Baltimore Orioles: Showalter Comments, Howie Kendrick on Radar

Dec 9, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter speaks with the media during the MLB winter meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort . Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Orioles Manager Buck Showalter made some interesting comments regarding Hyeon-soo Kim and Nolan Reimold.

He appeared Thursday on The Fan 105.7 Hot Stove Show and said a few things that could indeed make the eyebrows bounce with curiosity.

In Roch Kubatko’s summarization of remarks, the MASN writer also shared that the Orioles have had some interest in free agent Howie Kendrick, long-time Angels player. That is not a name that has garnered much comment or speculation with the Orioles heretofore.

Kubatko commented that the interest in him was for first base and possibly right field. The curious thing about that is that he has been a career second baseman, with 1071 games at that position. He has 73 games at first base, 24 games in left field, but none at all in right field.

There is no doubt about Kendrick’s ability to hit the ball. The 32-year-old has some of the most consistent numbers imaginable over a 10-year career, with an average of .293. He batted .295 with the Dodgers this past year. It was .293 with the Angels in 2014, and .297 the year before that.

But Kendrick is a right-handed batter, and the Orioles are said to need more left-handed capacity. Though he does not have the incredibly unusual reverse splits of Yoenis Cespedes, he is very consistent in this regard as well — hitting .291 versus RHP and .298 against lefties.

In any event, it seems unlikely the Orioles will end up with Kendrick unless it is a very last minute sort of thing … like April sort of last minute. He would cost a draft pick before that time. MLBTR predicted him to get four years at $50 million.

But back to Buck’s remarks …

He apparently has all of the same worries as so many fans about the rotation, saying that he wakes up every day thinking about it. Obviously he hopes for Tillman and Gonzalez to return to prior form, as this could be the #1 key to the season ahead.

But here is the interesting point in my estimation — admittedly because I have been a Nolan Reimold proponent. Buck says he has “a good feeling about Nolan.” Wow! That is just one click less awesome from Showalter than hearing him say “he has a good look in his eye.”