My Hall of Fame ballot is mocking me again.
It sits on a stack of papers on a chair in my living room, just waiting for me to pay attention to it.
Always smiling. "Hi Roch." Judging, watching. Look at the ballot, look at the ballot.
(OK, who got the movie reference?)
This is the tough one, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa making their first appearances. Maybe you've heard of them. Seven-time Most Valuable Player and all-time home run king, seven-time Cy Young Award winner,...
Another day passed without the Orioles signing or trading for a player. The 40-man roster still has an opening.
Perhaps it will be filled during my drive home from Ocean Pines. News tends to break while I'm behind the wheel.
I may have to brake a few times in the snow. Be careful if you're traveling today.
I'm already looking ahead to some of the anticipated spring training competitions, fully aware that the roster could change at any minute.
In past years, the backup catcher...
Looking for a good debate this morning?
Perhaps you'll settle for the following:
Should the Orioles' front office be focused on reducing the number of strikeouts in the lineup?
One argument suggests that strikeouts are the same as a pop up, and much better than a double play grounder, so there's no reason to obsess over them. It's just one out. But another argument suggests that it's always better to put the ball in play - especially with a runner on third base and fewer than two outs -...
With pitchers and catchers set to report on Feb. 12, I'm reminded of perhaps my favorite moment from spring training 2012.
Fans were obsessed with Jim Johnson's diminished velocity, and the media kept bringing it up to him and Orioles manager Buck Showalter after every outing. It wasn't just the radar gun that raised some concerns. Johnson was slowed in camp by a sore back and went 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in eight appearances, with six earned runs, seven hits and six walks in eight...
Because we're still in the month of December and the Orioles' roster isn't set for spring training, it's a real challenge to project starters at certain positions and which four players will comprise the bench. You'd have to be pretty ambitious or bored. Or you'd have to be fulfilling a request, which is where I come into play.
I tried to come up with four reserves for a national publication, and I could only feel certain about the backup catcher. Thank you, Taylor Teagarden, for making...
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morning.
So I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas. There's still snow on the ground.
I hope Santa was good to all of you and the Bumpus Hounds didn't get your turkey.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette didn't find a power hitter or a veteran starting pitcher in his stocking, so he'll make more phone calls after today. The warehouse is closed for the week, but business doesn't shut down.
During last weekend's "Wall to Wall Baseball" show...
I've been covering the Orioles on a full-time basis since 1997 and I can't recall a team being more supportive of its manager than the current group.
These guys seem grateful for everything that Buck Showalter has done for them and for an organization that had lost its way. A manager can't please everyone, but Showalter's batting average is pretty impressive.
Discussions about the playoff run in 2012 inevitably lead to a Showalter reference. It happened with Jason Hammel during...
Ryan Freel, who appeared in nine games with the Orioles during the 2009 season, has died at 36. Freel committed suicide, according to a report from First Coast News in Jacksonville.
The Orioles acquired Freel from the Cincinnati Reds on Dec. 9, 2008 for catcher Ramon Hernandez. They also received infielders Brandon Waring, who remains in the organization, and Justin Turner.
The Orioles traded Freel to the Chicago Cubs on May 8, 2009, for outfielder Joey Gathright. The Royals purchased his...
The pain is still fresh for Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel. It hasn't gone away.
Fortunately, it has nothing to do with his right knee.
Hammel said it still "hurts" that the Orioles lost to the Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, but the best piece of news to come from his interview yesterday on WBAL Radio is that he's on a normal workout schedule and having no setbacks with his knee.
Hammel underwent surgery in July to remove loose cartilage, and he limped off the...
It's the hot stove season and that means lots and lots of rumors and speculation. They make great stocking stuffers.
The Orioles have expressed some level of interest in Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello, according to multiple reports. The two sides have talked.
I've been asked about the rumor that the Orioles might send J.J. Hardy to the Tigers for Porcello and infielder Jhonny Peralta. I'm not privy to every conversation held by executive vice president Dan Duquette, but my guess is he...
The Orioles opened a spot on their 40-man roster yesterday and opened up themselves for more rumors and speculation.
Steve Pearce was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk, the latest twist in a bizarre 2012 for the outfielder/first baseman/weary traveler.
Let's review:
March 27: Released by the Minnesota Twins
March 29: Signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees
June 2: Purchased by the Orioles from the Yankees
July 28: Selected off waivers by the Houston Astros
Aug. 27: Purchased by the...
I can't figure out the baseball market. Mid-level talent is rewarded with outrageous contracts ...and then left-hander John Lannan signs for a guaranteed $2.5 million and catcher A.J. Pierzynski signs for $7.5 million.
Bargains, right?
Just as they did last winter, the Orioles will hold a mini-camp of sorts at Camden Yards in the days leading up to the Jan. 19 FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center. It's mostly set up for pitchers on the 40-man roster, though Kevin Gausman and Mike...
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette remains in talks with the agent for left-hander Joe Saunders - just one of the names linked to the club today.
Duquette met once with Saunders' representative, Greg Genske, during the Winter Meetings in Nashville, referring to it as a "preliminary" discussion. There has been additional contact and negotiations continue, as the Orioles seek to add a veteran starter to their rotation before spring training.
Saunders reportedly had an offer on the...
Adam Greenberg's agreement on a minor league contract with the Orioles, which they announced earlier today, began to gain traction at the Winter Meetings.
Greenberg booked a flight to Nashville and introduced himself to Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Later, he met special assistant Brady Anderson and passed along a message.
"I told him I'm a ballplayer and I wanted to play," Greenberg said.
The Orioles will give him another chance.
"They started talking to Alex Gonzalez, who's now...
The Orioles have signed outfielder Adam Greenberg to a minor league contract, the team announced via Twitter. He hasn't received an invitation to spring training.
Greenberg, 31, gained national attention in 2005 after being hit in the head on the first pitch thrown to him in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, and again two months ago when the Miami Marlins signed him to a one-day contract and gave him one at-bat in an Oct. 2 game against the New York Mets.
Greenberg struck out on three...
The Orioles announced yesterday that their list of spring training invites expanded to include first baseman Travis Ishikawa and left-handers Daniel Schlereth and Zach Braddock.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette is really enthused about Ishikawa, 29, who batted .257/.329/.428 in 94 games with the Milwaukee Brewers this year and .265/.327/.400 with 15 homers and 80 RBIs in 281 games with the San Francisco Giants over four seasons.
"Ishikawa is a good first baseman," Duquette said....
The Orioles have signed first baseman Travis Ishikawa and left-handers Daniel Schlereth and Zach Braddock to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training.
Ishikawa, 29, batted .257/.329/.428 in 94 games with Milwaukee in 2012. He batted .265/.327/.400 with 15 home runs and 80 RBIs in 281 games with San Francisco over four seasons (2006, 2008-10).
In his career, Ishikawa has batted .266/.333/.416 with 18 home runs in 741 plate appearances against right-handed...
The Orioles are in the process of hiring former Boston Red Sox farm director Kent Qualls as part of their minor league baseball operations staff, according to multiple industry sources.
The hiring isn't official and the Orioles aren't expected to announce their minor league staffs, including managers and coaches, until after the holidays.
From what I'm hearing, Qualls mostly would be involved in the administrative side of the department, including contracts and expenses. Many of those...
To answer a few readers, the Orioles are in the process of working through a number of candidates to replace Bobby Dickerson as minor league infield coordinator. They are considering members of the organization and also are exploring options outside of it.
Dickerson was hired as third base coach, which forces him to surrender his previous duties.
The club routinely waits to announce all of its minor league staffs, including managers, coaches and instructors. We may not get official word until...
Matt Hobgood, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, is flying home to California for the holidays after receiving good news earlier today from Dr. Craig Morgan.
Hobgood said he passed all of the tests administered by Dr. Morgan, who performed surgery in April to tighten the pitcher's right shoulder capsule.
"He laid me on my back and tested my shoulder in terms of flexibility, and he said it's right in terms of where it needs to be," Hobgood said. "He said it looks...
