[Baltimore Sun] Orioles observations on Kyle Stowers’ 3-homer day, Tyler Wells pounding the zone and more from split-squad doubleheader
Read Time:9 Minute, 10 Second
SARASOTA, Fla. — During his time in the big leagues over the past two seasons, Kyle Stowers almost exclusively played against right-handed pitchers.
The left-handed hitting outfield prospect displayed impressive power in the minors against both righties and lefties, but when he’s been on manager Brandon Hyde’s bench, he hasn’t been given the chance to hit against southpaws. This spring, Stowers seemed out to prove that he was more than a platoon player by crushing left-handed pitching during live batting practice sessions and the beginning of Grapefruit League play with each of his first four homers coming left-on-left.
There was one small problem, though: Stowers wasn’t hitting righties, going just 1-for-19 with nine strikeouts. On Sunday, he proved those numbers were an anomaly
Stowers smashed three home runs, all off right-handers, in the Orioles’ 4-4 tie with the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland — the road half of Baltimore’s split-squad doubleheader. Since 2006, only 11 other hitters have smacked three homers in one spring training game, the most recent being Mike Zunino in 2018.
The first home run was likely wind-aided, as Stowers’ fly ball off Tigers starter Kenta Maeda was hit with a 41-degree launch angle and just an 8% chance of being a hit, according to Statcast tracking data. He made up for it with the second long ball, which traveled 438 feet — a deep shot, also off Maeda, that would’ve been gone at all 30 MLB stadiums.
Stowers hit his hardest ball of the day in his third and final plate appearance, barreling up a fastball from Reese Olson for an exit velocity of 107.2 mph and a 399-foot homer.
Stowers made his MLB debut in June 2022 and spent most of the last two months of that season as a part-time player in the majors. He broke camp with the Orioles last season and struggled early in the season to earn two demotions to Triple-A, where he continued to hit minor league pitching well as he has his whole career. The 26-year-old hit a home run in 8.1% of his minor league at-bats last year — an elite percentage — but his season was marred by a shoulder injury and a broken nose from a hit by pitch. This spring, Stowers has been one of the Orioles’ best hitters with a 1.181 OPS in 38 plate appearances.
Stowers is one of several hitters competing for the last few spots on the Orioles’ roster, and he’s making it difficult for Hyde and general manager Mike Elias to bring him north with the big club. If the team keeps just four outfielders, it’s unlikely there’s space for Stowers considering Colton Cowser’s dominant spring. But if the team decides to go with five traditional outfielders, Stowers could have a solid chance.
“I hope everybody makes it as difficult as possible,” Hyde said about the club’s roster decisions. “Kyle swung the bat awesome this camp. Really happy for him after a kind of tough year last year dealing with a lot of things. To come into camp swinging the bat the way he is, that’s been amazing.”
Also in Lakeland, Cowser doubled to improve his OPS to 1.246. Julio Teheran, a former All-Star who is in camp competing for a spot as a long reliever in the Orioles’ bullpen, started and allowed five hits and one run in four innings with five strikeouts. Cionel Pérez, Dillon Tate and Bryan Baker all pitched scoreless innings. Tate and Baker, two right-handers hoping to earn spots in Hyde’s bullpen, have yet to allow a run this spring.
Stowers had himself a day pic.twitter.com/qsnz7nT7Z4
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 17, 2024
Wells is well
Tyler Wells looked like Tyler Wells.
Aside from a few weird starts last July when Wells started to run out of gas after a masterful first half, Wells has consistently pitched well as a big leaguer — in 2021 as a reliever, in 2022 as a solid starter, in 2023’s first half as an All-Star caliber pitcher and last September as a late-inning reliever.
When Wells is healthy and rested, he’s one of the Orioles’ best starting pitchers, and it appears he’s on track to be just that to begin the season. He threw 4 2/3 solid innings Saturday in the home half of Baltimore’s split-squad doubleheader against a lineup with about half the Atlanta Braves’ starters. He scattered four hits, allowed one run and struck out six while not issuing a walk.
“I’m really happy,” Wells said of his spring. “I’m trying to continue to refine my approach and take that into season and continue to build on it. There’s still things that we can continue to work on, and that’s not knocking all the good things that we did. It’s constantly being able to look at yourself objectively and know that there’s work to be done and it’s a long season.”
Wells has a 1.69 ERA in 10 2/3 spring innings with just one walk.
“Love the way Wells has thrown all spring,” Hyde said. “I thought he really located all of his pitches well. He’s just commanding the ball really well this spring, and the fastball’s got good life to it.”
In the first half last year, Wells was the American League’s leader in WHIP largely because of his strike-throwing ability to prevent free bases. He knows by being a strike-thrower — especially one who lives at the top of the zone with his high-spin fastball — that he will sometimes get hit hard, like he did when Austin Riley took him deep in the first inning. But he won’t let that deter him from pitching the way he knows how.
“I’m going to throw strikes, and if you’re going to throw strikes, you’re going to get hurt, you’re going to get some homers hit off you,” he said. “At the same time, too, I’d rather challenge people and lose that way than sit there and be around the zone.”
Whether he can be this type of pitcher for a six-month regular season remains to be seen, but he knows what can convince people of that.
“The only thing that’s ever going to tell anyone that is my results, and that’s exactly what I plan on trying to do,” he said. “Each and every day, every offseason I go out there and try to continue to prove myself. Results are the only thing that’s going to show that.”
Danny Coulombe, Mike Baumann and Keegan Akin each threw scoreless innings after Wells, while Yennier Cano gave up three hits and one run in his frame. Baumann and Akin, who are both competing for bullpen spots, have yet to allow a run this spring.
How would Jorge Mateo making the team impact the roster? What will they do with Jackson Holliday? How will the bullpen shake out?
A reexamination of the club’s roster battles:https://t.co/6BECTtyuoO
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 17, 2024
Taking it in stride
Spring training games are filled with great hitters facing not-so-great pitchers and vice versa. Sunday at Ed Smith Stadium wasn’t one of those occasions.
The Orioles had one of their best tests this spring by facing Braves ace Spencer Strider, who spots a high-90s fastball and a devastating slider. Strider was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2022 and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting last season after striking out 281 batters in 186 2/3 innings.
“I think it’s good to see the type of arms you’re going to see in the season,” Hyde said. “Yeah, to face a guy with that sort of stuff, it’s a nice test of where you are in camp and how close we are, too, to see a guy like that.”
The Orioles didn’t have too much success off the right-hander, tallying just two hits and three walks in his 4 2/3 innings as he struck out seven. Strider has 29 strikeouts without a run allowed in 18 2/3 innings.
The experience was more “fun” for Wells, who watched Strider from the dugout, than for Baltimore’s hitters.
“It’s fun to see how he approaches the game and how he chooses to pitch,” Wells said. “Obviously we’re two very different people, but it’s always fun to watch and kind of learn from a guy who’s got as dominant stuff as him.”
Rhodes impersonates Stowers
Outfield prospect John Rhodes didn’t get three at-bats Sunday, but if he had, he could’ve had the opportunity to achieve the same feat Stowers did.
Rhodes, who spent all last season with Double-A Bowie, hit a two-run home run in the seventh and then sealed the 8-2 win with another two-run blast in the eighth.
“Good for him, what a cool moment,” Hyde said. “You bring those guys up for the game as backups or something happens to one of your regular guys. To deliver like that, it’s got to be a cool moment for him.”
The 2021 third-round pick is rated as the 26th-best prospect in Baltimore’s top-ranked farm system, according to Baseball America.
Also in Sarasota, Jackson Holliday went 1-for-3 with a bloop double and a walk. Gunnar Henderson doubled off the wall to score Holliday, and Coby Mayo, who had four hits Saturday, doubled off position player-turned-pitcher Charlie Culberson. With the 1-0-1 day, the Orioles are now an MLB-best 18-5-2 this spring.
Around the horn
• With so many position players performing well in camp, Hyde was asked if it’s possible the club decides to keep 14 position players and just 12 pitchers on the opening day roster given the team has three days off in its first two weeks of the season. Hyde said that is not being considered as an option.
• Ryan Mountcastle, who hasn’t played since Tuesday, said his stiff neck is “a lot better” after it “locked up” when taking a swing recently. He expects to be back in the lineup early this week.
• Jorge Mateo, who is working on being a super utility player this spring, played right field and left field for the first time this spring. He’s also played center field, shortstop and second base. The last time he played either corner outfield spot was in 2021.
• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore visited Orioles spring training Sunday — interacting with the club’s players and coaches, shagging fly balls during batting practice and taking some hacks himself.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0