The Orioles completed their major league coaching staff this week with the hiring of bullpen coach Dom Chiti. Now, they're drawing closer to filling a vacancy in the minors.
According to sources outside the organization, former Rangers coach Dave Anderson has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Matt Martin as minor league infield coordinator.
I don't have confirmation from the Orioles, but that's the buzz. They could make an announcement later this week.
Anderson, 53, spent four...
As the GM meetings proceed through their second day in Orlando, the emphasis with the Orioles remains on finding another starting pitcher and sifting through their options if they don't re-sign left fielder Nate McLouth and second baseman Brian Roberts.
The Orioles also are in the market for at least one reliever, and I've heard they would like to acquire two while "shuffling the deck" in their bullpen.
They want to strike quickly, knowing that plenty of other teams have the same...
I've got lots of choices after my mother filled my cooler again for the trip home.
Soft-shell crabs for breakfast? Why not? A breaded pork chop on the side? What's stopping me?
I've been told multiple times over the past week that I'm really going to enjoy being around new pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti. Two men with opposite personalities who are great friends and work extremely well together.
Add talkative first base coach Wayne Kirby to the mix, and I may...
Dom Chiti flew back from the Dominican Republic tonight, where he was doing a little scouting for his new team. He's the Orioles' bullpen coach, but he's so much more.
Showalter regards Chiti as one of the top five scouts in baseball, and those skills will be utilized here.
"The last couple of years, and moreso this year than the year before, I've been very involved with the minor league pitching with Dave Wallace," said Chiti, formerly a special assistant with the Braves. "We worked...
Orioles manager Buck Showalter believes his 2014 coaching staff is as good as any that he's worked with in all of his years in baseball.
The staff was completed earlier today with the official hiring of Dom Chiti as bullpen coach, following the addition of Dave Wallace as pitching coach.
"I like our coaching staff and I liked our staff last year," Showalter said. "We were going to have to hire somebody. We wanted Dave to have somebody he felt comfortable with, and I think Dave and Dom are...
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette took a short break from the GM meetings in Orlando to talk about the hiring of former Braves special assistant Dom Chiti as bullpen coach.
"Dom Chiti is a real pro," Duquette said. "He grew up around the Orioles organization and started his coaching career here. He's very good with pitching evaluation and he's done the bullpen job before. And he worked with Buck (Showalter) in Texas."
Chiti joins new pitching coach Dave Wallace, formerly the...
The Orioles confirmed today that former Braves special assistant Dom Chiti has been hired as bullpen coach. Chiti joins new pitching coach Dave Wallace, who previously served as Atlanta's minor league pitching coordinator.
Bill Castro and Scott McGregor were offered positions in the organization. However, Castro said he will pursue other opportunities. McGregor will return to his former role of pitching rehab coordinator in Sarasota.
Prior to working in Atlanta, Chiti was part of the Rangers...
Another day brings the latest set of important events in baseball.
The GM/owners meetings begin today in Orlando. There won't be a flood of trades and signings during these three days, but the groundwork is often laid for further discussions at next month's Winter Meetings in Orlando.
Players tendered qualifying offers must decide today whether to accept or decline. The Orioles aren't impacted here, since none of their eligible free agents were given offers.
The Sporting News Executive of...
In case you missed my update last night, the Orioles want to keep former bullpen coach Bill Castro in the organization. I'm not sure in what capacity, but there's apparently a spot for him.
Dom Chiti has been hired as Castro's replacement, and he's valued by the Orioles almost as much for his scouting abilities as his work with pitchers. The Orioles will tap that resource.
Chiti must have really wanted to get back in uniform, and back in a teaching mode, to leave a front office position...
Now that the Orioles have settled on a new bullpen coach, with the hiring of Dom Chiti expected to be announced Monday, the focus shifts to the two supposed in-house candidates.
Scott McGregor and Bill Castro weren't contacted about the pitching and bullpen coach openings. The Orioles chose Braves minor league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace for the former job, and he had a strong voice in the decision to hire Chiti, a Braves special assistant.
McGregor will return to his former role as...
While wondering whether Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson presenting Manny Machado with his Gold Glove last night was also a passing of the torch ...
The list of minor league free agents includes a 39-year-old pitcher who spent the entire 2013 season at the Triple-A level and isn't ready to quit.
Left-hander Mark Hendrickson is putting retirement on hold and will attempt to latch on with a club before spring training. He transitioned into a sidearmer at the advice of Orioles manager Buck...
Since the conclusion of the 2013 season, third baseman Manny Machado won a Rawlings Gold Glove and a Fielding Bible Award, and last night was named the Orioles' 2013 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year.
Now comes another honor.
Machado received the Rawlings Platinum Glove tonight as the best defensive player in the American League, the announcement coming at the annual Gold Glove Awards dinner in New York City.
The Platinum Glove was been handed out for the past three seasons. Rangers third...
The Orioles are prepared to name Braves special assistant Dom Chiti as their new bullpen coach, according to industry sources. An announcement could come on Monday.
Chiti, 54, pitched, coached and scouted in the Orioles system, and served as manager Buck Showalter's bullpen coach with the Texas Rangers in 2006.
Chiti last pitched professionally with Single-A Hagerstown, an Orioles affiliate, back in 1981.
Chiti started his coaching career with the Rangers in 1982 before joining the Orioles....
The Orioles still haven't announced who will serve as their bullpen coach next season, but I'm told that they could make the hire on Monday.
Bill Castro, who moved from bullpen coach to pitching coach on Aug. 15 after Rick Adair took a personal leave of absence, hasn't been contacted by the club. Neither has Scott McGregor, who replaced Castro in the bullpen.
Castro was hired as bullpen coach prior to the 2012 season after spending 37 years in the Milwaukee Brewers organization as a...
If you're actually concerned that an entire day and night will pass without more baseball awards being distributed, you can stop rocking back and forth and scratching your arms.
The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the Gold Glove Award ceremony at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
This is the third year that Rawlings is handing out platinum winners in each league. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre won the first two in the American League, and Cardinals...
Another day brings another awards show on MLB Network, and more recognition for Manny Machado's defensive excellence at third base.
Machado was just named the Orioles' 2013 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year. Every team has one recipient.
Last week, Machado became the first Orioles third baseman since Brooks Robinson in 1975 to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. He also was the only Oriole to win a Fielding Bible Award.
Machado committed 13 errors in 484 chances this season. He registered...
It wouldn't be the hot stove season without names of free agents being thrown against a wall to see which ones stick.
It's speculation city, baby. Population: Everyone.
I've started a drinking game. I'm doing a shot every time I read that the Orioles "may," "could" or "should" sign a player. I'd stay sober if it only required "will." But it's that time of the year. Enjoy it. Just don't try to walk a straight line.
The Orioles have certain needs, which have been...
The Orioles have their first Silver Slugger Award winner in five years.
Chris Davis was chosen among American League first basemen, the announcement coming tonight on MLB Network.
Davis led the majors with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs. He ranked fourth among first basemen in the AL with a .286 average, tied for first with a .370 on-base percentage, and ranked first with a .634 slugging percentage and 1.004 OPS. He also tied for third with 42 doubles and third with 167 hits.
No Oriole had won a...
We already know that Chris Davis is a slam-dunk to win his first Silver Slugger Award, with the results announced tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network.
Could the Orioles have multiple winners in the same season for only the fifth time since the award was created in 1980?
First baseman Eddie Murray and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. won it in 1983 and 1984. Ripken and catcher Mickey Tettleton won it in 1989, and shortstop Miguel Tejada and third baseman Melvin Mora won it in 2004.
No Oriole has won a...
While Orioles first baseman Chris Davis waits to find out where he'll place in voting for the American League's Most Valuable Player Award, he can prepare to accept his first Silver Slugger Award.
Is there another first baseman strong enough to pry it out of his hands?
The voting is done by managers and coaches, and they take into account several offensive categories, including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They're not allowed to vote for players on their own...