Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Some thoughts on Nelson Cruz

Some thoughts on Nelson Cruz
At the start of free agency, MLBTradeRumors.com projected that slugger Nelson Cruz could get a three-year contract worth $39 million. As we know, things change, and so did this free agent market. Today, the Orioles agreed to a one-year deal with Cruz worth $8 million plus incentives. Was that a deal the Orioles simply had to take? Sure seems so, and after earlier giving up their first-round pick next June (17th overall) for Ubaldo Jimenez, they will now part with the 55th pick for Cruz. That...
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Steve Melewski

Did one signing fire up the Orioles' fanbase? (updated with Cruz report)

Did one signing fire up the Orioles' fanbase? (updated with Cruz report)
It sure seems like one signing has energized a fanbase. The Orioles signed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to a four-year deal and suddenly no one is posting here that the team will finish in last place, is cheap, is too slow to act or will win just 70 games this year. Will that one signing make the difference for the Orioles on the field this year? I guess we will find out, but it sure has made a difference, at least so far, with the enthusiasm of a fanbase that was waning. Now fans seem to be...
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Steve Melewski

A look at one potential guideline for a J.J. Hardy contract extension

A look at one potential guideline for a J.J. Hardy contract extension
When Jhonny Peralta signed a four-year, $52 million free agent contract in November with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Orioles brass probably took note. Some feel the Peralta deal is a comp - a good comparison for a possible deal between J.J. Hardy and the Orioles. Hardy can be a free agent after this season and the Orioles say they want to re-sign him. They are both shortstops and both are 31. They have some similar offensive statistics, but Peralta is ahead of Hardy on offense with Hardy the...
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Steve Melewski

After losing two 2014 draft picks, should the Orioles part with a third?

After losing two 2014 draft picks, should the Orioles part with a third?
Once you have given up the 17th and 35th picks in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, why not part with another one? That is a question the Orioles face now, as they have been linked to players like Nelson Cruz and Kendrys Morales on the free agent market. This morning on MLB Network, Ken Rosenthal said the Mariners and Orioles remain the most likely landing spots for Cruz, with his last team, Texas, still a possibility. Last summer, the Orioles traded a competitive balance pick to Houston in...
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Steve Melewski

A closer look at the Orioles on the Baseball America top 100

A closer look at the Orioles on the Baseball America top 100
The Orioles' top two pitching prospects are ranked among the top 20 prospects in all of baseball on the latest Baseball America top 100 list, which was released last night. Dylan Bundy was rated No. 15 with Kevin Gausman at No. 20. Baseball America ranked pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez No. 65 as he makes the list for the first time at age 20. Baseball America's John Manuel said two other O's prospects just missed this list with Hunter Harvey coming in at No. 108 and Jonathan Schoop at No. 110...
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Steve Melewski

Three Orioles make Baseball America top 100 prospects list; Bundy, Gausman in top 20

Three Orioles make Baseball America top 100 prospects list; Bundy, Gausman in top 20
Three Orioles pitching prospects made Baseball America's top 100 prospects list that was released tonight. Dylan Bundy is ranked No. 15 with Kevin Gausman No. 20 and Eduardo Rodriguez No. 65. Two other Orioles came close to making the list. When Baseball America did its first draft of the top 100, pitcher Hunter Harvey was No. 108 and infielder Jonathan Schoop No. 110, according to BA's John Manuel. All five of those O's prospects made the ESPN and Baseball Prospectus top 100 lists while...
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Steve Melewski

Ron Darling on Jimenez's mechanics and how his addition might impact the clubhouse

Ron Darling on Jimenez's mechanics and how his addition might impact the clubhouse
I wrote about this some yesterday, but it is a valid concern with right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. That is, his high pitch counts, as he averaged 17.3 pitches per inning last season, which was among the highest in baseball. Part of this is due to, of course, his high strikeout and walk totals. While he struck out the ninth-most batters in the American League last year, he also was tied for third in most walks allowed. That is a lot of pitches he's throwing without a batter putting the ball in...
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Steve Melewski

More on Jimenez, some rotation talk and what might come next

More on Jimenez, some rotation talk and what might come next
We can debate the merits of the O's contract agreement with pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez - a deal being reported as a four-year, $50 million contract - but I hope this puts one notion to rest forever: the notion from some that the Orioles put profits ahead of winning. Fans can argue moves the club makes or that it should spend more, but the club's payroll is now approaching $100 million. They don't need you to pat them on the back for that and they are nowhere near being among baseball's...
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Steve Melewski

Some thoughts on Ubaldo Jimenez

Some thoughts on Ubaldo Jimenez
The Orioles have been saying they wanted to add a pitcher and tonight it has happened. MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko first reported that the Orioles were finalizing a four-year deal with Ubaldo Jimenez. Now multiple reports say the deal is done, pending a physical. All along I have been concerned that signing either Jimenez or Ervin Santana along with giving up a first-round pick was too big a price to pay. But the Orioles are set to pay it to the tune of four years for $48 million and they...
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Steve Melewski

Remembering a former Oriole, the injuries he battled as he announces retirement

Remembering a former Oriole, the injuries he battled as he announces retirement
Sometimes you meet people in life that have the amazing ability to smile and stay upbeat even when they experience tough times. That describes Jim Hoey pretty well. Many O's fans may not even remember Hoey, who announced his official retirement from baseball today. The Orioles drafted the tall, hard-throwing right-hander out of Rider University in Round 13 in June 2003. He may be best known for being part of a trade. Hoey and Brett Jacobsen were traded by the Orioles to Minnesota on Dec. 9,...
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Steve Melewski

Dave Wallace on working with young pitchers and those in the minors

Dave Wallace on working with young pitchers and those in the minors
First-year Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace comes to Baltimore with an impressive resume. The Orioles will be the fifth team he has served as major league pitching coach. But Wallace has plenty of experience working with minor league pitchers also, and he spent the past four seasons as minor league pitching coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, overseeing the progress and development of that organization's minor league hurlers. As the Orioles current group of young minor league pitchers...
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Steve Melewski

Pitching staff flexibility: Those with options give O's more options (updated)

Pitching staff flexibility: Those with options give O's more options (updated)
Orioles lefty Zach Britton is out of options and that might give him an edge in the battle to win the fifth starter's job. Of course, he'll have to pitch well and won't get the job simply because he can't be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. Britton could also wind up in the bullpen, which became a bigger possibility when lefty Troy Patton was suspended for the season's first 25 games. But among the Orioles' candidates for rotation spots, most do have options remaining...
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Steve Melewski

This Orioles pitcher deserves more props

This Orioles pitcher deserves more props
Is Miguel Gonzalez underrated? I think the answer to that is yes and I think he is underrated by some of his own fanbase. Gonzalez has been a solid starter for most of the last two years for the Orioles and here's a big one - he's pitched well against the American League East. Over the last two seasons, Gonzalez is 20-12 with a 3.58 ERA. A.J. Burnett, who just got a one-year, $16 million contract, is 26-21 with an ERA of 3.41. Gonzalez, by the way, has earned about $1 million total over the...
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Steve Melewski

Some free agent pitcher talk, Duquette audio and a thank you

Some free agent pitcher talk, Duquette audio and a thank you
It is interesting to look back now at an ESPN.com story from November authored by former major league general manager Jim Bowden. He ranked what he thought then would be the 50 biggest free agent contracts this winter. He listed Robinson Cano first, projecting he would get an eight-year, $200 million deal. He was close on the average annual value, as Cano signed a 10-year deal worth $240 million with the Seattle Mariners. Bowden projected that pitcher Ervin Santana would get a five-year, $75...
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Steve Melewski

Clevenger looking to catch on to opening day roster spot with Orioles

Clevenger looking to catch on to opening day roster spot with Orioles
As a kid growing up in the Baltimore area, Steve Clevenger went to Camden Yards and dreamed of playing on that field for the Orioles one day. His dream came true late last season when the Orioles acquired him from the Cubs in July and he was a September call-up. In four games, Clevenger handled himself well behind the plate and went 4-for-15 with two RBIs. When he made his O's debut Sept. 13, Clevenger became the 22nd Maryland-born Oriole. That was a taste of playing for the orange and...
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Steve Melewski

A few notes and thoughts on O's agreement with Suk-min Yoon

A few notes and thoughts on O's agreement with Suk-min Yoon
So the Orioles reached an agreement today with Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon on a three-year contract. Here are a few notes on the 27-year-old right-hander: * Yoon dealt with some shoulder issues last season when he pitched as both a starter and reliever for the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization. He went 3-6 with seven saves and an ERA of 4.00. Over 87 2/3 innings, he fanned 76. * Yoon's best season was in 2011 when he went 17-5 with an ERA of 2.45 and 178 strikeouts to be named...
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Steve Melewski

A.J. Burnett reaches an agreement with the Phillies (O's add Morillo)

A.J. Burnett reaches an agreement with the Phillies (O's add Morillo)
So much for the Monkton connection. Pitcher A.J. Burnett has agreed to a one-year deal to pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies and will not be coming to Baltimore for the 2014 season. Not long after word got out that Burnett intended to pitch this season and not retire, he was immediately linked to the Orioles since he makes his home in Monkton and reportedly had a strong desire to play close to home. The 37-year-old right-hander had ERAs of 5.26 and 5.15 the last time he was in the American...
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Matusz on the mound: Lefty looks for rotation spot in spring training

Matusz on the mound: Lefty looks for rotation spot in spring training
We've seen pitchers go from the bullpen to the starting rotation. We've seen pitchers go from the rotation to the 'pen. Can a pitcher go from starting to relief and back to the rotation? Brian Matusz is going to try to pull that off and his quest begins this week on the sunny fields of Florida. The Orioles are going to take a look at Matusz as a possible starter this spring and this might be his last chance to show the club he deserves a rotation shot. It wasn't that long ago that Matusz...
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Steve Melewski

A look at Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez

A look at Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez
They are two right-handers from the Dominican Republic and they are two of the best starting pitchers remaining on the free agent market. They are 31-year-old Ervin Santana and 30-year-old Ubaldo Jimenez. To sign either, a club would have to give up a draft pick. For the Orioles that would mean giving up the 17th pick in the first round next June. Should they consider doing that? For Kansas City in 2013, Santana went 9-10 with an ERA of 3.24 over 211 innings in 32 starts. In his career,...
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Steve Melewski

Who gets the DH at-bats for the Orioles this year?

Who gets the DH at-bats for the Orioles this year?
The Orioles could certainly get a lift this year with better production out of the designated hitter spot. Last season, O's designated hitters batted .234 with 21 homers, 69 RBIs, a .415 slugging percentage and .704 OPS. The O's ranked ninth in the American League in batting average from the DH spot, 13th in OBP, fifth in slugging, fourth in homers and eighth in OPS, a little under the league average of .725. No less than 16 players got at-bats at the DH spot in 2013. That will always be a...
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