The Orioles may have wrapped up the 2020 regular season and ended activities at the Bowie alternate site, where some young players got critical development time this summer. But today they are starting their fall instructional league. It's an opportunity for more young and developing players to get individual and team work in at the organization's Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. "Our instructional league camp allows us to further develop and evaluate young players in our system,"...

One factor manager Davey Martinez pointed toward that the Nationals must get better at in 2021 is their defense. The Nats scuffled to a 26-34 record and fourth place in the National League East in 2020. Martinez believes one reason for their struggles was a lack consistent quality defense the club demonstrated during their championship season. As an example, the outfield defensive analytical numbers were down from 2019. Last season, center fielder Victor Robles led the league in Outs Above...

Let's start with an obvious point: Of all four Division Series, the most compelling matchup is the National League battle between the Dodgers and Padres. Storylines overflow: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Wil Myers versus Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw and Cody Bellinger. And the series has drama for the Dodgers, who have won eight consecutive NL West titles without a World Series win. The Dodgers haven't won the World Series since 1988 and have lost two of the last three, one to the...

Baseball teams are measured with an endless numbers, from traditional statistics to a new-age analytics such as Wins Above Replacement. The Miami Marlins have another set of numbers unique to the season of the pandemic: As the season started, they had 18 players test positive for the coronavirus and were quarantined for a week in Philadelphia. They used 61 players for 60 games, including pitchers manager Don Mattingly met for the first time as he brought them into a game. Olympic speed skater...

The Houston Astros, with a 29-31 record under former Nationals manager Dusty Baker, could be the first team in baseball history to make the World Series with a losing record thanks to a pandemic-shortened 60-game season. But this is more important to the Astros: The team is trying to erase the cheating image they have after banging on garbage cans to steal signs and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the 2017 World Series. The Astros' general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager, A.J. Hinch,...

The Tampa Bay Rays, who last won the American League East in 2010, beat the New York Yankees in eight of 10 games during the regular season. Can they do it again and get a chance to win their first AL pennant since losing to the Phillies in the 2008 World Series? The best-of-five Yankees-Rays AL Division Series will be played with no days off starting today in San Diego's Petco Park, one of the bubbles established by Major League Baseball for the postseason. The Rays and Yankees have tension,...

Our offseason player review series begins today with Juan Soto, who produced historic offensive numbers despite playing in only 47 of the Nationals' 60 games. PLAYER REVIEW: JUAN SOTO Age on opening day 2021: 22 How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2015 MLB service time: 2 year, 134 days 2020 salary: $629,400 (prorated $233,111) Contract status: Possibly Super Two arbitration-eligible in 2021, free agent in 2025 2020 stats: 47 G, 196 PA, 154 AB, 39 R, 54 H, 14 2B, 0 3B, 13...

When Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander slumped late in the 2019 season, he hurt his final numbers. They looked good at the time, but not great. This year, there was no late-season slump, although there was an injury. But while his batting average stayed the same in 2020, most of the other numbers were significantly better. Santander did enough in 37 games of a 60-game season to win the Most Valuable Oriole award. When he played, he was among the American League stat leaders in several...

On May 2, 2019, the Nationals elected to fire pitching coach Derek Lilliquist and replace him with Paul Menhart, who had been with the organization since 2006. Menhart guided the Nats through rough waters in May last year, then helped the Nats bullpen turn the season around. At 12 games below the .500 mark on May 24, the Nats would ultimately earn a National League wild card spot and finish the miraculous comeback season with a world championship. But nearly 12 months later, the Nats have...

After a season where injuries wrecked the starting rotation and ineffectiveness hampered the bullpen, the Nationals have cut ties with pitching coach Paul Menhart following 15 years in the organization. Menhart, 51, said he received a telephone call from manager Davey Martinez this evening with the news that his contract, which was up on Oct. 31, would not be renewed. "I'm not sure how to take all of this," Menhart said in a text message to MASNsports.com. "It's quite a shock." Menhart...