Wednesday morning Nats Questions and Answers
Wednesday morning Nats Questions and Answers
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
We've been doing most of our Q&As on Fridays this offseason, but with the holiday weekend coming up, it seems to make some sense bumping it up to Wednesday this week. (Hey, if nothing else, maybe this will help you take your mind off the Washington Football Team's back-to-back losses, the Capitals' COVID-19 postponements and the Wizards' return to being the Wizards.) It's been an awfully quiet December for the Nationals, not that we expected anything else once the lockout began at the...
A look at where rebuilding led one organization
A look at where rebuilding led one organization
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Sometimes in this space, we take a look at the Orioles at a micro level, checking on the present and future for a player like Tyler Wells, as we did here on Monday. Sometimes we take a bigger-picture view, discussing how the rebuild is going, as we did here yesterday. The 30,000-foot view can often be more fun to discuss - and more complicated, too. Yesterday's blog produced many interesting comments. Some predictable, some not. As always, some see what the Orioles are doing - the rebuilding -...
Rough road trying to guess Orioles roster in December
Rough road trying to guess Orioles roster in December
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Among my yearly winter endeavors, and I'm not referencing the non-baseball stuff like ingesting too much pre-workout powder and listening to my heart perform the drum solo in "Moby Dick," is offering Orioles roster suggestions to a national publication. In December. Accuracy is optional. An extremely difficult task is much more challenging in 2021 with baseball's lockout, which denies teams permission to tamper with their 40-man rosters. Holes in lineups, rotations, bullpens and benches...
More trends to track in Orioles spring training
More trends to track in Orioles spring training
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
I took an early look over the weekend at some possible spring training storylines. The rotation setup behind John Means and Jordan Lyles, catcher Adley Rutschman's chances of breaking camp with the team, second baseman Rougned Odor's chances of avoiding the Yolmer Sánchez treatment,and the composition of the infield's left side. Just scratching the surface, of course, and I've been itching to share more ideas. Let's get to it, with four more to consider. How does Yusniel Diaz look in...
After rocky 2021, Rutledge needs smooth 2022 on the mound
After rocky 2021, Rutledge needs smooth 2022 on the mound
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
We spend the majority of our time here talking about major leaguers, but with the lockout now preventing teams from making any transactions involving players on 40-man rosters, let's take an opportunity to delve deeper into some of the Nationals' top minor leaguers. We continue this weekly series with the organization's No. 3 prospect ... RHP JACKSON RUTLEDGE Height/Weight: 6-foot-8, 245 lbs. Age on opening day 2022: 23 How acquired: First-round pick, 2019 draft, San Jacinto Junior...
Rebuilding was always going to be tough to judge along the way
Rebuilding was always going to be tough to judge along the way
Steve Melewski
Orioles
The rebuilding of a baseball team - in this case, the Orioles - can be extremely hard to judge along the way. In the end, probably years from now, it will be easier to look back and see if executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and his staff made more right moves along the way. The rebuild's success or ultimate failure will be easier to judge in a long view looking backward. Did they win enough to produce a contending team, one built to contend over many years, not just one or...
Some early assumptions on Orioles
Some early assumptions on Orioles
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Has this bizarre and stalled offseason taught us anything about the 2022 Orioles? Their direction, their mindset, their priorities, their plan? Your time is better spent reading a novel. There's more coming from a winter story that had to be bookmarked. In the meantime, here are a few observations on another slow morning: A willingness to spend on pitching We won't get a comment from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias on the negotiating process that led to Jordan Lyles' $7...
MLB can only watch as COVID-19 impacts rest of sports world
MLB can only watch as COVID-19 impacts rest of sports world
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
By sheer virtue of timing, Major League Baseball was the first major North American sport to return to play during the pandemic. July 2020 feels like a lifetime ago at this point, but it's worth remembering just how uncertain everything was as ballplayers took the field for the first time in empty stadiums. We didn't know if the strict protocols put into place were going to allow for games to be played without the spread of the virus. We didn't know if clubhouses would become petri dishes...
The pitcher that went from Rule 5 longshot to bullpen stalwart
The pitcher that went from Rule 5 longshot to bullpen stalwart
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Considering that there are often situations where teams selecting pitchers in the Rule 5 draft try to spend all season hiding such a player and using him sparingly, right-hander Tyler Wells worked out much better than that for the 2021 Orioles. In looking back at the Rule 5 from Dec. 10, 2020, there were 18 players selected in the major league phase. With the 5th pick, the Orioles took right-hander Mac Sceroler from the Cincinnati Reds, and with the 17th pick, they selected Wells from the...
A few questions for O's fans
A few questions for O's fans
Steve Melewski
Orioles
It's been a while so it's about time for me to ask my readers once again about their opinions. Time for our latest edition of "A Few Questions for O's fans." With a lockout ongoing the news has come more slowly, but there have still been some things happening, such as the announcement this week of the 2022 big league coaching staff. So on to today's questions. * Trey Mancini, after missing the entire 2020 season, returned last year to produce a stat line of .255/.326/.432 and played in...