Roch Kubatko
Roch Kubatko

Adjustment in Castro's delivery monitored from long distance

Adjustment in Castro's delivery monitored from long distance
The last pitch thrown by Orioles reliever Miguel Castro on March 6 provided evidence that work done on the side, the late tinkering of his delivery, was producing the desired results. But could he keep it going so many miles from the spring training complex? From his home in the Dominican Republic over the past two months? Pitching coach Doug Brocail keeps checking on it while back at his residence in Texas. Again, the video technology that's keeping family and friends connected during the...
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Roch Kubatko

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
My optimism is growing that baseball will be played later this summer. Which in the past has meant nothing because I can become skeptical again in a matter of seconds. But it appears that progress is being made toward spring training 2.0 and an opening day in July. Contingencies are in place in case it doesn't happen, which I've heard from people who are close to the game. Have to be prepared for both scenarios. I'm still not buying the argument that fans will never return if there's no...
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Roch Kubatko

Flores on Mountcastle's defense and Núñez at third base

Flores on Mountcastle's defense and Núñez at third base
With the exception of the 37 minor league players released last week, the Orioles haven't done much with their personnel since returning home from spring training. The sport is on hold and the camp roster is on ice. Infielder/outfielder Ryan Mountcastle, pitcher David Hess, infielder Ramón Urías and outfielder Cedric Mullins were the last players cut, and those moves became official back on March 19. Five days after I boarded a flight out of Tampa. Mountcastle received most of his work...
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Roch Kubatko

Leftover nominations for breakfast

Leftover nominations for breakfast
After offering a partial list of athletes who would interest me in a 10-part documentary, I wanted to pile on by including an obvious choice. One that must be near or at the top. Hank Aaron would be an incredible watch. Also a difficult one, given the ugliness that followed his pursuit of the all-time home run record. But racism isn't supposed to be comfortable. Aaron has shown a willingness in the past to share his experiences, the stacks of hateful mail with threats and harassment that...
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Roch Kubatko

Flores on Martin and the positive influence of Iglesias

Flores on Martin and the positive influence of Iglesias
The Orioles hadn't made a final decision on shortstop Richie Martin prior to baseball's shutdown in spring training. He remained on the camp roster, which is frozen at 50 players. The club could have placed him in a utility role or, more likely, assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk in an attempt to further develop his skills. They had the freedom to go in any direction with Martin no longer holding Rule 5 status. Now what? The minor league season is expected to be canceled due to the coronavirus...
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Roch Kubatko

Flores doing his teaching from Puerto Rico

Flores doing his teaching from Puerto Rico
Pitchers who are confined to their homes during the pandemic are challenged to find a mound and perhaps a willing partner to provide a target. Hitters are relegated to batting cages, if they have one built or access to a facility that's open, in order to stay sharp. What's an infielder to do? José Flores, who replaced Bobby Dickerson as Orioles third base coach and infield instructor prior to the 2019 season, is trying to teach and encourage from Puerto Rico. He doesn't know whether...
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Roch Kubatko

Limited clarity to a proposed 2020 season

Limited clarity to a proposed 2020 season
The shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic haven't impacted the number of questions about baseball's attempts to play in 2020. Spring training locations appear to be solved, with teams expected to work out in their home ballparks rather than the camp facilities. The Orioles won't have all those fields and bullpen mounds at their disposal, so they'll need to get creative while conducting their drills. If they could train at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, they should be able to train...
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Roch Kubatko

Other ideas for 10-part sports documentaries

Other ideas for 10-part sports documentaries
The conclusion of "The Last Dance" 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan is going to leave a big void in my television viewing. It was must-see programming with its behind-the scenes access. Perhaps ESPN could milk it a little bit more and give us "Jordan: The Wizards Years." I'll admit that I initially thought 10 parts might be excessive. Once again, I was wrong. Is there anyone else who could hold my interest in a 10-parter, assuming that it's done as well as the Jordan documentary? *...
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Roch Kubatko

What happened to Orioles one year ago today?

What happened to Orioles one year ago today?
The Orioles did an admirable job last season of preventing the losses from breaking their collective spirit. There were some chips and cracks, but nothing they couldn't repair. It might have been done with a win or the stubborn nature they'd exhibit in defeat, battling until the final out and whittling away at the deficit. But there also was the game exactly one year ago in Cleveland that reminded them of the distance between a contender and a team in the early phases of a teardown and...
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Roch Kubatko

Cobb left waiting for rematch with Twins

Cobb left waiting for rematch with Twins
The Orioles are supposed to be in Minnesota today to start a three-game series. They're supposed to be putting last year's failings behind them. In a big pile that could bury them if it toppled. Three games against the Twins at Camden Yards produced three losses. Three games at Target Field produced three losses. All of them coming in April, with a series win against the White Sox nestled in between. Alex Cobb made only three starts in 2019 and the last two came against the Twins before the...
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Roch Kubatko

Losing baseball hasn't been a total loss

Losing baseball hasn't been a total loss
The pandemic and absence of sports leaves many of us lamenting losses that, when kept in proper perspective, aren't really that important. They hurt but they don't do irreparable harm. This isn't a lecture. Maybe more of a reality check. I've got my health and my job. Same with my fiancée, sister, daughter and niece. My mother is doing the best that she can in isolation on the Eastern Shore Other people have it much worse and I remind myself of it each time that I look in the mirror and...
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Roch Kubatko

Long on Núñez: "I see a lot of room for growth"

Long on Núñez: "I see a lot of room for growth"
If the Orioles are able to play baseball in 2020, no one else on the active roster is going to have more home runs or RBIs from the previous season than designated hitter Renato Núñez. Trey Mancini ranked first in both categories, but is unable to play this year while recovering from colon cancer surgery. His goal is 2021. It was a breakout season for Núñez, who earned the opportunity to appear in 151 games and accumulated 599 plate appearances. His 132 hits, 24 doubles, 31 home...
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Roch Kubatko

Spring shutdown left players like Wynns uncertain of status

Spring shutdown left players like Wynns uncertain of status
The spring training shutdown did more than stop the workouts and exhibition games. It also led to the shredding of mock rosters, destroying all of the hard work put into choosing the 26 players who would head north for opening day. If there is a 2020 season, it's going to come with an expansion that might allow teams to carry 30 players and a hefty taxi squad. Those camp competitions that held our interest seem so insignificant under these revisions. The idea of carrying a third catcher seemed...
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Roch Kubatko

Wynns imparts wisdom and advice to young players via Zoom

Wynns imparts wisdom and advice to young players via Zoom
The Zoom conference calls have allowed Orioles catcher Austin Wynns to feel more connected to his family, friends and teammates. The club set up a promotion where he could speak with Birdland Members deprived of a season. The images on his screen have been personal in some ways and linked more to his profession on others days. But they touch his heart just the same. Wynns spent last Friday night talking baseball in a manner he hadn't experienced. A catcher-turned-lecturer of sorts, the virtual...
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Roch Kubatko

Still wondering whether there's going to be baseball

Still wondering whether there's going to be baseball
Young students should be filing into Camden Yards this morning for the annual "Weather Day" event at the ballpark. A chance to watch baseball after they learn about barometric pressure. Sun is in the forecast with temperatures in the upper 60s. It's been a little chilly for the second week of May, but no one would be complaining. The weather doesn't really matter. We're stuck at home, wondering whether there's going to be a season. So yes, it's "Whether Day." My optimism fluctuates...
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Roch Kubatko

Don Long on his work with Rio Ruiz

Don Long on his work with Rio Ruiz
If every at-bat and every swing from Chris Davis in spring training led to a series of dissections, discussions and debates, Rio Ruiz's trips to the plate by comparison seemed to be shrouded in secrecy. The player with the second-highest average on the team and the third-highest on-base and slugging percentages didn't get nearly as much attention. There isn't a dome at Ed Smith Stadium, but it's possible to operate beneath a cone of silence. The spring also was important for Ruiz, who...
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Roch Kubatko

Long on Davis: "He was much more aggressive"

Long on Davis: "He was much more aggressive"
One of my more interesting and enlightening conversations in spring training, before the door slammed shut and everyone headed home, came on Feb. 24 with first baseman Chris Davis as we sat in the media workroom following his final round of batting practice. The Orioles were on the road and I stayed back in camp, waiting for Davis to leave the field and wondering if he'd remember that he agreed to an interview. Seizing a chance to get out of the sun, Davis asked whether we could talk at the...
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Roch Kubatko

More players with forgettable ties to the Orioles

More players with forgettable ties to the Orioles
My article last week on players who easily could be forgotten for their brief stints in Baltimore, or who attained legendary status elsewhere, sparked a fun discussion in the comments section of the blog. My biggest omission had to be Reggie Jackson, forever linked to the Yankees and Athletics and only a footnote in Orioles history. They traded for him prior to the 1976 season, he reported late and then blasted the city as being so boring, there was nothing to do at night except watch the...
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Roch Kubatko

Long staying connected to his hitters during shutdown

Long staying connected to his hitters during shutdown
Don Long took his seat on one of the buses parked at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on March 12, assuming that he wouldn't rise again until arriving in Fort Myers for a night game against the Twins. The trip lasted about as long as it takes to fill out a lineup card. The bus made four left turns and was back in camp. The Orioles were on the verge of a sports-wide shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We left and literally got around the corner and somebody got a call and they turned us...
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Roch Kubatko

A son's appreciation of the sports talk that has been silenced

A son's appreciation of the sports talk that has been silenced
My father would have turned 80 today, but Stage 4 esophageal cancer took him away from his family and friends in January 2019, leaving us heartbroken that he's gone but also relieved that he didn't suffer. The sentence is harder to type than I imagined. I had to pause in the middle of it. We wouldn't have been able to talk baseball this year, at least in the traditional sense. Every conversation over the phone included a mention of the Orioles. Same with every visit, which on a few occasions...
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