We should be getting ready for the Nationals' home opener against the Mets today. We should be preparing to hoist a championship banner on South Capitol Street. We should be choosing our most favorite t-shirt, jackets and caps from the World Series run, and high-fiving random fans we run into on the Metro, in line at the ballpark or in the stands who are our baseball twins. While the coronavirus might have robbed us of that for the time being, it can't erase the memories of a great postseason...

They packed themselves into Nationals Park, nearly 44,000 strong, for a party 86 years in the making. They came to watch a major league team from Washington win a pennant for the first time since 1933. And when the home ballclub stormed out to a 7-0 lead after one inning, all that was left for everyone to do was count down the outs until it was official. Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was not a simple, by-the-book, three-hour party, though. It wound up including a couple of...

If the 2020 First-Year Player Draft is going to consist of just five rounds, the Orioles would make six draft picks this summer, sometime in June or July. The draft date is to be announced later. It was originally going to be a draft of 40 rounds from June 10-12. Since we also know that Major League Baseball is going to freeze the bonuses from the 2019 amounts, we know what the slot values will be for the Orioles for 2020. Here are their selections and the bonus amount from that spot from last...

The regular season for the Orioles should be four games old. A home series against the Yankees completed and the middle game pending in a home series against the Red Sox. The first trip to St. Louis since 2003 was supposed to happen over the weekend, followed by a four-game series in the Bronx. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic has left us wondering if there will be a 2020 season and whether the Orioles will return to Sarasota for a second version of spring training. The Ed Smith Stadium...

With nearly 39 million students currently learning at home in the United States and Canada, the Orioles today announced the early return of the Summer Slugger program and the launch of the Digital Kids' Corner. These tools aim to keep students mentally active and engaged while at home by providing stimulation, education, and entertainment to young baseball fans. The Summer Slugger program is part of Major League Baseball's partnership with EVERFI, the leading education technology platform and...

The few Nationals players and staffers who remain in West Palm Beach, Fla., are no longer allowed to use the club's spring training complex. FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches has become a testing site for the coronavirus, according to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, which has forced the 13 players and handful of staffers who had been utilizing the facility to stay in their respective homes and proceed with individual workouts and training on their own. A clause in the working contract...

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Carter Kieboom is like any other player sidelined by the baseball shutdown, but acknowledged the third baseman is getting extra infield and hitting instruction during the downtime brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The replacement for All-Star Anthony Rendon at third base was the biggest spring training story as players descended on South Florida in mid-February. The 22-year-old top Nationals prospect slashed .233/.395/.300 in 14 exhibition...

Over the next few weeks, let's take a look at some aspects of the Orioles and how they were shaping up at the time that spring training was halted. Today, a look at the infield. Earlier, I made my projection for the five-man rotation in this entry. While we may see rosters larger than 26 players when baseball does start this year, we are going with a roster of 26 for this exercise. Under that roster size, I'm going with seven infielders, one of which can also play in the outfield, where later...

Postseason games at Nationals Park, generally speaking, have not been celebratory events. They're usually loaded with tension, usually involve contests that go right down to the ninth inning (or more), and usually see the home team desperate to win and keep its season alive. That was the typical scene for the first 14 postseason games played on South Capitol Street, beginning with Game 3 of the 2012 National League Division Series and running straight through Game 4 of the 2019 NLDS. The...

The competitions for roster spots with the Orioles remain on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. Players are working out at home, a few of them posting clever videos on social media. Small children and pets are coming in handy as alternatives to gym weights. Ever done squats with a German Shepherd draped over your shoulders? These are the dog days of spring. One of the likely adjustments to baseball's season, if it happens in 2020, is inflating the active roster from 26 to 29 players for the...