Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Baseball America sizes up the O's top prospects

Baseball America sizes up the O's top prospects
Baseball America released its new Orioles top 10 prospects list this week. The list shows that the Orioles continue to improve their farm system. Seven of these players were acquired on former general manager Dan Duquette's watch, and three came since current executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took over. It's a list with some balance: There are five pitchers and five position players. Five Orioles are currently ranked in the top 100 of both Baseball America and...
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Steve Melewski

For one young pitcher, it was not easy to leave Orioles

For one young pitcher, it was not easy to leave Orioles
After pitching in the Orioles organization since they drafted him in 2014, left-hander Brian Gonzalez found himself in a position he had never before dealt with. Five days after the World Series, he was a minor league free agent for the first time. Gonzalez, who turned 25 on Oct. 25, heard from a few teams, but the Colorado Rockies immediately showed strong interest. On Wednesday, he signed a minor league deal with Colorado, getting a spring training invite. "It was happening quick," Gonzalez...
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Steve Melewski

More on the benefits of the alternate camp

More on the benefits of the alternate camp
For a young pitching prospect like the Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez, the Bowie alternate camp this season provided a solid development experience. No, he was not pitching in games as he would have been this season at Single-A Frederick, but he was facing hitters of a higher caliber than he would have in the Carolina League. The same applied to lefty DL Hall, who likely would have pitched at Double-A Bowie during the 2020 season. At the alternate site, they faced the O's No. 1 prospect in...
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Steve Melewski

Taking a look at O's skipper Brandon Hyde

Taking a look at O's skipper Brandon Hyde
On the day after the Manager of the Year awards were announced - Kevin Cash of Tampa Bay won in the American League and Miami's Don Mattingly in the National League - it seems an appropriate time to say a few words about the manager here in Baltimore. Brandon Hyde just completed his second season as Orioles skipper. I think judging a manager is a difficult task. Of course, there is the bottom line of the won-loss record. That is there for all to see and you earn your record. It's one way to...
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Steve Melewski

Aberdeen GM reacts to New York-Penn League news

Aberdeen GM reacts to New York-Penn League news
As the baseball offseason begins to crank up, fans around the sport continue to wait on news about the future of Minor League Baseball. What has become pretty clear is that Major League Baseball is taking over running the minors. The current Professional Baseball Agreement that governs Minor League Baseball has run out as the two sides continue to negotiate the terms of a new one. But MLB will emerge as the organization that oversees all of it and no doubt in some ways this may be better for...
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Steve Melewski

In MLB, here's hoping for less off-the-field drama this time around

In MLB, here's hoping for less off-the-field drama this time around
Once the Major League Baseball season started in late July, the focus shifted away from negotiations between players and owners and back to the field. It was wonderful to discuss wins and losses, player slumps, lineup and rotation decisions, and bullpen matters over money matters. But in this sport right now, the board room and what will happen there is as important as what happens on the ball field. The sport's collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players expires on Dec. 1,...
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Steve Melewski

Talking the rotation, the infield and more

Talking the rotation, the infield and more
Taking stock today of a few topics that have recently been discussed in Birdland. * O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias pledges to sign some starting pitchers this winter (minor league and/or major league deals) to bolster rotation depth. Is this the right move for now? The club had two of its young pitchers emerge last season in the rotation and Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer flashed both talent and poise. They showed that work on their individual development was paying...
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Steve Melewski

Could O's homer leader be squeezed off 2021 roster?

Could O's homer leader be squeezed off 2021 roster?
He's been an Oriole since the team claimed him on waivers from the Texas Rangers on May 13, 2018. Renato Núñez has now played in 263 games as an Oriole, hitting 50 homers with 141 RBIs. In the last two seasons he has ranked among the top 24 in the American League in homers, and in the top 25 in RBIs each season. That is decent run production. But now, as Trey Mancini is returning to the club for next year and Ryan Mountcastle has now made his big league debut, will Núñez get...
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Steve Melewski

A few notes on new additions, Mo Gaba and Trey Mancini

A few notes on new additions, Mo Gaba and Trey Mancini
The addition of players to be named later keep rolling in for the Orioles. The players always had names, of course, but now we know them as Orioles. Yesterday, the Orioles completed the trade of lefty Tommy Milone to Atlanta on Aug. 31 when they got 23-year-old infielders AJ Graffanino and Greg Cullen from the Braves. The O's are owed one more PTNL for sending pitcher Hector Velázquez to Houston on July 29. Graffanino, the son of former big leaguer Tony Graffanino, was rated as Atlanta's...
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Steve Melewski

A former Oriole may be about to cash in on a contract

A former Oriole may be about to cash in on a contract
In June 2012, the Orioles selected him fourth overall in the First-Year Player Draft. The expectations were high and they included hopes he would pitch at or near the top of their rotation for years. And for years, right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched for the Orioles. He sometimes showed flashes of brilliance, but never lived up to the first-round hype. Now, just over two years after the O's traded Gausman, he is about to come into some money. The San Francisco Giants recently made him the...
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Steve Melewski

Bowie pitching coach Ramsey on Hall, Rodriguez and more

Bowie pitching coach Ramsey on Hall, Rodriguez and more
They are ranked as the Orioles' top two pitching prospects and their inclusion in the 60-man player pool this summer was expected. They were not expected to pitch yet for the Orioles and they did not. But it was a big summer of developing - even without minor league games - for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and left-hander DL Hall. Rodriguez will turn 21 on Nov. 16. Hall turned 22 on Sept. 19. Both are ranked as top 100 prospects. Rodriguez is No. 31 for both Baseball America and...
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Steve Melewski

A few thoughts on the Mike Elias press conference

A few thoughts on the Mike Elias press conference
Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took a few questions from local Orioles media on Monday. It was his first meeting with reporters since the end-of-the-season Zoom get-together on the final weekend of the 2020 season. A few takeaways from this latest session: Interesting comments on the starting rotation: John Means, Alex Cobb, Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer would seem to give the O's a strong start on putting together a 2021 rotation. If that group of four consists...
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Steve Melewski

The move took a few dollars, but made so much sense

The move took a few dollars, but made so much sense
Maybe Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias looked at this only from an on-the-field standpoint. It made perfect sense to pick up the $3.5 million option and bring shortstop José Iglesias back in 2021. Yes, he missed time injured, but when he played, he played great and was almost indispensable. He hit, he defended and he provided leadership. But beyond the value he provides on the field, the move to bring him back will have other impact, too. It will calm a segment...
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Steve Melewski

Checking in with a few topics and thoughts

Checking in with a few topics and thoughts
A few random thoughts for today's blog. No asterisk for me: I can't imagine anyone will forget the year 2020 anytime soon. It has been strange in so many ways to include baseball, where the season lasted just 60 games, the World Series was played at a neutral site and there were no fans in the stands until the very end of the year. But I still count the Los Angeles Dodgers' championship - their first since 1988 - as very legit. No asterisk needed. Yes, the season was very different, but they...
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Steve Melewski

How much will Sánchez addition alter O's infield?

How much will Sánchez addition alter O's infield?
The Orioles' addition of infielder Yolmer Sánchez via waivers on Friday raised several questions for which we have no real answers at this point. Do they plan for him to replace one of their arbitration-eligible infielders? Do they plan for him to compete for a utility infield job? What will his salary be in arbitration? Will the club try to reach a deal with him in advance of that? As of late Friday, the team has yet to pick up the option for 2021 on shortstop José Iglesias. Is...
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Steve Melewski

Kennie Steenstra discusses Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer

Kennie Steenstra discusses Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer
They combined to make 10 starts for the 2020 Orioles, and rookies Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer made strong impressions. They showed talent, promise and poise and made strong major league debuts. A guy who knows both pitchers very well and worked closely with both this year was probably watching somewhere and nodding his approval. Kennie Steenstra was the pitching coach at Double-A Bowie in 2018, when Akin went 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 25 starts. He was the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year and...
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Steve Melewski

Sometimes the eye test should outweigh the data/analytics

Sometimes the eye test should outweigh the data/analytics
Lefty Blake Snell was cruising. In a game the Tampa Bay Rays had to win, he was dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers and trying to pitch the Rays to Game 7 of the World Series. Then, in a span of just four pitches in the sixth inning, he was out of the game. He had not given up a run, his team had a 1-0 lead, the hitters coming up had not touched him that night. He had swing-and-miss stuff, but he was gone. Soon after, so was the Rays' lead. Los Angeles moved ahead 2-1 against the Rays bullpen...
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Steve Melewski

Checking in with pitching coaches from the Bowie alternate site

Checking in with pitching coaches from the Bowie alternate site
It was all a bit of mystery. They were playing baseball at Double-A Bowie this year but there were not any games that counted. No other Eastern League teams came to town. Bowie was an important place however, as it was the site of the Orioles' alternate camp this summer. No media or fans were allowed to watch and/or chronicle the happenings. But it was clear that some good instruction and work was going on out of the limelight and the major league spotlight. We saw Ryan Mountcastle come from...
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Steve Melewski

More significant improvement: record or players?

More significant improvement: record or players?
When fans look to grade how successful the 2020 season was when it comes to the Orioles rebuilding, what is the best way to do that? Is it just noting the won-loss record and looking for progress there? Or is it about looking more at individual players, especially those that came up from the farm and finding successes there? Since we don't have to choose just one standard, it was nice to have a little of both during this past season. But which one is more significant: an improved record or...
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Talent is there, but staying on field has been a challenge for Austin Hays

Talent is there, but staying on field has been a challenge for Austin Hays
The 2020 season for Orioles outfielder Austin Hays included a few firsts. He made the opening day roster for the first time. He hit his first inside-the-park home run and he went to the injured list because he was hit by a pitch for the first time. The last few seasons have seen Hays battle various ailments and injuries. A player that has said he didn't deal with injuries in high school and college has had a steady stream in pro ball. He spent time on the injured list at Double-A in 2018,...
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