Orioles manager Brandon Hyde spent Thursday night in Salisbury as the keynote speaker at the Delmarva Shorebirds’ banquet, and a night later, he and 10 of his players met fans at the PBR Bar in Baltimore for an evening of karaoke.
As Hyde settles in for his seventh season, he’s managed the fourth most games in franchise history, trailing only Earl Weaver, Buck Showalter and Paul Richards.
Unlike in his early years, Hyde has a talented team with plenty of major league experience, and at the end of camp, it’s likely that several players who’ve played in the major leagues won’t make the team.
“The competition is going to be more in spring training than ever before,” Hyde said. “We’ve created some depth, which is really important going forward.”
Last season, the Orioles lost three starting pitchers to season-ending elbow surgeries — Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells, while most of the other starters spent time on the injured list, too.
“You saw what happened to us last year, injury-wise,” Hyde said. “You see what’s happening around the league, as much depth as you can possibly have. You can never have enough pitching. Injuries are going to happen throughout a six-month season.”
