The Orioles knew that the Triple-A season could be pushed back at least a month, along with the other affiliates in baseball. The ESPN.com report Wednesday night didn't really blindside anyone in the organization. Only the timing enabled it to sneak up on some people. They were told that it could be announced by mid-March, but the news came a little bit earlier than that. How the Orioles deal with the latest changes due to COVID-19 and the need for more vaccinations is a work in progress....

The Orioles first had discussions with outfielder Cedric Mullins about giving up switch-hitting when Buck Showalter was their manager. Mullins said he first discussed the prospect of batting only left-handed several years ago. "He said basically straight up if I wasn't able to figure out my right side, that I'd go left on left," said Mullins. "I was in agreement with him. I felt like he was going to make the best choice for my career and that I was going to work my butt off to do what I...

The Nationals have been very clear about how they will utilize their top pitching prospects. Guys like Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli project to be front-line starters, and general manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that's the path the organization has set them on. But the futures of some mid-level prospects aren't as certain. Guys like Seth Romero and Ben Braymer have pitched both as starters and relievers throughout their careers, dating back to their time in college and continuing through...

For the first time this spring, manager Davey Martinez wrote out a lineup card featuring his six best players in the order he appears to prefer. And for the first time, the Nationals' two biggest offensive additions of the winter showed off the power that could make this such a potent and deep lineup. That Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber's home runs were each solo shots prevented the Nats from keeping pace with a Marlins lineup that clubbed out six early runs before hanging on for an 8-5 victory...

The Orioles are flashing their outfield depth in spring training. Reports of its impressive nature weren't exaggerated. Same with the level of intensity in the competition. Austin Hays, trying to win the center field job, had a single, two-run homer and stolen base today in an 8-1, seven-inning victory over the Braves in North Port, Fla. DJ Stewart is at his best, he insists, when he's spraying line drives and concentrating on base hits instead of home runs. The power just seems to come...

Orioles lefty Wade LeBlanc today became the first Baltimore starter in four games to put up a zero in the opening inning. Then he followed with another in the last of the second today at North Port, Fla., as the Orioles faced the Atlanta Braves. LeBlanc got Ronald Acuña Jr. to pop out, Ozzie Albies on a grounder and Marcell Ozuna to pop to second in his 1-2-3 first. O's starters had allowed five runs in three first innings before today. In those games, in which the Orioles lost two and tied...

When the new international signing period begins, likely in January, the Nationals are expected to make a big splash to sign one of the top outfielders in the class. Baseball America reports the Nationals are expected to use most of their pool money on Cuban outfielder Cristian Vaquero, a 16-year-old left-handed hitter. "Vaquero is a dynamic center fielder with plus speed, a strong arm and good defensive instincts for his age," Baseball America wrote, listing Vaquero as the player who will...

The Washington Nationals are proud to announce the Read Like A Champion Summer Reading program. For the last seven years, the Washington Nationals have partnered with area libraries to address the "summer slide" - the loss of learning that children and teens experience when they do not read during summer vacation - and to bring the joys of reading to as many homes as possible. Since the program first began, almost 100,000 participants have logged over 300,000 hours of reading and the program...

Tyler Nevin finished a round of batting practice last month in Orioles camp and caught the eye of executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, who offered a hint at how the organization viewed him in the field. "I got here and I was hitting and Elias was behind the cage watching," Nevin recounted this morning in his Zoom conference call. "I got out and rolled around the cage and he goes, 'Hey, did you bring all your gloves?' I said, 'Yep,' and he goes, 'OK, you're going to need...

The Orioles today announced their minor league coaching staffs for the 2021 season at their four full-season affiliates, plus for two teams in the former Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and two in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. Gary Kendall will begin his third year as manager at Triple-A Norfolk and it's his 22nd season in the Baltimore organization. He led Double-A Bowie to the 2015 Eastern League championship. Kennie Steenstra is Tides pitching coach, beginning his 17th year with...