A look at MLB Network's stop at O's camp

The Orioles got some national attention this week when MLB Network aired its “30 clubs in 15 days preview” on the Orioles on Thursday afternoon. 

If you missed it, the analysts are high on the 2024 Orioles with former player Cliff Floyd projecting another 100-win year.

Yes, expectations are very high for a club that was 47-115 in the 2018 season and won just 54 games in 2019 and 52 in 2021. That was before the big leap to 83 victories in 2022 and last year to 101 which included a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and an AL East title for the first time since 2014.

Players that once were expected to be on a team predicted for last place, now have very different expectations. How will they handle that?

“You know our guys are not fazed by anything,” manager Brandon Hyde told MLB Network. “We have taken such strides the last couple of years. Last year is something we are really proud of, winning the AL East with this group.

A slow start for the starters, plus MLB Network on the Orioles

A slow start for the starters, plus MLB Network on the Orioles
With the understanding that it is way too soon to pass judgments and/or form opinions - and manager Brandon Hyde has told us he's not putting much weight on a pitcher's first outing - Orioles starters are not exactly rolling through opponents just yet. During the club's first six games and a 2-3-1 record so far in spring, O's starting pitchers have been scored on in five of the six games. Their starters also were scored on in the first inning in five of the six games. The rotation ERA is...

Are three losses in four just a bump in the road for O's?

Are three losses in four just a bump in the road for O's?
We have to find out - and we will in the next few days - whether the Orioles have hit a small bump in the road or if they ran into a pothole. The club has lost three of its last four. Their record has dropped from 12-8 to 12-10 with back-to-back losses. The lineup has lost outfielder Austin Hays to injury and shortstop José Iglesias did not start Sunday or Monday. The Orioles badly need him out there if his left quad is willing and able. For the all of the tremendous offensive production of...

O's group of four stacked up with Dodgers' group on MLB Network

O's group of four stacked up with Dodgers' group on MLB Network
The Orioles offense, particularly four of their key hitters, got some national recognition during a segment on MLB Network today. Not only that, but in a video segment anchored by former Orioles infielder Bill Ripken, when compared to a more heralded and accomplished Los Angeles Dodgers quartet, the Orioles four stacked up very well. Ripken showed a stat comparison of how Anthony Santander, Pedro Severino, Hanser Alberto and Renato Núñez stacked up with the Dodgers foursome of Mookie...

Do Nationals' stars get enough credit on an individual level?

Do Nationals' stars get enough credit on an individual level?
MLB Network has been airing its annual "Top 10 Right Now!" series over the last several weeks. If you haven't watched it before, the network attempts to rate the 10 best players at each position at this moment, using a complex computer algorithm affectionately referred to as "The Shredder" to come up with the final rankings. This, of course, means nothing and shouldn't be taken seriously. But it does lead to some fun debates, and the Nationals definitely fall into that category. So far,...

Doolittle garners league-wide respect as Nats closer

Doolittle garners league-wide respect as Nats closer
It is impressive to see the respect Nationals closer Sean Doolittle gets on a national stage. The latest MLB.com list of the top relievers in the game on the "Right Now!" segment has him at No. 2 behind currently unsigned free agent Craig Kimbrel. 1. Craig Kimbrel, Free Agent 2. Sean Doolittle, Washington Nationals 3. Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers 4. Edwin Díaz, New York Mets 5. Blake Treinen, Oakland Athletics 6. Felipe Vázquez, Pittsburgh Pirates 7. Chad Green, New York Yankees 8....

MLB Network recognizes Soto and Robles in its top 10 lists

MLB Network recognizes Soto and Robles in its top 10 lists
MLB Network handed out plaudits that include a couple of Nationals that are likely to be manning the outfield at Nats Park this season. In a recent segment called "Right Now!" MLB Network ranked Juan Soto as the sixth-rated left fielder in the their Top 10. MLB Network analyst and 11-year big league veteran Eric Byrnes said of Soto: "You could put him No. 1 and I'm not gonna argue, that's how good of a season he had. When he came up, he was doing things that you don't see 10-year seasoned...

"MASN All Access" podcast: Jamal Collier on road trip and homestand

"MASN All Access" podcast: Jamal Collier on road trip and homestand
The Nationals are back after their nine-game road trip and we're back at Nats Park! Paul and I are joined by Jamal Collier of MLB.com on a new episode of the "MASN All Access" podcast to recap the road trip and preview the 10-game homestand, which starts tonight against the Diamondbacks. Ending on a high note with a 15-run barrage in San Francisco, did the Nationals show signs of things to come out west? And what went wrong to lead the team to a 4-5 record this time out? Will this homestand...

MLB Network talks about the Orioles

MLB Network talks about the Orioles
MLB Network hosts and analysts spent some time this week at the Orioles' spring training home in Sarasota. And last night, the network aired a "30 Clubs in 30 Days" show on the Orioles. They threw the team some props for the upgraded rotation, spent a lot of time talking about Manny Machado's move to shortstop and interviewed several players. No one is ready to say the Orioles can beat the Yankees or Red Sox, but the additions of Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb in the last few weeks improved...

The MLB Network analysts size up the Orioles

The MLB Network analysts size up the Orioles
When MLB Network made its annual trek to the Orioles spring training camp, the analysts verbalized a familiar theme - the O's have plenty of offense, but will the starting pitching hold up? The Orioles were featured on the network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" segment last night. Former player and current network analyst Mark DeRosa interviewed some players in Sarasota, Fla., and came away impressed by the O's offense. "A message to the American League teams out there," DeRosa said. "Do not...

Dusty Baker on MLB Network documentary: "Why not now and why not me?"

Dusty Baker on MLB Network documentary: "Why not now and why not me?"
New Nationals manager Dusty Baker was the subject of MLB Network's one-hour documentary, "Dusty: A Baseball Journey," which aired Tuesday evening. The show details Baker's early life growing up in Riverside, Calif., and then eventually moving to Sacramento, Calif., where he experienced racial divide in the mid-1960s. Baker, a gifted athlete from an early age, and his friends eventually found an outlet in music. After attending the famous Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967, the group briefly...

MLB Network to air Dusty Baker documentary on Feb. 9

MLB Network to air Dusty Baker documentary on Feb. 9
Since being named as the new manager in early November, Dusty Baker has been busy learning about his new team. While the veteran skipper might prefer to rely on his own eyes at spring training, he met with his new charges during Winterfest weekend and has been having dialogue with key players throughout the offseason. Nationals fans have also been getting to know their new manager, who has made several trips to D.C. this winter to get acquainted with his new environment. If you're still trying...

Manny Machado's ranking at third base and some Chris Davis leftovers

Manny Machado's ranking at third base and some Chris Davis leftovers
If you like random rankings, here's one to start your morning. MLB Network rated Manny Machado as the fourth-best third baseman in baseball, slotting him between the Rangers' Adrian Beltre and the Dodgers' Justin Turner. The press release stated that a number of offensive and defensive metrics were considered while compiling the list, along with projections for the upcoming season. Here's the Top 10: 1. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays 2. Kris Bryant, Cubs 3. Adrian Beltre, Rangers 4. Manny...

Bob Carpenter nominated for call of controversial moment in Max Scherzer's near perfect game

Bob Carpenter nominated for call of controversial moment in Max Scherzer's near perfect game
It was one of the most controversial moments - not just in the Nationals' 2015 season, but in the team's history - and MASN's Bob Carpenter has been recognized for his efforts in bringing it to you. Carpenter has been nominated for the Esurance MLB Award for his call of when Pirates pinch-hitter Jose Tabata was hit in the elbow with a two-out, two-strike pitch in the ninth inning of Max Scherzer's near-perfect game. Scherzer was coming off a one-hitter in Milwaukee on June 16, when he...

Gary Thorne nominated for MLB Award for golf-like call

Gary Thorne nominated for MLB Award for golf-like call
Watch out, Jim Nantz - Gary Thorne can call golf, too. Since 2007, Thorne has been well known for his "Goodbye, home run!" and "Mercy" calls on MASN's Orioles broadcasts. But it is his quiet golf-like TV call of an Adam Jones double that has Thorne nominated for an Esurance MLB Award. Most baseball fans will remember the Orioles' 8-2 win over the White Sox on April 29 for being played in an empty Camden Yards due to security concerns following the civil unrest in Baltimore. But O's fans...

MLB Network analysts size up the Orioles

MLB Network analysts size up the Orioles
MLB Network made its annual stop at Orioles spring camp in Sarasota, Fla., and its "30 in 30" broadcast on the Birds aired last night. The O's coverage began with former Oriole Harold Reynolds live at Ed Smith Stadium talking about shortstop J.J. Hardy's injured left shoulder. He is expected to have an MRA on the shoulder today. Reynolds speculated whether Manny Machado would move over to short or whether Everth Cabrera might play there if Hardy missed time. He interviewed Hardy on the...

Is a dominant bullpen back end essential or the new "flavor of the month"?

Is a dominant bullpen back end essential or the new "flavor of the month"?
In sports, we see copycats all the time. A strategy that leads one team to a big season or championship is then copied by others in an attempt to repeat the success. The Kansas City Royals are a team that others may look to copy in 2015. If a team can build a bullpen as good, they can shorten the game to six innings. The trick is adding three relievers as good as Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland to pitch innings seven through nine. The Orioles have a good back end of the bullpen,...

MLB Network talks Orioles

MLB Network talks Orioles
I'll save the final predictions for the end of this blog, but let's just say the MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" feature last night on the Orioles was real positive. The network spent some time recently with the Orioles in Sarasota and several interviews were featured on the broadcast last night. Analysts Sean Casey, who was in Sarasota, along with Al Leiter and Bill Ripken back in the studio all took turns with positive comments and observations about the club. Here is a sampling...

MLB Network trivia challenge tests Moskowitz's "Baseball IQ" (updated)

MLB Network trivia challenge tests Moskowitz's "Baseball IQ" (updated)
Just a friendly word of warning to the next person who sidles up next to Jay Moskowitz at his friendly neighborhood tavern and tries to stump him with a trivia question, with the loser footing the night's bar tab: You run the risk of getting aced by someone whose trivia knowledge has been judged superior by none other an entity than the MLB Network. Moskowitz, who serves as the Orioles' coordinator of baseball information and is entering his sixth season with the club, was chosen as the...