Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

O's use draft to fortify shortstop position on farm

O's use draft to fortify shortstop position on farm
Last winter, the Orioles signed free agent shortstop José Iglesias to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021. At a position where you want to have a plus defender, he will be that for the Orioles when we see baseball again. He posted a career-high 1.4 Defensive Wins Above Replacement last season and leads all major league shortstops in fielding percentage since 2015. But the Orioles hope the long-term future of the position is currently on the farm, where in recent years, the club...
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Steve Melewski

Negotiation fatigue is real for the fans of baseball

Negotiation fatigue is real for the fans of baseball
At a time when turning on the news can be depressing in so many ways, baseball had the chance to be our hero in recent weeks. We turn to sports for enjoyment and entertainment. It is a great diversion from life's issues for a few hours. Baseball had the chance. But so far, baseball has failed. The constant bickering between the players and owners, I believe, has had an opposite effect. I call it negotiation fatigue. Fans are tiring of the back and forth and tired of hearing another day when...
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Steve Melewski

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek
The Orioles selected six players the last two nights in the First-Year Player Draft and the first five-round Major League Baseball draft ever is in the books. In a Zoom call with Baltimore reporters late last night, O's supervisor of domestic scouting operation Brad Ciolek expanded on the club's scouting and interest in top pick Heston Kjerstad, the University of Arkansas outfielder that went No. 2 overall. "We liked him as a bat coming out of high school," Ciolek said. "At Arkansas, he...
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Steve Melewski

Wrapping up the draft with the O's Brad Ciolek

Wrapping up the draft with the O's Brad Ciolek
The Orioles completed their draft tonight, making four more selections and six total over five rounds and two days. They selected four college position players to start their draft, added a high school infielder in round four tonight and a prep pitcher in the fifth and last round. So, four of six taken were from the college ranks and five of six were position players. The Orioles' supervisor of domestic scouting operations, Brad Ciolek, talked to Baltimore reporters on a Zoom call tonight and...
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Steve Melewski

Another look at the O's picks of Kjerstad and Westburg

Another look at the O's picks of Kjerstad and Westburg
On night one of the First-Year Player Draft the Orioles got two Southeastern Conference players from Texas to add to their farm system. They selected an outfielder and an infielder. They added Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad (pronounced KERR-stad) with the No. 2 overall pick and they selected Mississippi State infielder Jordan Westburg at No. 30. Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias made it clear last night Kjerstad was the player the club liked the most at No. 2,...
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Steve Melewski

New Oriole Kjerstad confident in himself and his new club

New Oriole Kjerstad confident in himself and his new club
New Oriole Heston Kjerstad, taken by the club with the No. 2 pick tonight in the First-Year Player Draft, showed some confidence when he talked to reporters during a Zoom interview. After Detroit took Spencer Torkelson as expected, the Orioles pulled a surprise with the selection of the lefty-hitting outfielder from the University of Arkansas. "I'm just excited to be a part of Birdland now and embark on my next journey of professional baseball," Kjerstad said. "Right now, I'm just stoked...
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Steve Melewski

A look back and a prediction as draft day arrives

A look back and a prediction as draft day arrives
Draft day is here. The First-Year Player Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. and the draft will be televised by both ESPN and MLB Network. The Orioles will have two picks this evening when they select No. 2 and No. 30 overall. Their first pick is the second pick of a first round that will last 29 picks. Their second pick is the first selection of Competitive Balance Round A that will comprise picks 30 through 37. The draft resumes Thursday at 5 p.m. with rounds two through five. The Orioles have...
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Steve Melewski

Another look at O's options for the No. 2 pick

Another look at O's options for the No. 2 pick
When the First-Year Player Draft begins on Wednesday night, the Orioles will have some big decisions to make. They may well be choosing between one of three options with their No. 2 overall pick. * Take a real good hitter in Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson, if he doesn't go 1/1 to the Detroit Tigers, or add Vanderbilt's Austin Martin. He features some defensive versatility and is the best pure hitter in the draft with plus bat skills and bat speed and the potential to add...
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Steve Melewski

Keith Law on O's pick and a take on Austin Martin (with video)

Keith Law on O's pick and a take on Austin Martin (with video)
While pointing out that the Orioles could go underslot with their No. 2 draft pick to go over at No. 30 and/or No. 39, The Athletic's Keith Law still has the club taking Vanderbilt's Austin Martin with its first pick. The draft begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night with coverage on both ESPN and MLB Network. That night, the first round features picks No. 1 through No. 29 and then the competitive balance round with selections Nos. 30 through 37. So the O's will have two picks Wednesday. Draft...
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Steve Melewski

A look at O's potential pursuit of undrafted players

A look at O's potential pursuit of undrafted players
Over the years, there have certainly not been many players signed after the First-Year Player Draft. Not when it was 40 rounds - or before that, 50 rounds. All the good talent was long since scooped up. But this year is very different. The draft is just five rounds. There will be 160 players drafted, or 13 percent of the 1,217 taken in 2019. Some real good talent will be available that won't be taken. But teams will have only a max bonus of $20,000 to offer. Will players that would have...
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Steve Melewski

A closer look at the O's draft preparations (with video)

A closer look at the O's draft preparations (with video)
Hired by the Orioles in 2013, Brad Ciolek is a young talent in the front office who has had to do some improvising the last couple of months. Ciolek is supervisor, domestic scouting operations for the Orioles, who have the No. 2 pick in the First-Year Player Draft this Wednesday night. They have three of the first 39 picks and six selections in the five-round draft. Time to add to that elite talent pipeline. The O's could take Vanderbilt's Austin Martin or Texas A&M pitcher Asa Lacy with...
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Steve Melewski

The case for drafting lefty pitcher Asa Lacy

The case for drafting lefty pitcher Asa Lacy
Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy, who turned 21 on Tuesday, is expected to be one of the top selections next week in the First-Year Player Draft. If the Orioles take him, turn that 21 into 1-2. He'll be a first-round pick and the second player taken. Many mock drafts still project Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson going first to Detroit, leaving the Orioles to grab Vanderbilt infielder-outfielder Austin Martin should they choose to at No. 2. But there are some reasons to consider...
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Steve Melewski

A look at Baseball America's surprise mock draft O's selection

A look at Baseball America's surprise mock draft O's selection
When Baseball America released its latest mock draft yesterday, it had a real surprise with the Orioles and the No. 2 pick. It was not Vanderbilt's Austin Martin or Asa Lacy of Texas A&M. This mock had the Orioles taking high school outfielder Zac Veen from Orange, Fla. This would be part of a one-two approach in which the O's could sign Veen, get a top player and save some slot space to go well over slot with their No. 30 pick and get two top-rated talents. It's a strategy that has...
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Steve Melewski

Baseball America's Ben Badler on O's international effort (video)

Baseball America's Ben Badler on O's international effort (video)
If the Orioles are going to build that elite talent pipeline to get back to winning baseball, they are going to need international talent to be a big element of that effort. Under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and senior director of international scouting Koby Perez, the Orioles are trying to quickly bring their international program up to speed. The Tampa Bay Rays placed a major leagues-leading eight players on the latest Baseball America top 100 prospects list and...
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Steve Melewski

The latest with the baseball talks, plus international notes

The latest with the baseball talks, plus international notes
So is the latest development in the talks between Major League Baseball players and owners going to lead toward an actual season? We'll see about that and time continues to be short. The owners side yesterday proposed a 50-60 game season, which would be followed by a postseason with seven teams in each league making it. The seven-team scenario was in play before the pandemic. The owners have said they will pay the full prorated rate for the shorter season. Ironically, or maybe not, the players...
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Steve Melewski

Remembering the Orioles' last playoff game

Remembering the Orioles' last playoff game
It produced an abrupt and loud ending. Bat connected with ball and the contact was very loud. Moments later, the crowd would be very loud, too. Edwin Encarnación hit one 440 feet to left center. It was a first-pitch, three-run homer off Ubaldo Jiménez and Toronto beat the Orioles 5-2 in 11 innings in the 2016 American League wild card game. When the night began, it featured Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.77 ERA) facing Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37 ERA) in a matchup of 89-win...
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Steve Melewski

Hanser Alberto provides a few hitting tips

Hanser Alberto provides a few hitting tips
On the Orioles Twitter account yesterday, they showed a video of Hanser Alberto doing some hitting drills. Drills designed to help others make better and more consistent contact hitting a baseball. I'll post the tweet at the end of this entry and, of course, there is never a bad time to hear from happy Hanser. Alberto has certainly made putting the ball in play a big part of his game. His strikeouts are low and his contact rate is high. That helped him last year post a batting average that...
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Steve Melewski

A take on the outlook for undrafted players next month

A take on the outlook for undrafted players next month
Well, we know there will be 160 amateur players taken in the five rounds of the First-Year Player Draft that begins June 10. But what happens after that? What about undrafted players? This year is going to be unlike any before it in the history of the draft. There were few, if any at all, top unsigned players after a 40-round draft that last year saw 1,217 players selected. There was no mad scramble for undrafted players after all those selections. But this year the draft will include just 13...
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Steve Melewski

A Steve and Roch video as we discuss the baseball talks

A Steve and Roch video as we discuss the baseball talks
Over the last few days, some fans may be losing confidence that we will have a baseball season in 2020. The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the latest ownership proposal with the sliding scale of salary reductions. The sides seem dug in on their positions and there is not a lot of reason for positivity right now. But this USA Today article indicates to not worry and that they'll get this done. There is too much to lose and no doubt that is true. But time is short. Baseball...
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Steve Melewski

A closer look at Vanderbilt's Austin Martin

A closer look at Vanderbilt's Austin Martin
The picture that is painted is an exciting one. It's of a player who not only has a ton of talent but is smart, poised and driven. He can handle the big games and moments. He makes teammates better. What is not to like about Vanderbilt infielder-outfielder Austin Martin? Many outlets project the Orioles will claim him with the No. 2 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft on June 10. Many tab Arizona State's first baseman Spencer Torkelson to go 1/1 and Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy...
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