Last spring, even with a minor league track record worthy of praise, it was clear that Ryan Mountcastle was going to be starting his season in the minors to finish his development before the Orioles brought him to the majors.
The team was adamant that he work on his plate discipline and defense at his new position of left field, and while Mountcastle made progress toward achieving those developmental goals before he made his debut in August, it’s possible that could have been accomplished in the majors.
No matter the path, he arrived in the big leagues with those goals intact.