As their teammates packed up their lockers after the Orioles’ regular-season-finale, Kyle Stowers yelled out to Terrin Vavra.
“T-Man, homer over the fence?” Stowers stated excitedly.
“Over the real fence,” Vavra replied.
In the opening recreation of Baltimore’s season-ending doubleheader in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays, Vavra slugged his first profession dwelling run, a game-winning three-run shot, and he and Stowers shared fun about it afterward. Both rookies have been productive for Baltimore in restricted alternatives, however there are questions on how prolonged these will turn out to be in 2023.
Although the Orioles have inside choices in Vavra and Stowers, the membership is available in the market for left-handed hitters at their respective positions of second base and nook outfield, govt vice chairman and normal supervisor Mike Elias stated Monday on the winter conferences, and the membership has already added a number of lefty bats as depth via waiver claims and minor league offers. Although there are free brokers and potential commerce candidates who would possibly signify upgrades over both younger participant, each Stowers and Vavra ended 2022 believing they’ll be higher ready for no matter possibilities will come their means subsequent season.
The Orioles’ third draft choose in 2019 behind eventual prime general prospects Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, Stowers shared organizational participant of the 12 months honors with Rutschman in 2021, beginning his main league profession slowly this summer time earlier than breaking out. Beginning with a game-tying dwelling run off All-Star nearer Liam Hendricks with the Orioles all the way down to their ultimate out Aug. 25, Stowers hit .294 with an .831 OPS over his ultimate 74 plate appearances.
“A big thing for me is consistency,” Stowers stated in October. “In my time up right here, I’ve proven, for my part, spots the place I’ve been actually good, after which there’s been spots the place I haven’t been good. So I feel, what I did from Double-A to Triple-A final 12 months to this 12 months, how can I do this subsequent 12 months within the large leagues?
“I think I made a lot of improvements in the minor leagues from last year to this year and brought a level of consistency and a higher floor in my performances in Triple-A, and I think that’s the same thing I need to do here is just let not let things snowball and build off from what I’ve learned.”
Vavra likewise closed robust. Part of the bundle the Orioles obtained from Colorado for reliever Mychal Givens on the 2020 commerce deadline, the 25-year-old carried out properly with extra common enjoying time. After spending 4 straight early September video games on the bench, Vavra hit .300/.378/.400 with as many walks as strikeouts throughout 45 plate appearances to finish the season.
While Rutschman and Henderson have been each promoted instantly into beginning roles, the opposite half of their quartet of shut pals needed to regulate after being within the lineup most video games with Triple-A Norfolk.
“That’s a really challenging thing that I wasn’t necessarily used to, especially at this level,” Vavra stated on the finish of the season. “Not knowing if you’re gonna play three days from now, next inning, it can happen at any point. Just always be ready and take each at-bat, each moment, each opportunity for what it is and try to make the most of it. I think that’s something that a lot of us younger guys haven’t had the experience of doing in the minor leagues. We’ve kind of seen our name in the lineup every day, and that was something that was new to us. I think it was good for us to learn how to compete in that in that spot, and I think that’s something that will help us down the road.”
Although he deployed them in restricted style, Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde stated each gamers made an impression on him. He praised Vavra’s strike-zone self-discipline — Rutschman and Henderson have been the one Orioles with each a decrease chase price and better stroll price than Vavra — on the finish of the season. On Tuesday on the winter conferences, Hyde famous Stowers’ potential for “huge power” and stated he’ll “have an opportunity to win a major league job” in spring coaching, however that assertion was based mostly on Baltimore’s present roster, which figures to alter over the subsequent two months.
In explaining his utilization of Vavra and Stowers in the course of the season’s closing months, Hyde typically cited his deal with successful video games amid a playoff race, saying he was going to play these he believed gave the Orioles the most effective alternative for that. He repeated that idea Tuesday in explaining how Baltimore would possibly mix its waves of younger expertise with any potential veteran additions.
“It’s pretty much who can help us win,” Hyde stated. “That’s the underside line proper now. We’re in to win proper now. I feel the perspective’s modified a little bit bit from the previous of giving lots of guys alternatives as a result of we’re attempting to see who can stick within the large leagues. Well, now, it’s about successful and about doing, truthfully, what we did from June on, win a ton of sequence, beat some good golf equipment.
“You want to give young players opportunity, but at the same time, we’re not going to sacrifice our team’s wins and losses because of that.”
Executive vice chairman and normal supervisor Mike Elias echoed that stance, saying minor league signees akin to Nomar Mazara and Franchy Cordero — each additionally left-handed hitters — will compete with Stowers, Vavra and different inexperienced gamers for jobs in spring coaching.
“I think that we want them to still have the opportunities,” Elias stated. “We want them to have the competition. I think that we don’t want to put ourselves in a position of relying on players that spent most of the year in the minor leagues fully, and knowing that we might have some ups and downs from that group, we want to have some depth in the organization or some options in case they don’t make the team out of camp. But they’re going to get every opportunity to, but so will a guy like Nomar Mazara, Franchy Cordero. We just want as much competition as possible.”
Any offseason enhancements Stowers and Vavra make to their recreation would additionally serve to spice up their possibilities for enjoying time in 2023. Stowers was mum on particular mechanical and conditioning changes he would search this offseason however stated he discovered this 12 months that he performs his greatest when he trusts in his capability. Vavra entered 2022 looking for a wholesome marketing campaign and a discount in strikeouts and ended the 12 months typically happy together with his degree of accomplishment. Now, he want to faucet into the facility he displayed on the ultimate day of the season extra often.
“I know I’m capable of doing that, but I’d like to make that a priority, try to hit the ball harder and farther, set the guys up behind me in the order even better,” Vavra stated. “I think it’s there.”
It’s unclear whether or not the identical will probably be true of a task for him on the 2023 Orioles, however each he and Stowers are intent on incomes them for a workforce anticipated to contend for a postseason spot after narrowly lacking out final season.
“It’d be easy for us to assume, ‘OK, we were close to making the playoffs this year, so we’re going to make it next year,’” Stowers stated. “I truly believe we have the talent, the camaraderie in the clubhouse and the group to do it. I think we just need to learn from what we have gone through this year. I know I need to make a lot of improvements myself, and hopefully, that leads us getting to the next step next year.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com