One Houston fan's reaction to the Astros' cheating scandal

One Houston fan's reaction to the Astros' cheating scandal
By now, many fans have probably heard about what another fan did. That fan is 54-year-old Tony Adams and he is a Houston Astros fan. In an effort to get more information about the sign-stealing scandal, he went through 58 of the Astros' 2017 home games and cataloged the sound of a trash can being hit. Banging on a trash can was one way Houston players tipped teammates at the plate as to which pitch to expect. Someone would watch the catcher's signs on a television monitor, and before the...
Continue reading

Another look at left-hander Wade LeBlanc

Another look at left-hander Wade LeBlanc
When the Orioles agreed to a minor league deal Tuesday with lefty Wade LeBlanc, they added a veteran with good command and an ERA that from 2016-2018 was just a bit better than league average. The Orioles assume little risk here with a minors deal and one that will reportedly pay LeBlanc $800,000 in the majors. The Athletic reported he has an opt-out clause for March 19. On that date he can ask for his release and the Orioles would have 48 hours to add him to the 40-man roster or release...
Continue reading

An interesting name on the non-roster invite list, plus other notes

An interesting name on the non-roster invite list, plus other notes
When the Orioles released their list of 23 non-roster spring training invitees yesterday it included a name from their farm system that has flown under the radar. He was doing it to an extent even yesterday when bigger names and higher-ranked prospects were listed. But there with Adley Rutschman, Zac Lowther, Yusniel Diaz, Alex Wells and the rest was the name of pitcher Cristian Alvarado. The right-hander, who turned 25 on Sept. 20, had a breakout season in 2019 in the Double-A Bowie Baysox...
Continue reading

Could search for rotation help lead O's back to Andrew Cashner?

Could search for rotation help lead O's back to Andrew Cashner?
Could the Orioles' pursuit of rotation help lead them back to signing right-hander Andrew Cashner as a free agent for the second time? Before the 2018 season, they signed him to a two-year deal worth $16 million with an option for 2020. The Boston Red Sox acquired him from the Orioles in a trade in July and did not pick up that option. Cashner is available and can be an Oriole again. The Birds could be encouraged to sign him when they look at how well he pitched for the Orioles last summer. Or...
Continue reading

More opposite-field homers could make Chris Davis more productive

More opposite-field homers could make Chris Davis more productive
During a 17-minute interview Thursday night on 105.7 The Fan's "Orioles Hot Stove Show," Chris Davis talked about ways he is trying to get his bat productive again. During that interview, Davis told us he has not overhauled his swing, but has gotten bigger and stronger over the winter in an attempt to improve his game and drive the ball better. In 2019, over 352 plate appearances (his fewest since 2011), Davis hit .179/.276/.326 with nine doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 139 strikeouts. He...
Continue reading

Orioles get four on the MLBPipeline.com top 100 list

Orioles get four on the MLBPipeline.com top 100 list
Another major outlet released its national top 100 prospects list on Saturday afternoon. During a live telecast on MLB Network, MLBPipeline.com unveiled its new top 100, and the Orioles have placed four young players on the list. Catcher Adley Rutschman, taken with the No. 1 overall draft pick last June, ranks No. 4 on this list. The only players ranked higher were Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco at No. 1, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux at No. 2 and Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis...
Continue reading

Out of the top 100, but not out of the O's future

Out of the top 100, but not out of the O's future
With some excitement in the Orioles organization for young talents like catcher Adley Rutschman and pitchers Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall, who have made the Baseball America top 47, and with Ryan Mountcastle closing in on the majors, what's going on with outfielder Yusniel Diaz? He is far from forgotten, although he did drop out of the Baseball America list of national top 100 prospects that was released this week. Diaz was the centerpiece of the five-player trade in July 2018 that sent Manny...
Continue reading

Chris Davis adds bulk, but no swing overhaul heading into season

Chris Davis adds bulk, but no swing overhaul heading into season
With high strikeout numbers but declining home run numbers, the Orioles' Chris Davis has recorded an OPS of just .539 in 2018 and .601 last year. In 2019, over 352 plate appearances (his fewest since 2011), Davis hit .179/.276/.326 with nine doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 139 strikeouts. By September he was a part-time player, and he made just nine starts in that month. With three years left on the big contract he signed before the 2016 season, Orioles fans are wondering if Davis has made any...
Continue reading

Orioles add Taylor Davis and Brady Rodgers on minor league deals

Orioles add Taylor Davis and Brady Rodgers on minor league deals
With pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training in a few weeks, the Orioles today added some pitching and catching depth with a pair of minor league signings. They added right-handed pitcher Brady Rodgers, 29, and right-handed hitting catcher Taylor Davis, 30. Both could get spring training invites, although the club has not announced that group of players yet. The Houston Astros drafted Rodgers in round three in 2012 after a stellar career at Arizona State. That was at a time when...
Continue reading

Why did Ryan Mountcastle miss the Baseball America top 100?

Why did Ryan Mountcastle miss the Baseball America top 100?
When Baseball America released its latest top 100 prospects list on Wednesday, the Orioles had three players who made it and one that just missed. Catcher Adley Rutschman was No. 5, right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez No. 35 and left-hander DL Hall No. 47. Those are the club's last three top draft picks, with Hall taken 21st overall in 2017, Rodriguez 11th in 2018 and Rutschman was the overall No. 1 pick last June. When the 2019 season ended, Baseball America had tweaked its list a bit from...
Continue reading

A suspension's unintended consequence, Hall of Fame vote and more

A suspension's unintended consequence, Hall of Fame vote and more
The remaining 63-game suspension of New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán will hurt the Yankees in the 2020 season, but could help them down the road. Earlier this month Germán was suspended under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. The suspension is stemming from an incident in September involving Germán and his girlfriend. No criminal charges were filed against Germán, who has agreed not to appeal the suspension. Germán was hit with an 81-game unpaid...
Continue reading

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020
The Double-A Bowie Baysox had a pitching rotation that was fun to watch last year on the O's farm. On its way to the Eastern League championship series for just the second time, Bowie put up some very strong pitching numbers. The Baysox's team ERA of 3.18 led the league and set a record. So did the club's WHIP of 1.18, which was so strong, it was the best in the Eastern League since 2001. Bowie ranked second with 16 shutouts on its way to a 76-64 record. A record that looks much better when...
Continue reading

A look at how the Orioles bullpen might improve in 2020

A look at how the Orioles bullpen might improve in 2020
It is an easy area to mark for improvement in the 2020 season: the Orioles bullpen. The 'pen pitchers posted a 5.63 ERA to rank 15th in the American League last year. The year before that, their ERA ranked 14th, but it was much better at 4.78. The bullpen WHIP was almost equal going from 1.50 in 2018 to 1.51 in 2019. The OPS against went from .776 to .832. The team 'pen had a better strikeout rate last year going from 8.12 to 8.60. But the improvement moving forward could simply come from...
Continue reading

Season-is-close edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

Season-is-close edition: "10 questions for O's fans"
I don't know if it's back by popular demand - I hope so - but it is back. Today we present the latest edition of "10 questions for O's fans." So answer one or all 10, provide short answers or long, respond to other readers' answers. It's all good. This is the season-is-close edition to be followed in a few weeks by the early spring training edition. And the season is indeed close. Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 11 and the first workout...
Continue reading

In cheating scandal, there were no penalties for players

In cheating scandal, there were no penalties for players
It has been quite a week in Major League Baseball. The cheating scandal took down one general manager and three managers. Franchises are tarnished. Houston got hit hard and Boston could be next. But the players involved were not fined or suspended, and none got fired. I'm OK with that. It would be hard to know exactly which players took part and how often. Cheating once is too much, but were I handing out the discipline I would not treat every player equally. In a sense, all the players on the...
Continue reading

Some prospect recognition for the Orioles

Some prospect recognition for the Orioles
The Orioles got some nice prospect recognition this week when three of their young players were noted as among the best in the game by MLBPipeline.com. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was rated as the No. 10 right-handed pitching prospect in the sport. A nice honor, since the prospects lists always seem to be loaded with right-handers. Pitcher DL Hall was listed No. 10 among left-handers and at catcher, Adley Rutschman was ranked No. 1. He's a top 10 national prospect. By the way, some of the...
Continue reading

Time for another Orioles Q&A

Time for another Orioles Q&A
We haven't done this since before Thanksgiving, so it's probably past time for another Orioles question-and-answer session here on the blog. Time for readers to throw out O's questions and/or comments - anything on the majors or minors, draft, whatever - and we'll take shots at providing some answers and responses. As always, readers responding to other readers provide interesting, well, reading. We can discuss the shape of the roster heading into spring training next month. Where the camp...
Continue reading

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin
A total of 18 different pitchers made starts for the Orioles on the mound in 2019. We know they'll need five to start next season and the number over 162 games will go well north of that, probably. Let's take stock of the rotation as of today. The 2019 O's produced a rotation ERA of 5.57 to rank 14th in the American League. The Los Angeles Angels were worst at 5.64. The Orioles rotation rated 10th in innings (789), ninth in opponent average (.271), 15th in homers allowed (179), 15th in OPS...
Continue reading

Houston hit hard and an early 2020 mock draft

Houston hit hard and an early 2020 mock draft
The Houston Astros, as speculated by many, did in fact get hammered for their part in sign-stealing via technology. Major League Baseball suspended their general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager AJ Hinch for the 2020 season. Then Astros owner Jim Crane went further than that. He fired both Luhnow and Hinch. Houston also lost first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. They will also lose the significant bonus pool dollars for each slot of the four picks. That will hurt their...
Continue reading

Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp

Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp
With the Orioles report date for spring training fast approaching, today we take a look at the club's position players heading into camp. Certainly, this could change pending any further roster moves. O's pitchers and catchers are due to report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 11 and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. The spring training opener is Feb. 22 against Atlanta and the 2020 season opener is March 26 at home versus the New York Yankees. Here is a look at the...
Continue reading