Rather than bore myself with hard-to-follow stories about seams on baseballs, or how they are made or how much or little drag was on the ball in 2019, I just looked at a few numbers, and they led me to a conclusion.
Major League Baseball officials need to use a baseball in 2020 that leaves the bat and moves more like a baseball than a Titlelist. Yes, it has gotten ridiculous.
Do fans truly like this version of the game? Attendance is down slightly, and many seem to be tiring of a steady stream...
His skills were on display on offense and defense often in September, but for center fielder Austin Hays maybe they were never more evident then on the night of Monday, Sept. 23 at Toronto.
In a game the Orioles would eventually lose 11-10 in 15 innings, Hays made several strong plays on defense and hit two homers as the team dug out of an early 5-0 hole.
According to STATS, LLC., Hays became the first major league rookie to have five or more RBIs, a stolen base and an outfield assist in the...
Sometime late in 2003, a mean man decided I should no longer work as sports director at WBAL Radio and that I should exit stage right. So I did, not knowing what might come next.
For a few years, it was broadcasting play-by-play on the radio for both the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds and the Florida State Seminoles. I treasure the memories of working for both teams.
So it was a bit jarring last night to learn of the passing of former Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren at 76. Etch was...
In an entry earlier this week I pointed out that the 2019 Orioles featured a league-average offense in the second half of the season. They hit better as the year went on. Today let's look at Major League Baseball and American League rankings in some stat categories for the entire year.
In 2019 the Orioles produced these numbers:
* 4.50 runs per game (22nd in MLB, 11th in AL) and MLB average was 4.83.* .246 batting average (tied for 20th in MLB, tied for 12th in AL) and MLB average was .252.*...
Baseball America has been rolling out its league top 20 prospects lists for each minor league level, and they have completed the four full-season leagues where the Orioles have affiliates.
In the Triple-A International League, first baseman/left fielder Ryan Mountcastle of the Norfolk Tides was rated as the No. 7 prospect with pitcher Keegan Akin No. 20.
In the Double-A Eastern League, Bowie outfielder Yusniel Diaz was rated No. 14 with pitcher Michael Baumann at No. 15.
In the Single-A...
The impression I get after a season of a lot of interaction with fans via this blog, Twitter and a radio show is this, in a nutshell: A large majority of Orioles fans are very understanding of the club's rebuilding situation.
They have taken a mostly supportive wait-and-see approach, and they are optimistic for the future. They got frustrated with some aspects of the 2019 season and team, yet know there is a bigger picture to consider. They're hopeful.
That is a large majority and that is...
A major league manager can make an impact and change games with sound strategic moves. But perhaps their biggest impact is as a tone-setter and the daily public voice and face for their teams.
In that regard, I believe that Brandon Hyde had a very solid first season with the Orioles. He and his staff seemed to quickly gain players' trust and confidence in spring training. The upbeat attitude and energy the club developed then carried through Game 162.
And it was no given that would happen....
When spring training began for the 2019 Orioles, left-hander John Means appeared to be a pitcher who would get a brief look before heading to minor league camp to prepare for a Triple-A season.
That never happened. He showed a velocity increase along with an outstanding changeup. He made the opening day roster. By April 9 he was in the rotation. In July he was headed to the All-Star Game, and with a strong finish he ended the year as the Orioles' best starter and a rotation fixture.
He'll...
The 2019 Orioles scored 729 runs, which was 107 more than the 622 by the 2018 Orioles. So that was a nice improvement from a very low run total in 2018.
The Orioles offense got better in the second half and was about league average after the All-Star break. Perhaps that is a nice start for the club on the way to producing an above-average offense down the road.
First a look at some of the numbers -
American League team average for 2019: .253/.323/.439 with 4.9 runs per game, 1.4 home runs per...
The Orioles have had five chances this year to win the final game of a series to sweep that series, and they are 0-5 in those games. Today, on the final day of the 2019 season, they get one last chance for a series sweep. They beat Boston 4-1 Friday night and 9-4 yesterday, and look for the three-game sweep this afternoon at Fenway Park.
Once this year the Orioles won the opener of a two-game series but lost the second game. That happened Aug. 28 at Washington. They won the first two games and...
When Jonathan Villar stole his 40th base in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon he joined a short list of Orioles who have recorded that many steals in one year. When Trey Mancini homered to right in the ninth in the win at Boston, he hit number 35 and joined a longer, but still pretty exclusive list of Orioles.
Villar has sure filled up the stat sheet, batting .274/.339/.455 with 33 doubles, five triples, 24 homers and 111 runs scored. But with his 40th stolen base, Villar joins a list of six...
After a 4-1 win on Friday night, the Orioles play the second game of their series in Boston today and game No. 161 for the season. The O's won last night when Asher Wojciechowski threw six scoreless innings and Renato Núñez hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs.
Lefty John Means (11-11, 3.54 ERA) today makes his 27th start. For the year, he's thrown 150 innings, allowing 133 hits with 36 walks and 116 strikeouts. He holds a WHIP of 1.127 and allows 8.0 hits per nine innings, with...
For a player the Orioles added via a waiver claim in May 2018, it was a milestone homer. A team finally gave Renato Núñez everyday playing time and he rewarded the 2019 Orioles with 30 homers and 89 RBIs.
Núñez is one of 19 players in the American League with 30 and 89.
And it was a big homer. A three-run shot off Boston's Nathan Eovaldi that gave the O's an early 3-0 lead. They would win 4-1 and Núñez drove in all four runs. He crushed the milestone shot with an exit...
The Orioles begin the final series of the year tonight at Fenway Park in Boston. The Orioles come in off Wednesday's 3-2 loss at Toronto and are 3-3 in their last six games, but have lost seven of 10 games.
The Orioles (52-107) are 27-51 on the road, 22-51 versus the AL East, 7-17 in September, 15-36 in series opening games, 33-35 when they score first, 5-11 against Boston and 2-5 at Fenway Park.
Boston (83-76) won two of three against Texas in its last series, scoring 27 runs, and has...
While some fans around Birdland often wonder if Trey Mancini will be involved in trade talks this winter, we seem to be getting a different message from the team.
The Orioles are obviously thrilled with the season Mancini has had and they respect his leadership. But even though he's had such a strong year, there is a thought that he may even be capable of more, both on offense and with his leadership in the clubhouse.
Manager Brandon Hyde has talked with Mancini recently about hitting the ball...
TORONTO - During a season where the 2019 Orioles suffered countless brutal losses, they kept coming back for more and sometimes emerged victorious.
We can't give them too much credit for continuing to play since that is the job. But they kept their enthusiasm and energy up and never seemed to get too far down after losses like Monday's 15-inning affair at Rogers Centre. They won 11-4 the next time out with a very solid performance. They lost 3-2 last night, but even then rallied late and...
TORONTO - After scoring 21 runs in the last two games, a lack of offense tonight led to an Orioles loss, and they failed to win two straight series for the first time since the first week of the year.
In the rubber match at Rogers Centre, right-hander Jacob Waguespack blanked the Orioles over six innings and they lost 3-2 to the Blue Jays. The Orioles are 52-107 and heading to Boston for the final series of the year beginning Friday night.
With the loss, the Orioles are locked into pick No. 2...
TORONTO - He was behind the plate last night for Dylan Bundy's strong seven-inning, two-run outing, so Austin Wynns is back catching again tonight as the Orioles wrap up the series in Toronto.
"I liked the way he caught last night and he hit a homer," manager Brandon Hyde said. "So give him another chance to get back there. I like the fingers he threw last night (calling the pitches). I thought he and Bundy worked really well together and I thought he's done a nice job defensively with the...
TORONTO - Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. calls the trade that sent him from Toronto to the Orioles on March 8 "the best thing that happened to me in my career."
That is because the Orioles have given him a real shot in the majors this year. Over parts of 2017-18, he got a combined 104 plate appearances with Toronto. This season, he has gotten 384 with the Orioles. That number would probably be higher if not for two injuries.
Smith got off to a hot start with the Orioles. Through May 12,...
TORONTO - After losing 11-10 in 15 innings Monday, the Orioles beat Toronto 11-4 last night at Rogers Centre. So the third and deciding game of this series is set for tonight.
The Orioles took two of three from Seattle over the weekend, winning a series for the first time since they won two of three versus Kansas City from Aug. 19-21. Tonight, in this series finale, they have a shot to win back-to-back series. That has not happened since the Orioles began this season going 4-2 at Yankee Stadium...
