Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Opt-outs are increasing in MLB, but none so far in Baltimore

Opt-outs are increasing in MLB, but none so far in Baltimore
The number of major league players deciding not to play in the 2020 season is growing. In the last day, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price and Atlanta right-hander Félix Hernández were added to the list. So were Braves coach Eric Young Sr. and Indians bench coach Brad Mills. Earlier, Ryan Zimmerman, Welington Castillo, Ian Desmond and Mike Leake were among the players that opted out. San Francisco Giants star catcher Buster Posey said he had some reservations about playing this year....
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Steve Melewski

O's individual work during baseball shutdown paying off now

O's individual work during baseball shutdown paying off now
There are a few things emerging after watching two days' worth of Zoom video interviews from Orioles camp at Oriole Park. The players certainly put their time to good use after spring training shut down in mid-March. And fthey seem determined to abide by the extensive health protocols in place to give this season every chance to both get going and to be played to completion. It was March 12 when spring training was halted by COVID-19 concerns and the second version of training began Friday in...
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Steve Melewski

Hyde on the big picture, Davis on clubhouse accountability

Hyde on the big picture, Davis on clubhouse accountability
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde understands that anything can happen in a short season of 60 games. It's a sprint, not a marathon. He'd love nothing better than for his team to surprise people and be contending deep into the summer. He also surely realizes that - short year or not - the odds of that are still long. And the Orioles still have a bigger picture in mind. That should include playing some prospects throughout the 60 games, although some are not yet in the Orioles' 60-man player pool,...
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Steve Melewski

Ryan Mountcastle had a big 2019, but is his time coming now?

Ryan Mountcastle had a big 2019, but is his time coming now?
While it should be fun to watch the Orioles play if Major League Baseball can indeed safely get the shortened 2020 season up and running, it could be even more fun with a certain outfield alignment. What if the Orioles had 23-year-old Ryan Mountcastle in left field, along with 24-year-old Austin Hays in center and 25-year-old Anthony Santander in right? Yep, that would be fun. Probably no reason we don't see that during the 2020 season, even if we don't see it on opening day. Mountcastle's...
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Steve Melewski

Will the 2020 season produce a legit World Series champion?

Will the 2020 season produce a legit World Series champion?
Even if the coming 60-game Major League Baseball season gets played to conclusion through the World Series, fans are going to look back at this season for years and see strange things. Like a home run champion that might hit, say, 21 homers. Or a pitcher leading the majors in wins with seven or eight. Or a saves leader with 16. Or a World Series champion crowned after a 60-game season. Will that World Series winner be legit? Well, legit is in the eye of the beholder. To me, that answer is yes....
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Steve Melewski

An expected announcement, but still a tough day on the farm

An expected announcement, but still a tough day on the farm
It was not exactly a secret that there would not be Minor League Baseball in 2020. But when the news became official on Tuesday afternoon, it was not any easier to take. The minors are hurting and it's a brutal time for owners, staff, players and fans on the farm. With all those teams, all those locations and all those players, there was going to be no way to safely play in the minors this summer. Some players will find their way onto a club's 60-man player pool; for some, maybe their chance...
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Steve Melewski

An Orioles Q&A, pre-camp edition

An Orioles Q&A, pre-camp edition
We haven't done this in months, so it's probably past time for another Orioles question-and-answer session here on the blog. Time for readers to throw out O's questions and/or comments - anything on the majors or minors, draft, whatever - and we'll take shots at providing some answers and responses. As always, readers responding to other readers provide interesting, well, reading. So dive in today and keep the questions coming. There should be plenty to discuss with a very unique season...
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Steve Melewski

Orioles' 2020 strength of schedule will be difficult

Orioles' 2020 strength of schedule will be difficult
The new Major League Baseball schedule is not out yet and it may be a while before we see one. But for the Orioles, it is expected to include competition against only teams from the American League East and National League East. That will be a steady diet of good teams, 2019 playoff teams and 2020 contending teams. The Orioles are scheduled to play 40 games versus the AL East and 20 versus the NL East. Some reports indicated that would include playing each NL East team four times and other...
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Steve Melewski

An early mock draft, an opening night matchup and more

An early mock draft, an opening night matchup and more
Is it too soon to talk about the 2021 First-Year Player Draft? Probably so, but not at Baseball America. A day after the recent draft, Baseball America was already projecting the top picks (subscription required) for the next one. Never too soon, I guess. In fact, Baseball America has already put out a mock draft for June of next year and they have the Orioles picking first. Major League Baseball has not even announced how the draft order will work for that draft, but if they are going to crown...
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Steve Melewski

Looking at some prospects that could make O's player pool

Looking at some prospects that could make O's player pool
This Sunday at 4 p.m. ET is the expected deadline for teams to submit their player pool of 60 names for the 2020 season. It is from this group of 60 that 30 players will be active on opening day. The active roster will be reduced to 28 after two weeks and to 26 after four weeks. It's safe to assume that some teams will include several of their top prospects among the pool of 60 players, and that some will wind up on taxi squads when play begins. Teams will put some players on their taxi squads...
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Steve Melewski

New extra-inning rule seems destined to be met with criticism

New extra-inning rule seems destined to be met with criticism
The date was April 5, 2018 and it was opening day in the Double-A Eastern League. That night, the Orioles' Bowie Baysox affiliate and the visiting Harrisburg Senators became the first two teams in the minor leagues to experience a new rule. Starting on the farm that year, when games progressed to extra innings, a runner would be placed at second base to start each half-inning. It was an attempt to end games sooner, with extra benefits of keeping teams from running out of pitchers and keeping...
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Steve Melewski

Taking a shot at some O's questions for the 2020 season (with video)

Taking a shot at some O's questions for the 2020 season (with video)
So can the Orioles keep it real interesting in a 60-game season by playing much better than expected at the outset and moving into contention? It seems unlikely, but with a 30-game midpoint it would seem they could put together a run in that span that leaves them close to a playoff berth. Yep, some strange things can and likely will happen in a 60-game season. The Cy Young Award winner might win just six games. We could see a .400 hitter. And we could see unlikely teams in the playoffs. It...
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Steve Melewski

A look at some of the 2020 rules as MLB returns

A look at some of the 2020 rules as MLB returns
In about 30 days, there will be Major League Baseball. The season will consist of just 60 games, which is 37 percent of a normal season. But we will see the Orioles return. They'll play against the American League East and also against teams from the National League East. Last night, MLB players and owners finalized their protocols for health and safety during a pandemic. That was about the final hurdle before MLB could announce, as it did last night, that opening day will be July 23 or 24....
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Steve Melewski

Closing in on a baseball season

Closing in on a baseball season
It should surprise no one that Major League Baseball owners and players could not reach agreement on the number of games to play in the 2020 season. Last night, we found out the players' vote on the owners' latest 60-game proposal. They voted 33-5 against accepting that. Now we wait and expect to find out that commissioner Rob Manfred will implement a schedule. He was given that right in the March 26 agreement and could implement a schedule of 60 games that begins in late July. This could...
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Steve Melewski

A look at Orioles' post-draft math

A look at Orioles' post-draft math
When the Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad No. 2 overall in the recent First-Year Player Draft, the assumption was they took him there to save some money to spent later in the draft. And while it could work out that way, the Orioles made it clear he was their top choice. Any savings would be an added bonus. We didn't know it then, but the Orioles would not go overslot until their last two picks, drafting high school players in the fourth and fifth rounds. There have been no...
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Steve Melewski

Still waiting on baseball

Still waiting on baseball
To play 60 games or 70 games. Decisions, decisions. Something this important should take days to resolve. Actually, this should have been resolved weeks ago. But on we go. Still not sure if there will be a baseball season, how many games it will consist of and how the schedule will look. While the sides haggle over this, there have been several players apparently on both minor league and major league rosters that have tested positive for the coronavirus. There are four members of the Yankees...
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Steve Melewski

Trying to remember what I love about baseball

Trying to remember what I love about baseball
My feelings on the sport of baseball are a bit conflicted right now. There is disappointment that we still don't have an announcement about the start of the 2020 season. I still expect there to be a season, but the harsh words and mistrust between Major League Baseball owners and players are pretty strong right now. But, I'd like to take a moment away from that. I'd like to take a lot of moments away, really. I'm trying to remember today what makes baseball great for me. It is not as easy...
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Steve Melewski

Taking a look at the undrafted free agents

Taking a look at the undrafted free agents
There was one school of thought that amateur players that signed after the draft would get scooped up by the best teams. While a case could made for that based on what we've seen so far, it is the Kansas City Royals that have signed the most players off the pre-draft Baseball America top 500 list of ranked players. We should point out that some of the "signings" may really be agreements and have not yet been announced and become official. But some teams may have officially announced some of...
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Steve Melewski

MLB takes a step toward a 2020 season

MLB takes a step toward a 2020 season
Will we hear the cry to "Play ball!" in July? One day after I wrote in this space about how bad it looked and how we had a right to be disappointed in both the players and owners, it seems an actual deal may be getting closer. The players held firm to get 100 percent of prorated salaries and they will reportedly get that. But just for 60, 65, or 66 games, something in that neighborhood, although they could negotiate for more. The owners didn't want to pay full prorated salaries for much more...
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Steve Melewski

A hope that baseball can quickly get it together

A hope that baseball can quickly get it together
Here are a few - but certainly nearly not all - of the reasons that baseball has gotten to the point where there is a chance there will not be a 2020 season. * The Major League Baseball owners and players negotiated an agreement on March 26. But now they can't even agree on what they negotiated or agree on the language in said agreement. * The agreement failed to address the economics of how the sport would return if there were going to be MLB games played with no fans, which was a real...
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