I began the decade covering the Orioles for MASN and MASNsports.com and I closed it covering the Orioles for MASN and MASNsports.com.
Thanks for indulging me.
We've entered a new year and the first of many headaches that make blinking a new experience in pain.
I tried to type softly, in case you're still paying the price for last night's celebrating. And I don't mean the cost of the chips and party hats.
Will the Orioles be noise-makers in the coming months?
They enter 2020 with basically...
We're down to our final day in 2019 and as we await the countdown to the ball dropping in Times Square, I'll post an early resolution to avoid dusting off the old "Orioles infield" joke that should have joined Wilson Betemit in retirement.
In the meantime, here are a few random thoughts:
* The media rush to post sports highlights and lowlights for the decade is lost on me.
We're not moving past the '80s or '90s. It's 2010-19.
Are we really waxing nostalgic? Are we that desperate for...
The rumblings yesterday morning that the Orioles made a roster move were followed by an announcement that they signed pitcher Kohl Stewart to a major league contract and immediate thoughts about him competing for a rotation spot.
Anybody with starting experience, at whichever level, is going to be thrust into the mix.
Do the Orioles have their desired eight candidates heading into spring training, a number agreed upon by executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon...
The Orioles have signed a major league free agent as part of their winter activity.
The club announced today that it agreed to terms with right-hander Kohl Stewart. Pitcher Marcos Diplán was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster.
The Twins outrighted Stewart on Nov. 4 and he elected free agency.
Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Pius X High School in Houston, Stewart was 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA and 1.418 WHIP in eight games...
Is anyone else tired of all the leftovers in the fridge? Of checking to make certain that nothing is growing on them before popping them in the microwave?
Of wondering who brought the spinach dip before realizing that, brother, that ain't spinach?
Well, it's only food that comes with an expiration date. Not the Orioles-related notes and quotes that didn't make it into previous holiday articles.
I've written about pitcher David Hess' new offseason workout program, based on a visit to the P3...
A byproduct of having a new regime running the show and dictating the steps and pace of a rebuild is the creation of new jobs and titles in the organization.
I reported back on Oct. 11 that the Orioles were promoting Chris Holt from the position of minor league pitching coordinator to director of pitching. The exact details of the job hadn't been laid out for public consumption.
Holt came to the Orioles from the Astros organization as the replacement for John Wasdin, who was named bullpen...
As David Hess tumbled out of the Orioles rotation and off the 25-man roster, unable to stay in the zone that carried him through 6 1/3 hitless innings in Toronto on the first night of April, he believed that he had more in the tank.
He used the phrase during our phone conversation last weekend. He mentioned how pitching coach Doug Brocail and director of pitching Chris Holt agreed with him.
It was a group opinion.
But what exactly does it imply?
That he's capable of pitching deeper into games?...
As Brandon Bailey gets settled in the spring training clubhouse and begins the bonding process by meeting his new Orioles teammates, he'll be able to find a familiar face and voice to offer comfort and the type of instruction that could lead to a spot in the 2020 rotation.
The Rule 5 pick knows and respects Chris Holt, the former Astros minor league pitching coordinator who's been promoted by the Orioles from the same role to director of pitching.
"When I first spoke to him after the Rule 5...
The holidays are a time for giving, which is complicated since someone has to be on the receiving end to make it work.
(It's a thinker)
I'd like to give Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias an unlimited budget to supplement a rebuild process. Funnel cash into the international scouting and analytics departments, but also push some of it toward the best starting pitchers on the market - whether to sign as free agents or inherit fat contracts.
Do you think the Astros...
David Hess isn't certain if he'll follow John Means in the Orioles rotation. However, he's decided to follow in the left-hander's offseason footsteps.
Means turned from fringe pitching prospect to staff ace and runner-up in American League Rookie of the Year voting after a winter spent at P3 (Premier Pitching & Performance) in St. Louis - a center that offers personalized baseball training to athletes across the Midwest with the goal of providing instruction and individualized strength...
The holiday season is presenting a new set of challenges for Orioles third baseman Rio Ruiz, who can't seem to avoid them. Some are a grind, others pure joy.
Trying to make the club out of spring training, trying to stay in the lineup, trying to get back to the majors after a surprise demotion, life as a first-time father.
Which brings him to the current situation, relayed with a laugh as he ponders spending Christmas with his 5-month-old son, Luca James.
"Completely different," he said...
Knowing that the Orioles have more work to do on their roster is on par with being able to recite your zip code. You won't gain the respect of your peers or earn bragging rights among friends.
The rotation and middle infield are in a construction zone. The bullpen and bench aren't set. A new rule allowing teams to carry 26 players also increases the guesswork.
I reached my yearly deadline for submitting a mock lineup, rotation, bullpen and bench for consideration by a national publication....
Pitcher Brandon Bailey was in the middle of a workout at Driveline Baseball, a data-driven performance center in Kent, Wash., when one of his personal trainers approached him with news that the Orioles hadn't been able to deliver.
It tends to travel fast and can come via anyone with access to the internet.
The Orioles had selected Bailey in the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. He'd be placed on the 40-man roster and compete for a rotation spot after spending the entire 2019...
The Orioles have completed their major league coaching staff for the 2020 season.
According to an industry source, the Orioles have hired former pitcher Darren Holmes as bullpen coach. The team hasn't made an announcement, but the deal is done.
Holmes, 53, had served as Rockies bullpen coach since 2015. He didn't have previous experience on a team's coaching staff, but he worked in 2014 as the Braves' biomechanics pitching consultant.
The Rockies replaced Holmes last month with minor league...
How does a player who appeared in 101 games pull a disappearing act while staying on the roster?
That's how it feels with Dwight Smith Jr.
He's on the 40-man roster, but tends to be excluded from the outfield conversation or led late into it.
Manager Brandon Hyde couldn't be pinned down on a set outfield as he handled his media obligations at the Winter Meetings. A suggestion was made that Hyde might have a better grasp of his starters now with Austin Hays flanked by Anthony Santander and...
Four days at baseball's Winter Meetings didn't cause the Orioles to scrap their plans and edit their shopping list. Nothing really changed since the team's contingent arrived at the Manchester Grand Hyatt beyond a waiver claim that barely drew notice in the industry and won't impact the roster on opening day, and two pitching selections in the Rule 5 draft that provide starting options for a rotation lacking in numbers.
While multiple starters and a veteran middle infielder remain the most...
Rather than take the usual deep dive into my "mailbag," I've decided to skim the surface after the Winter Meetings and address, so to speak, a smaller batch of the more popular questions.
I'm skipping anything that includes the phrase "printing the playoff tickets." Also ignored will be the ones that begin with, "Why should I bother to ..."
I can't make the decision for you. You'll support the team and the rebuild or you'll bail on them. You could be supportive from your recliner,...
The trio of Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, assistant GM of analytics Sig Mejdal and manager Brandon Hyde did more than brave the nasty elements at Saturday's Winter Warm-Up at Camden Yards. They also faced a group fans during a question-and-answer session who had reason to be grouchy, based on the ugly results of 2019 and rain that occasionally shifted to downpour status.
No one was injured in the making of the session. The mood was mostly light and there were...
The sky turned blue Saturday afternoon and the sun began to shine shortly after Orioles fans filed out of Camden Yards at the first Winter Warm-Up.
There's some symbolism at work here. The dark clouds, the dreary conditions.
If it's got to rain, let it be on a World Series parade.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spoke again about the need for patience, how the process can't be rushed and the reward will make it worthwhile. And he'd appreciate fans spreading the word so...
