A spring training unlike any other began Wednesday in Sarasota, Florida, for the Orioles in a way that was completely in-step with the background of pandemic-related uncertainty it’s being held in.
“It was a little misty here this morning,” manager Brandon Hyde said, deadpanning how that combined with the 70-degree weather made it a little uncomfortable.
The sunshine couldn’t provide the optimism that the first workout of spring training, a much-anticipated day on the baseball calendar, typically does. And the rebuilding Orioles won’t be able to warm their souls with high expectations from others this season, either.