O's add catching depth, acquire Andrew Susac via trade

O's add catching depth, acquire Andrew Susac via trade
The Orioles today added to their catching depth when they acquired Andrew Susac from the Brewers for a player to be named or cash considerations. Susac has been added to the club's 40-man roster, which is now at a full 40. He was designated for assignment by the Brewers on Jan. 30 to make room for right-hander Matt Albers. Throw another player into the mix for the backup catcher's job in spring training. "Susac is a (righty)-hitting catcher with over 100 games ML experience who adds depth...
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In 2018, Hunter Harvey finds out how far his long road back takes him

In 2018, Hunter Harvey finds out how far his long road back takes him
Here is an interesting fact about Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey. He has already been ranked by Baseball America among the club's top four prospects four times. This despite having never pitched through a full season and having not yet pitched above low Single-A baseball. Clearly there is plenty of talent and potential here even if there is not yet an abundance of innings or game experience. But this could be a season where - knock on wood - Harvey pitches start to finish and rises...
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Dylan Bundy on 2017 season, moving to top of rotation and more

Dylan Bundy on 2017 season, moving to top of rotation and more
After two full seasons in the majors and one as a full-time starter, Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy has moved up the rotation depth chart. The 25-year-old Bundy is No. 1 or No. 2 right now. He can count like the rest of us and realizes the club has two - and only two - established starters locked into the rotation at the moment. He, like the rest of us, is waiting to find out who will join him in the starting five when the season starts. "Yeah, definitely," Bundy said during an interview at...
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A look at the player development forum at FanFest

A look at the player development forum at FanFest
You probably have noticed that we enjoy writing about and covering the minor leagues here. So that was one of the many reasons I listened in with interest during the player development fan forum at FanFest on Saturday. This was a chance, during a 20-minute session, for fans to address topics on the farm and question Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, along with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson and director of player development Brian...
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Taking a longer look at Manny Machado's move back to short

Taking a longer look at Manny Machado's move back to short
If you can get a sense of the pulse of the Orioles fan base listening to sports talk radio and reading the comments on these blogs, then the move of Manny Machado to shortstop is playing to mixed reviews. On the plus side, some fans are down with the fact that the team is taking its best defender and putting him at a premium defensive position. On the down side, some fans seem to feel the club gave in to the player's desire to move to shortstop for his final season before free agency. Let's...
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Coolbaugh on homer reliance, Cortes on rotation shot (updated)

Coolbaugh on homer reliance, Cortes on rotation shot (updated)
In three of the last six seasons, the Orioles have led the major leagues in home runs. They topped every club by hitting 212 in 2013, 211 in 2014 and 253 in 2016. The 2017 Orioles hit 232 home runs, but that ranked only fifth both in the American League and the major leagues behind the Yankees (241), Astros (238), Rangers (237) and Athletics (234). The Orioles had seven players hit 20 or more homers last season for just the second time in club history. The 1996 team also had seven. Tim Beckham...
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FanFest follow-up: Machado, the rotation and more prospect talk

FanFest follow-up: Machado, the rotation and more prospect talk
At FanFest, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he is confident the club will still be able to fill its, shall we say, thin starting rotation. Manager Buck Showalter reminded fans that it's only January and that analysts doubt his team every year. And keeping with that theme, when vice president of baseball operations and former Oriole Brady Anderson met with reporters, he echoed those thoughts. He feels the club still has the time and resources to add a solid pitcher or more...
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Michael Kelly on rotation chance, Austin Hays on building on 2017

Michael Kelly on rotation chance, Austin Hays on building on 2017
Right-hander Michael Kelly was a minor league free agent this winter, but now he may have a major opportunity. Signed by the Orioles to a major league contract in December on the day of the Rule draft 5, the 25-year-old right-hander is among a handful of in-house rotation candidates. Kelly had other teams showing interest in December, but signed with the Orioles because, like the rest of us, he knew the club had - and still has - just two established pitchers in its rotation. "I truly like the...
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Joseph on a role as mentor, Bundy on the rotation

Joseph on a role as mentor, Bundy on the rotation
The assumption - not made by the player himself but others - is that Caleb Joseph will break camp and head north with the Orioles as their No. 1 catcher this year. If that happens, he is likely to be in a position to head up a catching tandem that could include a rookie behind him. Either Chance Sisco or Austin Wynns would be the likely backup. That would give Joseph a chance to take on something he would very much embrace - a role to mentor a young catcher. Kind of how Matt Wieters once helped...
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Anderson on Machado trade talk and some Mountcastle talk

Anderson on Machado trade talk and some Mountcastle talk
During an interview session with reporters at FanFest, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson was asked if a trade of Manny Machado is still possible or if that ship has sailed already. "There are a lot of teams throughout the league where he could change their outcome immediately," he said. "But there is quite a price to pay for a guy like Manny. You have to weigh the downside of giving up your best prospects, which we would certainly require, and then maybe only...
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As FanFest arrives, some O's questions remain unanswered

As FanFest arrives, some O's questions remain unanswered
As the Orioles host their annual FanFest event today at the Baltimore Convention Center, there figures to be much discussion about the players that are not there and potential acquisitions for pitchers that have yet to be made. Maybe more talk about the missing and not added than those that are appearing. When MASNsports.com was first to report yesterday that Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop would not be at FanFest today, speculation ran rampant. Some fans speculated that Machado doesn't want...
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Buck Britton on getting the manager's job with Delmarva

Buck Britton on getting the manager's job with Delmarva
The Orioles now have two Bucks managing in the organization. At their hot stove banquet last night in Salisbury, Md., the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds announced that Buck Britton will be their manager in 2018. The older brother of Orioles closer Zach Britton, Buck was drafted by the club in the 35th round of the 2008 draft. After a nine-year playing career in the minors, the 31-year-old Britton moved into the coaching ranks last season when he was Delmarva's hitting coach. He takes over as...
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A few takes on the Hall of Fame voting process and one on Chris Davis

A few takes on the Hall of Fame voting process and one on Chris Davis
With last night's announcement of the latest class headed to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame in July, several aspects of the voting process once again came into question and up for debate. Here are a few of my thoughts that are just opinions, and I want to hear yours: * The 10-man ballot is fine. There is some talk that voters should be allowed to vote for more than 10. I think that is a good number. If someone can't make your list of 10, they may not be a Hall of Famer. At the worst, they...
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A class of four elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown

A class of four elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown
For just the fourth time - and second time in four years - a class of four has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., by the Baseball Writers' Association of America The class, announced tonight on a live broadcast on MLB Network, is headed up by third baseman Chipper Jones and first baseman/DH Jim Thome, both elected on their first ballots. They are joined by outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, who makes it in his second year of eligibility, and reliever Trevor...
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In the minors, the pitch clock has made a difference

In the minors, the pitch clock has made a difference
As Major League Baseball seems set to implement a 20-second pitch clock for the 2018 season, at the higher levels of Minor League Baseball, they have had a clock in place for three seasons producing some of the desired results. Overall, the clock has produced shorter game times while at the same time not many violations of the clock, according to one Orioles minor league skipper. Double-A Bowie's Gary Kendall has seen his Baysox and other Eastern League teams use the clock since the 2015...
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Rankings and even more rankings talk

Rankings and even more rankings talk
Yesterday was a big day in prospect land, as Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list and ESPN's Keith Law released his second 50 (subscription required). His top 50 will be released today. For the first time since 2014, the Orioles have three on the Baseball America top 100. Austin Hays was ranked No. 21, with Chance Sisco at No. 68 and Ryan Mountcastle at No. 71. The last three years, the Orioles had three combined, with two in 2015, none in 2016 and one last year with Sisco at...
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A look at another top 10 Orioles prospects list (updated)

A look at another top 10 Orioles prospects list (updated)
As some national top 100 prospects lists are about to come out, another outlet has released a new listing of its top Orioles players. Baseball Prospectus released its list of the Orioles' top 10 prospects last week. Here is the list, from top to bottom. I add my own comments and notes and also pose a question or questions about each player heading into next season. 1. Ryan Mountcastle, 3B: Mountcastle's bat looked special in the Carolina League last season. Over 88 games with Single-A...
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Cold weather, cold market edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

Cold weather, cold market edition: "10 questions for O's fans"
So many questions, so little time. Actually, that is not right at all. We have just 10 questions for you to answer today, and take all the time you need. It's the getting-to-mid-winter edition of 10 questions. These should provide some interesting answers, and I look forward to reading them all. So on to the questions. 1) Over the next five years, will the Yankees or Red Sox be the toughest team to overcome in the American League East? 2) Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins? 3) Who will...
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A look at some in-house rotation candidates

A look at some in-house rotation candidates
The assumption seems to be that the Orioles may leave spring training with at least one in-house pitcher winning a job in their starting rotation come April. And yes, we all know they have just two starters set right now in Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. You know what that means, right? If they had to play today, they might need gloves (and I don't mean baseball gloves) first of all, but also they also would need three in-house starters in addition to Gausman and Bundy. Let's take a look at a...
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The readers respond and some props for a minor league player

The readers respond and some props for a minor league player
Some days, many of them actually, one of the best things about having this baseball blog is reading the interesting opinions of the readers here. Yesterday was clearly one of those days. The topic was the Jeff Passan column about the economic system in Major League Baseball, whether it is broken and/or in need of a major overhaul. If you haven't read the column, it's long, but well done and worth your time. If you haven't read some of the 200 or so responses from readers yesterday, that is...
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