SARASOTA, Fla. --In today’s Baltimore Sun, I wrote about
prospect Jonathan Schoop,
in the
.
This is Schoop's first big league camp. Last year, he made some appearances in games as part of a group of players who came in from minor league camp. So this isn't entirely new to him.
Orioles manager
Schoop seems to be no exception. His locker in the clubhouse is next to newcomer infielder
"Like Betemit told me, 'Come in early, come in and hit. Let them see you,'" Schoop said. "Let them see you hitting. Let them see that you're working hard. That's the thing, get in early. Make sure you know that people are watching. I've been listening."
Betemit, who came up with the Braves as a 19-year-old shortstop, isn't the most vocal guy in the Orioles clubhouse. He's pretty quiet. But he's always going to the cages to hit before games. This spring I've seen him walking to hit more often than I've seen him at his locker. It's something that's easy to overlook, especially because Betemit limited in his role with the team.
But it's pretty interesting to hear him taking a mentor role with a young player.