Taking a quizzical look at Orioles

Taking a quizzical look at Orioles
Making it through Christmas yesterday during a cream cheese shortage goes down as another victory and proves again that nothing can stop me from living my best life. I also can't be deterred from assigning a quiz on a Sunday morning. You can treat it like the socks and underwear that someone gift-wrapped and left under the tree. Or the one chocolate candy in the sampler box that is filled with jelly. If you choose to take the quiz - and you can't spit it out - this would be a good time to get...

Current Orioles wanting to follow in 1970 team's footsteps

Current Orioles wanting to follow in 1970 team's footsteps
The Orioles managed again last night to reach back to their past while focusing on the present, their latest game against the Rays that ended with a 2-1 loss, and the promising future with the influx of prospects on the roster. None of them should be ignored or neglected. Fifty years have melted away since the Orioles won the second World Series title in franchise history. They couldn't remove the pain from the upset loss to the Mets in '69, but they plowed through the regular season and...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
Not only are the Orioles becoming much deeper in outfielders, they also can brag about the draft-and-develop process in the organization. Last night's game again offered a homegrown alignment of Austin Hays in left field, Cedric Mullins in center and DJ Stewart in right. Ryan Mountcastle played first base, but has been the starting left fielder since his promotion. Trey Mancini will return next season. Ryan McKenna is on the 40-man roster and getting closer. And one could argue that Anthony...

Bringing opposites together in Akin and Kremer

Bringing opposites together in Akin and Kremer
No one is going to mistake Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer for carbon copies as pitchers and personalities, but they seem destined to be linked. It's hard to separate them and there's no real motivation to attempt it. Not as long as their talents and energy are so vital to the current playoff run and the future success of the organization. Two highly touted prospects making their major league debuts in 2020. Working back-to-back in the rotation last weekend. Doing it again this week, with Kremer...

Will these minor league southpaws have major league success?

Will these minor league southpaws have major league success?
To say the least, Orioles minor league left-handed pitchers Alexander Wells and Zac Lowther have a lot in common. A lot. They are close in age, with Wells 23 and Lowther just turned 24 on April 30. They were both non-roster invitee pitchers in O's big league camp in Sarasota. Both have been named the Orioles' Jim Palmer Award winner as Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Both excelled last year at Double-A Bowie. And here is another one - both have some doubters as it relates to their big...

Five Orioles reassigned to minor league camp

Five Orioles reassigned to minor league camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - Five non-roster players have been removed from the Orioles spring training camp roster, including infield prospects Rylan Bannon and Mason McCoy and left-handers Zac Lowther and Alexander Wells. Infielder Malquin Canelo, a longshot candidate to win a utility job, also has been reassigned to minor league camp. Bannon, McCoy, Lowther and Wells never were in line to head north with the club. They'll report to Twin Lakes Park and await their assignments, which could lead to a...

Is it too late for Orioles to sign a starter? (plus other notes)

Is it too late for Orioles to sign a starter? (plus other notes)
SARASOTA, Fla. - As the pages of the calendar flip to a new month on Sunday, the chances of the Orioles bringing in a veteran starter could be moving further away from reality. Time is running out to get a pitcher ready for opening day and the preferred scenario doesn't include innings and arms built up in extended spring training. Manager Brandon Hyde must proceed as though he's got to choose from among the pitchers already in camp. "I think you have to," he said. "We go on the mindset...

Injury updates, utility competition, Harvey and Cervenka

Injury updates, utility competition, Harvey and Cervenka
BRADENTON, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde broke out a sheet of paper this morning with the list of players who are recovering from injuries and illnesses and the next stages of their individual progressions. Too many names and tasks to memorize with so many other activities happening at the complex. Hunter Harvey, who's been able to shake his flu-like symptoms, threw a simulated game today in Sarasota. Kohl Stewart (biceps) and Alex Wells (oblique) are throwing in the bullpen Saturday....

Updating Stewart and Wells injuries in Orioles camp

Updating Stewart and Wells injuries in Orioles camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - Kohl Stewart's bid to win a spot in the Orioles rotation should get underway within the next few days. Stewart has been sidelined with a sore right biceps muscle, but he played catch yesterday and will repeat the activity this morning. He's scheduled for a bullpen session on Friday while the team is in Bradenton to play the Pirates. The exhibition debut could happen by Sunday or Monday. "I feel really good. They were just extra cautious, honestly," Stewart said. "It...

Injury updates on Wells, Stewart, Rodgers, Diaz and more

Injury updates on Wells, Stewart, Rodgers, Diaz and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Minor league left-hander Alex Wells hasn't been cleared to pitch this spring due to a sore right oblique muscle, according to manager Brandon Hyde. There's no timetable for getting him on the mound. Wells is a non-roster invitee to camp who's likely to begin the 2020 season at Triple-A Norfolk. He posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last summer in 24 starts with Double-A Bowie. "We're just being cautious with him," Hyde said. Kohl Stewart and Brady Rodgers, who are recovering...

DJ Stewart making progress from ankle surgery (plus notes)

DJ Stewart making progress from ankle surgery (plus notes)
SARASOTA, Fla. - The workout held today for Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart looked simple in nature. He did some light running on the dirt cart path along one of the practice fields, increasing his speed and intensity as the minutes passed. For a player coming off ankle surgery in October and unwilling to surrender the hope of being ready for opening day, each step taken by Stewart is an important achievement. Stewart, the former first-round draft pick out of Florida State University, underwent a...

How will Orioles make room for Triple-A starters?

How will Orioles make room for Triple-A starters?
While the Orioles work in spring training to round out a rotation that so far holds John Means, Alex Cobb, most likely Asher Wojciechowski and a bunch of questions, they also need to figure out what to do at Triple-A Norfolk. They can't finish that task until they know which starters are heading north with them. There could be some cuts due to overflow. And we know that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is trying to sign one more veteran. The Tides rotation has the potential...

Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp

Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp
The Orioles released their list of 23 non-roster invites to spring training earlier today, headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman, their top prospect and the first-overall selection in last year's First-Year Player Draft. Rutschman is joined by pitching prospects Zac Lowther, Alex Wells and Bruce Zimmermann, infielders Rylan Bannon and Mason McCoy and outfielder Yusniel Diaz. The future will be illuminated by the Florida sunshine. Other non-roster invites to camp are pitchers Cristian Alvarado,...

More on Rodgers and Davis signings and Elias in Delmarva

More on Rodgers and Davis signings and Elias in Delmarva
Does the signing of right-hander Brady Rodgers to a minor league deal end the Orioles' search for starting pitching? The short answer is "no." The longer answer is "definitely no." Rodgers, 29, is one of those depth moves that flood the offseason transactions wire. He's going to be invited to spring training, just like the majority of the players signed to minor league deals. But the Orioles would like to land a veteran and are willing to offer a major league contract. The money has to be...

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020
The Double-A Bowie Baysox had a pitching rotation that was fun to watch last year on the O's farm. On its way to the Eastern League championship series for just the second time, Bowie put up some very strong pitching numbers. The Baysox's team ERA of 3.18 led the league and set a record. So did the club's WHIP of 1.18, which was so strong, it was the best in the Eastern League since 2001. Bowie ranked second with 16 shutouts on its way to a 76-64 record. A record that looks much better when...

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin
A total of 18 different pitchers made starts for the Orioles on the mound in 2019. We know they'll need five to start next season and the number over 162 games will go well north of that, probably. Let's take stock of the rotation as of today. The 2019 O's produced a rotation ERA of 5.57 to rank 14th in the American League. The Los Angeles Angels were worst at 5.64. The Orioles rotation rated 10th in innings (789), ninth in opponent average (.271), 15th in homers allowed (179), 15th in OPS...

More on Diplán, the rotation and more

More on Diplán, the rotation and more
The Orioles are still adding young pitchers. They've now acquired six in the last week. It started with getting lefty Easton Lucas from Miami for Jonathan Villar. It continued when they got four right-handers from the Los Angeles Angels for Dylan Bundy. In that deal they added Isaac Mattson, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek. On Monday at the Winter Meetings they claimed right-hander Marcos Diplán on waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Diplan never pitched in a game for Detroit, either...

Chris Holt's take on a few minor league pitchers

Chris Holt's take on a few minor league pitchers
In this entry recently, I interviewed Orioles director of pitching Chris Holt. He was promoted to that position on Oct. 11 after serving as director of minor league pitching for the 2019 season. We addressed several topics earlier with Holt, and today we get his take on a few minor league hurlers. In 2019, four of the O's top six farm teams led their respective leagues in team ERA. The overall strikeout rate of the six teams increased from 8.18 in 2018 to 9.26 last season. Today Holt provides...

Did you know about Ynoa?

Did you know about Ynoa?
In an Orioles season defined in large part by its abundance of oddities, right-hander Gabriel Ynoa offered his own contribution. Tell me if this makes any sense. Ynoa was 1-10 with a 5.61 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in 36 games and 0-9 in 13 starts. He averaged only 5.4 strikeouts per nine innings and surrendered 29 of the club's 305 home runs to tie Dylan Bundy for the team lead. None of this is going to knock the wind out of you, but I was surprised to find that Ynoa held cleanup hitters to a .186...

Who's storming through the door to enter Orioles rotation?

Who's storming through the door to enter Orioles rotation?
An important part of the Orioles' pitching fantasies involves the pounding of the door that leads to the major league staff. A two-fisted beating. Maybe a swift kick or two to bust it off its hinges. There wasn't much more this summer than a light tapping. Eighteen pitchers made starts for the Orioles in 2019. Luis Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on June 14 to start against the Red Sox, replacing Andrew Cashner, and the club had to ignore his 7.01 ERA and 1.65 WHIP while executing...