Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020
The Double-A Bowie Baysox had a pitching rotation that was fun to watch last year on the O's farm. On its way to the Eastern League championship series for just the second time, Bowie put up some very strong pitching numbers. The Baysox's team ERA of 3.18 led the league and set a record. So did the club's WHIP of 1.18, which was so strong, it was the best in the Eastern League since 2001. Bowie ranked second with 16 shutouts on its way to a 76-64 record. A record that looks much better when...

Orioles remain interested in starting pitchers and infielders

Orioles remain interested in starting pitchers and infielders
The days keep melting away until pitchers and catchers report to the spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla. The Orioles have filled some of their needs, but they aren't done. While the media keeps making predictions on the rotation, the guesswork aimed at the back end of it, the club has been negotiating with representatives for starting pitchers who remain on the market. I'm hearing that the Orioles are discussing major league deals and minor league contracts that would include...

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin
A total of 18 different pitchers made starts for the Orioles on the mound in 2019. We know they'll need five to start next season and the number over 162 games will go well north of that, probably. Let's take stock of the rotation as of today. The 2019 O's produced a rotation ERA of 5.57 to rank 14th in the American League. The Los Angeles Angels were worst at 5.64. The Orioles rotation rated 10th in innings (789), ninth in opponent average (.271), 15th in homers allowed (179), 15th in OPS...

What's next for Orioles as spring training approaches?

What's next for Orioles as spring training approaches?
The important offseason dates keep falling off the baseball calendar, leaving it almost as bare as an oak tree in the winter. The Orioles have moved past the arbitration period, the upcoming hearing dates not applying to a team that reached agreements with all of its eligible players. Hall of Fame voting results will be announced Jan. 21 on MLB Network, revealing whether Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is a unanimous pick. The local angle for Orioles fans is reduced to whether Curt Schilling is...

Taking the latest look at the Orioles roster (Castro update)

Taking the latest look at the Orioles roster (Castro update)
Does the José Iglesias signing, which was announced yesterday, remove some of the uncertainty over the Orioles roster on opening day? Of course. A new shortstop was a high priority and projections with Richie Martin at the position felt like he had become an offseason placeholder. He's going to play at Camden Yards in 2020. Maybe it's in April, maybe it's later. Maybe it's in a utility role. But it's going to happen. The Orioles had to decide which shortstop to sign and how much to give...

Updating the Orioles' rotation competition

Updating the Orioles' rotation competition
The rumblings yesterday morning that the Orioles made a roster move were followed by an announcement that they signed pitcher Kohl Stewart to a major league contract and immediate thoughts about him competing for a rotation spot. Anybody with starting experience, at whichever level, is going to be thrust into the mix. Do the Orioles have their desired eight candidates heading into spring training, a number agreed upon by executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon...

Holt on his new responsibilities as director of pitching

Holt on his new responsibilities as director of pitching
A byproduct of having a new regime running the show and dictating the steps and pace of a rebuild is the creation of new jobs and titles in the organization. I reported back on Oct. 11 that the Orioles were promoting Chris Holt from the position of minor league pitching coordinator to director of pitching. The exact details of the job hadn't been laid out for public consumption. Holt came to the Orioles from the Astros organization as the replacement for John Wasdin, who was named bullpen...

Trying to set the roster in December

Trying to set the roster in December
Knowing that the Orioles have more work to do on their roster is on par with being able to recite your zip code. You won't gain the respect of your peers or earn bragging rights among friends. The rotation and middle infield are in a construction zone. The bullpen and bench aren't set. A new rule allowing teams to carry 26 players also increases the guesswork. I reached my yearly deadline for submitting a mock lineup, rotation, bullpen and bench for consideration by a national publication....

Learning and confirming more about the Orioles

Learning and confirming more about the Orioles
Three full days and parts of two others spent at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in sunny San Diego taught us a few things about the Orioles and confirmed lots more. They need pitching. In the same way that a sailboat needs a stiff breeze. This didn't qualify as breaking news at the Winter Meetings, but the possibility of sticking at least one of the Rule 5 picks in the rotation provided an interesting nugget. The Orioles rule the Rule 5 kingdom. They've made a selection every year since 2006 and...

Looking further at some quotes from the Winter Meetings

Looking further at some quotes from the Winter Meetings
Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias did a lot of talking at the recent Winter Meetings in San Diego. And not just to agents and other front office execs. He did a lot of talking to the media during the four days there. Here are a few of his quotes we read here at MASNSports.com and my take on them. Elias on the rebuilding and the trades of Dylan Bundy and Jonathan Villar: "There's going to be a couple years where we take steps back to take steps forward, where we say...

More on Diplán, the rotation and more

More on Diplán, the rotation and more
The Orioles are still adding young pitchers. They've now acquired six in the last week. It started with getting lefty Easton Lucas from Miami for Jonathan Villar. It continued when they got four right-handers from the Los Angeles Angels for Dylan Bundy. In that deal they added Isaac Mattson, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek. On Monday at the Winter Meetings they claimed right-hander Marcos Diplán on waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Diplan never pitched in a game for Detroit, either...

Winter Meetings leftovers for breakfast

Winter Meetings leftovers for breakfast
SAN DIEGO - The interviews to find a replacement for Orioles bullpen coach John Wasdin are carrying over from Baltimore to the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde involved in the process. Hyde's inclusion is important, of course, since the hire will be working on his coaching staff. He had a voice in Fredi González's recent selection as major league coach and their ties to the Marlins organization made it a...

Elias on today's activity, pitching, Givens, Rutschman and more

Elias on today's activity, pitching, Givens, Rutschman and more
SAN DIEGO - Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias isn't the lone wolf of the Winter Meetings in 2019. He has a manager. He has a broader staff that can be deployed throughout the Manchester Grand Hyatt and on the minor league property. He can conduct business in a manner more befitting a major league executive, at least on a club undergoing a massive teardown and rebuild. "It's definitely a lot more focused," Elias said earlier today. "It's been pretty busy. We have...

There's no mystery surrounding Orioles' biggest roster needs

There's no mystery surrounding Orioles' biggest roster needs
If we're ranking the Orioles' roster needs heading into the Winter Meetings, middle infield and starting pitching reside at the top of the list. They can be 1 and 1A. You can stack one on top of the other and not necessarily be wrong. Too close to call. The bullpen could use some tweaking and there are depth moves on the horizon, including a fourth catcher to join Pedro Severino, Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns. But executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias placed special emphasis...

Gary Kendall talks about Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer

Gary Kendall talks about Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer
For this recent entry about Ryan Mountcastle and his addition to the Orioles' 40-man roster, I spent some time interviewing Triple-A Norfolk manager Gary Kendall. I talked with Kendall talking about two pitchers. We discussed left-hander Keegan Akin and right-hander Dean Kremer, who were both also recently added to the 40-man roster. Outfielder Ryan McKenna joined that trio and now none of the four can be taken in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Throwing a fastball, slider and changeup, Akin went...

Mountcastle's next goal is to make opening day roster

Mountcastle's next goal is to make opening day roster
Making the 40-man roster was the easy part for Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles' fourth-ranked prospect per MLB.com and the No. 2 position player behind catcher Adley Rutschman, who leads the pack after being the first-overall pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft. Mountcastle faces a much stiffer challenge trying to make the club out of spring training. This is where he loses slam-dunk status. The Orioles protected Mountcastle before the Rule 5 draft. They might continue to protect him by...

Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer should get rotation shots in 2020

Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer should get rotation shots in 2020
Both pitchers made it to Triple-A last season. Both were added to the 40-man roster this week. As the Orioles begin to find out which young pitchers on the farm can help them moving forward, left-hander Keegan Akin and right-hander Dean Kremer may be among the first to get shots. Being added to the 40-man means both pitchers will be in spring training next season, arriving with pitchers and catchers, who report no later than Feb. 11 with the spring opener 11 days later. Under general manager...

Four to the 40-man: Hearing from the O's added to the roster

Four to the 40-man: Hearing from the O's added to the roster
For several Orioles prospects, it has been a big week filled with both anticipation and maybe a few nerves. Yesterday was the deadline for clubs to add players to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Lefty Keegan Akin admitted some of that was going on for him. "It's in the back of your head," he said. "Honestly, I didn't know the date until my uncle texted me a screen shot off his phone that showed the Nov. 20 deadline for Rule 5. Up until that point I didn't know...

More on the Orioles' 40-man roster

More on the Orioles' 40-man roster
Selecting the contracts of four players yesterday is only the latest work done by the Orioles on their 40-man roster. It was a big step, of course, because they had to decide which ones to protect prior to the Dec. 12 Rule 5 draft in San Diego that concludes the Winter Meetings and enables sportswriters to set land speed records with their filed stories before grabbing flights home. (I'm not missing my 1:35 p.m. flight, even if I have to brush airline pretzel crumbs off the keyboard.) The...

Gary Kendall on Ryan Mountcastle's "special year"

Gary Kendall on Ryan Mountcastle's "special year"
Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle's path toward the majors took another significant step forward yesterday. He joined pitchers Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer and outfielder Ryan McKenna as additions to the Orioles' 40-man roster Wednesday. The Orioles now have 39 players on that roster. Mountcastle was an easy addition after a season when he was named both International League Most Valuable Player and the Orioles' Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year. The 36th overall pick in the...