A Steve and Roch video as we discuss the baseball talks

A Steve and Roch video as we discuss the baseball talks
Over the last few days, some fans may be losing confidence that we will have a baseball season in 2020. The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the latest ownership proposal with the sliding scale of salary reductions. The sides seem dug in on their positions and there is not a lot of reason for positivity right now. But this USA Today article indicates to not worry and that they'll get this done. There is too much to lose and no doubt that is true. But time is short. Baseball...
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A closer look at Vanderbilt's Austin Martin

A closer look at Vanderbilt's Austin Martin
The picture that is painted is an exciting one. It's of a player who not only has a ton of talent but is smart, poised and driven. He can handle the big games and moments. He makes teammates better. What is not to like about Vanderbilt infielder-outfielder Austin Martin? Many outlets project the Orioles will claim him with the No. 2 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft on June 10. Many tab Arizona State's first baseman Spencer Torkelson to go 1/1 and Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy...
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A look at the Orioles roster when last we saw it

A look at the Orioles roster when last we saw it
Who knew we'd see rosters expand twice for the 2020 season? Well, there is an asterisk in that statement. Rosters did expand from 25 to 26 for this season, but the March shutdown of baseball and the delay to re-start the game may expand those rosters further. If Major League Baseball starts in July as hoped, we could see 30-man rosters with 20-player taxi squads. Initially, the 26-man rosters were to include a limit of 13 pitchers, but no doubt that limit will be raised. We just have not heard...
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MLB has about a week to save the 2020 season

MLB has about a week to save the 2020 season
According to STATS, yesterday was the first Memorial Day without a Major League Baseball game since 1880. Yep, it was quiet around MLB on Monday, but hopefully the days we can say that about are dwindling. This is a huge week to determine if there will be a 2020 season. The players and owners will talk money this week and they probably only have days to resolve any differences. There seems to be an unofficial June 1 deadline on such talks. So get it done now or never if they want spring...
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MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis on O's No. 2 pick and more (with video)

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis on O's No. 2 pick and more (with video)
We have just over two weeks to this year's five-round First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles hold the No. 2 pick in the first round behind the Detroit Tigers at No. 1. The Orioles will also pick at No. 30 and No. 39. They are the only major league team with three picks among the first 39 selections. Many analysts seem to be predicting that Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson goes first to the Tigers. He hit 25 homers as a freshman and 23 as a sophomore. When this year's season was...
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In the home stretch toward reviving a season

In the home stretch toward reviving a season
The message from fans to baseball players and owners might be something like this: You guys got our hopes up for a season, so don't screw it up now. Sure, the dollars at stake are significant for both, and there are issues to work out - about health and money. But if they've come this far - and they already seem to be mostly in agreement on safety and health protocols - so it's time to get this to the finish line. It might look strange to see baseball with no fans in the stands and players...
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A trip down memory lane with Gary Kendall (with video)

A trip down memory lane with Gary Kendall (with video)
He has been a minor league coach and manager for the Orioles organization and his tenure spans 20 years. It's a labor of love for Baltimore native Gary Kendall, whose first O's managing assignment was at Rookie-level Bluefield in 2004. Kendall, now manager of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, had a big hand in sending many players on to Baltimore. The list includes Trey Mancini, Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, John Means, Mychal Givens, Hunter Harvey, Chance Sisco, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander...
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An appreciation of 60 years of love, laughs and having my back

An appreciation of 60 years of love, laughs and having my back
I recently described my relationship with my only sister to a friend as "perfect." I recently turned 60, and for 60 years, that word has fit, well, perfectly. There is a big gap, about 20 years, in our ages. So making that perfect was not easy. It's not like we grew up as best friends or went to school together. The age difference could make her seem more like a parent. And I guess that could fit in the sense that my sister was my babysitter often when I was a kid as my parents were off...
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Feeling a draft: Looking at the O's at No. 2 and more

Feeling a draft: Looking at the O's at No. 2 and more
In separate interviews with "MASN All Access" yesterday, Ben McDonald and I offered similar thoughts. The junior college ranks could really benefit in the 2021 season from this year's five-round MLB draft. The draft next month could be very college-heavy. Teams may not take chances on high school players they hardly saw play or didn't see play at all during abbreviated senior seasons this year. Players not drafted could sign for $20,000, but most players who are, in my opinion, in line to...
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Could these players debut if the 2020 season is played?

Could these players debut if the 2020 season is played?
If there is a 2020 baseball season there will no doubt be a few Orioles that will make their major league debuts. How long a list will that be? It will be interesting to see if a season shortened to 82 games means that fewer players debut or if the team will hold off on bringing some players to the majors. There is also the factor of the minor leagues. What if the minors don't play in 2020? Will that mean the Orioles will bring some players up to get experience and reps they couldn't get...
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Some of the reasons to play a season

Some of the reasons to play a season
Upon seeing some elements of the 67 pages of health protocols to have a 2020 major league season, some readers here indicated why bother. Too much to try and overcome and it's not worth it. They must have thought, do players really need to sit and locker six feet apart? Do they need to throw baseballs out of play after several players touch them? Do they really need to stay in hotels and not go out on the road and do they really need to skip showering at the ballparks? What about no more...
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Mountcastle on workouts, hopes for season and more (with video)

Mountcastle on workouts, hopes for season and more (with video)
As he awaits the start of a season that could see him make his major league debut, Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle has been working out with other pro players in Florida. Like all of us, he's waiting to hear official word about the 2020 season. In a recent video interview with the 23-year-old Mountcastle, we discussed a variety of topics. Everything from fitting in within the O's clubhouse as a young player to his defense to playing at all levels on the O's farm. The 2019 season was a...
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MLB's efforts to keep players safe and healthy

MLB's efforts to keep players safe and healthy
According to an article in The Athletic, Major League Baseball has presented the players with a 67-page document detailing health protocals for the 2020 season. A season they hope can begin sometime in early July. One that will apparently consist of only 82 games and begin, at least at the outset, without fans in the stands. This includes plans for players to practice social distancing when not on the field, to avoid high fives and shaking hands after wins, no pregame exchange of lineup cards...
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Will these minor league southpaws have major league success?

Will these minor league southpaws have major league success?
To say the least, Orioles minor league left-handed pitchers Alexander Wells and Zac Lowther have a lot in common. A lot. They are close in age, with Wells 23 and Lowther just turned 24 on April 30. They were both non-roster invitee pitchers in O's big league camp in Sarasota. Both have been named the Orioles' Jim Palmer Award winner as Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Both excelled last year at Double-A Bowie. And here is another one - both have some doubters as it relates to their big...
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Mountcastle's workouts, season safety discussed, plus other notes

Mountcastle's workouts, season safety discussed, plus other notes
When you are pro baseball player that lives in Florida, you can probably often find other pro players to work out with and train with. That is true for Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle, who lives near Orlando. In an interview yesterday, he told me he is spending his days right now working out, playing ball and hanging out by the pool. Sounds like a pretty good day, right? So when Mountcastle looks to take part in some baseball activities these days, he is doing that with other accomplished...
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A visit with O's top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez (with video)

A visit with O's top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez (with video)
Like other minor league players right now, Orioles top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez is spending time at home while trying to stay ready for a season that might not be played. While fans are hoping, maybe even expecting to see some version of Major League Baseball in 2020, play on the farm is less certain. But the O's No. 2 ranked prospect, behind only Adley Rutschman, is doing his best to prepare, he told me during a video interview this week. Rodriguez said he has a small baseball...
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More talk about a season, Teixeira's comments and more

More talk about a season, Teixeira's comments and more
One way to see it was that a former player abandoned the interests of the current baseball players. That is probably how most took the comments on ESPN yesterday by former New York Yankee Mark Teixeira, someone not very well liked by Orioles fans. The Severna Park native essentially sided with the owners in what appears to be a brewing dispute with players as the sides try to hammer out plans to have a 2020 season. Owners have reportedly approved a proposal of 82 games with seven playoff teams...
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A schedule based on geography could be tough in the East

A schedule based on geography could be tough in the East
If reports of the latest proposal to play Major League Baseball in 2020 are true, the Orioles may have a very tough schedule. Whether it be 78 gmes, 82 games or some other number. The latest plan reportedly calls for teams to only play in their geographical region. The Orioles would play against teams in the American League East and the National League East. The same would be true for the Central and West in both leagues. The six divisions would remain intact, but instead of the Orioles playing...
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A Cooperstown road trip to honor the Earl of Baltimore

A Cooperstown road trip to honor the Earl of Baltimore
He was the Earl of Baltimore, and among the Orioles' many fans, just about as popular as any great player ever to wear the orange and black. On his way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., Earl Weaver managed the Orioles to 1,480 wins, including six American League East titles, four AL pennants and the 1970 World Series championship. Between 1969 and 1980, his teams won 100 games five times. No O's team ever managed by anyone other than Weaver ever won 100 games. Fans...
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Quick check-in on the KBO (and a possible MLB season plan)

Quick check-in on the KBO (and a possible MLB season plan)
The Korea Baseball Organization season is underway. It is nearly a week old and began without any fans in the stands. For now, it will stay that way and we'll see if that changes at some point. I haven't watched a lot of KBO action yet, but I've enjoyed what I have seen. I admire the ESPN announcers for calling games at 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. from their homes and doing such a good job. As for games without crowds, let me first say I want the fans back. All of them, when it becomes safe to do...
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