: DJ Stewart, Austin Hays, Joey Rickard, Anthony Santander

Here is where things get tricky. The situation is nearly impossible to predict at this early stage, with both the starting right field and fourth outfielder jobs open, and no clear frontrunner for either.

Rickard has the most big league experience and is the only one out of options; his ability to play center in a pinch could give the former Rule 5 Draft pick a leg up. Hays, the club’s No. 4 prospect, reached the Majors in 2017 before an ankle injury allowed Stewart and Santander to pass him on the depth chart last year. Stewart hit, Santander didn’t, though both sample sizes were infinitesimal. Santander, for his part, enters camp on the heels of a strong showing in winter ball.

Also in the mix: Eric Young Jr., Rio Ruiz, Jack Reinheimer, Drew Jackson, Steve Wilkerson, Mark Trumbo

In camp on a Minor League deal, Young is the only other Oriole who can match Mullins’ speed and defensive acumen. But at age 33, the former stolen base champion will have to handedly outplay a host of others to avoid defaulting to a depth option at Triple-A Norfolk. Ruiz, Reinheimer, Jackson and Wilkerson are all infielders by trade who, like so many in Orioles’ camp, will get reps at various positions this spring. Of that group, only Jackson and Wilkerson have experience in center. That could help their stock particularly if the Orioles choose to head north with just a four-man bench.

Trumbo’s experience warrants him a mention -- he started 19 times in right last summer, and 95 games there as recently as 2016 -- though coming off knee surgery, he more realistically projects as the club’s full-time DH at this point.

In the pipeline: Yusniel Diaz, Ryan McKenna

Neither has played past Double-A, but both figure to get long looks this spring as the Orioles' new front office assesses the blue-chippers it has inherited. Diaz, the prize of last year’s Manny Machado trade, is 22, the club’s No.1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and could debut in Baltimore as early as this summer. McKenna is smaller, less advanced and profiles more as a depth option. But the former fourth-round pick is fresh off a torrid showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .344 with a 1.064 OPS across 17 games.