To challenge their hitters to improve, Orioles minor league coaches go to great lengths to develop ‘nasty stuff’ for batting practice

Challenging hitters became an early focus, and when the minor league season in 2020 was replaced by the alternate site, they began to work in mixed batting practice to the group of prospects at Bowie.

“It was a slow transition,” Britton said. “It’s not like we just said, ‘Hey hitters, here you go–deal with it.’ It was like ‘Hey, first two rounds are fastballs, then let’s try to see if we can’t hit some breaking balls off a coach for a round.’”

As that practice grew, so too did an aspect of it within the coaches who throw mixed batting practice that hasn’t let up — competitiveness. Britton watched Fuller and Villa throwing breaking balls for strikes, and realized he had to up his game. Pitching coach Justin Ramsey taught him an over-the-top knuckle curveball — “a good one,” Britton clarified, a repeatable pitch that wasn’t going to tear up his elbow.

His pitches have been a work in progress ever since, and he’s proud of the challenge he can give the high-level hitters who seek it during mixed batting practice. He also has company in being competitive with the other throwers.

Full-season hitting coordinator Cody Asche said the efforts to improve for the hitters’ sake and for standing among the coaches go hand-in-hand.

He said: “We’re all trying to get super gross because we want to give our players the best look we can, and I think we’re also all competitive in the sense that we all want to be recognized as, ‘Oh wow, [Bowie hitting coach Branden Becker] is the grossest mixed BP thrower,’ or ‘Damn, I don’t want to face Villa, he’s too nasty.’ Deep down, we’re all super-competitive ex-athletes that want to be known as King of the Hill of the hitting department, to see who can throw the best BP.”