technical details
  1. is_video => true
  2. alias => "washington\/\/orioles\/trey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be"
  3. nid => "1403356"
  4. title => "Trey Mancini is ready to be the leader the Orioles need him to be"
  5. is_chrome_page => false
  6. article_body => "<p><br>It was a big deal, even if Trey Mancini didn\u2019t realize it at first.<\/p>\n<p>During Tuesday\u2019s media availability, Mancini earnestly answered every question thrown at him. He was prepared to talk about the team\u2019s expectations (or lack thereof) entering 2019, the new faces in the clubhouse, the coaching staff\u2019s application of analystics, and the dog days of spring.<\/p>\n<p>The question he wasn\u2019t expecting? How he felt taking over Adam Jones\u2019 old locker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I forgot exactly which one it was,\u201d Mancini said while chuckling with reporters. \u201cYou know, I think it could be a coincidence, I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no coincidence, though. Through circumstance, Mancini is already one of the team\u2019s elder statesmen, and at 27 years old, he\u2019s viewed as a leader. As he points out himself, the core led by Jones turned around the franchise, and taking over the locker of the face of the franchise for the last decade has meaning within the organization.<\/p>\n<p>The newly-appointed veteran was quick to recognize that significance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an honor,\u201d Mancini continued. \u201cEspecially somebody like that who, words can\u2019t really describe what he meant to this city and this organization and all the fans around here, so I\u2019m certainly no Adam Jones, and I\u2019m not trying to be. But I\u2019m definitely trying to do my best to be a leader on the team and be somebody that the community can look up to as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"media media-element-container media-default\"><div id=\"file-698766\" class=\"file file-image file-image-png\">\r\n\r\n <h2 class=\"element-invisible\"><a href=\"\/files\/mancinipng\">mancini.png<\/a><\/h2>\r\n \r\n \r\n <div class=\"content\">\r\n <img alt=\"Trey Mancini\" title=\"Trey Mancini\" class=\"media-element file-default\" data-delta=\"1\" src=\"public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/washington\/mancini.png\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" \/> <\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/p>\n<p>Expected or not, it\u2019s a role that\u2019s been thrust upon Mancini, just a few short years after being a fresh face in the locker room himself. If you ask him, he\u2019s up to the challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah it was pretty quick,\u201d he said while reflecting on already being seen as a veteran. \u201cYou know life can come at you fast sometimes, and it definitely did or me. But I\u2019m ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The young players on the team are just as interested in picking Mancini\u2019s brain as he is in guiding them. Drew Jackson, one of two Rule 5 Draft selections to made the Opening Day roster, listed Mancini among the veterans who have helped the new faces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yeah, all the guys,\u201d Jackson responded when asked about veteran leadership. \u201cCD [Chris Davis] was next to me, so I got a lot from him. And Trey, and Joey [Rickard], [Andrew] Cash[ner], everyone man. [Mark] Trumbo down in Sarasota, all helping us out, so it\u2019s been really special to learn from them and get whatever I can going into my first season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of that group, Davis, Trumbo and Cashner have all been around the game for a long time, and Rickard is a former Rule 5 draft selection himself. Mancini is the odd man out, yet has been just as active in his leadership role.<br>While he\u2019s willing to be a vocal leader, Mancini seems more interested in acting as a role model, something he took from his locker\u2019s previous tenant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore by example,\u201d Mancini answered when asked what he learned from Jones, Manny Machado and Buck Showalter. \u201cI just watched the way that they went about their business, you know they\u2019ve been doing this for a while, so I just kind of took some notes on how they carried themselves and things like that. You try to instill that on the younger guys too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The young players\u2019 willingness to work hard at all times gives Mancini optimism for the team, both in the future and the present.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe played hard all spring,\u201d the young slugger said. \u201cYou kind of get to the dog days of spring towards the end, and that never really happened to us. I can confidently say that, so I\u2019m really excited about this group and to get the season rolling here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone who spoke Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/orioles\/even-new-roster-orioles-are-still-hoping-win-right-away\">mentioned the team\u2019s desire to compete in 2019<\/a>. That attitude comes partially from GM Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde, the rookie manager. But it also has to stem from the players themselves. For Mancini, it\u2019s an obvious, and necessary, perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean we\u2019re not putting any win totals or anything like that out there,\u201d Mancini said while addressing lower expectations from national experts. \u201cWe\u2019re going to go out and expect to win every game we play, and if that\u2019s not your mindset at this level, then you should probably find a different line of work. Because no matter what state your organization is in, whether you\u2019re expected to be a World Series contender or people are predicting otherwise, you go out and play like you can win every single game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elias spoke of veterans needing to guide the younger players, and both Mancini and Cashner agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s definitely some younger guys in here that are going to need to find their way,\u201d the Orioles Opening Day starter explained. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely going to be ups and downs, and hopefully some of the older guys in here can pick them up when they\u2019re down and hopefully we can gel as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mancini may not have anticipated rising to the status of grizzled veteran so soon, but he\u2019s happy to embrace the role. He\u2019s adamant that he didn\u2019t campaign for Jones\u2019 old locker, much like he didn\u2019t campaign to be a leader on the roster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Both were thrust upon him, and he\u2019s prepared for the responsibility that comes with it.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>MORE ORIOLES NEWS:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ready To Go: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/orioles\/even-new-roster-orioles-are-still-hoping-win-right-away\">The Orioles want to win now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Orioles Roundup:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/orioles\/baltimore-orioles-roundup-nate-karns-start-second-game-season\">Nate Karns to start second game of the season<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mike Elias:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/orioles\/decisions-decisions-orioles-future-will-hinge-choices-new-gm-mike-elias\">O's future hinges on decisions of new GM<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
  7. author => "Ryan Wormeli"
  8. mps => {"author":"Ryan Wormeli","league":"","sport":"","sponsor":""}
  9. published => "1553712900"
  10. created => "1553713355"
  11. changed => "1556740891"
  12. status => "1"
  13. hero_image_credit => "USA Today Sports Images"
  14. tags => [{"tid":"1651","name":"Orioles Top Stories","url":"tags\/orioles-top-stories"}]
  15. section => "Orioles"
  16. team => "Baltimore Orioles"
  17. image => {"uri":"public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/washington\/2019\/03\/27\/mancinimay.jpg","alt":"mancinimay.jpg","title":"Trey Mancini has taken the mantle for the rebuilding Orioles"}
  18. video_url => "https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/video\/trey-mancini-has-taken-mantle-rebuilding-orioles"
  19. is_mediaid => true
  20. mediaid => "2Sd3bfR_nPNC"
  21. video_autoplay => true
  22. video_automute => false
  23. mpx_account_id => "BxmELC"
  24. player_id => "washington_article"
  25. chrome_data => "{\"league\":\"\",\"sport\":\"\",\"sponsor\":\"\"}"
  26. sponsor => ""
  27. region => "washington"
  28. fb_url => "https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=1175440639277882&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Forioles%2Ftrey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be&display=popup"
  29. tw_url => "https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Trey%20Mancini%20is%20ready%20to%20be%20the%20leader%20the%20Orioles%20need%20him%20to%20be&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Forioles%2Ftrey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be&original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Forioles%2Ftrey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be"
  30. mailto => "mailto:?subject=Trey%20Mancini%20is%20ready%20to%20be%20the%20leader%20the%20Orioles%20need%20him%20to%20be&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Forioles%2Ftrey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be"
  31. tags_hide => []
  32. type => "article"
  33. meta => {"file":"\/mnt\/gfs\/rsnunited\/sites\/default\/files\/archive\/article\/washington\/orioles\/trey-mancini-ready-be-leader-orioles-need-him-be.json","assets":["public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/washington\/2019\/03\/27\/mancinimay.jpg"]}
  34. orig_image => {"uri":"public:\/\/2019\/05\/01\/mancinimay.jpg","alt":"mancinimay.jpg","title":"Trey Mancini has taken the mantle for the rebuilding Orioles"}
  35. article_type => "article"
Orioles

Orioles


It was a big deal, even if Trey Mancini didn’t realize it at first.

During Tuesday’s media availability, Mancini earnestly answered every question thrown at him. He was prepared to talk about the team’s expectations (or lack thereof) entering 2019, the new faces in the clubhouse, the coaching staff’s application of analystics, and the dog days of spring.

The question he wasn’t expecting? How he felt taking over Adam Jones’ old locker.

“Yeah, I forgot exactly which one it was,” Mancini said while chuckling with reporters. “You know, I think it could be a coincidence, I’m not sure.”

It’s no coincidence, though. Through circumstance, Mancini is already one of the team’s elder statesmen, and at 27 years old, he’s viewed as a leader. As he points out himself, the core led by Jones turned around the franchise, and taking over the locker of the face of the franchise for the last decade has meaning within the organization.

The newly-appointed veteran was quick to recognize that significance. 

“It’s an honor,” Mancini continued. “Especially somebody like that who, words can’t really describe what he meant to this city and this organization and all the fans around here, so I’m certainly no Adam Jones, and I’m not trying to be. But I’m definitely trying to do my best to be a leader on the team and be somebody that the community can look up to as well.”

 

Expected or not, it’s a role that’s been thrust upon Mancini, just a few short years after being a fresh face in the locker room himself. If you ask him, he’s up to the challenge.

“Yeah it was pretty quick,” he said while reflecting on already being seen as a veteran. “You know life can come at you fast sometimes, and it definitely did or me. But I’m ready for it.”

The young players on the team are just as interested in picking Mancini’s brain as he is in guiding them. Drew Jackson, one of two Rule 5 Draft selections to made the Opening Day roster, listed Mancini among the veterans who have helped the new faces.

“Oh yeah, all the guys,” Jackson responded when asked about veteran leadership. “CD [Chris Davis] was next to me, so I got a lot from him. And Trey, and Joey [Rickard], [Andrew] Cash[ner], everyone man. [Mark] Trumbo down in Sarasota, all helping us out, so it’s been really special to learn from them and get whatever I can going into my first season.”

Of that group, Davis, Trumbo and Cashner have all been around the game for a long time, and Rickard is a former Rule 5 draft selection himself. Mancini is the odd man out, yet has been just as active in his leadership role.
While he’s willing to be a vocal leader, Mancini seems more interested in acting as a role model, something he took from his locker’s previous tenant.

“More by example,” Mancini answered when asked what he learned from Jones, Manny Machado and Buck Showalter. “I just watched the way that they went about their business, you know they’ve been doing this for a while, so I just kind of took some notes on how they carried themselves and things like that. You try to instill that on the younger guys too.”

The young players’ willingness to work hard at all times gives Mancini optimism for the team, both in the future and the present.

“We played hard all spring,” the young slugger said. “You kind of get to the dog days of spring towards the end, and that never really happened to us. I can confidently say that, so I’m really excited about this group and to get the season rolling here.”

Everyone who spoke Tuesday mentioned the team’s desire to compete in 2019. That attitude comes partially from GM Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde, the rookie manager. But it also has to stem from the players themselves. For Mancini, it’s an obvious, and necessary, perspective.

“I mean we’re not putting any win totals or anything like that out there,” Mancini said while addressing lower expectations from national experts. “We’re going to go out and expect to win every game we play, and if that’s not your mindset at this level, then you should probably find a different line of work. Because no matter what state your organization is in, whether you’re expected to be a World Series contender or people are predicting otherwise, you go out and play like you can win every single game.”

 

Elias spoke of veterans needing to guide the younger players, and both Mancini and Cashner agreed.

“There’s definitely some younger guys in here that are going to need to find their way,” the Orioles Opening Day starter explained. “There’s definitely going to be ups and downs, and hopefully some of the older guys in here can pick them up when they’re down and hopefully we can gel as a team.”

Mancini may not have anticipated rising to the status of grizzled veteran so soon, but he’s happy to embrace the role. He’s adamant that he didn’t campaign for Jones’ old locker, much like he didn’t campaign to be a leader on the roster. 

Both were thrust upon him, and he’s prepared for the responsibility that comes with it.

MORE ORIOLES NEWS: