Grand slam: Orioles put on a clinic in ... putting on clinics

There's no more joyous place than a baseball field full of kids. 

That's why I love covering the summer clinics the Baltimore Orioles hold every year at Ed Smith Stadium through Sarasota 365, the club's fan engagement initiatives. One of the clinics, held on July 27, was for members of Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages young girls to be "strong, smart and bold."

The Orioles set up four stations for the kids: hitting/fielding fly balls, pitching, base running, and fielding grounders. Campers also received an O’s T-shirt as they arrived, and were given lunch at the end of the day as they took in the Gulf Coast League Orioles' 8-2 win against GCL Tampa. 

Zhenasia, 11, and Getzemany, 12, were two of Girls Inc.'s participants.  Neither plays baseball, though they both attended an Orioles clinic last summer. They were nervous about hitting, they said, and Zhenasia said she felt similarly about learning to pitch, but having a touch of experience helped them perform better this year. They were also honored to be taught by professional players.

"You feel special because they're taking time out of their day to help you," Zhenasia said. 

Getzemany added it felt amazing to show that girls can do everything boys do on the field. The Girls Inc. girls were hitting rockets to the outfield, and despite learning how to pitch softball-style on the fly, were able to handle that challenge, too. Everyone was all smiles. 

When baseball teams are able to get non-baseball kids interested in the game, that’s a win. The Orioles are good at this, and need to continue to be, as youth participation rates in baseball declines. A 2017 joint study from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and the Aspen Institute found that 12.4% of kids ages 6-12 played baseball in 2016, down from 16.5% in 2008.

One series of clinics won’t change that trend, but it’s a start, as is having the right players coach the clinics.

Christian Turnipseed, an A-level Frederick Keys pitcher on the 60-day disabled list, is in Sarasota getting healthy. “Seed,” as he’s known, was one of the guys helping at the clinic, and he sounded genuinely happy to be helping.

“Seeing their happiness is a reminder of why we play the game,” Turnipseed said on July 17. “There’s a focus on having fun. In this business, it’s hard to find that.”

Turnipseed, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., said he attended similar clinics the Atlanta Braves hosted in his youth. He remembers meeting Chipper Jones, Rafael Furcal and Jeff Francouer specifically, and said the best piece of advice he received was from Jones, on hitting was, “Find a big bat and swing.”

“I took it, and I think that’s why I became a pitcher,” Turnipseed said, laughing. He wouldn’t be giving the same advice to the Lakewood Ranch YMCA campers, he said.

David Rovine, the vice president of Orioles-Sarasota, said he never tires of seeing the joy radiate from campers after they spend time with players.

“I don’t think you can beat reaching out to young people and giving them an experience,” Rovine said. “They’re on a professional field with professional players and can run and hit. It’s a great experience for everybody.”

Pitching in the GCL game for the Orioles was Cody Sedlock, the team’s 2016 first-round pick (who threw two innings and allowed zero runs, if you're curious). Someday, when Sedlock reaches the big leagues, these kids will be able to say they saw him in the minors. Maybe a few of them will be pros in some sport themselves, following the path of Turnipseed.

Or maybe they will just become bigger baseball fans. All in all, that’s not such a bad outcome to what was a fun day at the ballpark.