I found Nolan Reimold in the usual place this winter, working out with former Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson in California. He'll stay a little longer before reporting to spring training in Sarasota.
Reimold knows the addition of Vladimir Guerrero could have a direct impact on him, "but I guess the full extent of how it impacts me remains to be seen," he said earlier today in a brief phone conversation.
"There will always be good players in the major leagues and there will always be...
I have another appointment this morning that's going to occupy a chunk of my time, but I'll return later with something a little more substantial for the blog.
In the meantime, I wanted to revisit my projected Orioles lineup that I filed Friday night after the news broke about Vladimir Guerrero.
A reader suggested that Mark Reynolds should bat fifth behind Guerrero and ahead of Luke Scott. I had Scott's left-handed bat separating the two right-handers.
To review:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick...
Exactly one week from today, I'll be standing inside the home clubhouse at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota or staking out the parking lot, jotting down the names of pitchers and catchers as they report on the mandatory date. I'll make note of any position players that show up early. And I'll wonder again whether I packed enough socks and underwear.
Where has the winter gone?
It's fair to assume that the Orioles are done shopping. They're certainly finished with the heavy lifting after...
Justin Duchscherer just proved that he can interview hurt.
Duchscherer came down with a bad cold, but he still took questions between coughs in a noon conference call.
"I don't usually sound like a 70-year-old smoker," he joked.
I guess he was a little too enthusiastic after a team physician told him to "turn and cough." It's OK to stop now.
Duchscherer, who agreed to a one-year contract late Sunday night that could pay him $4.5 million with incentives, discussed his three hip...
Good morning to everyone. Many thanks for the kind birthday wishes directed at my lovely daughter. I'm sure she'll expect more of them on the actual date (She's a Valentine's baby, and not the least bit spoiled.)
I'll pass along some Justin Duchscherer quotes later today. You remember him, right? Veteran free-agent pitcher. Sort of a big deal until last night.
Looking at some of Vladimir Guerrero's numbers, I'm just blown away by his consistency over 15 major league seasons. He's...
For my daughter's 18th birthday, I decided to get her Vladimir Guerrero.
She really wanted a car.
(If I was feeling more clever, I'd come up with a joke that ties together Guerrero and a car. Maybe later.)
Actually, my daughter turns 18 on Valentine's Day, but my family gathered tonight because I'll be in Sarasota for the big occasion. And naturally, the Orioles decided to make news as the entrees arrived.
Well, it's the least they could do after forcing us to wait until tomorrow to...
Justin Duchscherer has passed his physical examination, making his one-year contract with the Orioles official.
Duchscherer's signing takes the Orioles' 40-man roster to its limit. The right-hander is expected to be part of the team's starting rotation and will report to spring training in Sarasota, Fla., later this month.
The Orioles will make Duchscherer available to reporters via a conference call at an undetermined time. His travel plans altered the original schedule.
The important...
Since a few of you asked and I always try to please my readers - well, up to a certain point - I'm told the Orioles have had "light discussions only" regarding Oscar Salazar, who was designated for assignment by the Padres. I don't sense a lot of enthusiasm, but it's not like the idea was dismissed entirely.
You know it's a slow news day when a non-roster spring training invite for Randy Winn stirs up conversation on this blog.
You know it's a slow morning when I'm revisiting the...
The Orioles have signed and invited 16 non-roster players to their major league spring training camp.
Let's start with the pitchers: Right-handers Mitch Atkins, Ryan Drese, Armando Gabino, Wynn Pelzer, Raul Rivero and Josh Rupe, and left-handers Mark Hendrickson and Clay Rapada.
Position players include catchers Adam Donachie, Michel Hernandez and Caleb Joseph; outfielders Tyler Henson and Randy Winn; and infielders Ryan Adams, Nick Green and Brendan Harris.
Randy Winn? Did I forget about...
One of the biggest curiosities among fans and media is how spring training could change under manager Buck Showalter's guidance.
I've never spent seven weeks with him in Florida or Arizona, so I'm not qualified to say. He's built a reputation as a no-nonsense guy, but it's not like the other managers hung piñatas on the backstops and used their stopwatches for potato sack races.
Second baseman Brian Roberts was asked at FanFest whether he anticipated a different climate...
I'm running on fumes this morning. I'll check for more FanFest leftovers later before they go bad like the onion dip that I found in the back of my fridge last week (speaking of fumes).
I wanted to address a question regarding new pitcher Justin Duchscherer and the possibility that he could be the Orioles' opening day starter with a good spring.
I don't think that manager Buck Showalter has slotted his starters two months before the first game. He still needs to choose five arms. But...
I walked into the gym this afternoon and heard the question.
It could have been anywhere. Grocery store, bank, dentist's waiting room.
"Vlad?"
It's been shortened to one word.
"Vlad?"
I still don't know whether the Orioles will sign him. I still don't know whether that $8 million offer from another team actually exists. I still don't know why he wouldn't accept it if it's true.
The Orioles made their offer and aren't budging from it. They hope he accepts it. They won't come...
New bench coach Willie Randolph knows winning. It's on his resume. So how can a team like the Orioles change a losing culture?
Let's ask him.
"It takes individuals, it takes guys who are willing to commit to changing that as a group, as a team," Randolph said during a break at FanFest. "Changing a culture is not all that tough if you want to get on board and get back to where you were as an organization and as a team. So it's really not that difficult, but that's why it's so important...
Pitcher Justin Duchscherer will take his physical today. I'm still trying to find out whether his school was delayed two hours.
I promised some FanFest leftovers a few days ago and got sidetracked by Duchscherer. And if I had a nickel for every time I wrote the phrase "sidetracked by Duchscherer," I could retire today.
New bench coach Willie Randolph was asked whether he reached out to any players over the winter.
"Guys nowadays don't call you back too often," he said, laughing....
According to Baseball America's Matt Eddy, the Orioles have signed three more pitchers to minor league deals. It's not believed that anyone in the group has been invited to spring training, though the complete camp roster hasn't been released.
The Orioles reached agreement with right-handers Chris Jakubauskas and Mark Worrell, and left-hander James Houser.
This is what you call minor league pitching depth.
Houser, a former second-round pick of the Rays, posted a 3.67 ERA for the Marlins'...
According to an Associated Press report in the Dominican Republic, Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon has been denied bail and will remain in prison following the shooting death of his cousin.
Here's the story.
Defense attorney Dinosa Dilone plans to appeal Tuesday's ruling, according to the report.
Simon is accused of firing a shot on New Year's Eve that killed 25-year-old Michel Castillo and injured his brother, 17-year-old Starlling Castillo, in the city of Luperon in Puerto Plata. Simon...
Now that the Orioles have reached agreement on a one-year deal with pitcher Justin Duchscherer and a minor league deal with left-hander Mark Hendrickson, the 25-man roster comes a little more into focus. However, there are still some fuzzy patches.
It's sort of like looking at the flash on a camera. I'm still seeing spots.
The 12-man pitching staff is much clearer. Though it isn't a certainly, it's likely that the rotation will consist of Duchscherer, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad...
The Orioles have reached agreement with free-agent left-hander Mark Hendrickson on a minor league deal with a spring training invitation, according to a team official.
Just when Hendrickson thinks he's out, they pull him back in.
Actually, the York, Pa. resident never wanted to leave.
Hendrickson will try to join Michael Gonzalez as the second left-hander in the bullpen. He'll get competition from Clay Rapada, also signed to a minor league deal over the winter.
The Orioles re-signed...
One of the primary reasons that pitcher Justin Duchscherer chose the Orioles over the Nationals and the other teams interested in signing him was their "serious commitment to winning," according to his agent, Damon Lapa of All Bases Covered Sports Management.
"And there's also the fact that the club, at least on paper, has become a formidable lineup," Lapa said. "Any pitcher wants to end up on a team and in a city that can score runs and has veterans behind him and plays good defense. We...
Now that we've diverted our eyes from Vladimir Guerrero for a few minutes, we can focus on the Orioles' latest acquisition. They reached agreement late Sunday night with pitcher Justin Duchscherer on a one-year contract that could pay up to $4.5 million in salary and incentives based on number of starts.
The Orioles had become the overwhelming favorites in a relatively short amount of time. They offered him a major league deal and a chance to start. He wanted a major league deal and a...
