A look at Chance Sisco's late-season promotion to Double-A (plus O's notes)

A look at Chance Sisco's late-season promotion to Double-A (plus O's notes)
As the Double-A Bowie Baysox look to win their first Eastern League championship in the 2015 playoffs that started last night, they are chasing the title with a very young player playing a very key position. In mid-August, the Orioles moved 20-year-old Chance Sisco from Single-A Frederick to Bowie. So far, the organization's No. 4 prospect, according to Baseball America, has held his own well at the higher level. After batting .308 with four homers, 26 RBIs and an .809 OPS in 75 games for...

Bowie playoff preview: Trey Mancini leads the Baysox against Altoona (updated)

Bowie playoff preview: Trey Mancini leads the Baysox against Altoona (updated)
When the Eastern League playoffs begin tonight, the Double-A Bowie Baysox hope the hot bat they watched first baseman Trey Mancini sustain for 84 games this year can stay hot for a few more. Bowie (79-63) plays at Altoona (74-68) tonight in Game 1 of a best-of-five series. Altoona hosts Game 2 tomorrow, and then the series shifts to Bowie for Game 3 Friday and Games 4 and 5 if necessary Saturday and Sunday. The 23-year-old Mancini was promoted from Single-A Frederick to the Baysox June 5. In 84...

A look at a pitcher who has made a huge impact for the Bowie Baysox

A look at a pitcher who has made a huge impact for the Bowie Baysox
As the Double-A Bowie Baysox pursue their first division championship since 2008 and second playoff berth in four years, their pitching staff is being led by a veteran right-hander who is putting up very strong numbers on the field while also providing an example for younger pitchers to follow. Terry Doyle picked up his latest win on Sunday, allowing two earned runs or less for the 10th time in 12 starts. He is 11-1 with an ERA of 2.08. In 95 innings he has allowed 81 hits with 11 walks, 79...

From shortstop to the mound: Bowie's Mychal Givens could be on a fast track to Baltimore

From shortstop to the mound: Bowie's Mychal Givens could be on a fast track to Baltimore
He began his Orioles minor league career as a shortstop, but Mychal Givens is now a pitcher - and he could be on a fast track to Baltimore. There are some that feel the Double-A Bowie reliever could even make it to the Orioles roster before the 2015 season ends. Throwing mid-90s fastballs that sometimes touch the higher 90s from a sidearm delivery, Givens has made rapid improvement since he moved to the mound for the 2013 season. His fastball shows late life with heavy sink at time, and he also...

Homegrown pride: From Bowie to Baltimore, Kendall proud of O's rookie hurlers

Homegrown pride: From Bowie to Baltimore, Kendall proud of O's rookie hurlers
Having Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright both start today for the Orioles has to provide a sense of pride for the O's organization. They are homegrown, drafted and developed pitchers who will try to pitch the big club to victories. Wilson, Wright and Oliver Drake, who was recently called up, all spent more time with Double-A Bowie than any other O's farm team. Bowie's Gary Kendall managed those three pitchers longer than any other O's minor league skipper. He knows them all well, and he and his...

Dylan Bundy's most recent outing looked better in person than in a boxscore

Dylan Bundy's most recent outing looked better in person than in a boxscore
It was a rare sight in a pro baseball boxscore last Friday night. Pitching for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, O's top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy gave up six runs against Richmond. In two innings plus two batters, Bundy allowed a career-high eight hits with no walks and two strikeouts, throwing 57 pitches. His ERA increased from 2.25 to 4.50 in seven Baysox starts. The six runs allowed tied a career high. Bundy had given up that many just once before in 38 previous career pro starts and that was...

With or without big league help, Bowie Baysox are playing well

With or without big league help, Bowie Baysox are playing well
Two players on major league rehab assignments will play again tonight with the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Since J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty showed up, the Baysox are 2-0, but they were playing good baseball even before they arrived. With last night's win, Bowie is now 15-10 and has moved to within one game of first place in its division of the Eastern League. The Baysox have won four in a row, seven of their last eight and 11 of the past 15 games after a 4-6 start. Under manager Gary Kendall, the...

Minor league notes on Norfolk's pitching, Dosch, O'Brien and more

Minor league notes on Norfolk's pitching, Dosch, O'Brien and more
The Triple-A Norfolk Tides are off to an 8-4 start after beating Gwinnett 1-0 at Harbor Park last night. Right-hander Mike Wright pitched six scoreless innings and is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA. After allowing three runs in his first 2015 outing, Wright has put together 12 scoreless innings over his past two starts. Tides pitchers have been good all year. Their starters have worked to an ERA of 2.33 over their last nine games, while the Norfolk bullpen has pitched to an ERA of 1.75 for the season. The...

Orioles minor league pitcher Jesse Beal is having Tommy John surgery (plus other notes)

Orioles minor league pitcher Jesse Beal is having Tommy John surgery (plus other notes)
Orioles minor league right-hander Jesse Beal is undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery today in Baltimore. The procedure is being performed by Dr. Derrick Papp, one of the O's team physicians.A 14th-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2008 out of South County (Va.) High School, Beal went 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 41 1/3 innings last summer at Single-A Frederick. He was a minor league free agent after the year but the O's re-signed him.Beal began this year healthy and pitched in some...

A look at Bowie's rotation and more from Baysox media day

A look at Bowie's rotation and more from Baysox media day
BOWIE, Md. - When the Double-A Bowie Baysox begin a new Eastern League season on Thursday night at Richmond, Tim Berry will be their opening night starter and Dylan Bundy will be No. 5. Bundy is obviously not the fifth starter based on talent. But it may have just about everything to do with the fact he will be limited in innings early this year. Coming off his 2013 Tommy John surgery and having pitched just 41 1/3 innings last season, the Orioles are expected to keep him at around 100 innings...

A few notes on the minor league staff announcements (plus prospect notes)

A few notes on the minor league staff announcements (plus prospect notes)
The Orioles made their minor league managing and coaching assignments official yesterday and they sure have a solid list of eight managers, counting four at full-season affiliates, two with short-season clubs and two for their Dominican Summer League teams. The managers at their top three affiliates either already are or could become the winningest managers for those teams by the end of 2015. Ron Johnson, 58, is entering his fourth year as skipper at Triple-A Norfolk. He has a record of an even...

Minor league manager assignments for 2015 and other notes

Minor league manager assignments for 2015 and other notes
All six managers, from the rookie-level Gulf Coast League up through Triple-A Norfolk, will return to manage Orioles affiliates next season. Three will return to their 2014 teams, while three will be with new clubs in 2015. The Orioles have not confirmed this or made any announcements yet about their 2015 minor league staff, but Ron Johnson is expected to return to manage at Triple-A Norfolk, Gary Kendall will return to Double-A Bowie and Ryan Minor is expected to return to Single-A...

A tale of two men leaving the Orioles organization

A tale of two men leaving the Orioles organization
You talk about something good happening to a guy who flew under the radar - well, it happened yesterday. Longtime Orioles minor league coach Butch Davis was hired by the Minnesota Twins as their first base coach. Seeing reaction on Twitter, it is clear that Davis had a lot of fans among O's minor league staff and players. They are thrilled he is returning to the show - his eight-year major league career, which included parts of the 1988 and 1989 seasons with the Orioles, ended in 1994 - after...

Gary Kendall on AFL championship: "The Orioles made a statement that day"

Gary Kendall on AFL championship: "The Orioles made a statement that day"
It was a week ago today that the Surprise Saguaros charged the mound to celebrate their Arizona Fall League championship. It was a championship won with a big Oriole flavor. The Surprise team was managed by Double-A Bowie skipper Gary Kendall. Short-season Single-A Aberdeen pitching coach Alan Mills was one of two pitching coaches on the team that also featured eight O's prospects. For the winning players and coaches, it was a wonderful baseball experience and they'll get championship rings...

Updating Urrutia in AFL

Updating Urrutia in AFL
I want to take a break this morning from talking about Orioles pitching coach candidates and revisit the AFL. Daryle Lamonica completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Warren Wells, and ... Hold on, that's the American Football League. Let me try that again. I've got something here in my notes about the Tampa Bay Storm and the Orlando Predators, but I'm pretty sure that's the Arena Football League. Stay with me. OK, Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia is swinging a hot bat in the Arizona Fall...

Ohlman continues to produce in AFL

Ohlman continues to produce in AFL
As Orioles manager Buck Showalter waited to board his flight back to Dallas last week after spending a few days checking out prospects in the Arizona Fall League, he again brought up catcher Michael Ohlman's name without any prompting. He wasn't led in a particular direction during our brief phone conversation. He went there by himself. Ohlman had another impressive game today for the Surprise Saguaros, hitting a three-run homer in an 8-6 victory over Salt River. He also walked and scored...

Checking on a few Orioles with the Surprise Saguaros

Checking on a few Orioles with the Surprise Saguaros
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez made his third start today for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, allowing one run and one hit in three innings. He walked two, struck out three and threw 27 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Rodriguez, 20, has permitted four runs and seven hits in 8 2/3 innings for a 4.15 ERA, with five walks and eight strikeouts. Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent a few days watching the Saguaros before flying back to Dallas, and director of player development...

Urrutia and Wright receive organizational awards

Urrutia and Wright receive organizational awards
The Orioles announced today that outfielder Henry Urrutia has been chosen as the organization's top minor league player and right-hander Mike Wright has been selected as the top minor league pitcher. The winners will be honored in an on-field ceremony before today's game against the White Sox at Camden Yards. Urrutia, the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, hit a combined .347/.406/.506 with 31 extra-base hits, 50 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 81 games with Double-A Bowie and...

Minor league notes on Hunter Harvey, Mychal Givens and Gary Kendall

Minor league notes on Hunter Harvey, Mychal Givens and Gary Kendall
It was just one outing but it was a dominating outing, one that gets your attention. Hunter Harvey, the Orioles 2013 first-round pick simply overmatched the first-place Gulf Coast League Red Sox last Thursday in his third pro outing. Over three hitless and shutout innings, Harvey walked one and fanned eight batters. He struck out the side in the first and third innings. The 22nd overall pick in June out of a North Carolina high school, Harvey threw 44 pitches and blew fastballs between 92...

Urrutia's defense starts to catch up to his bat and promotion could be coming (Baysox All Stars)

Urrutia's defense starts to catch up to his bat and promotion could be coming (Baysox All Stars)
It was April 19 when Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia joined the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Before long, the hits came ringing off his bat. It wasn't much longer after that, that fans start wondering if the Orioles would promote the hot-hitting Urrutia to Triple-A - or even the majors, at some point. In early May, O's director of player development Brian Graham said Urrutia, who hadn't played much in two years, had to show the organization more than just offense to get promoted. He needed to be...