O's rotation takes small step forward, plus other notes

O's rotation takes small step forward, plus other notes
We know that the Orioles starting rotation has not covered a lot of innings this year, said Captain Obvious. Through Wednesday's games, the Baltimore rotation has thrown 430 2/3 innings to rank last in the majors. That is 15 fewer innings than Kansas City, although the Royals had played one fewer game than the Orioles. The Baltimore bullpen has had to cover 389 2/3 innings, which ranks as the third most in the majors. So we have a bit of an imbalance here. The O's need more starter innings,...

Orioles option Gutiérrez to Triple-A Norfolk

Orioles option Gutiérrez to Triple-A Norfolk
An off-day for the Orioles didn't deter them from making a roster move. The club announced today that it optioned infielder Kelvin Gutiérrez to Triple-A Norfolk. The second half of the transaction is withheld until Friday, when the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Nationals at Camden Yards. Gutiérrez showed off a strong arm at third base but was 4-for-23 (.174) with two RBIs, two walks and nine strikeouts in eight games. The Orioles purchased his contract from the Royals on...

A look at the Orioles' two Complex League rosters

A look at the Orioles' two Complex League rosters
When play begins today in the short-season Rookie-level Florida Complex League (the former Gulf Coast League), the Orioles will have two teams beginning play to join the four full-season affiliates that have been playing since May 4 on the farm. In July, the O's will field two teams in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. The two Complex League teams will feature a very, very heavy international flavor that will include 12 players that were part of the Orioles' first international...

Coby Mayo: "I'm going to have a lot of fun"

Coby Mayo: "I'm going to have a lot of fun"
The Orioles are performing an exhausting juggling act with their prospects. The kind that doesn't bring joy, like when another player moves up the affiliate chain. They arrange an injury rehab assignment. They reinstate someone else from the injured list. They are forced to shut down someone else. Talk about having a lot of balls in the air. The club passed along good news this week regarding outfielder Yusniel Diaz, who joined Double-A Bowie on his rehab assignment. But wait, there's...

Quick recap of fall instructional camp

Quick recap of fall instructional camp
The Orioles' fall instructional camp closed yesterday following a game against the Pirates. Precisely as planned, with no COVID-related issues to complicate or interrupt the proceedings. The majority of the 55 players participated in alternating games versus the Rays and Pirates. The others were able to log innings and at-bats in intrasquad games at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. Director of player development Matt Blood boarded a flight back to Baltimore yesterday afternoon....

Draft selections impressing in fall instructional camp

Draft selections impressing in fall instructional camp
The inability to put this year's draft selections in the 60-man player pool motivated the Orioles to get them work in the fall instructional league. At least five of the six, with outfielder Heston Kjerstad unavailable due to a non-sports medical issue. Director of player development Matt Blood is down in Sarasota, Fla., to observe, among many things, the raw skills and the progress made by shortstops Jordan Westburg and Anthony Servideo, outfielder Hudson Haskin, third baseman Coby Mayo and...

Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes

Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes
When I interviewed MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis this week it was apparent he is very high on the O's 2020 draft, where they selected six players over the draft's five rounds. Here is a review of the Orioles' draft: * Round 1 (No. 2 overall) - O's selected University of Arkanas outfielder Heston Kjerstad. He was signed to a bonus of $5.2 million, which was well under the slot amount of $7.79 million. * Competitive Balance Round A (No. 30 overall) - They selected Mississippi State shortstop...

A few notes on openers, testing and some draft math

A few notes on openers, testing and some draft math
There are a few ways the Orioles could go with their rotation come opening day on July 24. They could have the traditional five-man look or go with a six-man rotation. If pitchers are not built up enough yet, teams can even piggyback starters, where one pitches the first half of the game and another the rest. They could also go with an opener. If they do sometimes use a starter in that role - following a reliever and becoming the so-called bulk pitcher - they have two pitchers with a lot of...

Elias explains policy on testing (plus workout notes, draft signings)

Elias explains policy on testing (plus workout notes, draft signings)
Orioles outfielders Dwight Smith Jr. and Anthony Santander remained absent for a fifth consecutive day of workouts. Explanations are going to be withheld for now based on a club policy that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias shared this afternoon. While other teams have confirmed the numbers of positive tests for COVID-19, making names public if given permission, the Orioles are giving the silent treatment. "We have a really elaborate testing setup that has been issued by the...

Orioles sign second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad

Orioles sign second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad
A third 2020 draft selection by the Orioles is under contract. The team announced today that it signed outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second overall pick from the University of Arkansas. The biggest fish in their draft pond. Infielder Jordan Westburg, the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, the 39th, signed on Saturday for $2,365,500 and $1,906,800, respectively. Both at full slot value. Kjerstad has signed for $5.2 million, according to a source. Terms were first reported by...

Reviewing the weekend's activity

Reviewing the weekend's activity
The past two days have been productive for the Orioles and media covering the team. An announcement was made Saturday afternoon on the signings of draft picks Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. And yesterday brought confirmation on 44 of the 60 players who will be tossed in the pool for spring training 2.0. More players will be announced later in the week. The Orioles...

Orioles sign draft picks Westburg and Haskin

Orioles sign draft picks Westburg and Haskin
The Orioles haven't forgotten about their 2020 draft picks while plotting the construction of their camp rosters for the second spring training. The club announced this afternoon that it's signed infielder Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. Westburg signed for $2,365,500 and Haskin for $1,906,800 - both at full slot value, according to a source. Westburg, 21, batted...

A look at Orioles' post-draft math

A look at Orioles' post-draft math
When the Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad No. 2 overall in the recent First-Year Player Draft, the assumption was they took him there to save some money to spent later in the draft. And while it could work out that way, the Orioles made it clear he was their top choice. Any savings would be an added bonus. We didn't know it then, but the Orioles would not go overslot until their last two picks, drafting high school players in the fourth and fifth rounds. There have been no...

Mayo carries weight of tragedy through his baseball journey

Mayo carries weight of tragedy through his baseball journey
The innocence and feelings of invincibility that are common in high school sophomores were lost for Orioles fourth-round draft pick Coby Mayo a little over two years ago. He can recite the exact date and time. They're etched so deeply as to leave permanent marks. Mayo was attending classes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when a gunman, later identified as former student Nikolas Cruz, entered the building with a semi-automatic rifle and, for reasons that still aren't...

Eller on Servideo: "He's got every tool you can think of"

Eller on Servideo: "He's got every tool you can think of"
The attitude is the first trait that really got Anthony Servideo noticed. Tom Eller, who would have been serving as Single-A Frederick hitting coach prior to the shutdown, got an up-close look at the Orioles' third-round draft pick back in 2018. Eller was coaching the Maryland Redbirds in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League and Servideo had joined the team after his freshman season at the University of Mississippi. Eller's initial thought? "I was watching him in the Super Regionals two...

Updates on Orioles signing drafted and undrafted players (more)

Updates on Orioles signing drafted and undrafted players (more)
On the same day that teams are allowed to begin signing undrafted players, cleared to make some noise following the 48-hour quiet period, the Orioles have reached agreements with two of their selections from last week. Both are high school players chosen at the backend of the abbreviated draft. Both are over-slot. Right-hander Carter Baumler, a fifth-rounder from Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa, has agreed to terms on a $1.5 million contract, as first reported by Prospects 365's Mason...

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek
The Orioles selected six players the last two nights in the First-Year Player Draft and the first five-round Major League Baseball draft ever is in the books. In a Zoom call with Baltimore reporters late last night, O's supervisor of domestic scouting operation Brad Ciolek expanded on the club's scouting and interest in top pick Heston Kjerstad, the University of Arkansas outfielder that went No. 2 overall. "We liked him as a bat coming out of high school," Ciolek said. "At Arkansas, he...

Baseball's shutdown impacting prospects and draft picks (updated)

Baseball's shutdown impacting prospects and draft picks (updated)
Two days of the First-Year Player draft provided the ideal distraction from the back and forth between ownership and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Barely a peep about the length of a proposed season, percentages of prorated pay and an expanded playoff format that could shove 16 teams into October. And now, back to our regularly scheduled bickering, already in progress. Selecting players from the college and high school ranks is followed by negotiations on contracts, with the...

Wrapping up the draft with the O's Brad Ciolek

Wrapping up the draft with the O's Brad Ciolek
The Orioles completed their draft tonight, making four more selections and six total over five rounds and two days. They selected four college position players to start their draft, added a high school infielder in round four tonight and a prep pitcher in the fifth and last round. So, four of six taken were from the college ranks and five of six were position players. The Orioles' supervisor of domestic scouting operations, Brad Ciolek, talked to Baltimore reporters on a Zoom call tonight and...