Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

This Means had a remarkable end to his 2020 season

This Means had a remarkable end to his 2020 season
No doubt left-hander John Means is the Orioles' top starting pitcher and likely opening day starter for 2021. But is he an ace pitcher? Not quite yet, but he sure showed signs of it in his last four 2020 starts. If Means can become the Orioles' first bonafide ace since Mike Mussina, he will truly beat the odds. Unlike Mussina, he was not a first-round draft pick or hyped prospect. He was drafted in round 11, the 331st player taken in the 2011 draft. He was never ranked as a top 30 prospect by...
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Steve Melewski

Notes on Mansolino, shifts and potential shortstops

Notes on Mansolino, shifts and potential shortstops
Today we're taking a look back at some recent articles you read here on MASNsports.com to check on some important topics and get more of your thoughts on them. The new coach: The Orioles made their eight-man coaching staff official this week. Their latest hire is Tony Masolino, 38, who comes to the club from the Cleveland Indians. I had wondered if the O's would consider hiring from within for this position, but Mansolino joins the club from the Indians. He will coach third base and work as...
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Steve Melewski

International amateurs can get there sooner and with great impact

International amateurs can get there sooner and with great impact
When I wrote this entry earlier this week, I detailed the Orioles' efforts to reach agreements with 20 international amateurs for their upcoming signing class. It will be the second international class since Mike Elias took over as the club's executive vice president and general manager. Elias and the team's senior director of international scouting, Koby Perez, both have extensive international experience and contacts and it is beginning to pay off for the Orioles. It will take years before...
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Steve Melewski

Ninth means the last three outs, but not necessarily the biggest outs

Ninth means the last three outs, but not necessarily the biggest outs
Who will be the closer for the 2021 Orioles? Who knows today? But is it really that important for a rebuilding team? Probably not. The Orioles had five pitchers record saves last year. Cole Sulser was 5-for-8 in save chances, while César Valdez was 3-for-3. Miguel Castro was 1-for-3, Tanner Scott 1-for-2, Travis Lakins Sr. 1-for-1 and Thomas Eshelman 0-for-1. Sulser was the only player in the major leagues with two saves of at least two innings each. Scott picked up his first career save...
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Steve Melewski

New O's coach brings youth and more to his job

New O's coach brings youth and more to his job
New Orioles third base coach Tony Mansolino had zero ties to the Orioles organization. That is, until they sought to interview him. He got the gig and now he will look to add to the club and help players as he becomes the youngest member of the coaching staff. Mansolino, 38, spent the last 10 years with the Cleveland Indians organization. The next youngest member of the O's staff is first base coach Anthony Sanders at age 46. Mansolino served the Indians, first as a minor league batting coach...
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Steve Melewski

O's international efforts will soon take another big step

O's international efforts will soon take another big step
The Orioles continue to make some huge strides in their pursuit of international amateur talent. A class of what would eventually be 44 players was added in the signing period that began July 2, 2019 and ended in October. The Orioles will sign fewer players in the coming class, but were involved with many more players commanding bigger signing bonuses. This is the latest sign that the club is serious about becoming a player on the international front and the club will be making history when it...
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Steve Melewski

Will some MLB rule changes be used again in 2021?

Will some MLB rule changes be used again in 2021?
Today is sort of a follow-up on yesterday's entry, where we discussed whether defensive shifts should be eliminated or at least reduced. Today I pledge my personal support for two rules I would like to see continue in 2021. And maybe just in 2021. The current collective bargaining agreement runs through the coming season. Why not take another look at some of these rules and then decide whether they stick around more long-term starting in 2022. See what they look like through 162 games - or...
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Steve Melewski

Is it time to take a harder look at defensive shifts?

Is it time to take a harder look at defensive shifts?
Are defensive shifts hurting the game of baseball? I would expect many fans to answer yes. Many players may well answer yes, too. The defensive shifts are taking away hits, and some feel they are taking away action in the game. The game needs more balls in play, not fewer. I have never been against shifts for one basic reason - I don't think we should tell the defense where to play. Years ago, advance scouts helped teams set their defense by scouting opponents and noting where they often hit...
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Steve Melewski

What will keep the fans invested in 2021?

What will keep the fans invested in 2021?
It was about this time last year when I wrote something similar to this, asking what will keep fans engaged in 2020? Now it's time to ponder the same question about 2021. An obvious answer is the ability to get back to attending games. That goes without saying. We all want that back. But the interest level in this rebuilding team remains high, even though fans could not attend this past year. So what is keeping the fans' interest right now? Here are a few possibilities. The young pitchers...
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Steve Melewski

Would O's trade a Cy Young winner with three years left on deal?

Would O's trade a Cy Young winner with three years left on deal?
In the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays garner a lot of respect. Among fans, media, just about anyone that marvels how they keep up with the big boys on such a low payroll. There are ways O's fans would love to see the Orioles emulate the Rays - mostly in how they win. But probably not in actually how they get there, a point hammered home with their most recent big move. But the Rays have done a lot of winning since 2008. From 2008-2013 the club won 90 or more games five times in six...
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Steve Melewski

New year dawns with some familiar questions

New year dawns with some familiar questions
Today we begin a new year, but we are still a ways away from beginning a new baseball season. The calendar flips today, but some of the old questions didn't go away at midnight. We still wait to find out if spring training will start on time and whether each team will play 162 games in 2021. My hope for the new year in baseball is that it at least ends with some and maybe complete normalcy. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Even if it starts with limitations, maybe they will be gone by the end of...
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Steve Melewski

The O's player that produced a nice combo of contact and power

The O's player that produced a nice combo of contact and power
Power hitters generally strike out at a pretty good rate. That is the trend in baseball over many years. But at a time when strikeout rates all around the sport are up, putting the ball in play more often is valued. Doing that with power is potentially something special. The Orioles have a player who in the shortened 2020 season showed the ability to strike out less while still hitting the ball with plenty of authority. On his way to winning the Most Valuable Oriole award, Anthony Santander...
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Steve Melewski

A future rotation candidate who may be flying under the radar

A future rotation candidate who may be flying under the radar
He might be someone a bit overlooked among Orioles pitching prospects. But he probably should not be, despite the fact he has yet to advance beyond high Single-A ball and is not yet on the O's 40-man roster. He doesn't need to be there yet, but right-hander Kyle Bradish will get there when the time comes. He joined Isaac Mattson, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek when the four right-handers were acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for pitcher Dylan Bundy on Dec. 4, 2019. Bradish will not need to...
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Steve Melewski

Tampa Bay Rays fans have been through this before

Tampa Bay Rays fans have been through this before
Well, we know there will not be any controversies surrounding Blake Snell's time on the mound in a playoff game for Tampa Bay during the 2021 season. In the 2020 postseason, Snell and Charlie Morton started 10 of the Rays' 20 playoff games including three of six in the World Series. Now both are gone from the Rays. But this team has been here before. This organization, which does more with less than any big league club, is at it again. They had both pitchers under contract for the 2021 season...
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Steve Melewski

On the O's farm, versatility will be a real key

On the O's farm, versatility will be a real key
As the Orioles approached their recent instructional league camp, they knew a few things that would be important to consider. One is that building defensive versatility is never a bad thing for a player. If he can play multiple positions, his value to the team and the sport go up. The Orioles also knew they had drafted and acquired seven shortstops via the draft or trade since Mike Elias took over as executive vice president and general manager. So the want-to - to expand defensive resumes for...
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Steve Melewski

Remembering a long O's career

Remembering a long O's career
It was a sad anniversary to note recently. But when you think about the man himself, and what he meant to the Orioles for 37 of his 45 seasons in pro baseball, you can't help but smile. Elrod Hendricks was born on Dec. 22, 1940 in the Virgin Islands. He died on Dec. 21, 2005 - just one day shy of his 65th birthday. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame as a coach in 2001 and he spent 28 seasons as the club's bullpen coach. His baseball record notes that the Orioles acquired him from...
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Steve Melewski

A few more questions for O's fans

A few more questions for O's fans
Today we revisit a few topics recently discussed on the blog. Time to address them further and discuss them further. Skipping levels on the farm: We recently looked at the possibility of players skipping levels in the farm system for the 2021 season. Without any games to track player performance or for players to use to make progress during 2020, how will the organization place minor league players next year? Do they just send them to the level they would have begun at in 2020? No, not...
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Steve Melewski

OK, there's room for a little baseball talk on Christmas

OK, there's room for a little baseball talk on Christmas
Well, if Santa can work on Christmas, I guess I can, too. Even though I'm writing this on Christmas Eve. But it's the thought, not the timing, that really counts. Or something like that. Can you tell I'm not sure what makes for a good Christmas Day baseball blog? So just a short note today to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy holidays, and I hope you have a great few days with family and friends. As best as this year and a pandemic will allow. This time last year, in looking ahead to...
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Steve Melewski

A look at a few things that went right for the Orioles

A look at a few things that went right for the Orioles
As the calendar year winds down, let's take another look back at the summer of 2020. Let's note a few things that went right during the shortened 60-game season for the Orioles. From Rule 5 to MVO: One of the biggest things that went right was the play of right-fielder Anthony Santander. He was a Rule 5 pick from Cleveland by the club in 2016, and by 2020 was the Most Valuable Oriole, as voted by local media. That is indeed a success story. Santander's season was a big thing that went right....
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Steve Melewski

With enough to worry about, don't include baseball

With enough to worry about, don't include baseball
Between a pandemic, limited holiday travel and the chance that some of us may not have a so-called normal Christmas in two days, there is enough disappointment and anxiety out there to fill any ballpark. Maybe a few times. Hopefully, we all realize that we should not let baseball contribute to the long list of worries that 2020 created for many people. But there are concerns about if the season will start on time, how many games will they play, can fans attend? Plenty of questions without...
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