Playing a numbers game with the Orioles

Playing a numbers game with the Orioles
The Orioles are one day away from having their pitchers and catchers report to spring training, though the number of early arrivals since they moved to Sarasota makes the official date seem insignificant. Players start trickling into the facility in January. They've already been throwing. It's become more of a report date for the media. My life is broken down into thirds. I have my spring training, regular season and offseason routines - and family and friends learn to adapt. Manager Brandon...
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How will Orioles make room for Triple-A starters?

How will Orioles make room for Triple-A starters?
While the Orioles work in spring training to round out a rotation that so far holds John Means, Alex Cobb, most likely Asher Wojciechowski and a bunch of questions, they also need to figure out what to do at Triple-A Norfolk. They can't finish that task until they know which starters are heading north with them. There could be some cuts due to overflow. And we know that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is trying to sign one more veteran. The Tides rotation has the potential...
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Mancini on Hays: "I think he's going to be a force in the league"

Mancini on Hays: "I think he's going to be a force in the league"
Trey Mancini made 79 starts in right field last season to lead the Orioles, but he also made 52 at first base to rank second behind Chris Davis (86) and five in left field. He served as the designated hitter in 17 games. The super-utility competition in camp won't involve Mancini, but he has a tendency to move around in various versions of the lineup. Mancini won't express a position preference, but he knows where we won't find him in 2020. "I can confidently say I don't think you'll be...
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Hearing from Martin, Mullins and Rutschman on the Birdland Caravan

Hearing from Martin, Mullins and Rutschman on the Birdland Caravan
The Birdland Caravan made its final stop this afternoon in White Marsh, with two more days of touring ahead. Shortstop Richie Martin knew where he'd be going today based on the schedule laid out by the Orioles, the bus slicing through heavy winds to reach its destinations, but where he starts the 2020 season is a much cloudier forecast. The Orioles signed free agent shortstop José Iglesias to a one-year deal with an option for 2021 and basically have handed him the job. Martin can compete...
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Orioles outright Kline and Wilkerson

Orioles outright Kline and Wilkerson
The Orioles are keeping pitcher Branden Kline and super-utility player Stevie Wilkerson in the organization. Kline and Wilkerson cleared waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk after the club designated them for assignment last week. Wilkerson had the give his approval based on a previous DFA. The list of camp invites has grown to 66 players, with left-hander Wade LeBlanc also a recent inclusion. Kline, a Frederick native and second-round pick out of the University of Virginia in...
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Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong

Improvement ideas related to Smith, Scott and Armstrong
The report date countdown for Orioles pitchers and catchers has reached five days. Or the amount of time it takes a call to be confirmed or overturned. Which Orioles have something to prove in camp? Plenty of them, but here are a few ideas: Dwight Smith Jr. is viewed within the organization as a left fielder and nothing more. It's the only position he played last summer and his major league body of work includes a mere three starts in right and one in center with the Blue Jays. The metrics and...
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Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
By the time that the media descends upon the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, three new coaches on manager Brandon Hyde's staff will be familiar with every corner of it. The coaches' retreat that's folded into the annual January minicamp in Sarasota enabled Fredi González, Anthony Sanders and Darren Holmes to become acclimated with the spacious facility. No need to waste valuable time later. Drills will run more smoothly. This isn't the old Fort Lauderdale complex with its...
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Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?

Can the Orioles bullpen provide more relief in 2020?
Will reliever Travis Lakins break camp with the Orioles in late March, be optioned to the minors, be designated for assignment, clear waivers and stay in the organization or disappear? Those are the choices. How you rank them in order is entirely up to you. Lakins is on the 40-man roster after the Orioles claimed him off waivers Friday from the Cubs and designated utility player Stevie Wilkerson for assignment. He can be viewed now as bullpen depth and a pitcher with a shot at making the club...
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What to expect at spring training

What to expect at spring training
Pitchers and catchers are reporting to the Orioles' spring training complex in exactly one week. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. I've been asked about leaving for "spring break" since December. There's a difference, including how you won't find me dancing poolside on MTV. It isn't all fun and exhibition games. It actually qualifies as work - with only one day off in six weeks - but the sunshine kills the pity factor. I won't be penning a love letter to Sarasota because it...
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Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule

Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule
Celebrations that commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series championship and the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game highlight the Orioles' 2020 promotional schedule. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. Birdland Members will receive an email with details on an exclusive pre-sale opportunity that begins Tuesday. Fans who subscribe to the...
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Orioles announce LeBlanc signing

Orioles announce LeBlanc signing
The Orioles' minor league deal with left-hander Wade LeBlanc has moved into its next phase of progression. It's been announced by the club. Official word came earlier today, including how LeBlanc receives an invitation to major league camp. News broke last week that the two sides had reached agreement. LeBlanc was expected to take his physical in Sarasota, Fla. Today's news is an indication that LeBlanc signed a contract. The deal wasn't done last week. The competition for rotation spots...
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Givens: "I bleed black and orange"

Givens: "I bleed black and orange"
As the Orioles bring in another bullpen candidate in former Red Sox prospect Travis Lakins, they keep holding onto a reliever who wears the trade chip label as if it's sewn onto his uniform jersey. Mychal Givens hears the description during the July deadline, the Winter Meetings and the ensuing weeks that lead into spring training. He offers a shrug and continues to ignore it. Givens has become a veteran in the majors and at avoiding distractions and the stress that accompanies them. "I've...
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Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled

Looking at an Orioles lineup that could be more settled
The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...
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Orioles claim Travis Lakins and DFA Stevie Wilkerson

Orioles claim Travis Lakins and DFA Stevie Wilkerson
The Orioles tossed another name into their bullpen competition today, at the expense of a super-utility player whose popularity soared last season. Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment to make room for Travis Lakins, a 25-year-old right-hander claimed off waivers from the Cubs. The team made the announcement this afternoon. Wilkerson, 28, also was designated for assignment last winter, but had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on April 22 and appeared in 117 games. He...
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Hyde happy to have hefty camp roster

Hyde happy to have hefty camp roster
If it's true that there's strength in numbers, the Orioles will be able to out-flex the other teams in spring training. The bird logo will be replaced by a biceps muscle. The chalk lines will be drawn with creatine powder. The current number of camp invites stands at 23 and doesn't include left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who signed a minor league deal that becomes official after his physical in Sarasota. Reliever Branden Kline could make it 25 if he clears waivers after the Orioles designated him...
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A LeBlanc check

A LeBlanc check
The first thing to know about Wade LeBlanc is that he's heard all of your "Friends" jokes. I've never asked him about it, but I'm playing a strong hunch. LeBlanc experienced a drop-off last summer after a solid 2018 season with the Mariners. His ERA climbed from 3.72 to 5.71 and his WHIP from 1.179 to 1.451. He averaged 2.1 home runs per nine innings, an increase from 1.3 in each of the two previous seasons. He'll be asked about the change in roles, where he made 27 starts in 2018 and...
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Valaika rejoins Orioles on waiver claim, Kline DFA

Valaika rejoins Orioles on waiver claim, Kline DFA
If you missed the first Pat Valaika era with the Orioles, and were disappointed when the infielder was designated for assignment on Jan. 16, you'll be happy to hear that he's rejoining the club. Valaika was selected off waivers from the Diamondbacks this afternoon, the Orioles announced, after he was designated for assignment on Monday when Arizona needed a roster spot for the recently acquired Starling Marte. Valaika was claimed off waivers from the Rockies by the Orioles on Oct....
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How LeBlanc could adjust rotation projections

How LeBlanc could adjust rotation projections
The reaction is the same each time that the Orioles announce the signing of a starting pitcher. Are they done? The minor league deal with Brady Rodgers didn't end their search. The minor league deal earlier this week with Wade LeBlanc didn't end their search. They aren't done. A major league contract remains available to a veteran starter if the price is right, which can further increase the camp competition and make a crowded field almost suffocating. The Orioles are up in arms. They have...
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Orioles sign Wade LeBlanc to minor league deal (updated)

Orioles sign Wade LeBlanc to minor league deal (updated)
The Orioles may have found their veteran starting pitcher to toss into the spring training competition. An industry source confirmed tonight that left-hander Wade LeBlanc, 35, has agreed to a minor league contract and will be in camp when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 11. The list of spring training invites released this afternoon by the club now includes LeBlanc, an 11-year veteran who's spent the past two seasons with the Mariners. LeBlanc went 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.179 WHIP in 32...
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Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp

Orioles invite 23 non-roster players to camp
The Orioles released their list of 23 non-roster invites to spring training earlier today, headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman, their top prospect and the first-overall selection in last year's First-Year Player Draft. Rutschman is joined by pitching prospects Zac Lowther, Alex Wells and Bruce Zimmermann, infielders Rylan Bannon and Mason McCoy and outfielder Yusniel Diaz. The future will be illuminated by the Florida sunshine. Other non-roster invites to camp are pitchers Cristian Alvarado,...
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