Myriad Orioles Thoughts: Terrin Vavra making waves; DL Hall’s hair; Dean Kremer’s outing

LAKELAND, Fla. — For Terrin Vavra to make the Orioles’ 26-man roster out of spring training, one of two things have to happen: an injury to an infielder or a weeks-long Grapefruit League performance that exhibits his defensive flexibility and his offensive penchant to make good contact.

Vavra certainly isn’t hoping for an injury, so he is pushing hard for that second option. He made three strong plays at an unfamiliar position on Sunday and added two more hits and two RBIs as the Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-6.

Advertisement

“We have spots open,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “(Vavra) had a little bit of a taste of the big leagues (in 2022) and now he is back and having a great camp. He definitely adds some versatility to us. The left-handed bat is a big thing if he can take at-bats like (he did Sunday) against left-handed pitching, that’s enormous. He’s showing well right now.”

Vavra started at third base Sunday, a position he has played once in his entire career — one inning last year in a rehab stint at High-A Aberdeen. It looked like his natural position Sunday, as he made three strong plays including a diving stab and perfect throw to get the first batter of the game, Riley Greene.

“Felt good to see some balls off the bat and see the sights and how the field plays,” said Vavra, who has played second base, left field and right field in the big leagues. “(Third base) is a lot different than anywhere else in the field. So, just good getting confidence going with it.”

He’s also been smoking at the plate in his first two exhibition games. Vavra is 4-for-6 with four runs scored and four RBIs after singling twice Sunday. If he continues to hit, he’ll be a favorite for a utility spot on the club, especially given his unselfishness and style of play.

“I think no matter when you play the game, at least for me, I always try to play it hard and play it the right way. I’m not perfect with it, but I do my best,” Vavra said. “And I think the more I get to play in front of the coaching staff, teammates, the more they’re going to have an appreciation for that and hopefully it puts the team in the best spot to win.”

Vavra catching, too?

Vavra has been working out at first base as well as his other infield and outfield duties. But he also has another glove in his locker: A catcher’s mitt.

The Orioles do not have a designated emergency third catcher at this point, and Vavra is willing to throw his mitt into the ring.

Advertisement

“I remember asking last year, ‘Hey, who is the guy if something were to happen (to a catcher) in an emergency situation?’” Vavra said. “They kind of put it right back at me. They were like, ‘Have you ever caught before?’ I was like, ‘I catch a little bit.’”

Well, Vavra hasn’t actually caught in a game since he was in high school, where he was primarily a pitcher and a shortstop. When he arrived at the University of Minnesota, he said he thought he might do a little catching, but they didn’t need him, and he settled in the infield.

He’s never done it as a pro, but in the winters, he catches his friend and workout partner, J.P. Feyereisen of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I have to catch his flat-grounds and some bullpens every now and then,” Vavra said. “I haven’t caught a bullpen yet here. But just been kind of slowly progressing into it. Not strapping on the gear tomorrow.”

He said he’s willing to do whatever is needed for the team. And that includes catching in a pinch in a regular season game in April.

“Absolutely. That’s what I’m here for,” he said. “I think I’m somewhat of an athlete, or I try to be. So, I’ll kind of get back there and figure it out.”

So, should his good buddy, starting catcher Adley Rutschman, be worried about losing the starting role to Vavra someday?

“He might be,” Vavra laughed. “I wouldn’t be too concerned if I were him, though.”

Clipping for a cause

One of the biggest stories in spring camp so far is that lefty DL Hall has been shorn.

The 23-year-old walked into the clubhouse Saturday morning with a buzz cut, a stark contrast from the dark-brown flow he has sported much of his pro career.

“I knew it was gonna be a big deal,” Hall said. “Because a lot of these people haven’t ever seen me with anything but long hair.”

Hall has a family friend connected to New Jersey-based Wigs & Wishes, a nonprofit that makes wigs — and grants wishes — for cancer patients. He had 15 inches of his hair cut Friday and will be donating it when he leaves spring training.

Advertisement

“I’ll actually take it up there with me. I get to go meet the kid that they’re gonna make the wig for,” Hall said. “So, I’ll get to meet him personally and take pictures with him.”

Hall attempted to do something similar in 2021, but his barber didn’t know how to properly collect it.

“He cut it off and we were trying to grab it off the ground to save it,” Hall said. “But it didn’t work out.”

This time, they used rubber bands to make five or six ponytails and then they shaved them all off.

“It took two minutes,” Hall said. “It was like ‘Nnnnnn’ (makes a buzzing sound), right off. It was pretty easy.”

Hall said he’s had some double-takes when he sees himself in the mirror. But he no longer has to dry his hair, and he has slept better.

“The biggest adjustment is probably my sleep. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and have hair in my face and stuff,” Hall said. “Now, the first morning I woke up, (Saturday) morning, I was like, ‘Man, I didn’t wake up last night.’ It was nice.”

Kremer’s solid first outing

Dean Kremer, who is preparing to be the No. 1 starter for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, threw two innings in Sunday’s exhibition against the Tigers. He allowed one hit — a solo homer by Nick Maton — and one walk while throwing 22 pitches (11 for strikes) in his first appearance of 2023.

He’ll have one more outing — maybe one more inning — before leaving camp March 6 to join Israel’s squad in Miami.

“So good, so far. It’s just a little bit quicker than I would be normally, maybe an inning or two ahead of most other guys that would be building up for a season,” Kremer said of his current preparation. “It’s not too much of an adjustment. I knew going in this offseason that it would be slightly earlier.”

Kremer pitched in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but he did so as a reliever. Therefore, this ramp-up is a little different from the last one because he didn’t need to be as built up. There’s always a concern that WBC pitchers will do too much too early, and that could affect their performance during the regular season. Kremer likely will only have three innings pitched when he leaves, and he said he’s taking the lead from the Orioles, who will be in contact with the Israeli team during the tournament.

Advertisement

“I don’t feel like that’s a call I’m able to make. I feel like that is coming from up top because they’re ultimately letting me go,” Kremer said. “I don’t get to dictate that, so whatever they’ll let me do, then I’m happy with.”

Another system reminder

The Orioles scored nine runs in the fifth inning on Sunday, sending 14 batters to the plate. Among those in the game at the time: Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Connor Norby, all players considered top prospects in the system. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, the Orioles sent in another group of players, including Coby Mayo, Jackson Holliday and Cesar Prieto.

There was a time, not long ago, when the fill-ins of an early spring road game were players I had never heard of — and didn’t really expect to hear about again. Now, it’s like you have to pay attention to most at-bats, because someone of note in the system is seemingly always at the plate.

(Top photo of Terrin Vavra: Mike Watters / USA Today)