Orioles reliever Jason Berken and his wife, Emily, spent a week in Aruba before returning to their Atlanta home a few days ago.
Now the work begins.
Berken started an exercise program on Monday as part of his rehab from a torn labrum that ended his season on Aug. 12. He's strengthening the shoulder in preparation for a throwing program that will begin, as it normally does, in late December or early January.
It's a good sign that Berken is holding to his usual schedule. He expects to be...
That didn't take long.
The Orioles declined to pick up reliever Mark Hendrickson's option for 2011, which officially makes him their seventh free agent.
Hendrickson went 1-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 52 games covering 75 1/3 innings.
Hendrickson, 36, wants to return next season. He's a York, Pa. resident who likes pitching close to home. I won't say the ship has sailed because I've been wrong before when using that analogy.
About 12 seconds after the final out was recorded in Game 5 of the World Series, officially ending the 2010 season, the Major League Baseball Players Association released the names of 142 players who had become free agents.
Why the holdup?
Glaus, Troy 1B AT
Hinske, Eric OF AT
Lee, Derrek 1B AT
Benson, Kris SP AZ
Hampton, Mike ...
It's been rumored and speculated for weeks that Mark Connor would replace Rick Kranitz as pitching coach. The Orioles haven't made any announcements, but Kranitz today was hired as the Houston Astros' minor league pitching coordinator.
You can check out an article about Kranitz's new job right here.
Kranitz appeared to be a candidate to join Joe Girardi's staff in New York, but it's not going to happen.
"Rick adds a wealth of knowledge and experience to our development system,"...
That's it. The joke has finally run its course.
As a few readers pointed out - and thanks for the heads-up - Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima isn't being posted, so he can't come to the U.S.
That's twice that the Seibu Lions' ownership nixed the idea. I think we can finally end the dance.
NPB Tracker sent out another tweet earlier this afternoon that read: "In the what's become a quite banal dialog, Seibu again denies Nakajima's posting appeals"
Two strikes and you're...
As Steve Melewski mentioned in his blog earlier today, Baseball America came out with its Top 10 list of Orioles prospects, and it may or may not surprise you that shortstop Manny Machado is No. 1 without playing a full season of professional ball.
Did he play a full week?
The rest of the list reads as follows:
1. Manny Machado, ss
2. Zach Britton, lhp
3. Xavier Avery, of
4. L.J. Hoes, 2b
5. Dan Klein, rhp
6. Wynn Pelzer, rhp
7. Mychal Givens, ss
8. Ryan Adams, 2b/3b
9. Ryan Berry,...
I woke up shivering this morning and noticed that my thermostat read 62 degrees. But I will not turn on the heat.
I will, however, start wearing a little more clothing to bed. But you don't really need to know that, do you?
Did anyone pick the Giants back in spring training to win the World Series this year?
The starting pitching was impressive, but I kept hearing how they didn't have enough offense.
Apparently, they have enough offense.
Perhaps the Orioles will announce their coaching...
The Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award will be presented next month, which makes sense, considering that we're down to our final day of this month.
Happy Halloween.
The two leading candidates are Vladimir Guerrero and David Ortiz. One player looked like he was finished and didn't draw a tremendous amount of interest on the free agent market. The other player looked like he was finished once the season began and dealt with all sorts of speculation about being benched or...
Just when you thought it was safe...
You'll recall that I passed along a tweet yesterday from Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker that said Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima wouldn't be posted, and therefore wouldn't be allowed to play in the majors next season.
Here's the latest tweet - I just pounded my fist on the kitchen table - from Newman:
"Despite announcement, Nakajima not giving up on posting, wants to talk with Seibu mgmt again"
So Nakajima might still be in play, though his...
The early projections among members of the media had manager Buck Showalter keeping a few of the holdovers on his coaching staff and going outside the organization to fill the remaining spots. As the process dragged out, reporters began to wonder whether most, if not all, of the coaches on the Orioles' payroll would return.
As you survey the landscape this morning, it's fair to assume that no one is coming back.
We'll know for sure once the Orioles make a formal announcement - with the...
The Orioles aren't ready to announce their coaching staff, but Jim Presley is set to replace Terry Crowley as hitting coach.
An industry source said it's a done deal, though Presley has received offers from "two or three clubs." This news coincides with an early report from MLB.com.
Manager Buck Showalter, driving back to Baltimore from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., would only confirm that Presley is among "two or three guys" on the final list. Crowley has offered his...
That's probably the last time I can use this joke for a while. You're officially spared.
According to a tweet from Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima won't be posted. That means he won't be free to sign with a major league team.
The tweet - there's that word again- reads as follows:
"Official -- Nakajima posting denied"
The Orioles were counted among the teams that scouted Nakajima multiple times. I wrote about it here.
In three more days, left-hander Brian Matusz will begin working out again at Athletes' Performance Institute. But this time, he'll have a new partner in a new location.
Chris Tillman is joining Matusz at the Carson, Ca. facility. In the past, Matusz has reported to the API in Phoenix.
"They're all the same, the same philosophy," Matusz said. "From what I hear, a few more pitchers work out at this facility, but it doesn't change the type of workouts or anything.
"I'm excited about...
It speaks for itself:
"Earlier today, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the Orioles' spring training agreement with Sarasota County and completely validated the County process and the issuance of the construction bonds. In doing so, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed all of the plaintiffs' claims against Sarasota County and the named County Commissioners.
The Orioles' confidence in Sarasota County has yet again been reaffirmed by this decision. We continue to move full speed ahead with...
I don't know if you've heard the news, but Barry Bonds told reporters in San Francisco last night that he wants to return to baseball as a hitting coach.
The Orioles won't include him on their list of candidates, but he's out there.
Bonds never officially retired, but he's ready to move onto the next phase of his professional life. Says so right here.
"I have a gift, and sooner or later I have to give it away. I have to share it," he said. "Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity...
Today's lone reference to the coaching staff, barring an unexpected announcement, comes via left-hander Brian Matusz, who strongly endorses the return of pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
You'll keep hearing names attached to various positions on the staff. By my conservative estimation, the total will rise to 4,000 before the Orioles issue their press release.
Each day, another friend of Buck Showalter or an instructor at some level with some team will become a rumored candidate. It will be...
The Orioles will play nine different teams in Sarasota next spring, and will host the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers twice at Ed Smith Stadium.
The Minnesota Twins will make three trips to Sarasota, and the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays will each make one visit.
Here it is:
Monday, February 28: Pittsburgh Pirates (ss) - Bradenton - 1:05
Tuesday, March 1: Tampa Bay Rays - Sarasota -...
The Orioles are getting closer to finalizing their coaching staff and making the grand announcement. I'm not carting around my laptop today, but some of the "moving parts," as manager Buck Showalter likes to call them, are slowing down.
I wrote yesterday that former shortstop Mike Bordick would be willing to listen if the Orioles offered a coaching position, but he expects to continue working as a roving minor league instructor. He mentioned the possibility of taking on additional...
The Sun is reporting, through unnamed sources, that Terry Crowley has accepted a position as an "organizational-wide offensive evaluator," which also leaves the Orioles in the market for a hitting coach.
This is an interesting reversal from Crowley, who had agreed to return as hitting coach next season. I'm told he was given the option by manager Buck Showalter and accepted it, but three weeks later, he's apparently changed his mind and his title.
I haven't been able to reach Crowley in...
Actually, this blog entry is brought to you by the letter H, for "Hargrove."
I'm sending out warm birthday wishes to former Orioles manager Mike Hargrove, who turned 61 today.
Grover managed the Orioles for four seasons after guiding the Indians to five consecutive AL Central titles and two appearances in the World Series.
If I'm Hargrove, I'm not taking Jose Mesa's calls.
Hargrove never really had the personnel in Baltimore to compete against the heavyweights in the AL East, and a...
