Spring training observations, mostly from afar (the couch), with a 10-day trip to Sarasota, five O’s games (two good, three indifferent), mixed into the equation:
At first glance, the American League East appears wide open with no clear favorite and more questions than answers. The Yankees are without their top two pitchers, Gerrit Cole for the season and Luis Gil for at least the first three months. They made a couple of veteran pickups but hardly enough to make up for the loss of Juan Soto. They’re still the betting man’s favorite, but the odds are not enticing.
However, the Orioles are without their No. 1 starter. Their closer is coming off Tommy John surgery. Their best player is on the injured list to start the season. That is not exactly a formula for success. The first seven games are against division rivals, so the first month of the season looms large. The recent signing of Kyle Gibson has raised concerns that Grayson Rodriguez might be out longer than the anticipated 6-8 weeks.
The Rays are the same as always, in the hunt but probably not built for the long haul. The Blue Jays are similar to the Rays in many ways, but if Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. can parlay contract years into blockbuster seasons, they could get over the hump.
For me, the mystery team is Boston. The Red Sox did some nice offseason shopping and the pitching appears to be better, but good enough to go the distance? It wouldn’t surprise me if the Sox make a serious run.
Like we said, more questions than answers — especially for the Orioles. Dean Kremer and Cade Povich are the most important question marks on the rotation.
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Before the revelation that Gerrit Cole would miss the 2025 season, the biggest announcement made by the Yankees was the one that said their players would be allowed to sport well-groomed facial hair. It brought to mind the fact that the Orioles actually had that policy, along with a strict dress code, long before the Yankees went clean shaven in 1976 — and also a strange confrontation of sorts that took place in the Tampa airport, of all places.
It was a throwback to the era when Jerry Hoffberger owned the club. The dress code for all travel included sport coat and tie, generally despised but accepted by the players, who particularly disliked the tie rule. It was Hank Peters’ first year with the club and the new GM got off to a bad start when he came aboard the plane outfitted with a coat, golf shirt — and no tie. It’s still the only Florida road trip that required air travel that I can remember, and let’s just say Hank’s attire didn’t go unnoticed, with many of the players seeing it as a breakthrough for at least the tie rule.
Those thoughts of an immediate relaxation didn’t last long. Turns out the Yankees were also on a two-day trip to the West Coast of Florida, and when they showed up for the flight to their Fort Lauderdale home base, they crossed paths head on with the Orioles. The best way I can describe the impromptu meeting of about 60 athletes playing the same sport is that it was like one group looking for Woodstock 2 asking for directions from a bunch of young executives headed to a board of directors meeting. Jim Palmer surveyed the scene and said: “There goes any chance of relaxing the dress code.”
Those years were the early ones in George Steinbrenner’s tenure, shortly before facial hair was disallowed, and as it turned out, the final years of the strictest part of the O’s dress code. A couple months later, Reggie Jackson convinced the brass that dress jeans sufficed as dress slacks and that ties were unnecessary. It took a much longer time to get rid of the coat-and-tie rule. The O’s are now like most teams, operating only on charter flights and limited access to the public, where stylish casual is in vogue and dress codes are not.
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Now that the stolen base craze has subsided into little more than a rumor, the new fad is bunting — for base hits, not sacrifices. Not surprisingly, the O’s are among those teams looking for “free hits” given by lax defenses.
One thing to understand here — the rule of thumb is that the hitter makes his own decisions in these matters, though occasional prodding by the staff can be influential. Another thing to consider is that players who are good at bunting for a base hit are nevertheless reluctant to do so on the first at-bat — or, in some cases, before they already have a hit in the box score.
I learned this lesson a long time ago, from Mark Belanger, perhaps the best of his O’s era at bunting for a hit. Asked why he didn’t try it more often, Mark’s answer was blunt as usual. “I don’t like to bunt for my first hit,” he said. It’s not that Belanger didn’t realize his lifetime average proved he had few games with two or more hits. It’s just the mentality most hitters take to the plate.
A failed bunt for a hit to them is a wasted at-bat, notwithstanding they also realize it could lead to a defensive change that might lead to one the next at-bat. I was reminded of the conversation with Belanger when I read Jackson Holliday’s quote about manager Brandon Hyde suggesting he is a player who could benefit.
“Yeah, I actually thought about trying my first at-bat,” he said, before deciding to wait until a later opportunity.
It’s all part of the mind set a hitter takes to the plate. Holliday did resort to bunting for a hit during spring training games, and the fact he had some success should mean we will see more of the same during the regular season.
A bunt gone awry is a wasted at-bat in the eyes of 90 percent of major league hitters, which is why you see so few attempts, especially by left-handed hitters who more often than not face a bare left side of the infield. It will be interesting to see how this new “craze” plays out.
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Ed Sheahin/Gary Sousa/PressBox