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NORFOLK — When Jordan Westburg was summoned to Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton’s office shortly before the season began, he didn’t know what to expect.
Westburg, a middle infielder who had dabbled at third base through his first two professional seasons, was given a new directive: He would branch out into left and right field.
One of the parent Baltimore Orioles’ top prospects, Westburg has played just four games in the outfield this season. But he hopes the extra skill can help boost his career.
“It certainly seems like versatility is going to be a part of my game and what helps me get to the big leagues,” Westburg said. “I embrace that. I love kind of being the jack-of-all-trades. It gives me something to focus on every day, right? It means it’s never monotonous at the field because there’s always something that you can hyper-focus on and really nitpick.”
Britton, probably more than most people in baseball, can relate. A former Norfolk utilityman, Britton played every position but catcher and center field in his nine-year minor league career. He even made three Triple-A appearances on the mound.
Britton shares with Westburg some of the tips he got when he started moving around.
“I know how uncomfortable it feels at times to be standing in a position that you’re not familiar with,” Britton said.
“The fundamentals of a lot of positions I’m aware of because I had to play them, so it helps me. So I have a foundation of those spots.”
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Westburg, a 24-year-old Texan who starred for Mississippi State before the Orioles drafted him in the first round in 2020, has committed just two errors this season, and those came on the infield.
In an organization with no shortage of prospects and nowhere for many of them to go, it makes sense to find as many paths to Baltimore as possible.
The Orioles’ fourth-ranked prospect by MLB.com, Westburg puts in early work in the outfield and sometimes takes game-speed reps while shagging flies during batting practice.
“I’m trying to feel as comfortable as I can because the last thing I want to do is be unprepared and screw somebody or screw a pitcher out of an earned run or a hit or whatever it may be,” Westburg said. “I want to be able to move and bounce around all the positions I play with (comfort) and with confidence so that those guys that are pitching and I’m playing behind have confidence in myself.”
They certainly do when he’s at the plate. Westburg, who signed for a reported $2.3 million, is batting .319 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs through 38 games as the first-place Tides (31-13) open a six-game series at Memphis on Tuesday night.
Westburg’s bat is making it increasingly difficult for the contending Orioles to keep him at Triple-A. The idea is for the versatility of his glove to make a closing argument.
“I think it’s huge for him,” Britton said. “Obviously, we see what he does at the plate. He could play shortstop, he can play third, he can play second in the big leagues right now. I think it just adds another tool to the toolbox, if you will, and a way to hopefully get him in the lineup if that team needs a guy (to) help him impact that roster up there.”
In 2016, then-Tides first baseman Christian Walker attempted a move to the outfield in Harbor Park’s notoriously windy confines.
Now a 32-year-old established veteran major league first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Walker — perhaps shell-shocked from the experience — has played one big league game in the outfield, and that was five years ago.
Asked how difficult learning the positions has been, the low-key Westburg was cautious.
“I don’t want to jinx myself out there,” he said. “It’s hard. It’s different, but I’m just trying to get out there and feel comfortable. The more I get out there, the more reps I take, the better I’m going to feel out there. We’ll see how it goes.”
Britton, who played for Norfolk as recently as 2014, knows how hard it is.
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“I’ll tell you what: Harbor Park’s not an easy place to play the outfield with the way the wind blows,” he said. “So when we play him at home, he’s getting a tough assignment out there. So it’s good for him.
“The ball will be 15 rows in the bleachers. Next thing you know, it’s coming out and it’s fair.”
Despite his relative inexperience, Westburg is already an accomplished professional. Last season, he won the Brooks Robinson Award as the organization’s minor league player of the year.
He’s a necessity away from starting to put some major league accomplishments together.
Britton envisions a day when the Orioles will face a tough left-hander and the righty-swinging Westburg will make himself a logical solution for their manager.
“I think as an organization, versatility is something that we really push,” Britton said. “You see a lot of guys moving around. It’s just a way to try to give options for (Orioles manager) Brandon Hyde when he needs Jordan Westburg — options to put him in the lineup.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com. Twitter @DavidHallVP.