Notes on Mancini, Carroll, Means and new hires

Notes on Mancini, Carroll, Means and new hires
SARASOTA, Fla. - More position players are rolling into Orioles camp early, the latest batch including outfielders Austin Hays, Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander and Dwight Smith Jr. "Definitely ready to get it going," Mancini said. "I always like coming a few days early. Once the new year starts you're always ready to go. I was definitely ready to get down here at this point." The expectations for another last-place season in the rebuild hasn't crushed the enthusiasm. "I think we're all...

Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong

Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong
The report date countdown for Orioles pitchers and catchers has reached five days. Or the amount of time it takes a call to be confirmed or overturned. Which Orioles have something to prove in camp? Plenty of them, but here are a few ideas: Dwight Smith Jr. is viewed within the organization as a left fielder and nothing more. It's the only position he played last summer and his major league body of work includes a mere three starts in right and one in center with the Blue Jays. The metrics and...

Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled

Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled
The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...

Orioles announce plans for first "Birdland Caravan"

Orioles announce plans for first "Birdland Caravan"
The Orioles are devoting the final weekend before pitchers and catchers report to spring training to engaging with fans via a "Birdland Caravan" that covers 12 locations across the region. A fresher approach leading into a new season. The winter tour runs from Feb. 7-9 and makes stops in Ellicott City, Annapolis, Aberdeen, Timonium, Bowie, Westminster, Hagerstown, White Marsh, Frederick, Fallston, Fort Meade and York, Pa. Players who are participating include Trey Mancini, Hanser Alberto, Rio...

Wondering about Orioles' outfield alignment

Wondering about Orioles' outfield alignment
The days are dwindling until Orioles pitchers and catchers report, and the intrigue and curiosity are building as more storylines begin to develop. Others will surface with the front office continuing to explore the free agent and trade markets, but we're already off to a good start. The various competitions will provide copy, including the rotation, bullpen and bench. Someone is bound to get hurt, which requires daily updates and the hope that it's anything except a groin. And there's...

Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp

Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp
With the Orioles report date for spring training fast approaching, today we take a look at the club's position players heading into camp. Certainly, this could change pending any further roster moves. O's pitchers and catchers are due to report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 11 and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. The spring training opener is Feb. 22 against Atlanta and the 2020 season opener is March 26 at home versus the New York Yankees. Here is a look at the...

Taking the latest look at the Orioles roster (Castro update)

Taking the latest look at the Orioles roster (Castro update)
Does the José Iglesias signing, which was announced yesterday, remove some of the uncertainty over the Orioles roster on opening day? Of course. A new shortstop was a high priority and projections with Richie Martin at the position felt like he had become an offseason placeholder. He's going to play at Camden Yards in 2020. Maybe it's in April, maybe it's later. Maybe it's in a utility role. But it's going to happen. The Orioles had to decide which shortstop to sign and how much to give...

Orioles are bound to get busy

Orioles are bound to get busy
I began the decade covering the Orioles for MASN and MASNsports.com and I closed it covering the Orioles for MASN and MASNsports.com. Thanks for indulging me. We've entered a new year and the first of many headaches that make blinking a new experience in pain. I tried to type softly, in case you're still paying the price for last night's celebrating. And I don't mean the cost of the chips and party hats. Will the Orioles be noise-makers in the coming months? They enter 2020 with basically...

Trying to set the roster in December

Trying to set the roster in December
Knowing that the Orioles have more work to do on their roster is on par with being able to recite your zip code. You won't gain the respect of your peers or earn bragging rights among friends. The rotation and middle infield are in a construction zone. The bullpen and bench aren't set. A new rule allowing teams to carry 26 players also increases the guesswork. I reached my yearly deadline for submitting a mock lineup, rotation, bullpen and bench for consideration by a national publication....

Does Smith retain same status with Orioles?

Does Smith retain same status with Orioles?
How does a player who appeared in 101 games pull a disappearing act while staying on the roster? That's how it feels with Dwight Smith Jr. He's on the 40-man roster, but tends to be excluded from the outfield conversation or led late into it. Manager Brandon Hyde couldn't be pinned down on a set outfield as he handled his media obligations at the Winter Meetings. A suggestion was made that Hyde might have a better grasp of his starters now with Austin Hays flanked by Anthony Santander and...

Elias on Davis, contracts, Stewart, Mountcastle and more

Elias on Davis, contracts, Stewart, Mountcastle and more
SAN DIEGO - The Orioles are trying again with Chris Davis. Trying to find a way to get him swinging more freely and making more consistent contact. Which again has led them to agent Scott Boras and the latest plan to nudge Davis closer to the form that prompted the club to hand over a $161 million contract prior to the 2016 season. A hard shove is more like it. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed this afternoon that he spoke last week with Boras and "a member of his...

More on the Orioles' 40-man roster

More on the Orioles' 40-man roster
Selecting the contracts of four players yesterday is only the latest work done by the Orioles on their 40-man roster. It was a big step, of course, because they had to decide which ones to protect prior to the Dec. 12 Rule 5 draft in San Diego that concludes the Winter Meetings and enables sportswriters to set land speed records with their filed stories before grabbing flights home. (I'm not missing my 1:35 p.m. flight, even if I have to brush airline pretzel crumbs off the keyboard.) The...

More on Villar's stolen bases and the leadoff spot in the order

More on Villar's stolen bases and the leadoff spot in the order
I wrote last week about infielder Jonathan Villar's 40 steals and how he ignited a running game that might not be sustainable without him. Besides ranking third in the majors, the stolen base total also tied for seventh in club history. Luis Aparicio holds the record with 57 set in 1964. Brady Anderson is second on the list with 53 in 1992 and Brian Roberts is third with 50 in 2007. Corey Patterson is fourth with 45 in 2006 and Al Bumbry occupies the next two spots with 44 in 1980 and 42 in...

Will stealing bases remain part of Orioles' approach in 2020?

Will stealing bases remain part of Orioles' approach in 2020?
As the Orioles became more transparent with their plans for the organization and specifically how they were going to proceed with a complete teardown and rebuild, which also could be termed a "redesign" given the new titles and responsibilities, I didn't recall hearing anyone declare that the team would steal more bases. It just sort of happened. When is the last time that the Orioles ranked sixth or higher in the American League in steals? They swiped 84 bags to put them 16 ahead of the Red...

Williams declines outright assignment

Williams declines outright assignment
The Orioles are continuing to clear space on their 40-man roster for future moves. Outfielder Mason Williams was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk after clearing waivers and declined the assignment, electing free agency rather than staying in the organization. He could be re-signed later in the winter, but will explore other opportunities. Williams already was eligible to become a minor league free agent if he hadn't been placed on the 25-man roster. The outright assignment was listed yesterday...

How Stewart's surgery impacts the outfield competition

How Stewart's surgery impacts the outfield competition
Whether DJ Stewart is able to compete for a spot on the Orioles opening day roster is a closed matter. The microfracture procedure on his right ankle on Oct. 17 likely prevents him from returning to baseball activities until late in spring training and eliminates him from consideration. A closed matter that opens a door. No one roots for a teammate to sustain an injury or undergo surgery, but Stewart's absence from camp drills and at least the early games increases someone else's odds of...

Stewart undergoes ankle surgery

Stewart undergoes ankle surgery
The competition for outfield jobs with the Orioles next spring has taken an unexpected twist. The team announced that DJ Stewart underwent a "successful" microfracture procedure on his right ankle yesterday in Los Angeles. Dr. Kenneth Jung from the Kerlan-Jobe Institute performed the surgery. Stewart is expected to return to baseball activities toward the end of spring training, according to a tweet from the Orioles, which seemingly prevents him from heading north for opening day on March 26...

Which of these players has the most potential?

Which of these players has the most potential?
Today let's take a look at five young Orioles position players. Then give us your take on how much promise and potential they hold for future Orioles teams. Rate these five - listed here alphabetically - on future potential and upside: Hanser Alberto, Austin Hays, Rio Ruiz, Anthony Santander, Dwight Smith Jr. Alberto hit .305 in 139 games and finished eighth in the American League in batting average. It was the 44th time an Orioles player finished at .300 or better, and the first since Nick...

More on Santander's season and how he's set for 2020

More on Santander's season and how he's set for 2020
While Anthony Santander passed his summer audition with the Orioles and made himself a piece of the rebuilding process moving forward, he certainly has more work to do over the winter and in spring training. There's room for improvement. It had to come up in his exit interview. Santander had 20 doubles and 20 home runs over 93 games and gained manager Brandon Hyde's trust in the outfield. He was comfortable going back for the ball and making catches against the fence and led the club with...

Digging into Orioles' past

Digging into Orioles' past
Has any team with 100-plus losses tied or set more positive records than the 2019 Orioles? The season will go down as one of the oddest in franchise history. It was many things - boring not among them. Here's one of the nuggets that left me shaking my head: Ten players hit 10 or more home runs to tie the record shared by the 1998 and 2000 teams. Maybe you would have expected Trey Mancini, Renato Núñez and Jonathan Villar to do it. Perhaps you were bold enough to project that Anthony...