Leftovers for breakfast

The Orioles won't be able to measure the exact amount of damage done by the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19. There isn't a device invented for it, despite the wealth of technology at their fingertips.

They made the best of a very bad situation with their alternate training site in Bowie and fall instructional camp, as well as programs and innovative ideas transferred via Zoom calls to players kept home.

There are scattered examples of prospects who are flourishing this season, including catcher Adley Rutschman and starter Grayson Rodriguez. Top players in the system are receiving bumps to a higher level, with Triple-A Norfolk's rotation now including Kyle Bradish and Kevin Smith, and Single-A Aberdeen's infield holding Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. Shortstop Joey Ortiz rose to Double-A Bowie.

Just to name a few.

The development of pitchers such as Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer could have been impacted, their debuts coming after working out in Bowie. Who really knows if there's a carryover?

Akin didn't break camp with the team this spring due to command issues down in Florida. Kremer has been optioned for a third time for the same reason.

"There's been times when we needed them to start here because we didn't have anybody, and that's just being realistic," manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday on his media Zoom call. "I think right now with Dean, the right thing to do is for him, and we'll take our lumps up here in spot starts or whatever we have to do, but for him to go make starts down there and figure some things out, because he's shown flashes of being really good here."

Maybe a little too good, which raised expectations and set him up for a hard fall. Three runs allowed over his first three major league starts over 16 innings with 20 strikeouts against the Yankees (twice) and Rays, and only periodic gains through Thursday night in Buffalo.

"Last year was a tough evaluation year, honestly, because it was such a weird season," Hyde said. "I think a lot of players weren't ready to play. We got off to a good start, I think, because teams that we were playing were not the same as they are now. Let's put it that way. These teams are different. And this is like a normal major league, American League season now and it's not easy. But hopefully these guys can deal with the adversity and learn from mistakes and continue to grow and continue to develop.

"We're going to do the best we can to put them in position to have success, but also we need to fill out a rotation, too, and so we're doing the best we can with what we have."

Keeping Kremer in Norfolk for more than a couple starts is the smart move. This is more than a reset or fine-tuning. He needs to find his command and regain confidence after saying Thursday night that his disastrous outing and inconsistencies are probably "more mental than physical."

"It's just something that I'm going to have to chip away at from week to week," he said.

You don't do that in the majors.

Fans on Twitter screaming for him to be designated for assignment don't understand how options work or that there's no reason to give up on a pitcher who led the minors in strikeouts in 2018. You send him down again and keep trying.

* The pain, frustration, anger and other bad feeling that came from Thursday's 9-0 loss were eased at least slightly by an important realization for Hyde.

His bullpen was rescued.

Travis Lakins Sr. deserved a save in a game he entered in the fourth with the Orioles down by nine runs. He covered a career-high four innings and allowed only one hit. No runs, no walks, no parade of relievers. He lasted until Paul Fry entered in the eighth for closer mop-up duty.

Lakins was recalled on April 13 as the 27th man and returned to Triple-A Norfolk, recalled the next day with Mac Sceroler going on the injured list, optioned May 23, recalled May 29 as the 27th man and returned to Norfolk, recalled on June 4, optioned June 14 and recalled June 21.

Every bullpen needs optionable relievers. Lakins brings value in that regard. And it skyrockets if he's able to provide length and quality innings.

The quality part was lacking for much of 2021. Lakins had a 6.85 ERA heading into Thursday and allowed runs in seven of nine outings, though one was unearned. But Hyde sees the good beyond the numbers.

"I've always liked Travis," Hyde said. "Travis is extremely competitive, always wants the ball, likes to pitch, loves to be out there. And a fun guy to have around. Keeps guys loose. I just like the competitive nature in Lakins."

* MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis shared its latest mock draft Thursday and has the Orioles selecting Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the fifth pick in the First-Year Player Draft. Baseball America's Carlos Collazo made the same prediction in last month's 4.0 version, but his 5.0 yesterday switched to North Carolina high school shortstop Kahlil Watson, one of the players scouted by executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

A catcher appears, at least on the surface, to make little sense with Rutschman in the system. He's the top prospect in baseball after the Rays promoted shortstop Wander Franco. But Davis is rated as the top college hitter in the draft and the Orioles have shown a fondness for position players over pitchers in the last few drafts with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias in charge.

Davis could move to first base or corner outfield, though again, the Orioles don't seem to be hurting for options.

Five high school shortstops are projected to go within the first eight picks and the Orioles are viewed as having interest despite the depth accumulated at the position.

Here's what strikes me as crazy: Vanderbilt pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were the consensus top two selections, the only question being in what order, but now it appears that Leiter could fall to the Rangers at No. 2 or Red Sox at No. 4 and Rocker could drop past the Orioles.

(I'll disable my Twitter account if the Orioles pass on Rocker.)

Rocker's velocity is down, which is raising some red flags. And the Orioles could repeat last year's strategy of going underslot with their first pick and using the savings in later rounds.

The Athletic's Keith Law has the Red Sox taking Davis at No. 4 and the Orioles choosing Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser. Rocker goes to the Royals at No. 7.

Joe DeMayo of Yahoo Sports also predicts in his mock that the Orioles will select Cowser, with Davis going second and Rocker seventh.

Fangraphs.com has the Orioles taking Davis. But unlike some other outlets, it mentions the perception among teams that the Orioles actually show a preference for a high school bat.

So here we are, no closer to knowing the pick than we were a month ago, except that it's likely to be a position player.

* Mickey Jannis won't ever forget his first major league game, breaking through the minor league barrier at age 33. Some of the details will be sharper than others. Some will be easier to stomach.

Better to remember how it felt to get the call and step on the mound for the first time rather than the three home runs and seven runs total surrendered in 3 1/3 innings. And the news yesterday that he was designated for assignment.

Jannis was allowed to return for the eighth inning after Yordan Alvarez led off the seventh with a 448-foot shot to right-center field - he stood and admired its flight - and Abraham Toro launched a three-run homer. Chas McCormick replaced Alvarez and homered in the eighth. Dillon Tate inherited two runners in scoring position.

So why keep Jannis in the game? Because Hyde didn't want to blow up his bullpen heading into a three-city road trip. He was trying to squeeze another inning out of Jannis. Trying to avoid using a position player to pitch.

"With the game out of hand like that, I didn't want to use anybody else, and he's built up as a starter," Hyde explained afterward. "He was in the 80-to-85-pitch range and by being able to go into his fourth inning, he actually saved us a little bit by me not having to use somebody else, which affects tomorrow and the next day."

In other words, taking one for the team.

"I never like leaving somebody out there unnecessarily," Hyde said, "but in some cases you've got to think about tomorrow also, and had a couple guys down today. I need help for tomorrow, so went as long as we could with Mickey."

Will a team claim Jannis off waivers, as the Mets did yesterday with catcher Chance Sisco, or will he clear waivers and be outrighted? Stay tuned.

* The Orioles didn't select Austin Wynns' contract in order to get a .300 hitter in the lineup. He's 5-for-34 with a double and home run in 10 games, but it's his work behind the plate that keeps him in the organization.

Wynns has thrown out four of eight runners attempting to steal, including Houston's Kyle Tucker Wednesday night. And no passed balls this season.

He also was 1-for-2 with a walk, but again, it's defense first.

A short bench was cleared late in a 13-0 loss, and Pedro Severino pinch-hitting for Trey Mancini moved Wynns to first base for the first time in the majors.

It wasn't, however, his first time as a professional. Wynns made two starts at first with Single-A Frederick in 2015. Three years earlier, he played the position in a game with the Bourne Braves in the Cape Code League.

Wynns was born to be a catcher, but he's brave enough to change positions.

OK, that should do it.