Austin Hays grinned ahead of his first Opening Day assignment Friday when recalling how far they’d all come.
Back at the end of 2017, before he made his surprise major league debut, he played in the outfield at Double-A Bowie along with his good friend Cedric Mullins, former top pick DJ Stewart and rehabilitating Rule 5 draft pick Anthony Santander.
Now, each was on the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, with a mixed bag of major league experience behind them but a wide-open opportunity to solidify themselves as part of the team’s future.
In a season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic that also canceled the minor league season and forced the Orioles to choose just a handful of prospects to add to their 60-man player pool to develop, their presence is a reminder that just because there’s no games at Delmarva or Frederick doesn’t mean there’s no development happening for the Orioles.