Gamboa included on minicamp roster

SARASOTA, Fla. - Knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa has been added to the list of Orioles attending this week's minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

The Orioles extended the invitation and were waiting to hear back from him.

Gamboa signed a major league deal on Dec. 3, putting him back on the 40-man roster. The Orioles removed him last year at the non-tender deadline and re-signed him to a minor league deal, and he drew interest from other teams this winter due to his success pitching in Mexico.

I'm counting 20 pitchers at minicamp, including Chris Tillman and Tommy Hunter, who already have stopped by the facility. Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey, Brian Gonzalez, T.J. McFarland, Oliver Drake, Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Parker Bridwell, Mychal Givens, Jon Keller, Branden Kline, Pat McCoy, Stephen Tarpley, Mark Hendrickson and Rule 5 right-handers Jason Garcia and Logan Verrett also have been invited.

The Orioles want to check on outfielder Alex Hassan, who's dealing with an undisclosed health issue, and third baseman Manny Machado, who's recovering from a well-publicized second knee surgery. Catchers Michael Ohlman, Jonah Heim and Alex Murphy also are here.

Manager Buck Showalter, who came to the complex this morning, said he wanted to get Heim out of Buffalo. You never know when a major snowstorm will hit the area.

"Give him a little head start because weather's an issue with him," Showalter said.

Machado will be here Wednesday. "One day, in and out," as Showalter put it.

The minicamp exists primarily for pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti to check out the arms. Catchers are needed for the obvious reason. And it allows Showalter and his coaches to monitor players recovering from surgeries or rehabbing injuries.

"It's kind of Dave and Dom's camp more than anything," Showalter said. "I'm just kind of observing, you know? I'm just going to kind of be in the background.

"A lot of it is just kind of familiarizing yourself with them. And I want the guys to be comfortable when they get here, too. I want them to be familiar with the people, familiar with the facility, so when they get here all they've got to do is get ready to play.

"Also, we're checking on their offseason program and making sure they've all done what they were supposed to."

Showalter said Hunter and Tillman are basically "on their own."

The weather is much warmer today after temperatures failed to climb above the 50s earlier in the weekend. The grounds crew worked on the main field and the Camden Yards replica field for most of the morning. Otherwise, it's been fairly quiet.

That's going to change starting Monday morning. Workouts are scheduled to begin around 10 a.m.

Artwork of the Orioles' Hall of Famers now adorns the complex at Ed Smith Stadium

The angry Oriole Bird has a prominent place at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., where the Orioles are conducting a minicamp this week.