Cadyn Grenier Adjusting To Life In Pro Ball
Shortstop Cadyn Grenier stopped by the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, held about 10 minutes from his home, to do a little exploring and meet the Orioles’ new executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.
Although it’s going to take longer for Grenier to reach the majors, he figures to see a lot more of Elias in the future.
The Orioles selected Grenier with the 37th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Oregon State, enamored with his defense and intrigued by his upswing in offensive production. He received a $1.8 million signing bonus and was assigned to low Class A Delmarva, where he slashed .216/.297/.333 with 12 doubles, two triples and one home run over 162 at-bats.
Four hits in his last three games put a little more weight into his average.
“It was an adjustment period,” Grenier said. “I had a pretty rough patch, but toward the back end I was really happy with the way that I played. I think for me that meant a lot, because no matter how tired I was, toward the back end of the year I was able to pull through the struggles and get a lot better.
“And in instructional league I felt really good. So overall, I was pretty happy with my year, just the growth process that I went through in a short amount of time.”
Fresh off a College World Series title at Oregon State, Grenier faced the usual adjustments that come with professional ball, including the lifestyle. The low Class A South Atlantic League was a whole new experience for him.
“The baseball, in terms of comparing it to the PAC-12, is about the same,” Grenier said. “A little bit more consistent with better pitching. But the baseball is baseball. It doesn’t change.
“In college, especially a school like Oregon State and the PAC-12, you get treated like a king. We stay in really nice hotels, we fly everywhere. And then to go to pro ball and you’re on a bus for upwards of 12 or 14 hours and you’ve got to play a day later, it’s quite a change in your lifestyle. Once you get adjusted to that, you’re just back to playing baseball.”
For Grenier, it also meant trying to avoid being stuck with an all-field, no-hit reputation. But also understanding how far defense can take him in the game.
“Of course, you always want to try to get better and improve on what your weakness are, but I like to focus on my strengths a lot more,” he said. “The better I can play defense, the more I’m going to be given a little bit of leeway to come along with the bat because it’s a process.
“For me, I’d love to be a big league hitter right now, but I’ll tell you, I’ve got some improvement to do and I’ll keep working on it. But to have a strength like I do with my defense, it plays awesome for me because I can focus on that and do what I do with my glove and everything else will come along.”
NOTES:
— The Orioles claimed pitcher Austin Brice off waivers from the Angels and designated Breyvic Valera for assignment. Brice, 26, has registered a 5.68 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 70 relief appearances over the past three seasons. He had a 5.79 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 33 games with the Reds last year before the Angels claimed him on Nov. 2.
— The Orioles signed infielder Sean Miller to a minor league contract. Miller is a native of Crofton, Md. who batted .249/.283/.316 in 323 games in the Twins’ system after they selected him in the 10th round of the 2015 draft out of the University of South Carolina Aiken.
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