SARASOTA, Fla. — Craig Albernaz asked if anyone had anything to say. It would mean something if it came from the Orioles manager, but it might mean more if the message came from the players.
The Orioles had just completed a series of drills — fielding bunts, orchestrating cutoff plays — and the execution was all rather lackadaisical. Ben McDonald, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network analyst serving as a guest coach, said on the “PigTown Sports” podcast that players appeared to be “going through the motions.”
In response to Albernaz, right-hander Chris Bassitt raised his hand, then stepped into the middle of the huddle. He “just absolutely airs everybody out. Airs them out,” McDonald said on the podcast. And, once Bassitt was done, first baseman Pete Alonso requested that the team run through those same drills again — and do it right.
The leadership from Bassitt and Alonso — two impactful veteran free-agent signings this winter — could give the Orioles the direction they needed last season when they stumbled out of the gate and never fully recovered. Baltimore has ample young talent. But Bassitt and Alonso, who have spent time in the pressure-cooker environment of New York, arrived to the Orioles and didn’t accept sloppy execution on an off day in March as good enough.
As the Orioles aim to prove that last season’s disaster was an anomaly, Bassitt and Alonso are the sort of players who can maintain accountability and put potential issues to rest before they reach the manager’s office.
It didn’t matter that it was a spring training drill. Bassitt wanted it done right.
“There’s no excuse for it not to be, because this division is the hardest division in baseball, and for you to actually want to try to win the World Series, you have to do all the little things right,” Bassitt said. “We have to raise expectations around here that we’re not just talented, we also care about all the little things. We care about the drills. We care about all the fundamentals and playing the game the right way. It’s just making sure we’re going in the right direction.”
Bassitt is 37. He joined the Orioles after reaching the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays, and before he’s done playing, he’d like to raise the ultimate trophy.
Although the season is 162 games, there is limited wiggle room. The American League East is a challenge. The postseason is even more random — short series that can be decided on one faulty fielding play.
“If you’re a really good team, especially talent-wise, odds are the only chance you have a bad year is you get in your own way,” Bassitt said.
And by practicing poor habits the Orioles could get in their own way. That’s why Bassitt called out his teammates after a spring training drill.
Early in Bassitt’s career, he learned something about himself. He could get his feelings hurt when he “got my ass chewed out” by Sonny Gray, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Buck Showalter or Bob Melvin, among others. But, when he put the emotions aside and listened to the blunt advice, “I can go home and say you had my best interest at heart, so I can get over it.”
Bassitt throws a bullpen session during Orioles spring training in Sarasota, Florida. (Paul Mancano/The Banner)
Bassitt began to employ the same blunt style in his own interactions. He cares and is respectful, but he’ll tell his teammates exactly what he thinks.
Catcher Adley Rutschman said having the direct approach from Bassitt and Alonso helps create a work ethic that makes the most of each repetition. That “makes a huge difference,” Rutschman said, because it steers the entire clubhouse in one direction.
“Around the clubhouse, he’s very jovial, fun-loving, a great guy,” Alonso said of Bassitt. “But, when it comes down to work and his craft and making a positive impact, he’s a very calming but, again, a very necessary veteran presence who can help push people and get the best out of everyone, not just himself. You need to have that type of guy on a winning ballclub.”
The dichotomy is apparent every day. Bassitt is frequently in the clubhouse playing pool or facing his teammates in a mobile video game called “Clash Royale.” He is loud, and his presence is impossible to miss. But then he gets up, puts down the pool cue or his phone and puts on his cleats.
There is a time for fun and a time for focus. When he flips the switch, Bassitt expects his teammates to follow.
Catcher Samuel Basallo said the clubhouse feels more united than it was during his limited major league experience last year, when he arrived near the end of a losing season. He said Zach Eflin, Bassitt and Alonso are the biggest influences on the clubhouse camaraderie, and the team has bought in.
“Everyone is just spending a lot more time together,” Basallo said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones, “and I think maybe that’s something we lacked a little bit last year.”
Rutschman agreed that there are “good vibes” in the clubhouse, but he noted that doesn’t take away from their work. A standard has been set, Rutschman said.
And, when thinking back on the message from Bassitt and Alonso to the team after the lackluster defensive drills, right-hander Tyler Wells said, “that’s the best part of having veteran guys like them.”
“The standard has to be high because, if you don’t go out there and practice with the intent of making it flawless, then you’re going to bring flaws into the game, and that’s when it really costs runs, and it costs wins, and it ultimately costs playoff runs,” Wells said. “I think it’s extremely beneficial to have guys who have been in the playoff situation many times to come in here and make sure the standard is set really high, even for the basic fundamentals.”
Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, right, is greeted by Alonso after hitting a solo home run against Washington Nationals pitcher Mitchell Parker on Sunday. (Terrance Williams for The Banner)
This was an area of need this offseason. Last year, infielder Jordan Westburg said it would benefit the Orioles to add a veteran leader who can be “polarizing, loud, boisterous, whatever. But just something different.”
It just so happens the Orioles filled that need with players who can also be impactful on the field. Alonso, who received a five-year, $155 million contract, is a five-time All-Star with a bat that can elevate the lineup. Bassitt has produced an ERA under 4.00 in seven of his last eight seasons, and he does it while eating innings, too.
They will make their presence felt to the wider Camden Yards community soon enough, with opening day arriving Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. But, on a quiet day in Florida when the fielding drills were sloppy, what Alonso and Bassitt brought might mean even more.
“I just try to treat everyone with respect and make sure everyone is guided in the right direction,” Bassitt said, “and if I hurt your feelings along the way, that’s part of it.”
