The Orioles have finalized their Opening Day roster, which will include non-roster invitees Chris Owings and Anthony Bemboom, manager Brandon Hyde announced to reporters this morning (Twitter link via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Both will need to be selected to the team’s 40-man roster, but the O’s have a pair of open spots, so no corresponding moves will be necessary (barring additional activity on the waiver wire, trade market, free agency, etc.).
Owings, 30, went 6-for-26 with a homer and three doubles in 26 plate appearances during Spring Training, though he also posted an unsightly 10-to-1 K/BB ratio. A lack of walks isn’t a new issue for Owings, who has drawn a free pass in just 5.4% of his 2396 career plate appearances at the MLB level. Owings briefly appeared with the Rockies in each of the past two seasons, hitting a combined .298/.372/.536 in a tiny sample of 94 trips to the plate.
Owings’ broader track record is that of an OBP-challenged utilityman with a bit of pop and above-average speed, evidenced by a lifetime .243/.288/.372 batting line, 37 homers and 78 steals. He smacked a career-high 12 home runs with the D-backs in 2017 and averaged 15 steals per year as a primarily part-time player in Arizona from 2015-18. Owings has experience playing each of shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield slots. He grades out as a well-below-average defender at short but has average or better defensive marks at every other position, per Defensive Runs Saved. DRS pegs him as a plus defender at second base, though other metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average have him closer to a scratch defender there. Owings will likely hold down a utility spot with the O’s to begin the year.
As for Bemboom, he’ll serve as Baltimore’s backup behind veteran starter Robinson Chirinos. All eyes in Baltimore will be on top overall prospect Adley Rutschman, the 2019 No. 1 overall pick and the clear catcher of the future, but he was stalled in Spring Training by a triceps injury. He’s still ramping up toward game action and will likely require some minor league work before the O’s even consider bringing him up to the big league roster.
In the meantime, Bemboom will get some big league time for a fourth consecutive season. He made his big league debut with the Rays in 2019 before being traded to the Angels, where he’s spent a fair bit of time on the big league roster. In 54 total Major League games and 144 plate appearances, the 32-year-old Bemboom is a .178/.241/.287 hitter. He went 4-for-13 with a double during Spring Training and carries a career .252/.347/.398 batting line in parts of five Triple-A seasons.
No matter how quick a healer Rutschman might possibly be, Bemboom is a cheap bridge to an extra year of control, even if he’s released a couple of months from now.
And maybe he will catch when they play the Cardinals. Bemboom behind the plate and Lars Nootbaar at the bat…
Hoooray mediocrity!
Not as cool a name as Kieboom, but close
It’s too bad the Orioles don’t have a pitcher named Bada Bing…they they have created the Bada Bing Bemboom battery
They could have*
I thought (except for Means) every oriole pitcher was named Bada Bing. All I heard when one was on the mound. Bada Bing
Whenever I watched a live virtual feed on my phone when Oriole pitchers were on the mound all I ever saw was “hit, runs”, by the opposing team.
Brilliant. That could be arranged.
Somewhere out there, there must be a Ralph Bangzoom.
Bemboom over Nottingham?
Lefty bat
“bat”
For sure the most excited I’ve been about the Orioles in a couple seasons. Really hoping Mullins wasn’t just a flash in the pan. Hoping Mountcastle and Hays take steps forward. Obviously Adley will be exciting. Would be nice if Mancini and Santander could get to their 2020 form. As for the pitching, I’m just hoping Means gets extended. Currrently on the big league team him fry, and Wells are the only 3 that seem to be someone that can be part of a future winning team. Maybe Tate. They really do need to start getting some legit mlb arms out there. I know Grayson and Hall are coming, but the offensive window is coming and the pitching seems like it’s just lagging so far behind. Still excited for the season. Let’s go Os!
Stop whatever you are doing for a career immediately. Begin a comedy career. This is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long, long time. You have a rare gift to say the absolutely preposterous and make it seem like you are serious.
I’m sure the TV/radio folks will enjoy saying “Bemboom”.
Bing Bemboom
We need to find another catcher with the last name of Bust.
Who’s starting at catcher today? Bemboom or Bust?
I drafted Owings in my Apba league. Nice card for last season.
They still have Apba leagues? For that matter, they still make Apba? I was in a league in 1972. My team finished dead last. Having Ken Henderson as my clean-up hitter and John Bateman as my #1 catcher didn’t help.
I still don’t understand the Orioles fascination with DJ Stewart. Besides being a streaky hitter, he isn’t particularly productive and he is a liability in the field.
Actually he fits in, no different than most of the club.
“Orioles fill out infield with warm bodies” could have been the headline.
I have them pegged at 61-101 this year. That sounds bad but it would be a 9 game improvement over 2021. I take it with the group of Mountcastle/Mullins/Mancini as aggregate producing at least what 2021 was, with perhaps slight increase. Hays with a little development. Rutschman coming up in May once his service time is successfully manipulated and being at least league average in Year 1. I have basically zero hope for the pitching staff. Means is a soft tossing #3 on a good team, but there is zero starting pitching and not much in the bullpen, they could be even worse than last year and it supremely holds them back. Team was not interested in adding ANY external pieces to improve the rotation (Jordan Lyles doesn’t count, he’ll have 150 innings of 5.5 to 6 ERA – ooh boy)
I am also a “I’ll believe it when I see it” in terms of Grayson and Hall (you can blame Brian Matusz for this pessimism)
Understand your pessimism. Let’s see them the games. I am feeling that Grayson and/or Hall will stick and make contributions. The fascinating one for me is Tyler Wells.
The Matusz reference is sobering.
G-Rod & Hall can be great. They need to be.
There’s still a lack of arms in the system to supplement. The major league arms we have right now are embarrassing.
Truly awful. Beyond Means there is not a ML among them. Going to be ugly. They need to bring up GRod, if he’s so good then he’s got to be better than the staff they have.
I look at dl hall as Matusz in terms of I’ll believe it when I see it. I think Grayson has enough talent for the Orioles not to mess it up. We’ll see though
Bemboom!!! That ball is outta here!