Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent the beginning of Friday’s pregame media session at Tropicana Field lauding Tampa Bay Rays utility man Joey Wendle, asking out loud whether any other player is more worthy of American League Rookie of the Year.
There are other candidates that will likely receive more attention — notably New York Yankees rookies Miguel Andújar and Gleyber Torres, as well as Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. But Showalter’s point that Wendle might have more value to his team because of his positional flexibility shouldn’t be lost, especially because he’s the kind of player the Orioles have lacked this season.