Steve Melewski Archive
The Orioles clearly have their catcher of the present and future now solidly in place in Matt Wieters. But one key question concerning Wieters for the 2010 season is this one - how heavy of a load can he carry in terms of games played? If Wieters gets one day ... Read More
Earlier this month the Orioles signed Joel Guzman, a former Dodgers number one prospect, to a minor league contract. The 25-year-old Guzman, who was a minor league free agent, did not get an invite to Major League spring training. The 6'5", 245-pound, right-handed hitter batted .281-12-57 in 108 games at ... Read More
As the Orioles continue to upgrade their international scouting, the organization is now trying to become more of a player in a nation that has produced many Major Leaguers through the years - Venezuela. O's Director of Player Development David Stockstill has just returned to Baltimore from a four-nation, 17-day ... Read More
Earlier this week in this space, I presented a story on O's minor leaguer Billy Rowell. Rowell talked about his recent swing change and attempt to get his bat going this season after two poor years at the plate at Frederick. Here are some more quotes from the 21-year-old on ... Read More
There are those who call the Orioles "cheap" because they didn't spend on a big name free agent this year. Others say this wasn't a top free agent class and the time wasn't right for the O's to make a move like that. Some look at the Orioles' payroll and ... Read More
After struggling for two straight seasons with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League, O's minor leaguer Billy Rowell is making a change. He made some adjustments with his swing during instructional league workouts in September and October. "I went back to my old swing from high school. You have ... Read More
Like his idol, Nolan Ryan, new O's closer Mike Gonzalez is a strikeout pitcher. Last year, with Atlanta, Gonzalez fanned 90 in 74 1/3 innings. In his career he averages 10.6 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched. The great Ryan averaged 9.5 per nine. With some young starting pitchers on ... Read More
The one pitcher in the O's projected starting rotation for this year whose position seems a bit shaky heading to camp is Chris Tillman. Some feel he needs more minor league experience and have concerns that he seemed to struggle last year after some initial Major League success. After going ... Read More
When fans and media talk about some young Orioles players and how they can improve in the future they seem to mention players like Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters and Brian Matusz. It almost feels like Adam Jones is a veteran after two years and 251 O's games. But at 24, ... Read More
It has been an oft-debated topic this winter. Do the Orioles need a big home run bat in the middle of the lineup? There are varying opinions on that one. A - The O's just don't have a true four-hole hitter. B - The O's can't win without one. C ... Read More
O's first base prospect Brandon Snyder is smart enough to know that he is likely to begin the 2010 season in the Norfolk Tides' lineup. He'll head to spring training with the Orioles in a few weeks "out to win a job" at the Major League level, but he surely ... Read More
Vito Frabizio is a guy who left high school during his senior year, almost never pitched as a youngster and was not drafted by any Major League team. So how did this right-hander from West Islip, New York wind up on the mound, pitching well for the Bluefield Orioles last ... Read More
A talk-show caller had a question on a Baltimore radio show last night. How many games does Andy MacPhail feel the 2010 Orioles can win? You won't get a straight answer from MacPhail on that one. Almost any answer he could give would upset someone. If he took a real ... Read More
After today's press conference to re-introduce Miguel Tejada to the fans of Baltimore, the team's newest player said the Orioles were not the only team that sought his services. "Before the Orioles, there was another team that I considered and they wanted me to play shortstop. I waited, because I ... Read More
Andy MacPhail didn't mince words when asked about Luke Scott during a fan forum at FanFest. He didn't try to put a positive spin on Scott's big ups and downs as a hitter. "He is the streakiest hitter I've ever been around in my life. There was a three-month stretch ... Read More
O's pitcher Jeremy Guthrie says it's too early to predict whether he and the club will avoid an arbitration hearing. Guthrie's agent recently submitted a salary request of 3.625 million for 2010 while the O's countered at 2.3 million if it gets to an actual hearing. "It's so early in ... Read More
Now the O's have Wiggy and Miggy. Miguel Tejada once drove in 150 runs while with the Orioles - that's a single season O's record. Another year he batted .330, that is the second best batting average in team history. Yet he returns to Baltimore older, with more baggage this ... Read More
A crowd of around 12,000 was on hand for FanFest Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center. It was a great day to get autographs, talk baseball, enjoy many fan forums and for some of us to get the chance to interview several Orioles players. Here are some notes from Saturday ... Read More
Reliever Kam Mickolio who was bothered by an inflammed bicep tendon late last year, says he is now 100 percent. "I got it checked here Friday by our trainers and everything checked out 100 percent. They said they were impressed with the range of motion and strength. Everything is looking ... Read More
Andy MacPhail says yes, the O's do have an agreement in principle with Miguel Tejada, pending a physical. He just hinted at that during a fan forum here at FanFest and confirmed that part of the deal with a few reporters after his forum. MacPhail also said Tejada's physical has ... Read More
Moments ago Brian Roberts talked about the O's likely signing of Miguel Tejada. "I love Miggy, I'm excited. We're excited to have him back if that's the case. We're looking forward to what he brings to the team on and off the field. His personality in the clubhouse and the ... Read More
He was, of course, pleased that he got his contract resolved recently and is able to avoid an arbitration hearing. "My approach has always been simple. I don't need to be wined and dined that not's me. I just want what is fair. I've had people try to walk over ... Read More
I'm looking forward to today's Orioles' FanFest. It's a great day to talk baseball, meet fans and even get some new interviews and material for this blog. I believe I will be at the MASN booth for a time in the late afternoon and I will be hosting a fan ... Read More
If he isn't the happiest non-roster player that got an invitation to the Orioles' Major League spring training camp, than he's right up there. Less than two years after being drafted in round seven in 2008, catcher Caleb Joseph will rub elbows with the big boys in Sarasota starting next ... Read More
Earlier today, we posted a blog where O's skipper Dave Trembley confirmed that Nolan Reimold will be the O's starter in left field and that the club has no plans to use Reimold at first base. Here are some other comments from the O's manager. ... Read More
He's the Oriole that has probably been the most talked about by the fans this winter. Some suggest Nolan Reimold should be the DH or tried at first base this year. Some feel he should be part of a left-field platoon with Felix Pie. Some have questioned his defensive skills. ... Read More
It's been discussed for years and now there are reports that Major League baseball has convened a committee to study the possibility of implementing a worldwide draft. Right now, the First-Year Player Draft, that is held in June, covers players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico only. Players ... Read More
There are a lot of high draft picks among the players projected in the O's rotation and starting lineup in 2010. The Birds will feature eight starting pitchers or players that were drafted in the first or second rounds, nine if Michael Aubrey starts at first base. ... Read More
There are certainly a lot of upset O's fans around here lately. They feel like the club should have added another bat by now and are concerned who will play first and third base next season. But keep in mind this fact - the O's don't need to play a ... Read More
The Orioles recently announced their minor league coaches and staff for the 2010 season. Here are some comments from the man that put the staff together, the O's Director, Player Development, David Stockstill, about this year's staff. Click here to check out the staff for 2010. Of your seven U.S. ... Read More
So what makes a leader on a Major League baseball team? Do all teams need a leader and in what ways does it help to have a strong leader? In a game so filled with statistics, we can't put a number on leadership. And we can debate whether it's important ... Read More
Earlier here I presented a story and interview with O's pitcher David Hernandez. He talked about his winter workouts, his outlook for the coming season and his goal to improve his control for 2010. Here are some more quotes from that interview. ... Read More
After making 19 starts for the Orioles on the mound last year, right hander David Hernandez is quite aware that he is not assured a rotation spot in 2010. But right now he has other important issues to deal with. When I spoke with David by phone Wednesday afternoon, he ... Read More
That might be the title of a Meryl Streep movie. It could also be a phrase used when talking about Mark McGwire and his admission that he used steroids. McGwire should score some points with fans and media for admitting his mistake. He should lose some points for the fact ... Read More
I don't understand why some fans want to move Nolan Reimold to first base. I know the O's have an opening at that position. But they still might acquire someone to play there - plus they have three first basemen on the 40-man roster in Brandon Snyder, Rhyne Hughes and ... Read More
The Orioles began the offseason with 22 of their own players that qualified as minor league free agents. While the club has not officially announced any signings yet, the O's have re-signed five of those players: pitchers Josh Perrault, Ross Wolf, Chris George and Alfredo Simon and third baseman Scott ... Read More
Mike Bordick played six seasons for the Orioles and had a reputation as a smart and very solid defender at shortstop. But it's the smarts he also used with his bat that he'll use in his new role as O's minor league offensive coordinater. Bordick, a career .260 Major League ... Read More
A friendship with a member of the O's public relations department and a Little League coaching dispute have combined to lead former Twin Denny Hocking to the Orioles organization. Hocking will be a first-year pro coach when he serves this coming season as Frederick Keys' field coach. Hocking, who played ... Read More
It has been a tough few months for now former Orioles pitcher Bob McCrory. After pitching in good health most of the 2009 season between Norfolk and Baltimore, he felt some pain while pitching for the O's in September and underwent labrum surgery October 2nd at Johns Hopkins hospital. Several ... Read More
Last season David Hernandez and Jason Berken combined to start 43 games for the Orioles. But will that pair start any games for the Birds in 2010? Will they be moved to bullpen roles? It is a key question to be answered, probably not until at least deep into spring ... Read More
O's minor league hurler Brandon Erbe was recently named by Baseball America as the O's 7th-best prospect. After going 5-3, 2.34 in 14 Double-A starts in 2009, with Eastern League batters hitting just .170 vs. him, it looks like Erbe could be a future stalwart in the O's Major League ... Read More
The team that once signed B.J. Ryan to a five-year, 47-million dollar deal and then later released him, is going back to the future. The Toronto Blue Jays, who once built championship teams partially due to shrewd drafting, will now put added emphasis on the First-Year Player Draft. It seems ... Read More
The movie "the rookie" was on TV last night. It reminds us all that baseball produces great stories. It's about Jim Morris, the pitcher that made the Tampa Bay club as a 35-year-old rookie in 1999. The game of baseball can be so great. So can the people that play ... Read More
There are many factors which will determine if the O's can make a solid improvement in 2010. Chief among them is what happens on the mound. It all starts with the starting pitching. The O's rotation for 2010 projects to be, not necessarily in this order, Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, ... Read More
You were probably skeptical, as I was, when you heard a report that the Orioles had offered Matt Holliday an eight-year, $130 million deal. How could this get reported in a reputable outlet by a very experienced reporter and not be accurate? That I'm not sure, but give Andy MacPhail ... Read More
It is an area where Dave Trembley caught some criticism during last season - use of the bullpen. It may also be the most difficult thing for a manager to manage. All you have to do is keep everyone as fresh as you can, try to keep them in their ... Read More
Here's a question that could well produce a variety of opinions. Is the Orioles offense better now than it was last season? The only bat added was that of Garrett Atkins. The O's have not been able to add a proven year-to-year, big-time run producer. The O's know Atkins hit ... Read More
Last weekend in this space, I presented quotes from Andy MacPhail about Billy Rowell and the likelihood that Rowell will play at Double-A Bowie in 2010. This despite the fact that most of Rowell's stats and his performance decreased in 2009 even though it was his second year with the ... Read More
Come on, Santa. Twelve straight losing seasons is enough. I'll leave extra cookies. You know O's fans have been good all these years. Well, for the most part. They've certainly been better than those Yankee and Red Sox fans that parade into the Yard every year. Maybe Santa won't be ... Read More
There is a pitcher in the O's minor leagues who had a sparkling record, a 2.74 ERA and a 6.8 to 1.0 strikeout to walks ratio in 2009, yet he is seldom talked about and for sure went under the radar this past year. This is nothing new for right ... Read More
Today we continue our review of the 2009 Bowie Baysox season with a look at some of the Bowie pitchers and how they fared during this past season. All stats in bold are from Bowie only and all the quotes in this article are from Baysox manager Brad Komminsk. ... Read More
Since he hit .328 in 2006 between Bluefield and Aberdeen, the career of Billy Rowell has been on a downward spiral. While he's still very young, and the O's management remains solidly behind him, Rowell has put together back-to-back mediocre years at Frederick. Rowell w-Fred, 2008: .248-7-50....315 OBP.....368 slug......104 K's ... Read More
O's pitching prospect Brandon Erbe says the sprained right pinky finger that limited him to nine innings in the Arizona Fall League is no longer a problem. "It's doing well. Everything is fine. I'll start throwing here in the next week or two, just now, give it a little rest. ... Read More
Today we continue our look back at O's minor league teams from the 2009 season with a feature on Double-A Bowie of the Eastern League with comments from Baysox manager Brad Komminsk. Komminsk has been in the O's organization for two years. His 2008 team went 84-58, made the playoffs ... Read More
Should we worry that John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are a combined 24-5 in their careers vs. the Orioles? If and when the Red Sox complete the deal for Lackey, they will have the most formidable top three starters in the game. Who is the number one and ... Read More
It's not like he plans to begin a steady diet of double cheeseburgers, but O's right hander Chris Tillman, at the urging of club officials, would like to add a few pounds for the 2010 season. ... Read More
There is probably a reason you don't hear much criticism of Andy MacPhail in the Baltimore media. He hasn't done much to criticize. No, I'm not drinking any cool aid or spouting any homer comments, just an honest opinion. MacPhail's pickup of Kevin Millwood this week could turn out to ... Read More
O's pitcher Brad Bergesen is no longer worried about his left leg injury. In fact, he now pronounces himself completely healed as he gets ready for the 2010 season. "Everything is good. It finally feels 100 percent. It took awhile, about three months it turned out, until I felt this ... Read More
If it's a long shot for a Rule 5 Draft pick to stick with the Major League team that selects him, then the odds must really be against a player taken in the Minor League phase of the draft ever making it. That didn't keep the Orioles from taking RHP ... Read More
Here are some comments from MASN broadcaster Dave Johnson. This morning Dave's son Steve was selected from the O's organization by the San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings. Dave says Steve was sleeping at the time. "I didn't want to wake Steve up before ... Read More
Steve Johnson, it turns out, was playing it rather cool today during the Rule 5 Draft. So cool that he was sleeping when his name was called by the San Francisco Giants. His dad, MASN broadcaster and former Oriole Dave Johnson, was listening live to the draft and rushed upstairs ... Read More
With the third pick in the Triple-A phase of today's Rule 5 draft the O's selected RHP Jose Duran from the Houston organization. Duran is a 6'1", 205 pounder from the Dominican Republic. He is 16-19, 4.08 in his career in 101 games, 39 starts. Duran is 24 years old. ... Read More
Thursday morning Johnson was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft. The next few hours will certainly be interesting for O's minor league hurler Steve Johnson. Traded by the Dodgers to the O's in July in the George Sherrill deal, Johnson ... Read More
To find out about more about the likely soon-to-be newest Oriole Kevin Millwood, I put in a call to my friend Josh Lewin, former Baltimore radio broadcaster. Josh, one of the top broadcasting talents in the game, is the Texas Rangers' TV play-by-play broadcaster so he knows Millwood well and ... Read More
Chris Ray has now been mentioned as an Oriole that could possibly go to Texas in a deal for Kevin Millwood. But that's news to Ray himself. "I haven't heard anything. I'm not surprised I haven't heard anything. I don't think my agent would know anything about this either," Ray ... Read More
Let me understand this, or try to. The Yankees, who are looking to cut payroll some this year, acquired a player owed $23.75 million over the next three years and gave up three young players earning less than $1 million combined so far. Oh those misers in New York. I ... Read More
We don't know for sure how hot or cool the O's trade talks are for Kevin Millwood. That doesn't stop us from expressing a few opinions and facts about the right hander. One reader suggested (without any documentation I may add) that the pitcher the O's are considering sending to ... Read More
There are a mountain of stories you can read on the internet about baseball and each team in the Majors. You can be online all day and still not come close to checking it all out. But the other day, I read an article in the Boston Globe that was ... Read More
ESPN's Buster Olney recently wrote an article praising the Orioles young base of talent. Baseball America listed Josh Bell as the fifth best prospect in the Arizona Fall League. That same publication listed six Orioles among the best players in their Double-A and Triple-A leagues from 2009. A picture has ... Read More
As the baseball off season moves on, O's manager Dave Trembley never keeps that legal pad too far away. On it he makes notes about the upcoming season and writes down different possible lineups for his 2010 Orioles. Of course, Trembley is hoping there is player that will be in ... Read More
As baseball's Winter Meetings are set to begin on Monday, some fans are stoked to see what the O's first move will be. There seems to be a segment of fans who just want a move, the bigger the better, to create a little excitement around here. I can understand ... Read More
The Orioles have made their needs pretty clear for this offseason. Now the time to make acquisitions is near with the Winter Meetings starting Monday. O's skipper Dave Trembley expects the Birds to be active in Indianapolis and on into the offseason. "I think the Orioles will be aggressive. But ... Read More
Dave Trembley mentioned late last season that there was some sentiment in the O's organization and even among the coaching staff, to move Jim Johnson into the starting rotation After all, that was his role throughout his entire time in the minors. But, with spring training now less than three ... Read More
When the Orioles were consistent winners in the 60's and 70's, they did it with pitching and defense. That's not pitching and homers or pitching and a good on base percentage. That's pitching and defense. If you can standout in those two areas, you will be in a lot of ... Read More
Let's take a look at the O's minor leagues today. I present Melewski's 2009 Orioles minor league All-Star team. I didn't consider a player that made the Majors before August 31, eliminating players like Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters. I didn't consider players that played in fewer than 50 games, ... Read More
The question came up on the Wall to Wall baseball show that airs Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. on MASN. Why aren't any Major League Baseball officials concerned about the payroll and competitive disparity in the AL East where the Yankees and Red Sox are on one level and the other ... Read More
So just how important is the closer on a baseball team? The closer may be the most important player on a good team. If you've beaten a team for all or most of eight innings, there is seemingly nothing more devastating than blowing the lead in the ninth. If you've ... Read More
When looking ahead to the 2010 season, it seems the O's have four starting pitchers pretty set in their rotation with Jeremy Guthrie, Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman. That would leave the O's needing to add just one starter to the rotation. But O's president Andy MacPhail isn't ... Read More
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today, I am very thankful I have such great family and friends. Also thankful that I get to cover my hometown team, the team I grew up rooting for in the Orioles. Also, thankful so many of you have found this blog, read it often and even ... Read More
A recent Baltimore Sun article projected the Orioles' current payroll for 2010 at about 45 million dollars. That is looking at players already signed for next season and projecting arbitration-eligible players and other contract renewals. In an interview on Tuesday, O's president Andy MacPhail would not confirm the O's current ... Read More
Even though the Orioles have solid prospects at first and third base in Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder, the club is still in the market to add players at those positions. In an interview today, O's president Andy MacPhail said it's unlikely that either young player would start with the ... Read More
Now that the time for free agency has arrived, I'm asking a few questions today and providing an opinion or two about them along the way. Feel free to add your own comments. What is the O's biggest need? A starting pitcher. I don't expect them to get John Lackey, ... Read More
Some of the best pitchers in baseball get outs without throwing the ball as fast as they can. They have found that by giving up a few miles per hour on the radar gun, they get better fastball command and movement. That can lead to better control, faster outs and ... Read More
Today we wrap up our two-part series taking a look at the Orioles' picks in the first ten rounds of last June's draft with scouting director Joe Jordan. Today we get Jordan's thoughts on the O's first five picks from last June. All the quotes in the article are from ... Read More
Even though he has a splint on his right pinky finger that ended his time in the Arizona Fall League early, Wednesday was a good day for pitcher Brandon Erbe. The Baltimorean and life-long O's fan from McDonogh High made the Orioles' 40-man roster for the first time. "Just excitement," ... Read More
I don't remember too many facts from that day. I know it was March, perhaps in 2003, and I was at the ballpark in Lakeland, Florida, getting ready for a spring training broadcast. That day I would host the Orioles pregame show for my then employer, WBAL Radio. It was ... Read More
Today in this space we begin a two-part series sizing up the Orioles' top ten draft picks from last June's First-Year Player Draft. Who better to analyze the players than the man who drafted them, O's scouting director Joe Jordan. All the quotes in the article are from Jordan who ... Read More
If you want to point to an area where there will likely be jobs to be won in spring training in March, it's the Orioles' bullpen. There are a lot of questions right now. Will Koji be the closer? Can Sarfate and Ray come back from injury? Will Kam Mickolio ... Read More
Today we continue our review of the 2009 Norfolk Tides season by looking at how some Tides pitchers fared this year. We featured mostly hurlers that did not pitch in Baltimore this year. The quotes are from Tides' manager Gary Allenson. All stats in bold are with Norfolk only. ... Read More
Since I've been asked a few times by readers how several of the O's injured minor league pitchers are doing now, today we try to answer that question. O's Director of Player Development David Stockstill was nice enough to update us on eight different O's hurlers. All the quotes throughout ... Read More
No game is more about numbers than baseball. There is a stat for everything and in baseball the numbers seem to mean more, both for players now playing and even throughout history. There are magical numbers like 20 wins for a pitcher and a .300 batting average for a hitter. ... Read More
Two things came to mind when thinking about Adam Jones winning a Gold Glove award. One, after 12 straight losing seasons, it's great to see an Oriole get recognized for good play - in any award. When you follow a losing team you don't expect that teams' players to get ... Read More
Adam Jones said he was shocked and surprised but honored as well to win his first-ever American League Gold Glove. "The Gold Glove is hard to get into because so many guys win it consecutively. Ichiro and Torii do it every year and it's deserved. To get into that fraternity ... Read More
Orioles' manager Dave Trembley sounded like a proud dad on the other end of the phone line. He was excited to see one of his players get some national recognition when Adam Jones won his first AL Gold Glove for fielding. Jones became the first Oriole since Mike Mussina in ... Read More
Heading into the 2009 season, little was expected of O's minor league relief pitcher Luis Lebron. He missed most of 2008 due to a right elbow injury, pitching just 20 innings. It looked like he might be headed for Tommy John surgery but instead he chose to rehab the injury. ... Read More
Today we continue our review of Oriole farm teams in the 2009 season with the a look at the Triple-A Norfolk Tides of the International League. The Tides finished the season at 71-71, in third place in the IL South. But when they were at full strength early on, Norfolk ... Read More
Since he hit .328 in 2006 between Bluefield and Aberdeen, the career of Billy Rowell has been on a downward spiral. While he is still very young, and the O's management remains solidly behind him, Rowell has put together back-to-back mediocre years at Frederick. Rowell w-Fred, 2008: .248-7-50....315 OBP.....368 slug......104 ... Read More
Color me naïve maybe, but I had no idea my little blog-article-opinion piece on Jeremy Guthrie and John Lackey posted on Thursday would stir up so many people. I guess bringing out the passion in readers and hearing from so many of you is a good thing - whether you ... Read More
One of the O's top pitching prospects, Brandon Erbe, has a minor injury that will cause him to miss the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars game set for this Saturday night. "A couple of days ago, during pre-game stretching and running, Brandon tripped and fell and jammed the pinky finger ... Read More
John Lackey, John Lackey, John Lackey. Are you tired of hearing about him yet? Get used to it. He's considered the top free agent pitcher out there and the time for players to file for their "freedom" hasn't even come yet. ... Read More
