Gibson relishes 'fun' spring debut; Kremer preps for Classic

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Kyle Gibson took the mound for a start in an Orioles uniform for the first time on Friday night at Ed Smith Stadium. The 35-year-old right-hander had a strong crew of defenders surrounding him, too.

To Gibson’s right were Gold Glove third baseman Ramón Urías and shortstop Jorge Mateo, a Fielding Bible Award winner. To Gibson’s left were first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and second baseman Adam Frazier. The outfield included Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins. Gibson threw to catcher James McCann, a former All-Star.

"It’s fun being on the field with a new group of guys," Gibson said. "You just look behind you tonight, we’ve got who knows how many of the starters are out there. Probably quite a bit. Being on the field with those guys and back in competition is really what it’s all about."

Knowing the talent surrounding him, Gibson has a plan for how he’ll utilize his teammates when he pitches in 2023.

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"I’m going to err on the side of keeping the ball on the ground and letting those guys work, because we have a lot of good fielders," Gibson said.

That’s mostly what Gibson did during his Grapefruit League debut in the O’s 1-1 tie with the Pirates. He got beat on several soft grounders through holes in the infield -- giving up three singles among the first four batters he faced, including an RBI knock to Jack Suwinski -- but Gibson settled in, delivering a solid two-inning showing.

Gibson struck out Rodolfo Castro swinging for the second out of the first, beginning a string of five consecutive retired batters to cap his 35-pitch outing, a stretch that included three groundouts.

“The second inning, I thought the sinker was really good,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he had really good stuff. I know he felt good after that second inning, so that was a good sign.”

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When Baltimore signed Gibson to a one-year, $10 million deal in December, it did so expecting him to fill the role vacated by the loss of Jordan Lyles. Gibson can eat innings and be a veteran mentor, and he’s already shown Hyde and the other players he’s great at the latter in camp.

Gibson doesn’t think the Orioles’ youngsters need a new leader, though. Over the past few weeks, he’s been impressed by guys who have nowhere near the 10 years of big league experience he possesses.

"I haven’t even seen anything where you’re like, ‘Man, that’s a young guy mistake right there,’" Gibson said. "They just all have good heads on their shoulders. And you can tell -- how they get their business done, how they walk around, how they carry themselves. And I think that’s going to help them excel and help them get more comfortable in the big leagues and help them reach their ceiling faster."

Kremer strong in final Classic tuneup
After a two-inning start against Detroit last Sunday, Dean Kremer pitched three scoreless frames of relief vs. Pittsburgh in his final appearance before leaving O’s camp to participate in the World Baseball Classic for Team Israel. The 27-year-old right-hander retired nine of the 10 Bucs hitters he faced -- yielding only a one-out double to Chris Owings in the fifth -- and struck out three.

“The goal is to build volume and then get a real feel for where your stuff’s at against competition,” Kremer said. “I feel like I’m slowly achieving that.”

Kremer will leave early next week for Miami, where Pool D play for the Classic begins March 11.

Worth noting
• Mountcastle recorded his first two hits of the spring, both doubles. The first was a deep drive to left field with one out in the first inning that plated Santander for Baltimore’s lone run.

• Right-hander Bryan Baker retired three of the four batters he faced in a hitless sixth. It was a bounceback showing for the 28-year-old, who allowed three runs in one inning vs. the Pirates in his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday.

• Hyde said the first round of roster cuts are “around the corner,” once starting pitchers begin to go deeper than two innings. However, they’re unlikely to come early next week, as the O’s will lose Mullins, Santander, Kremer and left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez to the World Baseball Classic. Baltimore has 71 players in camp.