Orioles manager Mike Hargrove considered a special conditioning program for Steve Bechler minutes after the pitcher collapsed on a field during running drills, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

But the plan would never be implemented as Bechler, 23, died of heatstroke Monday, less than 24 hours after the spring-training workout sent his temperature to 108 degrees.

According to the report, Hargrove acknowledged that he talked with a member of Baltimore's strength and conditioning staff about a program that could help Bechler get into shape.

The manager said the discussion took place as the pair walked from the practice field, where Bechler collapsed, to the clubhouse, where Bechler was treated before being taken by ambulance to Northridge Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Washington Post also reported that Bechler appeared to be coherent minutes after his collapse based on the 911 call made from the Orioles' clubhouse by assistant trainer Brian Ebel.

On the tape, the 911 operator requested Bechler's age. Ebel then repeated the question to Bechler, "How old are you?" Bechler's response was inaudible, but Ebel asked back to Bechler, "Twenty-three?" Ebel then says to the operator, "Twenty-three."

At the beginning of the tape, the 911 operator asked Ebel the nature of the emergency, and he responds, "We have an emergency at 1301 NW 55th Street, at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. We have an athlete who is dehydrated and a little lethargic after running."

Broward County medical examiner Joshua Perper praised the Orioles' training and medical staffs. "I cannot point to any medical mistakes," he told The Post. "They responded promptly to his collapse, they tried to cool him as much as they could. … And they immediately called 911."

According to The Post's report, Sunday was the second straight day where Bechler did not complete his running, and Hargrove had pulled the pitcher out of the running drills for "disciplinary reasons." Hargrove reportedly declined to give reasons for the action, but said Bechler wasn't struggling to complete the drills.

After pulling Bechler out, Hargrove told him he needed to come to spring training in better shape. "I told him that he had a wife and a baby coming in April," Hargrove told the newspaper, "and that he chose this life as the way to take care of them, and it's time he got serious about it.

"You look at everything," Hargrove told The Post, "and if there was a reason to change -- if we didn't have water available or something was wrong with the workout -- we'd change it. But there was nothing wrong with the workout.

"The workout is not strenuous enough for this to be regular occurrence. … I saw where a doctor was quoted as saying (Bechler, an Oregon native) needed to acclimate himself to the heat. Well, that's exactly what these early workouts are designed to do."

The Orioles have defended their workout regimen and have not made any changes to it in the days since Bechler's death, which is believed to be the first in Major League Baseball history from heatstroke. A preliminary autopsy by the Broward County Medical Examiner indicated that Bechler was taking a dietary supplement containing ephedra, which has been linked to several high-profile deaths involving athletes in recent years.

Matt Riley, Bechler's teammate and best friend who threw away pills containing the stimulant ephedrine as paramedics treated Bechler before his death, said he found Bechler at his locker after Hargrove pulled him from Saturday's workout.

"He just said, 'I messed up, and I just want to change,' " Riley told The Post.

Bechler died Monday of multiple organ failure due to heatstroke after failing to complete the workout. Perper said Tuesday that a weight-loss drug containing ephedrine probably contributed to Bechler's death.

At 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, Bechler had battled weight for much of his five-year professional career.

The temperature at noon Sunday was 81 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent, the National Weather Service said.

Ephedra is banned by the NFL, NCAA and International Olympic Committee, but not by Major League Baseball. The Food and Drug Administration has reports of at least 100 deaths linked to the supplement, which is used in weight loss programs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.