Intriguing Orioles Reliever Looking to Make Roster After Switching From Slugger Role

One player in the Baltimore Orioles' camp is looking to make his complete transition into becoming a Major League pitcher after starting as a slugger.

Making the Baltimore Orioles' Opening Day roster is going to be a tough task, even for some of the superstar prospects they have in their farm system.

That's what happens when a team is full of young talent and established veterans who are still able to contribute.

But, it will be even harder to find a spot after switching from one aspect of the game to the other.

Ronald Guzman is attempting to do that with the Orioles, abandoning his hitting role and aspirations of being a two-way player, to focus solely on pitching.

The 29-year-old signed with the Texas Rangers in 2011 as an international free agent.

Five years later he was selected to the All-Star Futures Game, and six years later he was named the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Year.

However, Guzman struggled hitting in the MLB, posting a career slash line of .225/.302/.410 with only 31 home runs, 104 RBI and an OPS+ of 84 across 246 games in five seasons.

Texas allowed the righty to throw some pitches in 2020 on the side when he was part of their taxi squad. This gave him the dream to be a two-way player like Shohei Ohtani.

But, Guzman is ready to put those aspirations behind him and aims to be a pitcher at the Major League level.

"I feel like I had a short career as a hitter. I feel like I had a lot more in me defensively, and offensively, as well. That's something that it took me a little bit to let go. That's why I was trying to do both, and I couldn't focus on pitching 100 percent," he said according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.

With a new role, he's giving his attention to the things he can do, and especially, the things he can do well.

"I mean, I can throw the ball really hard. That's probably my biggest strength," he said.

Guzman has five pitches in his arsenal, two of them being fastballs.

He spent tons of time getting more comfortable with all of his pitches, something he feels like he accomplished.

Even though it's an exciting change, he knows it will be difficult to come in right away and have everything go smoothly.

He's prepared to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

Baltimore has shown the ability to develop relatively unknown pitchers and turn them into stars.

Maybe Guzman is next on the list.