An early day of standouts for Orioles’ young talent

Having covered a few spring trainings over a few years, not all days in the Florida sun are created equal, nor are all the games. Some are very forgettable and nothing happens of much significance.

Some can be more fun for fans, especially when watching some of the young players. Sunday was one of those days when the Orioles won, 7-3, in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Coby Mayo rocketed a 113-mph two-run single, one of the hardest balls hit in Arizona or Florida that day. Catcher Samuel Basallo went 1-for-3 and hit two balls at 104.9 mph and 107.4 mph. And he challenged a pitch and got right-hander Brandon Young a strike called. Young, the O’s 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, threw two scoreless on 38 pitches and right-hander Kyle Brnovich added two scoreless and fanned four.

And Sunday’s starter, lefty Cade Povich, rolled through his outing. Two scoreless on 26 pitches. Povich pitched to an ERA of 2.60 and .558 OPS against in September for the Orioles, a month that began with him throwing 7 1/3 scoreless versus the White Sox and ended with him going 5 2/3 without allowing a run at Minnesota.

Big Ben McDonald, former O’s pitcher and current MASN broadcaster, knows this team as well as anyone. And unlike other media, got a real close look at the players recently during his five days as spring training O’s guest coach.

McDonald talked about Povich this week on the “Inside Access” radio show on 105.7 FM the Fan.

“Povich opened my eyes in the month of September last year,” he said on the Fan. “Honestly, I wasn’t sold on him at first, but September rolled around and it was five starts with an ERA of like 2.60. He started laying in those breaking balls and offspeed pitches. Not that he doesn’t have a good fastball, he does.

“He made some tweaks like a lot of guys do. He changed the grip on his changeup this offseason, I was talking to him about that. A lot like what Bryan Baker did, and he has more confidence in that pitch.

“He is probably going to start in Triple-A this year. Obviously Povich, unless there is an injury, is probably going to start in Triple-A. But he could be the first one up. I liked what I saw from him Sunday.”

McDonald noted that the average big league team used 13 pitchers to start at least one game last season and the champion Los Angeles Dodgers used 17. The O’s needed 13 starters in 2024 with two making just one start and six pitchers making 16 or more.

During the radio appearance, Big Ben had big praise for the talk of camp, young catcher Basallo, who will play almost all of this year at age 20. He is the O’s No. 1-ranked prospect.

“Watching him last year and now this year, I feel like he’s better now behind the plate,” McDonald said. “He really handled himself well [on Sunday]. He reminds me of Salvador Perez. Not quite as thick as Perez is but you can see that body putting on some weight and being that big in four or five years.

“But to be as big as he is, he’s a lot more athletic than what Perez is. Talking to our coaches they’ve said, ‘You could stick him at first base right now and he’d be above average. His footwork is that good and his glovework is that good. He’s a big target over there and even one coach, who I won’t name, said you could almost put this guy in corner outfield too. He’s that athletic. I don’t know if he ever gets there for the Orioles but what I am getting at is he has some options. Behind the plate, first base, DH. He is young but very athletic. Impressed with how he moves and how flexible he is.

“I think the sky is the limit here. The bat will get him to the big league but what is going to make him an All-Star, a premium player, is to do both on both sides of the ball. And he’s got a cannon of an arm.”