One Spring Bright Spot for the Baltimore Orioles

Mar 1, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Ryan Flaherty (3) gets a fist bump from teammate Jimmy Paredes (38) after Flaherty hit a solo home run during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Spring Training has been pretty ugly for the Baltimore Orioles so far, but there is at least one bright spot for the team.

So far, the Baltimore Orioles are 0-6-1 in Spring Training play. And sure, those numbers don’t count in the final standings, but a win always looks better than a loss.

That doesn’t mean that the Spring games have been devoid of success for the Orioles though. There has been some positive developments, even with only a week of games so far.

One has been the pitching of several ‘bubble’ pitchers. Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Vance Worley, Dylan Bundy, Mychal Givens. These are all guys with legitimate chances to make the roster (especially if TJ McFarland’s elbow injury is serious). Sure, guys like Andrew Triggs have looked overmatched, but he was never going to be on this team come April 4.

Neither was Todd Redmond, who has been rocked so far.

Another positive spot has been Christian Walker. I don’t know if he can play his way on to a roster, as that would mean Chris Davis would be starting in the outfield (a post for another day). But, Walker has looked pretty darn good at the plate, and his defense has been fine as well.

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But, the brightest spot so far for the Orioles has been everyone’s favorite punching bag, Ryan Flaherty. Flaherty is 6-10 this spring, with several walks, several runs scored and a home run. And his defense has been typically superb.

The question becomes, what can the Orioles do with Flaherty? Can he start in left or right field? He has started 21 positions at those two positions through his career. And, if Hyun-Soo Kim continues to show he needs some AAA experience, it makes it even more likely that Flaherty could be a corner outfielder.

The other plus is that by starting him in the outfield, it allows the team the flexibility if he would need to play for an infielder who got hurt. The team doesn’t really have a backup second baseman who is major league ready, and I can’t see Flaherty and Paul Janish both make the team, even under the most recent of circumstances.

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However, Flaherty just might be playing himself into an Opening Day starting spot, as he watches those around him struggle.

As for the rest of the team, it would be nice to get a win!

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