Dwight Smith Jr. on baseball's return and his fundraiser

Dwight Smith Jr. on baseball's return and his fundraiser
The temperature in Baltimore today is supposed to reach 98 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. But there will be Orioles on the Camden Yards field. Sweating for a shortened season. The summer camp begins this morning with staggered workouts. The facility and social distancing don't allow 44 players to perform drills simultaneously. Pitchers will do their throwing in shifts with an obvious shortage of mounds, compared to the Sarasota complex. Hitters will take their hacks in cages and drills will...

More on the possible 30-man roster and new rules for 2020

More on the possible 30-man roster and new rules for 2020
The composition of the Orioles' second camp roster is public knowledge. We've been able to identify the first 44 players set to gather later this week at Camden Yards. We're just figuring out exactly what to call it. "Summer camp" and "spring training 2.0" are getting mixed reviews on Twitter. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias used "summer camp" in yesterday's Zoom with the media, so perhaps that makes it acceptable. Put the blame on him if anyone rebels. Also under...

More questions surrounding the Orioles in 2020

More questions surrounding the Orioles in 2020
The 2020 baseball schedule in all of its truncated glory may not become public until after the spring training report date of July 1. That would be Wednesday. Not this weekend. Everything is subject to change this year, including access to bars and public beaches. And spring training complexes, of course. But I'm not expecting to know the identity of the Orioles' first opponent and the location of the series for at least a few more days. Camps open Wednesday, but the Orioles' first workout...

Because You Asked - I Want to Believe

Because You Asked - I Want to Believe
Because I've become quite adept at disappointing fans who seek answers from me during the coronavirus pandemic, I'm comfortable opening my latest "mailbag" and also putting the word in quotation marks. With all of the binge-watching that's taking place in households around the world, I'm hoping that you'll happily accept my latest sequel. Try to fit it in between episodes of "Ozark" and "Tiger King." In a related story, I haven't seen either one. I actually thought the latter was a...

What happened to Orioles one year ago today?

What happened to Orioles one year ago today?
The Orioles did an admirable job last season of preventing the losses from breaking their collective spirit. There were some chips and cracks, but nothing they couldn't repair. It might have been done with a win or the stubborn nature they'd exhibit in defeat, battling until the final out and whittling away at the deficit. But there also was the game exactly one year ago in Cleveland that reminded them of the distance between a contender and a team in the early phases of a teardown and...

Dwight Smith Jr. on the Players League and the boom boom room

Dwight Smith Jr. on the Players League and the boom boom room
No, it was not real baseball on an actual diamond. But the MLB the Show Players League provided a few weeks' worth of entertainment, as all 30 big league teams were represented by one of their players in the three-inning video game contests. Fans could watch live via the Internet and the playoffs were actually televised on ESPN networks and FS1. Tampa Bay and pitcher Blake Snell won in the championship series, three games to none over the Chicago White Sox and pitcher Lucas Giolito. For the...

Dwight Smith Jr. staying ready while waiting for baseball to return

Dwight Smith Jr. staying ready while waiting for baseball to return
Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. no longer has MLB The Show to distract him from baseball's lengthy shutdown and uncertain future. He had a blast guiding his video team to a fifth-place finish and a playoff berth as the organization's representative and earning top honors as manager with the current roster. Now he's back to full-on pandemic life like everyone else. Smith isn't ready to offer advice to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde or think about the next phase of his professional life....

LeBlanc on life at home without baseball

LeBlanc on life at home without baseball
Wade LeBlanc expected to be pitching for a new team this season rather than becoming a stay-at-home dad. He was waiting to be placed on the 40-man roster, bypassing the opt-out date last month in his contract. But he retains status as an invitee to spring training despite the camp's closure and a sports shutdown with no known date to reopen. I've found it interesting how players are maintaining their focus on the season, with the Orioles keeping everyone connected and dispensing information...

Now pondering the Arizona/Florida plan

Now pondering the Arizona/Florida plan
Earlier this week, we discussed the Arizona plan in this entry. Now there is a Arizona/Florida plan, according to a report yesterday by USA Today sports. In spring training there is a so-called Grapefruit League and a Cactus League. This plan calls for each of the states to host the 15 teams they currently host in spring and there would, for one crazy year only, be no American or National League. No fans would be in attendance at these games. It's another option, another possible plan to try...

Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic

Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic
The Orioles aren't able to start their season due to the coronavirus and they have no idea whether it's going to unfold. In the meantime, players are working to stay in shape, just in case, and finding ways to assist people in need and to ease the strain on their lives. First baseman Chris Davis and his wife, Jill, donated breakfast to the staff at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital on the morning of March 26, which would have been opening day. The couple made a $3 million...

Orioles should be playing last exhibition game today

Orioles should be playing last exhibition game today
I should have been flying home this morning from spring training. Should have been waking up at the Marriott inside the Tampa International Airport - a veteran move to drop off the rental car and switch hotels the night prior to departure - and stumbling to my gate after six weeks in Sarasota with only a single day off. The Orioles would be playing the Mets later today at the Naval Academy in one last exhibition game - a substitute for the usual workout day. Major League Baseball requires teams...

Orioles claim pitcher Hector Velázquez off waivers (5-5 tie)

Orioles claim pitcher Hector Velázquez off waivers (5-5 tie)
SARASOTA, Fla - The Orioles are bringing a relief candidate into camp and filling a vacancy on their 40-man roster. Right-hander Hector Velázquez was claimed off waivers today from the Red Sox to increase the camp roster to 55 players and the 40-man to 39. Velázquez, 31, was designated for assignment on Thursday. He's gone 11-7 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.428 WHIP in 89 games (19 starts) over the past three seasons. The Orioles like the length that Velázquez can provide and view him more...

Some Orioles observations halfway through spring training

Some Orioles observations halfway through spring training
SARASOTA, Fla. - Watching the Orioles play the back nine in spring training allows the observers - tanned unevenly from hours spent on the field and in outdoor media scrums - to draw their own conclusions on a few important subjects and others that might not warrant a mention. Including those that should have been obvious before the first workout. Here are a few: The Orioles are serious about evaluating Renato Núñez again at third base. They don't want to surrender to a lineup that...

Looking at the Orioles outfield (and other notes)

Looking at the Orioles outfield (and other notes)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Anthony Santander continues to be used as the Orioles' designated hitter until manager Brandon Hyde feels comfortable easing him into the outfield. The spot waiting for him is becoming more clear. Hyde confirmed this morning that Santander is likely to play left field at Camden Yards while Trey Mancini returns to right, but they could reverse positions at select road venues. Mancini starts in left field at Fenway Park, entrusted to slay the Green Monster. "I think similar to...

Zimmermann makes debut (O's win 4-3)

Zimmermann makes debut (O's win 4-3)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Bruce Zimmermann used to dream about slipping on an Orioles uniform while growing up in Baltimore. The fantasy didn't include a first-pitch home run, but it's spring training and wouldn't kill the moment. Zimmermann replaced starter Asher Wojciechowski today in the top of the third inning on an overcast and windy day at Ed Smith Stadium. Bryce Ball, sitting at the bottom of the Braves' lineup, greeted him with a shot to deep left-center field. Baseball can be heart-warming...

Orioles lineup vs. Braves

Orioles lineup vs. Braves
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are sitting a few of their regulars today for a home game against the Braves, the bench crew including first baseman Chris Davis, shortstop José Iglesias and outfielders Austin Hays, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander. Ryan McKenna is patrolling center field, with Dwight Smith Jr. in left and Dilson Herrera in right. Herrera played first base yesterday. Andrew Velazquez is making his first start at shortstop. Stevie Wilkerson has been used in center field, but...

Can't read too much into a little bit

Can't read too much into a little bit
SARASOTA, Fla. - Trying to detect patterns and search for clues in spring training lineups can be an exercise in futility. Roster crunches of a different sort. Calisthenics that still leave you clueless. Working up a sweat for a bigger waste. You get the picture, but maybe not the pitcher. Manager Brandon Hyde keeps batting Austin Hays in the leadoff spot, but isn't necessarily showing his hand. Hanser Alberto batted leadoff again yesterday in the other split-squad game. It's now happened...

LeBlanc puts up blanks and Orioles cruise to win (updated)

LeBlanc puts up blanks and Orioles cruise to win (updated)
SARASOTA, Fla. - One start won't move the needle much in the Orioles rotation competition. Two innings aren't a sufficient amount to begin placing odds. Three pitchers in the crowded field wanted to make an early impression this afternoon. Left-hander Wade LeBlanc shut out the Red Sox for the first couple of frames, allowing a single to Kevin Plawecki and striking out Tommy Joseph and Marcus Wilson. Both of them looking. (The Red Sox didn't bring their A team to Sarasota. I'm not sure the B...

Orioles outright Ureña and return him to camp roster

Orioles outright Ureña and return him to camp roster
SARASOTA, Fla. - Richard Ureña exited the utility competition in Orioles camp and has been dragged back into it. Just when a player thinks he's out ... The club announced that Ureña cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. He gets an invitation to spring training that bloats the camp roster to 69 players. It was inevitable. The Orioles designated Ureña for assignment after claiming Anthony Velazquez off waivers from the Indians. Velazquez is waiting to appear in...

Dwight Smith Jr. looking for a repeat spring performance

Dwight Smith Jr. looking for a repeat spring performance
When spring training games began last year, outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was still with the Toronto Blue Jays. But he would end the spring season on a hitting tear for the Orioles. That led to him making his first big league opening day roster. The Orioles acquired Smith last March 8 for international bonus money. The Blue Jays had designated him for assignment three days earlier. Smith joined the Orioles and started mashing the ball. In 12 games, he hit .429 (12-for-28). He homered five times,...