The three-day minicamp earlier this month in Sarasota, Fla., was designed for evaluation purposes and to provide needed work in the offseason prior to the start of spring training. For Orioles who aren't natural outfielders and others who want to get better at it.
DJ Stewart wasn't just a participant. He was a driving force behind the idea.
"The first thing I can say is this guy will work harder than anybody else we have out there," said first base coach and outfield instructor Anthony...
The Orioles are counting on Yusniel Diaz, one of their top position prospects, to make his major league debut during the summer of 2021. A promotion that was put on hold due to COVID-19.
Diaz will be in camp whenever position players are cleared to report. Published dates are written in hopeful strokes.
First base coach Anthony Sanders doubles as the Orioles' outfield instructor and he had an opportunity to work with Diaz earlier this month at the three-day minicamp in Sarasota, Fla.
"He...
Liam Hendriks is the new White Sox closer after receiving a four-year deal worth $54 million. He was the American League's Reliever of the Year in 2020 after posting a 1.78 ERA and 0.671 WHIP, recording 14 saves in 15 chances, and walking three batters and striking out 37 in 25 1/3 innings.
The walk total is one short of the number of teams that have designated him for assignment.
The Orioles did it in spring training 2014 and lost him to the Blue Jays on a waiver claim. They had no idea that...
The Orioles reached a point in the recent past where no one was viewed as untouchable. Make them an offer. There was room to fit everyone on the table.
Some players were pushed harder than others in trade talks. Teams learned in 2018 that the Orioles needed to be overwhelmed in order to consider Trey Mancini. They were steered in other directions.
The Orioles also were inclined to keep Mancini in 2019, noting his importance on the roster and in the clubhouse. Mancini, in turn, was asked almost...
Branden Kline took his 98 mph fastball and went home.
The Orioles drafted Kline, a Frederick native, in the second round in 2012 out of the University of Virginia. They aided his recoveries from multiple elbow surgeries that cost him two full seasons, introduced him to the majors in 2019 while providing a nice feel-good story, brought him up again last summer for three games, outrighted him in October and read about his retirement last week on social media.
Kline celebrated his 29th birthday in...
I lost my father exactly two years ago today.
I've learned through this crushing ordeal that it won't be any easier typing that sentence after three years.
The number is going to change. Not the huge void in my life. And knowing that he never got to see my granddaughter, who would have melted his heart as she's done mine, brings a tremendous amount of sadness.
My daughter found out that she was pregnant on this date in 2020. She says that he sent us this little angel.
A middle school...
Almost two full months have passed since the Orioles set their 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft and chose to designate Renato Núñez for assignment. One of their arbitration-eligible players was redirected into free agency. Another team would have to be comfortable paying Núñez in the neighborhood of $2 million.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said Núñez no longer fit on a reconstructed roster. There wasn't a clear position for him on the field. And...
A new day brings a new set of questions and curiosities.
For instance:
* Will left-hander Josh Rogers be invited to spring training next month?
Rogers underwent a second procedure on his left elbow on July 3, 2019, this one called an "ulnar collateral ligament revision." He had Tommy John surgery during his senior year in high school.
Making it through his rehab program without any setbacks, Rogers was able to face hitters in the fall instructional camp and work with pitching coach/director...
While the Orioles keeping waiting for Major League Baseball to establish its rules for 2021, especially roster sizes for spring training, they must prepare their case against outfielder Anthony Santander in next month's arbitration hearing.
"Against" is a cringe-worthy word when considering his value to the club, his importance in the current state of the rebuild. But there's no other way to phrase it when one side wants to pay $2.1 million and the other side wants to receive $2.475...
The Orioles have ceased negotiations with the representatives for outfielder Anthony Santander and are preparing for an arbitration hearing next month.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed the team's stance this afternoon on a Zoom conference call with the local media.
Both sides reached the 1 p.m. deadline without an agreement. Salary figures will be exchanged and a hearing date will be set for next month.
"We have a file-to-go policy that I've been very consistent...
Is it safe to slip into spring training mode?
Is it really going to happen, with Orioles pitchers and catchers reporting on Feb. 16 - one day after most or all of the beat crew arrives in Sarasota, Fla.?
Multiple reports are feeding us optimism by the ladle. That's nice. But I'll repeat that teams were told back in October to prepare as though camps would open on time and the season would consist of 162 games.
We only know that nothing has changed in that regard. No one has been instructed to...
The deadline has arrived for teams to sign their arbitration-eligible players for the 2021 season.
The Orioles tendered contracts to outfielders Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander back on Dec. 2. However, the sides will exchange figures later this afternoon if they don't reach agreements by 1 p.m., and hearings will be scheduled for next month.
Negotiations are allowed to continue beyond the salary exchange. However, the Orioles could be in file-and-trial mode again, which heightens the...
The implementation of the alternate camp site and participation in the fall instructional league were geared in part toward avoiding a setback in the development of prospects who couldn't get at-bats and innings in the minors.
But what about the excluded players?
What about outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who wasn't able to report to Prince George's Stadium or the Ed Smith Stadium complex because of an undisclosed non-sports medical issue?
We're assuming here that he's been working out at...
The three-day minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex has reached its halfway point this morning. Five outfielders working with three instructors in Sarasota temperatures reaching the low 70s.
The high fives will be kept to a minimum for social distancing purposes.
The outfielders are in varying stages of their careers. Three of them have reached the majors. One remains a rookie in 2021 who is playing his fourth position. One is a former first-round draft pick. One is an infielder who...
When the Orioles made the decision to remove José Flores as third base coach and infield instructor, they didn't rush through the process of finding his replacement.
They didn't react as though they were on the clock.
There was a slow build to the composition of the final list of candidates, with the Orioles more interested in making an outside hire rather than shifting one of their coaches into a new role and further reducing the staff.
They replaced pitching coach Doug Brocail with Chris...
Trying to predict moves in an unpredictable world is advised only if you're not putting down money. And I'm really talking about the baseball offseason.
I get my share right. I also get some wrong.
And sometimes I'm just a little surprised.
I thought the Orioles would have no interest in bringing back Jonathan Villar, simply choosing to move on from a player they traded in December 2019, but they've spoken to his agent. A reunion remains a possibility.
Villar obviously could play shortstop...
The Orioles are proceeding as though their pitchers and catchers will report to spring training on Feb. 16. As though there will be a full slate of workouts and exhibition games, followed by opening day on April 1 in Boston.
They can't let the unpredictability of a pandemic influence their plans. Adjustments will be made if necessary.
In the meantime, it's been deemed safe to hold a minicamp from Monday-Wednesday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, with players and coaches following in-season...
The change in titles for Darren Holmes from Orioles bullpen coach to assistant pitching coach won't distance him from the relievers. He's going to have the same vantage point for games, with the same influence.
That's good news to Cole Sulser, who said he benefited from his work with Holmes in 2020.
"It was great. It was a fantastic experience," Sulser said this week.
"I think his wealth of knowledge with how many years he played in major bullpen roles was a great resource for all of us...
In his second year as a major league manager, Brandon Hyde had to guide the Orioles through an unprecedented season in the midst of a pandemic.
In his first season as a major league pitching coach, Chris Holt will assume responsibility of a staff that's never before had to ramp back up following a 60-game schedule and now faces the uncertainty of 2021.
How, exactly, is that going to work?
Holt didn't seem the least bit worried about it during yesterday's Zoom conference call with the media....
Giving Chris Holt two titles and sets of responsibilities raised one very interesting question.
How would he blend his roles as Orioles pitching coach and director of pitching?
Holt made it clear this afternoon in a Zoom conference call with the media that his new assignment as Doug Brocail's replacement is the top priority.
"My primary job is the major league pitching staff," he said. "The goal of remaining the director of pitching is to have a top-down approach, make sure there's...