Baltimore Orioles baseball is just around the corner as pitchers and catchers will report for spring training Feb. 13.
Position players will arrive Feb. 17 and will conduct their first full-squad workouts at 9:30 a.m.
Outside of the 40 man roster, non-roster invitees will be attending spring training such as second baseman Johnny Giavotella, who the O’s signed to a minor league deal earlier this month.
The Orioles are coming off a 89-73 season, finishing second in the American League East. Baltimore reached the AL Wild Card Game, but fell to the Toronto Blue Jays courtesy of an Edwin Encarnacion three-run homer in the 11th inning.
The O’s will be looking to build off a successful 2016 contest that saw increases in wins, batting average and on-base percentage. The offense was ranked first in home runs with 253, led by Mark Trumbo’s 47.
Key offensive members will be returning for the O’s this season including Trumbo, who signed a three-year deal back in January.
A question mark remaining for the Orioles is their starting rotation this season
The O’s posted a team E.R.A. of 4.22 last season, the highest team E.R.A. since 2011. Baltimore also gave up 545 walks in 2016, the seventh most in all of baseball.
The starting rotation will again be anchored by Chris Tillman who started 30 games last season, posting a 16-6 record and a 3.77 E.R.A.
A factor headed into spring training is pitcher Dylan Bundy is expected to no longer have an inning restriction this season, according to MASN Sports. This could bode well for an O’s team that only had 69 quality starts last season.
The bullpen will look to continue it’s dominance, headlined by closer Zach Britton and reliever Darren O’Day. The Orioles bullpen had the third best E.R.A. in all of baseball last season.
Britton was perfect in 47 save opportunities in 2016 and only gave up four earned runs all season.
The Orioles will have their first spring training game against the Detroit Tigers Feb. 24 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida.