His prospect status took a hit, but a door is still ajar for Yusniel Diaz

His prospect status took a hit, but a door is still ajar for Yusniel Diaz
It was a year when Orioles minor league outfielder Yusniel Diaz dealt with some injuries and saw his prospect rankings take a hit. But he ended the year hitting well and there is optimism that the key player acquired in the July 2018 Manny Machado deal could still become a key future player for the Orioles. The 23-year-old Cuban-born Diaz was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers for $15.5 million in November 2015. A penalty doubled that and the Dodgers' expenditure was $31 million for Diaz. He...

Notes on Santander, Means, Villar and more

Notes on Santander, Means, Villar and more
DETROIT - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde thought about sitting Anthony Santander today while the young outfielder was mired in a lengthy slump. Santander altered those plans yesterday with a two-run single that snapped an 0-for-27 streak. "He wanted to be in there today," Hyde said this afternoon. "I know how much that hit meant to him in his last at-bat. I told him, 'Listen, I wasn't planning on playing you tomorrow if things didn't go real well today.' And he said, 'No, no, no, papi, I...

The manager who had his eyes on Anthony Santander in 2016

The manager who had his eyes on Anthony Santander in 2016
During the 2016 season, a young outfielder for the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League had a huge season. Over 128 games he hit .290/.368/.494 with 42 doubles, 20 homers, 90 runs and 95 RBIs. He led the league in doubles and extra-base hits and was third in homers and RBIs. He was really good in games against the Orioles' Single-A Frederick Keys team and the manager in the Frederick dugout took note. So after the season when it was getting close to the time for the Rule 5 draft,...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde must get creative again with his rotation, with today's off-day perhaps making the task a little easier. And an expanded roster could come into play. Asher Wojciechowski is expected to be pushed back before his next start due to fatigue. Wojciechowski was charged with four runs yesterday in only two innings and has posted a 7.05 ERA in his last eight starts. "I just thought today he was really battling himself and thinking I'd give him a little bit of a...

Choosing this year's spring training dark horse candidate

Choosing this year's spring training dark horse candidate
We're down to six days before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, though it's expected that the place will be filled with early arrivals. Not a lot of feet drag into Sarasota. The time has come to offer my dark horse candidate to make the team. The challenge, of course, is doing it with so much uncertainty surrounding the roster. I could pick a left-handed hitting corner outfielder and he might be ousted by a future signing or...

Coolbaugh on homer reliance, Cortes on rotation shot (updated)

Coolbaugh on homer reliance, Cortes on rotation shot (updated)
In three of the last six seasons, the Orioles have led the major leagues in home runs. They topped every club by hitting 212 in 2013, 211 in 2014 and 253 in 2016. The 2017 Orioles hit 232 home runs, but that ranked only fifth both in the American League and the major leagues behind the Yankees (241), Astros (238), Rangers (237) and Athletics (234). The Orioles had seven players hit 20 or more homers last season for just the second time in club history. The 1996 team also had seven. Tim Beckham...

Prospect profile: Ademar Rifaela had breakout '17 (plus other notes)

Prospect profile: Ademar Rifaela had breakout '17 (plus other notes)
When you talk about outfield prospects on the Orioles farm, he can get overlooked among players like Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart. But Ademar Rifaela had a breakout 2017 season. Producing much better stats than he had earlier in his career, the 23-year-old corner outfielder was named the Carolina League MVP at Single-A Frederick. Over 126 games, he hit .284/.358/.500 with an OPS of .858, which was well above the .717 he posted in 2015 or the .713 from 2016. Rifaela hit 23 doubles,...

A dramatic comeback in Frederick and a disappointing loss in Baltimore

A dramatic comeback in Frederick and a disappointing loss in Baltimore
Some baseball games have many twists and turns. For reporters trying to produce a story on the game, key elements of the game and the story keep changing. That was true of last night's Carolina League playoff series opener in Frederick between the Keys and Lynchburg. First the story was Lynchburg's starting pitcher dominating the Keys. But then Frederick changed the script, scored four runs in the seventh and finally got to Lynchburg's Aaron Civale. The Keys led 5-4. But not long after that,...

Walk-off win: Frederick stuns Lynchburg in playoff opener

Walk-off win: Frederick stuns Lynchburg in playoff opener
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Frederick Keys scored four runs in the last of the ninth to stun the Lynchburg Hillcats 10-9 tonight and take the opener of a best-of-three Carolina League playoff series. Frederick can win the series on Friday night at Lynchburg. The Keys kept coming back tonight. They were down 4-1 after six innings and 9-5 after the top of the eighth. But they pulled off this improbable win, overcame four errors and beat the team with the best record in the league. The Keys came...

Playoffs begin with Frederick looking for an upset (updated)

Playoffs begin with Frederick looking for an upset (updated)
FREDERICK, Md. - When the Carolina League playoffs begin tonight at Frederick's Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, there is a clear favorite. It's not the home team. In what has now been reduced to a best-of-three series, the Single-A Frederick Keys (68-71) host the Lynchburg Hillcats (87-52) in Game 1 of the Northern Division Championship Series. With the impending threat of Hurrican Irma, the Carolina League today announced that both semifinal series are now best-of-three, reduced from...

Hardy's return, tonight's game, Frederick's feat and good call by umps

Hardy's return, tonight's game, Frederick's feat and good call by umps
The Orioles' latest roster move should come today and involve shortstop J.J. Hardy, who's been throwing and hitting without any issues following a cortisone injection Friday in his right elbow. Hardy is expected to be activated from the disabled list. The popular response to this news from fans on Twitter goes something like this: "Why?" As in, why do the Orioles need Hardy while Tim Beckham is mashing at the plate, including a leadoff home run yesterday while fans were given his...

A look at Tanner Scott's improvement at Frederick (plus O's notes)

A look at Tanner Scott's improvement at Frederick (plus O's notes)
He was named to the All-Prospect Team last December by the Arizona Fall League, but left-hander Tanner Scott's Carolina League debut did not go smoothly. Pitching for Single-A Frederick, the 21-year-old southpaw with the fastball that can touch 100 mph had an ERA of 12.19 with 15 walks in 10 1/3 innings in April. On April 27, he gave up seven runs in just 2/3 of an inning. But the Orioles' No. 11 prospect according to Baseball America has been almost unhittable since the calendar flipped to...

Frederick media day: New Keys skipper talks Scott and Reyes

Frederick media day: New Keys skipper talks Scott and Reyes
FREDERICK - Looking for their first playoff berth since winning the Carolina League championship in 2011, the Single-A Frederick Keys start a new season on Thursday night. The Keys play at Myrtle Beach to begin a season-opening seven-game road trip. The home opener is April 14 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. Frederick's new manager is Keith Bodie, who was hitting coach last season for the 2015 Eastern League champion Double-A Bowie Baysox. Bodie is a veteran manager of 18 minor league...

Minor league notes on Bobby Bundy and farm system managers

Minor league notes on Bobby Bundy and farm system managers
Three years before the Orioles drafted pitcher Dylan Bundy, they selected his older brother Bobby in the eighth round of the 2008 draft. The right-hander was signed to a $600,000 bonus. Like Dylan, Bobby has battled injuries in his career. He was throwing well early last season for Double-A Bowie - touching 93 and 94 mph - when he suffered a season-ending right knee injury. He was injured while fielding a ball on May 5 against Akron. He had ACL surgery on that same knee in high school. But the...

Orioles announce minor league managers and staffs for 2016

Orioles announce minor league managers and staffs for 2016
The Orioles have named their minor league managers and coaching staffs for the 2016 season. Ron Johnson returns for his fifth season as manager at Triple-A Norfolk after guiding the Tides to the International League South Division title and earning Manager of the Year honors in 2015. The 2016 season will be Johnson's 23rd as a minor league manager. He has compiled 1,555 career victories (1,555-1,544 overall) and became the winningest manager in Tides franchise history last season, going...

Do the Orioles need to keep the 14th pick?

Do the Orioles need to keep the 14th pick?
I can't make it through another day if I have to read or hear the latest non-update update on Chris Davis. Same holds if I write it. I've reached my quota. The Orioles offered $150 million over seven years if you factor in deferred money. Agent Scott Boras is seeking a better deal. No team has stepped up with a more lucrative proposal, as far as we know. The Orioles aren't going to bid against themselves, and they believe $150 million is quite generous. Please stop me if you've heard it....

This, that and the other (updated)

This, that and the other (updated)
The Orioles haven't named a replacement for Ned Rice, formerly their director of major league administration who accepted a job as assistant general manager in Philadelphia. It appears that they will stay inside the organization, though nothing is final. Rice's loss is a big one for the front office. What are the chances that free agent outfielder/first baseman Steve Pearce follows Rice to Philadelphia? The Orioles could reach out to Pearce later in the month, since he's a favorite of...

Bowie hitting coach talks about some minor league batters

Bowie hitting coach talks about some minor league batters
About a week ago, I wrote about Double-A Bowie hitting coach Keith Bodie and how he fit in very well in his first season in the Orioles organization in 2015. Bodie has had a long and strong career in pro ball. During my visit with Bodie, we talked about a few Bowie hitters during the Eastern League playoffs. To no surprise, Bodie is pretty high on first baseman Trey Mancini. "I've been around a lot of good and special players and what he has done this year is very special," Bodie said. "He...

Bodie at Bowie: New to O's in 2015, Bodie did solid job with Baysox (plus qualifying offer notes)

Bodie at Bowie: New to O's in 2015, Bodie did solid job with Baysox (plus qualifying offer notes)
There were many reasons the Double-A Bowie Baysox won their first Eastern League championship this season. The great leadership of manager Gary Kendall and his coaching staff and the strong performances of so many players were pretty important. But there was one man who was there for all of it and did some solid work out of the media spotlight. But as I talked to Bowie hitters, his name came up often. They were happy to thank hitting coach Keith Bodie for his help during the season. This...

Showalter on the rotation, Hardy and Bowie's title

Showalter on the rotation, Hardy and Bowie's title
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles continue to list Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman as the first two starters for the D.C. series, and TBD on Wednesday. Tyler Wilson's turn falls on Wednesday after he allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Rays in the second game of the series. "Wally (Dave Wallace) wants to wait on a couple of things," said manager Buck Showalter. "I think we'll be able to announce that after today. He wants to see a work day, a couple of other things. With the...