Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Farm instruction during shutdown spans countries, languages

Farm instruction during shutdown spans countries, languages
Recently in this space, I wrote about how the Orioles minor league staff was keeping in touch with farm players, often through Zoom videos. They have been working with and instructing players on a variety of aspects of the game. One of the coaches taking part in the videos is 28-year-old Patrick Jones, one of the organization's first-year coaches. Before the season was put on hold, he would have been working with young players in extended spring training right now and then was set to be...
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Steve Melewski

How would an all-time Orioles team fare in simulation?

How would an all-time Orioles team fare in simulation?
How would an all-time Orioles team do against all-time teams from the rest of Major League Baseball? We're about to find out through the magic of game simulation. Obviously, they can't actually take the field! MLB, in conjunction with Out of the Park Baseball, on Thursday unveiled the MLB Dream Bracket with the tournament to begin Monday and Tuesday. The MLB Dream Bracket is a 32-team best-of-seven simulation featuring all-time teams for each of the 30 current MLB franchises, as well as teams...
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Steve Melewski

O's farm pitcher Gray Fenter remembers his big 2019 season

O's farm pitcher Gray Fenter remembers his big 2019 season
His last start of an outstanding 2019 season never made it into his final season stats. That's because it was a postseason start. But in a season when right-hander Gray Fenter reminded the organization why he got an overslot draft bonus, it was a gem. In a best-of-three South Atlantic League playoff series against Hickory last September, Single-A Delmarva faced a must-win Game 2. Fenter pitched 6 1/3 scoreless on four hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts. He was dominant, but the Shorebirds...
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Steve Melewski

A tale of two college kids, the O's, football and a lost weekend

A tale of two college kids, the O's, football and a lost weekend
The Orioles, since their first season in 1954, have won 100 or more games five times. The first four times they did so, they made the World Series, even though they lost three times. The fifth time they did so, they didn't even make the playoffs. The 1980 Orioles went 100-62 but finished second in the American League East, three games behind the New York Yankees. Baseball featured four divisions then and 100 wins would have been enough to win any of the other three divisions that year. But not...
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Steve Melewski

Alex Cobb in radio interview: "I just want to go play"

Alex Cobb in radio interview: "I just want to go play"
Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb made just three starts last year due to injuries, and he's hoping the coronavirus pandemic won't keep him from seeing the mound this year. Cobb was a guest on the "Vinny and Haynie Show" on 105.7 FM The Fan on Tuesday and said he hopes to get back to playing as soon as possible. "As a player, at this point, even though we've been home for probably a month or so, I'm itching just to go play ball," said Cobb. "So, I don't care what it looks like. I don't...
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Steve Melewski

Steve Pearce had a nice run with the Orioles (plus other notes)

Steve Pearce had a nice run with the Orioles (plus other notes)
He often did things with little fanfare. He just wanted to play hard, give his all and see his team win. But there are no more baseball wins in the future for former Oriole Steve Pearce. He announced his retirement in a rather understated way. Boston radio station WEEI was replaying Game 1 of the 2018 World Series Monday night and had Pearce on as a guest. During that interview, he announced his career was over. "You know what? It has been a good run. I have 10 years in there. Right now, I am...
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Steve Melewski

Camden Yards on display in new MLB YouTube series

Camden Yards on display in new MLB YouTube series
We know that Camden Yards is "the ballpark that forever changed baseball" when it opened for business. The first game was played there on April 6, 1992 when Orioles right-hander Rick Sutcliffe pitched a complete-game five-hitter. The Orioles beat Cleveland 2-0 in a game that took just 2 hours, 2 minutes. After the opening of Oriole Park, the era of the cookie-cutter symmetrical stadium gave way to a new generation of ballpark construction. Now parks could feature new amenities, but still be...
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Steve Melewski

Cooking with the Orioles

Cooking with the Orioles
A few days ago in this space, Orioles director of player development Matt Blood explained how players and coaches on the O's farm are keeping active and trying to improve themselves in various ways during the shutdown of baseball. Much of this is happening via video chats on Zoom. "As a group, we've had Zoom calls on just about everything there is to have a call on. Hitting, pitching, defense, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental skills, research," he said. "We have calls with the...
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Steve Melewski

What makes for good baseball or sports viewing right now?

What makes for good baseball or sports viewing right now?
At a time when there are no live games to watch, what are baseball fans and our blog readers doing to get a sports fix? Have you found something fun to watch involving sports or the Orioles that you stumbled upon? If yes, feel free to share with all of us today. Maybe we'll learn something or find something to enhance our stay-at-home viewing options. I've watched a few old O's games or parts of them. We are used to tuning into MASN's "Orioles Classics." Even though the end result was...
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Steve Melewski

Now pondering the Arizona/Florida plan

Now pondering the Arizona/Florida plan
Earlier this week, we discussed the Arizona plan in this entry. Now there is a Arizona/Florida plan, according to a report yesterday by USA Today sports. In spring training there is a so-called Grapefruit League and a Cactus League. This plan calls for each of the states to host the 15 teams they currently host in spring and there would, for one crazy year only, be no American or National League. No fans would be in attendance at these games. It's another option, another possible plan to try...
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Steve Melewski

Pick four: The players that mean a lot to you

Pick four: The players that mean a lot to you
You know how everyone has a Twitter challenge or question for you these days. I got this one recently. Twice actually. Pick four players who mean and/or meant a lot in your life. I could pick many more than four but the four that jumped out at me were Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Mike Martin and Andy Etchebarren. Brooks is an obvious one. My all-time favorite player and No. 1 for many around Birdland. An all-time great person. A Hall of Fame player and person. Not much more needs to be said,...
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Steve Melewski

Reaching out to non-baseball teams during MLB's shutdown

Reaching out to non-baseball teams during MLB's shutdown
Today was supposed to be opening night in minor league baseball. Triple-A Norfolk would be hosting Gwinnett and Double-A Bowie would host Richmond. Single-A Frederick was scheduled to play at Fayetteville and Single-A Delmarva would be hosting Asheville. But when baseball was shut down March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Orioles' minor league teams had yet to even play exhibition games. There were around 150 players at The Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park. Some had...
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Steve Melewski

Taking a look at the Arizona plan

Taking a look at the Arizona plan
Say this for officials of Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association: They seem very determined to play baseball in 2020. That may prove to be ambitious, but the will to get it done is clearly there. The plan that ESPN and other outlets reported on yesterday included all 30 teams playing their games in the Phoenix area in parks with no fans. Players and other essential personnel would basically be under a form of quarantine, going back and forth from a hotel to a...
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Steve Melewski

How it might look in 2020: O's outfield

How it might look in 2020: O's outfield
Over the next few weeks, let's take a look at some aspects of the Orioles and how they were shaping up at the time that spring training was halted. Today, a look at the outfield. Earlier, I made my projection for the five-man rotation in this entry and an infield with a roster of seven in this entry. While we may see rosters larger than 26 players when baseball does start this year, we are going with a roster of 26 for this exercise. So with five in the rotation and eight in the bullpen...
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Steve Melewski

Did Rio Ruiz lock down third base gig with strong spring?

Did Rio Ruiz lock down third base gig with strong spring?
Chris Davis was not the only Oriole with a strong spring training at the plate. Third baseman Rio Ruiz had a solid spring and was spraying a few line drives around ballparks all over Florida. Ruiz led the club in hits in spring training, batting .440 (11-for-25) with three doubles, a homer and two RBIs. He posted a .464 OBP and a .680 slugging percentage in that small sample. In a game March 1 against the Phillies in Clearwater, Ruiz went 3-for-3, hitting all three base knocks on the screws. He...
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Steve Melewski

Take this Orioles quiz

Take this Orioles quiz
Let's have some fun today with a pop quiz. OK, this is not School of Steve, but it still could be fun. I'll throw out 10 questions. To me, a few are somewhat easy, but most are not. I don't provide any multiple answer questions, so you have to come up with the answer on your own. If you don't know the answers, don't fret. I know these answers due to researching over 60 players heading into spring training. I made a bunch of notes and these questions came out of that research. As a hint,...
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Steve Melewski

Chris Davis had a strong spring, but what could it mean now?

Chris Davis had a strong spring, but what could it mean now?
It was during a radio broadcast of the "Orioles Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan in late January when Chris Davis first revealed what he did this winter that could help him hit come summer. He got bigger. To say the least, many were skeptical when they heard that. The revelation came after Davis said that he did not make any swing changes over the winter. At 34, he said, he hits the way he hits. But getting bigger was part of the plan. "One of those (adjustments I made) is just my overall...
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Steve Melewski

Providing a draft ranking and a Palmer take

Providing a draft ranking and a Palmer take
At a time when we hope, but don't know for sure, that there will be a baseball season, we do know for sure there be a First-Year Player Draft. The draft is going to be held, although we don't yet know for certain if it will be limited to five rounds. But it may be just five. At a date yet to be decided - reportedly between June 10 and July 20 - there will be an amateur draft and the Orioles will make the No. 2 overall selection for the first time in club history. Readers here have asked...
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Revisiting the trade of Manny Machado

Revisiting the trade of Manny Machado
When the 2018 season started, the Orioles were trying to make one last playoff run with an opening day roster that included Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, Trey Mancini, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner, Alex Cobb, Kevin Gausman, Brad Brach and Darren O'Day. Two years previously, they made the American League wild card game, losing in extra innings in Toronto. But in 2017, the club went 75-87. They were trending down, but with Machado in his last year before free agency,...
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Steve Melewski

A look at games possibly being played without fans

A look at games possibly being played without fans
It's becoming increasingly apparent that we may see at least some Major League Baseball games this summer with no fans. It will remind the Orioles of their 8-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on April 29, 2015. No fans were allowed in Camden Yards, but a game went on. The city of Toronto yesterday banned public events through at least June 30. Is that a sign that baseball will not be back until July, if at all, during 2020? Not necessarily, but it is also true that cities and states are...
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