Opening Day is about three weeks away, and Baltimore Orioles utility player Terrin Vavra is hoping to continue his hot start down in Florida as he looks to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster.
In his first four spring training games, Vavra hit .545 with a double, a triple and a home run in 12 plate appearances.
“It’s been off to a great start. We’ve got a good group that’s a lot of fun to be around,” Vavra said on Glenn Clark Radio March 3. “I think just kind of a lot of excitement going into the year this year. I think that’s just been kind of the key for a lot of us starting out.”
The only thing that has slowed down Vavra is a sore shoulder that caused him to be scratched from the team’s March 4 game. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde called Vavra day-to-day at the time and as of March 8, Vavra had been cleared for full baseball activities. Vavra is expected to appear in games again in a few days, according to Hyde.
Vavra, 25, is a versatile player who can play a variety of positions, including second base and the corner outfielder spots. The 6-foot, 200-pound Vavra flashed his versatility last season after earning his call-up to the major leagues last July.
During the final two months of the regular season, Vavra played second base, left field, right field and designated hitter. During the 40 games Vavra appeared in last season, he batted .258/.340/.337 with 23 hits, 12 RBIs, 14 runs scored and 12 walks.
Besides putting up reasonable numbers at the plate, Vavra excelled defensively on the diamond. During the 27 games Vavra played in the field, he only made one error and recorded 22 assists and 37 putouts.
“Cracking the lineup is definitely tough,” Vavra said. “The more positions I can play, the more I can just put myself in a situation where I can get myself in the lineup and help out not only just offensively but defensively as well.”
There have been several adjustments for Vavra both on and off the field recently. This past August, Vavra became a father which led him to becoming accustomed to a new life with his wife Carlie and daughter Tatum this offseason and during spring training.
“They’re here with me now. Getting to come home and see my wife and my daughter at the end of the day, I’m so fortunate for [that] and something I’ll be forever grateful for as long as they are with me because I know what it was like trying to take on that role from across the country,” Vavra said.
On the field, Vavra is adapting to the new rules changes that MLB imposed this season, most notably a pitch clock to speed up games and limits on defensive shifts to increase the number of runs scored.
The new shift rules require four infielders to be on the infield dirt — two on either side of second base — when the pitcher is on rubber. Regarding the pitch clock, there will be a 30-second timer between batters. Pitches must be delivered in 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on base.
“Ultimately this is the best for the game, best for the viewer experience,” Vavra said. “It does change your routine in between pitches. You have to be more conscious of that clock, but once you get kind of used to it, it just becomes part of your new routine.”
The Orioles hope to build off of a strong 2022 season in which they went 83-79, their most wins since 2016, when they won 89 games. That was also the last time Baltimore made the playoffs. The Orioles were in the wild-card race until the last week of the regular season in 2022, but they want to take the next step.
“The reason we’re here is to win a World Series,” Vavra said. “I think the reason they brought this group here is [for] that ultimate goal. I think it will be naive of us not to expect that level of play.”
For more from Vavra, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox