SARASOTA, FLA. — The Orioles have invested a lot in the Rule 5 draft over the past few years under executive vice president Dan Duquette.
In December, the Orioles acquired not one, but two players out of the Rule 5 draft. They traded for right-hander Jason Garcia after the Houston Astros made him the fourth pick in the draft before selecting right-hander Logan Verrett with their own pick.
In recent years, the Orioles have been successful in being able to hang on to their Rule 5 picks -- selections must remain on the club's 25-man roster for the entire regular season or be offered back to their original organization.
Infielder Ryan Flaherty, selected from the Chicago Cubs before the 2012 season, has proven to be a valuable utility player. Two years ago, the Orioles took left-hander T.J. McFarland from the Cleveland Indians and were able to keep him in the bullpen for the entire season.
Last season, the Orioles picked infielder Michael Almanzar from the Boston Red Sox. Although they sent him back to Boston, the Orioles re-acquired him in an August trade and then re-signed him to a minor league deal in November for the 2015 season.
This year it's a little different. Barring trade or injury, the Orioles' pitching staff is pretty much complete, so it will be difficult to hold both of this year's Rule 5 picks.
All five starting pitchers from the end of last season -- Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris and Kevin Gausman -- return in 2015. That doesn't count right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who is in the second year of a four-year, $50 million deal.
So the best chance for Garcia and Verrett to make the team is out of the bullpen. But even with the loss of left-hander Andrew Miller to the New York Yankees in free agency, most of the club's relievers return (Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach and Ryan Webb). The Orioles also added left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to a major league deal.
The Orioles are raving about Garcia's upside because he's throwing as fast as 98 mph. He's now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Verrett, a career starting pitcher, appears to be a little more polished. He's a college product out of Baylor who has a track record of success at every minor league level. He's probably more likely to stick in the major leagues for the entire season because of his makeup.
Showalter made it clear Tuesday after the club's minicamp workout that it's good to have both pitchers available, especially when an injury could be just around the corner.
"You're not even taking into consideration that someone may get hurt because it hasn't been a common occurrence the last couple of years," Showalter said. "I think a lot of the work that everybody does kind of helps with that curve.
"I don't want to say that we're due, but odds are somebody's going to have some issues physically in camp. But am I saying it's going to take somebody being hurt for them to make the club? No, not necessarily."
Two years ago, the Orioles struggled to find a place for McFarland on the roster, but they did, placing him in the back of the bullpen as a long reliever.
"We were asking the same questions about Mac," Showalter said. "We'll figure out a way to make room for them if we want to keep them.
"If I was another club, the one team I wouldn't want to be taking my guys in the Rule 5 draft would be the Orioles, because they know there's a pretty good track record there. And not doing it just to keep them. I mean, Mac and Flaherty have been pretty big contributors for us."