Another look at some of the solid offense on the farm

Another look at some of the solid offense on the farm
When you look at the various lists of Orioles top prospects, most of them will have more hitters than pitchers among the top 10. That is certainly true of MLBPipeline.com, which ranks hitters as six of its top nine prospects for the Orioles, and Baseball America, which ranks hitters in six of the top eight spots. And these include high draft picks the club has made since executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and his staff took over before the 2019 season. He has been here for...

Debating dates of Orioles debuts in 2022

Debating dates of Orioles debuts in 2022
Based on draft status, expectations and various prospect lists, Orioles fans are likely to get most excited about the anticipated 2022 debuts of catcher Adley Rutschman and pitchers Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall. MLBPipeline.com, Baseball America, Prospects 1500 and I'm assuming everyone else with a list ranks them in that order as the top three prospects in the system. Rutschman is going to arrive in Baltimore first. Rodriguez and Hall haven't pitched above Double-A, but are primed to join...

Rutschman should lead charge from farm to major leagues

Rutschman should lead charge from farm to major leagues
One is not officially signed yet and one is, but the Orioles have contract agreements in place with infielder Rougned Odor and right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles. The Odor deal was announced and Lyles' pact will become official after the lockout ends. The term placeholder - not a favorite of mine - comes to mind here. They were not added to be key players of the club's core moving forward. They were added to help now, eat innings, hit a few homers, hold down a position while the club waits for...

How does Odor's signing impact Jones?

How does Odor's signing impact Jones?
The signing of Rougned Odor for the 2022 season fit the usual description of a placeholder for the Orioles until their top middle infield prospects are ready to hold down full-time jobs in the majors. Until the club decides where to spread out its shortstops, including Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. The Orioles waited until Aug. 24 to recall Jahmai Jones from Triple-A Norfolk, after his bat had cooled and he appeared to grow a little more comfortable in his reintroduction to second base....

Minors matter more to Orioles during lockout

Minors matter more to Orioles during lockout
Even when Major League Baseball was fully operational and a lockout only meant that a guard needed to open the gate to the players' lot after hours, the Orioles welcomed and encouraged the increased attention on their minor league system. The talent pumped into it via the draft and international signings, the developmental tools and personnel spliced into the organization, a modernized approach that the rest of the industry was embracing. Can't stand the sight of the mounting losses that...

Orioles prospects honing mental skills with help from Kathryn Rowe

Orioles prospects honing mental skills with help from Kathryn Rowe
Cedric Mullins' 2021 season was one of the best by an Orioles hitter in recent memory. Mullins, who won a Silver Slugger Award and finished ninth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting, failed to reach base 64 percent of the time and did not record a hit in 71 percent of his at-bats. Pretty great, right? It's easy to forget just how often the best hitters in the game fail to record a hit. That was the outcome in 63.4 percent of the at-bats of Ty Cobb, the all-time leader in career...

Can new hitting coaches help O's lagging OBP stats?

Can new hitting coaches help O's lagging OBP stats?
The Orioles seemingly always rank near the bottom of the American League in on-base percentage. It's an important stat and this year in the American League the average team OBP was .316. The Orioles ranked 12th among the 15 clubs in the AL at .304. Since they won the AL East in 2014, the Orioles have ranked 12th or lower in the league in team OBP five times in eight seasons. Their best mark was when they were eighth in 2020. When it comes to walk rate (the percentage of times a hitter walks...

Mayo on professional experience and moving up

Mayo on professional experience and moving up
One year after participating in the Orioles' fall instructional league camp, young third baseman Coby Mayo is in Sarasota, Fla., again and feeling more comfortable after his first season of professional baseball. Mayo couldn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season. He reported to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League this year, a common starting point for draft picks and especially high school players, and moved up to Single-A Delmarva after 26 games and 91 plate...

Westburg, Henderson and Mayo staying on course toward majors

Westburg, Henderson and Mayo staying on course toward majors
The Orioles' fall instructional league camp is an interesting mix of top prospects, ballyhooed international signings and trade acquisitions, and players who began to get noticed and want to keep improving their stock. What's missing are the intrasquad games. It's more about workouts, conditioning and strength, education and bonding. Infield prospect Jordan Westburg describes it as "a good foundation for all of us guys that are young in this organization, just building...

Because You Asked - Analyze That

Because You Asked - Analyze That
With the 2021 season officially over and baseball moving into full offseason mode, important dates on the calendar crossed off one at a time, the mailbag again is inflating like my ego. My new wife is only available to deflate the ego. Not the mailbag. That one is up to me. Just to review: You, my wonderful followers - which unfortunately sounds like a cult that will be documented on Netflix - ask me many questions that I attempt to answer. Some of you ask the same ones as if I ignored you. And...

A look at Baseball America's O's top 10 list

A look at Baseball America's O's top 10 list
Baseball America released a new top 10 Orioles prospects list this week, and it's a strong list. There are more hitters than pitchers, with seven batters and three hurlers. The list is solid and further proof that the Orioles organization being ranked No. 1 by MLBPipeline.com and No. 2 by Baseball America seems legit. The club can and has gotten some deserved criticism for all the losses at the major league level, but the quest to build that elite talent pipeline seems very much on track. The...

Young players sometimes learned the most when times were rough

Young players sometimes learned the most when times were rough
It has been true in baseball probably for as long as there has been baseball: Players learn as much from their struggles - and maybe more - than they do from their successes. And it has been said that baseball is a game of failure. A good pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 still gives up three earned runs for every nine innings. A .300 hitter still makes an out seven times out of 10. In my coverage of the Orioles minors this year, it stood out that several players I interviewed cited overcoming...

Orioles open fall instructional camp in Sarasota

Orioles open fall instructional camp in Sarasota
The Orioles begin their fall instructional league camp this morning in Sarasota, Fla., and players gathering at the Ed Smith Stadium complex include 19 that MLBPipeline.com ranks among the top 30 prospects in the organization. One of the headliners is outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second-overall pick in the 2020 draft who hasn't been able to play since his diagnosis of myocarditis following his selection. He's been taking batting practice and is now cleared for an increase in baseball...

A scout's take with the Jim Russo Award winner

A scout's take with the Jim Russo Award winner
Orioles area scout Brandon Verley noted he was in a very strange position on Tuesday at Camden Yards. He's used to sitting in the stands at ballparks for long hours watching players. He is not used to sitting in the O's dugout surrounded by reporters and taking questions. But there he was, talking to us about being named the club's Jim Russo Scout of the Year Award winner. "It's an incredible honor," Verley said. "You know, as a scout, we are never really in this position, in the...

Akin and Hays impress again, but O's lose 4-3 (updated)

Akin and Hays impress again, but O's lose 4-3 (updated)
As the Orioles keep piling more players on their injured lists and going day-to-day with others who are ailing, they cherish every individual who stays in the lineup or rotation and seems determined to finish strong. Keegan Akin, a couple starts removed from his six no-hit innings, shut out the Phillies over 5 1/3 and struck out six batters before Eric Hanhold replaced him. Austin Hays retained ownership of the month of September, his scorching bat producing a run-scoring double in the sixth...

Bowie's Grayson Rodriguez takes loss as Akron takes Game 2

Bowie's Grayson Rodriguez takes loss as Akron takes Game 2
BOWIE - It was not the night the Bowie Baysox were hoping for. The weather made it challenging and so did Akron RubberDucks batters. They scored six runs in just 2 2/3 innings off Bowie ace Grayson Rodriguez - that was a season high for him in runs allowed - as Akron beat Bowie 8-5 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Double-A Northeast Championship Series. The Baysox have scored just six runs on six hits in the first two games. The late afternoon downpour finally subsided, but the first...

A look ahead at Game 2 tonight in Bowie

A look ahead at Game 2 tonight in Bowie
BOWIE - It is not a must-win like their game Sunday, when the season would have been over with a loss, but it's a pretty vital game for the Bowie Baysox tonight. They host Akron in Game 2 of the Double-A Northeast Championship Series. After losing here 5-1 last night, they would be in an 0-2 series hole with a loss tonight, and heading to Akron for the rest of the series. Game 3 is set for Friday night at 6:05 p.m. The Baysox, who tied with Akron for the most runs scored in the league in the...

Fast start, strong finish, final day win leads Bowie to playoffs

Fast start, strong finish, final day win leads Bowie to playoffs
As they get ready to play for a league championship for the third time in the team's 28-year history, the Double-A Bowie Baysox can look back on a special regular season where they got off to a sizzling start and produced a strong finish. The Baysox were 21-5 on June 4 and were about the best team in all of Minor League Baseball to that point. Late in the year, as they pushed for a postseason spot, Bowie won 12 of 14 in the last two series, going 7-0 versus Harrisburg and 5-2 against...

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs
They took an early lead but then fell behind. But the Double-A Bowie Baysox put together a dramatic rally in the last of the eighth this afternoon and pulled out their must-win game today. Bowie entered the final day of the regular season needing a win to advance to the playoffs. A loss and the season would be over. The Baysox entered the last of the eighth down 5-4 but scored three times to beat Altoona 7-5. The Baysox end the regular season 73-47 (.608), winning 12 of their final 14 games, to...

Gunnar Henderson: Aberdeen struggles provide learning and growth

Gunnar Henderson: Aberdeen struggles provide learning and growth
BOWIE - His bat was trending up at high Single-A Aberdeen after a very slow start with the IronBirds. But the Orioles' No. 4 prospect, young infielder Gunnar Henderson, did not expect he would end his season playing with the Double-A Bowie Baysox. But there he was again in the lineup on Wednesday night at third base as the Baysox continued their quest for a playoff spot, one he gets to be a part of it in the final week of the regular season. He was promoted during Monday's off-day. Henderson,...