Long on Davis: "He was much more aggressive"
Long on Davis: "He was much more aggressive"
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
One of my more interesting and enlightening conversations in spring training, before the door slammed shut and everyone headed home, came on Feb. 24 with first baseman Chris Davis as we sat in the media workroom following his final round of batting practice. The Orioles were on the road and I stayed back in camp, waiting for Davis to leave the field and wondering if he'd remember that he agreed to an interview. Seizing a chance to get out of the sun, Davis asked whether we could talk at the...
Read makes defensive adjustment behind plate to help pitcher
Read makes defensive adjustment behind plate to help pitcher
Byron Kerr
Nationals
The Nationals have a plethora of quality catchers in their system and have made a point to stockpile the position. One of their catchers with a ton of experience is Raudy Read, who played 14 games with the Nationals between 2017 and 2019. The Nats signed the 26-year-old in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. Even a catcher who has logged 632 minor league games - from the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League to Triple-A Syracuse and Fresno - looks to improve and refine his game each season....
Remembering No. 500 for Eddie Murray (plus draft news)
Remembering No. 500 for Eddie Murray (plus draft news)
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Like Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray is an Orioles legend who did not play his entire career in Baltimore. But he sure made a massive impact on the organization. His No. 33 is a retired number and there is a large bronze sculpture of Murray in Orioles Legends Park beyond the left center field wall. The O's Twitter account ran a post that featured a fun look back at Murray's 500th homer, which he hit on Sept. 6, 1996. It happened one year to the day after Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record...
More players with forgettable ties to the Orioles
More players with forgettable ties to the Orioles
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
My article last week on players who easily could be forgotten for their brief stints in Baltimore, or who attained legendary status elsewhere, sparked a fun discussion in the comments section of the blog. My biggest omission had to be Reggie Jackson, forever linked to the Yankees and Athletics and only a footnote in Orioles history. They traded for him prior to the 1976 season, he reported late and then blasted the city as being so boring, there was nothing to do at night except watch the...
Long staying connected to his hitters during shutdown
Long staying connected to his hitters during shutdown
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Don Long took his seat on one of the buses parked at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on March 12, assuming that he wouldn't rise again until arriving in Fort Myers for a night game against the Twins. The trip lasted about as long as it takes to fill out a lineup card. The bus made four left turns and was back in camp. The Orioles were on the verge of a sports-wide shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We left and literally got around the corner and somebody got a call and they turned us...
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Are we inching closer to a decision about the 2020 Major League Baseball season? Is the start of the season in South Korea encouraging or discouraging for our chances of a season here? And how in the world did Matt Williams become the highest-paid manager in Korea Baseball Organization history? You've got questions. We've (hopefully) got answers. If you've got something you want to ask - about potential scenarios for this season, about funny stories from past seasons, about which Nationals...
Trying to get reps for the minor league players
Trying to get reps for the minor league players
Steve Melewski
Orioles
The question has been asked a few times: What happens to Orioles prospects if there is no minor league season? Will they get in games and get some needed reps on the mound and at-bats? Well, if it is deemed safe, almost certainly the answer is yes. No doubt, the Orioles will find a way for their minor leaguers to get those reps if they get cleared to take the field at some point this summer or fall. I would feel really badly for all the minor league teams and their fans if there is no minor...
FredNats manager Keister excited and hopeful for 2020 season
FredNats manager Keister excited and hopeful for 2020 season
Byron Kerr
Nationals
I got the chance to catch up with high Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals manager Tripp Keister recently and he broke down thoughts on the coronavirus shutdown, their new stadium opening and his potential roster for 2020. This will be Keister's ninth season coaching in the Nationals organization, and he desperately wants to get back to baseball and get a chance to see their brand-new stadium open in Fredericksburg, which was supposed to take place April 23. Unfortunately, the coronavirus...
A son's appreciation of the sports talk that has been silenced
A son's appreciation of the sports talk that has been silenced
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
My father would have turned 80 today, but Stage 4 esophageal cancer took him away from his family and friends in January 2019, leaving us heartbroken that he's gone but also relieved that he didn't suffer. The sentence is harder to type than I imagined. I had to pause in the middle of it. We wouldn't have been able to talk baseball this year, at least in the traditional sense. Every conversation over the phone included a mention of the Orioles. Same with every visit, which on a few occasions...
As KBO season begins, Thames optimistic for MLB's chances
As KBO season begins, Thames optimistic for MLB's chances
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Eric Thames, like so many other baseball players, media members and fans, turned on his television late Monday night to watch a real, live ballgame between two professional teams. And like so many others who tuned in, Thames was mortified by the sight of a tarp covering the infield at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. "Initially I was angry, because it was a rain delay!" the Nationals slugger said with a laugh. "I turned it on and was like, some baseball finally ... and I turn it on and it's a rain...