Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

A look at the World Baseball Classic

A look at the World Baseball Classic
It's real baseball before opening day. The games count and they keep the standings. A champion will be crowned. All-Stars will take the field. Several Orioles will as well. Will this be the year that Team USA wins the World Baseball Classic? In three previous tries, the United States team made the semi-finals just once and has never played in the championship game. The fourth edition of the competition begins in March. Japan won the event in 2006 and 2009, and the Dominican Republic took the...
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Steve Melewski

Is Brad Brach too valuable to trade?

Is Brad Brach too valuable to trade?
Even Dan Duquette's constant message board critics would have a hard time finding anything wrong with a deal he made on Nov. 25, 2013. Duquette traded minor league right-hander Devin Jones to San Diego for reliever Brad Brach. While Brach has had three very solid seasons in the Orioles bullpen - and was an All-Star last year - Jones never advanced beyond Double-A. He was the Orioles' ninth-round draft pick in 2011 and is no longer playing. The trade was one-sided. Meanwhile, Brach's ERA has...
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Steve Melewski

In weak pitching market, former Oriole Jason Hammel remains available

In weak pitching market, former Oriole Jason Hammel remains available
After the Orioles' re-signing of free agent Mark Trumbo, their payroll for 20 players now signed for 2017 is in the $154 million range. That would seem to make it unlikely the club would pursue former Oriole Jason Hammel, a right-handed starter still out there among the remaining free agents. That and the fact the Orioles would be back at six starters for five spots if they added Hammel. It seems strange in a year that was not robust in free agent starters that Hammel is still out there. In...
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Steve Melewski

A check on projected homegrown starting pitchers in MLB

A check on projected homegrown starting pitchers in MLB
So with two Orioles' first-round draft picks in Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy in their projected starting rotation, how do the Birds fare against the rest of the majors in producing homegrown starters? For this story, we define a homegrown starter as a pitcher that was drafted and developed or originally signed as an international amateur by the club it now starts for. We are not counting players signed out of other pro leagues, such as a player a team adds that has already pitched...
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Steve Melewski

Catcher talk: Sisco ranked, Wieters waits

Catcher talk: Sisco ranked, Wieters waits
We may have gotten further evidence recently that the No. 1 Orioles prospect Chance Sisco is going to be a national top 100 prospect as well when new rankings come out. MLBPipeline.com ranked Sisco as the No. 5 catching prospect in baseball. Sisco is likely to be the only Oriole to make some of these top 100 lists, but that will be one more than last year when they were shut out. MLBPipeline.com says: "Sisco's feel for hitting has long belied his age. He makes a lot of quality contact with a...
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Steve Melewski

Remembering the Earl of Baltimore

Remembering the Earl of Baltimore
A sad anniversary passed on Thursday with little notice. It was on that date - Jan. 19, 2013 - when the greatest manager in Orioles history, Earl Weaver, died. It happened on the morning of FanFest that year. If you ask any longtime Orioles fan to name the organization's all-time greats, they won't get very far before mentioning the Earl of Baltimore. He never played a day in the majors for the Orioles or any team, but his impact on the franchise was as significant as anyone ever to wear the...
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Steve Melewski

A look at Mark Trumbo's impact on the lineup, payroll and more

A look at Mark Trumbo's impact on the lineup, payroll and more
So what now for the Orioles after their contract agreement yesterday with slugger Mark Trumbo? How does his return impact the payroll, other players and the lineup? The payroll: When I published this story recently, the Orioles payroll was at $141.1 million for 19 players with salaries set for 2017 (or close to set pending arbitration). We don't yet know the club's obligation to Trumbo for next season, but the average annual value for a three-year, $37.5 million deal is $12.5 million per...
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Steve Melewski

A take on Mark Trumbo's return

A take on Mark Trumbo's return
In the end, the deal just simply must have been too good for the Orioles to pass up. They were able to agree to re-sign Mark Trumbo, the major league home run leader, for a three-year deal worth $37.5 million, according to FanRag Sports. That is $37.5 million for a player that began free agency reportedly seeking $70 million or more and who reportedly turned a down a deal at one point from the Orioles for four years and $52 million. Remember when Dan Duquette talked about his interest in the...
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Steve Melewski

Will there be a Moose call to the Hall? (plus organizational rankings)

Will there be a Moose call to the Hall? (plus organizational rankings)
If Jim Palmer is a Hall of Famer, then former Orioles right-hander Mike Mussina should be in the Hall as well, in my opinion. Palmer: 268 wins, 125 ERA+, 1.180 WHIP, three Cy Young Awards Mussina: 270 wins, 123 ERA+, 1.192 WHIP, zero Cy Young Awards Palmer was an eight-time 20-game winner to just once for Mussina. But Palmer also got more chances for wins, pitching in four-man rotations. He made 38 or more starts five times. Mussina made 36 starts once and made 34 in a season three times. But...
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Steve Melewski

No surprise: O's pass on Jose Bautista (plus other notes)

No surprise: O's pass on Jose Bautista (plus other notes)
In the end, just as expected, the Orioles did not sign Jose Bautista. He agreed to a new deal with the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday, one that will pay him $18 million for the 2017 season. Bautista will have a mutual option for the 2018 season and a vesting option for the 2019 season, according to Yahoo Sports. The maximum value of the deal, if it does last for three seasons, is reported to be $60 million. If Bautista has a big season in 2017, he can decline his side of the option and try to cash...
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Steve Melewski

After his 6.17 ERA, fan expectations are low for Wade Miley

After his 6.17 ERA, fan expectations are low for Wade Miley
The Orioles' trio of veteran starting pitchers was reduced to the duo of Ubaldo Jimenez and Wade Miley after Yovani Gallardo was traded to Seattle for outfielder Seth Smith. The Orioles sent one starting pitcher to Seattle after acquiring one from Seattle at the trade deadline last year. The addition then was left-hander Miley, who certainly has a better resume than what O's fans saw on the mound late last year. In 30 starts in 2016 between Seattle and Baltimore, Miley went 9-13 with a 5.37...
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Steve Melewski

A look at some positional rankings, plus other notes

A look at some positional rankings, plus other notes
Orioles closer Zach Britton is the top reliever in Major League Baseball. That was how ESPN's Buster Olney sized them up in his latest top 10 player and positional rankings. As great as Britton was in 2016, this was not a total slam dunk. Cleveland's Andrew Miller finished second, and while Britton got him in ERA (0.54 to 1.45), Miller topped Britton in WHIP (0.686 to 0.836). Both gave up just 5.1 hits per nine innings. Miller was more impressive in the strikeout department with 14.9 to 9.9...
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Steve Melewski

Preseason edition: "10 Questions for O's Fans"

Preseason edition: "10 Questions for O's Fans"
Is it that time already? "Why not?" an Orioles team once said. It's time for the latest edition of "10 Questions for O's Fans. 1. We'll do this again when opening day rosters are set, but based on how they look now, predict the finish in the American League East. 2. How many saves will Zach Britton have next season? 3. How many doubles and homers will Manny Machado hit? 4. Which Oriole will get the most starts in left and right field? 5. Would you be OK with Trey Mancini as primary DH? 6....
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Steve Melewski

Another look at the 2017 payroll

Another look at the 2017 payroll
After the Orioles agreed to 2017 contracts with five players this week, avoiding possible arbitration hearings, their 2017 payroll is continuing to take shape. It is not dramatically different from before these agreements, since projections put the payroll in the same ballpark now as it was, say, a week ago. Locked-in dollars for 2017: $17 million - Chris Davis $16.3 million - Adam Jones $14 million - J. J. Hardy $13.5 million - Ubaldo Jimenez $11.5 million - Manny Machado $11.4 million - Zach...
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Steve Melewski

No love for the longball? (plus another Trumbo take)

No love for the longball? (plus another Trumbo take)
There is a saying in baseball that "chicks dig the longball." It seems there are some Orioles fans who would say those women need to take a closer look at things. When the Orioles' prolific home run numbers were mentioned in Thursday's blog, it touched off some comments that have become commonplace here. Such as: "Yes, but they didn't get to the World Series." "Why do people care so much about homers?" "They still need to improve the on-base percentage." I've read enough comments...
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Steve Melewski

Checking in with a few facts and opinions

Checking in with a few facts and opinions
Today, I will be presenting some Orioles facts and opinions about those facts in this space. Then, as usual, I hope you add to the discussion in the comments section. Fact: An Oriole has led the American League (and the majors) in homers for four straight years. Chris Davis hit 53 in 2013, Nelson Cruz hit 40 in 2014, Davis hit 47 in 2015 and Mark Trumbo hit 47 last year. The last time the same team produced a league homer leader four straight years was when the San Francisco Giants did it from...
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Steve Melewski

Notes on Mark Trumbo, Chris Lee and Michael Bourn

Notes on Mark Trumbo, Chris Lee and Michael Bourn
When it comes to free agents, looks can deceive and there are always surprises. But the current thinking is that 2016 Oriole Mark Trumbo will be with another team in 2017. Were Dan Duquette's recent comments confirmation of that? Overanalyzing any GM's comments at any time can be risky, but Duquette said Sunday on MLB Network Radio: "We kind of like the value of that draft pick that's been enhanced with the negotiation from the new collective bargaining agreement. In other words, it's...
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Steve Melewski

Will the Orioles improve against left-handed pitching in 2017?

Will the Orioles improve against left-handed pitching in 2017?
The Orioles struggled to hit left-handed pitching last season, ranking last in the American League in batting average, slugging and OPS against southpaws. At a time when they could see a few lefties in the AL East starting in April, they will need to improve those numbers. As a team, the Orioles hit .234/.301/.391 against left-handers last season, ranking 15th, 14th and 15th among all AL teams, respectively, in average, OBP and slugging. The Orioles fared much better against right-handed...
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Steve Melewski

A look at both first-pitch swings and working counts, plus links

A look at both first-pitch swings and working counts, plus links
It would probably not surprise an Orioles fan to know that their team was among the American League leaders in number of times swinging at the first pitch of an at-bat last season. It might surprise to know they fared pretty well at it. In 2016, Orioles hitters swung at the first pitch 30.6 percent of the time, trailing only Houston at 34.7 percent and Tampa Bay at 32.8. Boston took the most first pitches, swinging just 20.9 percent of the time. The league average was a swing rate of 27.9...
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Steve Melewski

Outfield platoon talk

Outfield platoon talk
How many platoon spots in the outfield are too many? Right now, the Orioles appear headed for platoon situations in both left and right field. That is probably fine, since the only other lineup spot looking at a potential platoon is designated hitter, pending how the rest of the offseason goes with signings and/or acquisitions. Going by the 2016 statistics, the Orioles ranked below average on offense in left field, above average in center field and well above average in right field. But Adam...
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