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Does moving positions hurt Orioles’ players? | MAILBAG

Question: Do you think that it hurts young players who change positions like Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Jeremiah Jackson? Does this affect their concentration at bat as well as there play in the field? From: Ricky Shaw 

Answer: Ricky, I think it helps young players if they’re able to prove they’re versatile. There are relatively few stars in baseball, and many need to show that they can play positions other than the one they played when they were drafted.

If moving positions affects players, that’s not a great attribute. Teams are always looking for talented players who can play more positions and for some players, it’s fun to be able to move around.

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Question: I have not heard much about Micah Ashman but saw him pitch for Canada in the WBC. Do you think he is on the radar screen and do you expect him to show up at a preseason game? From: Bill Connor

Answer: Bill, Micah Ashman, who came from the Detroit Tigers last July in the trade for Charlie Morton, pitched in one game early in spring training as an extra player. He allowed a run on four hits and retired two batters.

I do think he’s on the Orioles’ radar screen, and is on the roster for Friday’s Spring Breakout game, which is on MASN, and you’ll get to see him then.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

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Rich Dubroff

Rich Dubroff grew up in Brooklyn as a fan of New York teams, but after he moved to Baltimore, quickly adopted the Orioles and Colts. After nearly two decades as a freelancer assisting on Orioles coverage for several outlets, principally The Capital in Annapolis and The Carroll County Times, Dubroff began covering the team fulltime in 2011. He spent five years at Comcast SportsNet’s website and for the last two seasons, wrote for PressBoxonline.com, Dubroff lives in Baltimore with his wife of more than 30 years, Susan.

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