MLB Network has been airing its annual "Top 10 Right Now!" series over the last several weeks. If you haven't watched it before, the network attempts to rate the 10 best players at each position at this moment, using a complex computer algorithm affectionately referred to as "The Shredder" to come up with the final rankings. This, of course, means nothing and shouldn't be taken seriously. But it does lead to some fun debates, and the Nationals definitely fall into that category. So far,...

Today, on Super Bowl Sunday, let's talk some baseball. Seems appropriate even on such a big day for football as Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., a week from Tuesday. Today we're looking back at a few stories published here in recent weeks. Feel free to post some comments on those stories and/or present any other O's comments and questions. The crack of the bat will soon be heard under the Florida sun. In this story, published Jan. 1, we began the new year looking ahead...

Phil Rizzo, a Hall of Fame scout who spent the last 11 years serving as senior advisor to his son, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, died Friday night. He was 90. Over a scouting career that spanned more than five decades, Phil Rizzo worked for nine different franchises and was credited with signing future big leaguers including Brandon Webb, Mike Matheny, Bob Wickman, Mark Loretta, Bob Kipper and Dick Schofield (Jayson Werth's uncle). In 2008, Phil Rizzo was named one of eight members of...

As the clock ticks down to the start of spring training, so does the scramble for the remaining unsigned free agents out there to find jobs. One member of the Nationals' World Series-winning roster found a job Friday: Matt Adams, who agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets. Adams, the left-handed half of the Nats' first base platoon for most of the last two seasons, will get an invitation to big league camp in Port St. Lucie and have a chance to make the Mets' opening day roster. But...

When the Orioles and their fans dream on a better future for the team - one that includes that elite pipeline - they surely dream of having some young pitchers come to the majors and hit it big. Any pitcher who contributes is important - starter or bullpen - but all teams covet young pitching that can become top-of-the-rotation starters. If you can produce a true No. 1 starter you've hit the jackpot. No doubt fans are hopeful that young pitchers such as 21-year-old left-hander DL Hall and...

Counting down the Nationals' top 10 prospects in 2020, according to the latest Baseball America list, we begin at No. 10 with southpaw Seth Romero, the club's first-round selection in 2017. Romero worked his way back from Tommy John surgery last season and is expected to make his first appearance in minor league play since 2018. I caught up with him in last year's spring training to see how well his rehabilitation from the injury was going. 10. LHP Seth Romero The 23-year-old Houston native...

The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...

The Orioles tossed another name into their bullpen competition today, at the expense of a super-utility player whose popularity soared last season. Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment to make room for Travis Lakins, a 25-year-old right-hander claimed off waivers from the Cubs. The team made the announcement this afternoon. Wilkerson, 28, also was designated for assignment last winter, but had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on April 22 and appeared in 117 games. He...

This week's "Orioles Classics" on MASN read like a history lesson. So come to order, class (what, you thought Roch Kubatko had the market cornered on baseball school?). We'll start with a pair of games from the 1970 World Series, move into the Ripken portion of the curriculum, watch Eddie Murray reach a home run milestone, check in on the Orioles swansong for a couple of key contributors from a more recent vintage of the orange and black, and finish with some more from the Iron Man. Oh, and...

February's here! Yeah, it's technically still winter, but for baseball fans, Feburary means the start of spring training. As the Nationals start heading south to the West Palm Beach home they share with their World Series opponents, fans are starting to peek at the schedule for the practice games that will take place all over Florida. Some of them are even making their own travel plans so that they can catch spring training contests in person. But if you can't make your way to the Sunshine...