Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Tough time to be an MLB manager and Houston forces Game 7

Tough time to be an MLB manager and Houston forces Game 7
Dusty Baker will not return as the Washington Nationals' manager. We found that out yesterday. We already knew John Farrell is not coming back as Boston's manager. Are these two being made the fall guys for player postseason failures? You could certainly make a case for that. Baker's teams won back-to-back division titles, winning 95 games in 2016 and 97 this season. But they lost back-to-back National League Division Series in fifth games. Farrell's teams won back-to-back division titles,...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A look at the Orioles' list of pending minor league free agents

A look at the Orioles' list of pending minor league free agents
To put in perspective how long Garabez Rosa has been in the Orioles organization, when Adam Jones was traded to the club in February 2008, Rosa was about to begin his second season on the O's farm. Signed out of the Dominican Republic at 17 in November 2006, Rosa has played 1,154 games over 11 seasons in the Orioles' minor league system. Save for a few games at Triple-A Norfolk, he's been at Double-A Bowie since the 2013 season. He is the Baysox's all-time leader in games (590), hits (650),...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
garabez rosa orioles steve melewski aderlin rodriguez audry perez bobby bundy erick salcedo glynn davis jayson aquino jayson garcia orioles farm report richard rodriguez scott mcgough tim berry tyler wilson frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Can Chris Davis become more aggressive and increase run production?

Can Chris Davis become more aggressive and increase run production?
He faced pretty much daily criticism during the 2017 season and was easily the most criticized Orioles player. We don't keep a sabermetric stat on that, but we don't need one to know that Chris Davis took a barrage of criticism during the 2017 season. And 2016, as well. As a player with a long-term contract and the highest salary on the team, fans expected a lot and didn't get it. As fans around Birdland looked to assign blame for a team that came up short of the playoffs, they pointed often...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
chris davis orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis says O's farm has made solid progress

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis says O's farm has made solid progress
After a year when the Orioles farm system has taken a nice step forward, we checked in with a few national analysts to get their takes. Today, we hear from MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis. Ranked well down the list when it comes to organizational rankings the last couple of seasons, the club is moving up and making decent progress. The Orioles had several players ranked among the various league top 20 prospects lists from Baseball America, including four in the prospect-laden Eastern League....
Continue reading
0
Tags:
jim callis orioles steve melewski alex wells anthony santander austin hays cameron bishop cedric mullins chance sisco cody sedlock dj stewart dl hall keegan akin michael baumann orioles farm report ryan mountcastle tanner scott zac lowther frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Some Orioles payroll math

Some Orioles payroll math
The Orioles should have at least a few dollars to spend this winter, based on their current monetary obligations for 2018 and what they have spent in recent years. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the salary for the Orioles' opening day roster was $147.7 million in 2016 and $164.3 million last season. The Orioles have four guaranteed salaries on the books for 2017 with Chris Davis listed at $21.1 million, Adam Jones at $17.3 million, Mark Trumbo at $12.5 million and Darren O'Day at $9...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Asked and answered: The readers respond

Asked and answered: The readers respond
Yesterday in this space, we asked the readers to answer a few Orioles questions. Today here is a look (as of late last night) at how you answered. Not everyone answered every question or in the manner asked, but hey, we had some fun reading the responses. Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins?: Right-hander Dylan Bundy was the easy winner here, getting 21 votes to seven for Kevin Gausman. Alex Cobb, a pending free agent, got three votes, while Chris Tillman and Brad Brach got one. Unless MLB...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski alex wells cedric mullins chris davis chris tillman dj stewart dylan bundy featured_sidebar kavin gausman manny machado mark trumbo ryan mountcastle zach britton frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

First offseason edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

First offseason edition: "10 questions for O's fans"
It is time for the first edition of the offseason of "10 questions for O's fans." Feel free to answer one, two, three, any amount or all 10. Here are today's 10 questions: 1. Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins? 2. Which player will get the most starts in right field? 3. Better candidate to have a bounceback year: Chris Davis or Mark Trumbo? 4. Which free agent pitchers should the club pursue? 5. Who will lead the Orioles in homers next year? 6. Rank these Orioles prospects from best to...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
10 questions alex wells cedric mullins chris davis chris tillman dj stewart featured_sidebar manny machado mark trumbo orioles ryan mountcastle steve melewski zach britton frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

MLB's replay review system comes under fire again

MLB's replay review system comes under fire again
I have heard and read criticism of the replay review where Jose Lobaton of the Nationals was called out on review in the eighth inning on Thursday night. Lobaton beat the tag at first as Chicago Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras tried to pick him off. On replay it was noted his foot came off the bag while the tag was held. He was correctly called out. One criticism is this was not the spirit of the rule. I am not sure what that means. In baseball if your foot comes off the base during a tag, you...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A position-by-position look at O's offense against league average

A position-by-position look at O's offense against league average
It is just one stat, but not a bad one to look at for any hitter - OPS. That is on base percentage plus slugging added together. Anything .800 or above, as we know, is a strong number. The high 700s are not too shabby. Among qualifying hitters, there were 37 players in the American League that posted an OPS of .800 or better this year. That list includes two Orioles, as Jonathan Schoop was 22nd at .841 and Trey Mancini was 26th at .826. But for this blog, I expand that a bit and will compare...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

O's list of Rule 5 eligible players includes pitcher Pat Connaughton

O's list of Rule 5 eligible players includes pitcher Pat Connaughton
He has only pitched 14 2/3 innings on the Orioles farm, but 24-year-old right-hander Pat Connaughton is eligible to be taken this December in the Rule 5 draft. Yep, that was fast. This will be the fourth Rule 5 draft since the Orioles selected Connaughton in round four out of Notre Dame in the 2014 draft and signed him to a bonus of $428,000. With short season Single-A Aberdeen in 2014, Connaughton pitched to a 2.51 ERA and showed a fastball that touched 96 mph with secondary pitches showing...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski Ademar Rifaela Adrian Marin Alex Murphy Armando Araiza Branden Kline Brandon Barker Cristian Alvarado Drew Dosch Erick Salcedo Hunter Harvey Jay Gonzalez John Means Jordan Kipper Josh Hart Lucas Long Matt Wotherspoon Matthew Grimes Mike Yastrzemski Pat Connaughton Paul Fry Randolph Gassaway Ryan Ripken Travis Seabrooke Yermin Mercedes austin wynns david hess featured_sidebar luis gonzalez ryan flaherty steve wilkerson welington castillo frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

In playoff pressure-cooker, AL East manager job security takes a hit

In playoff pressure-cooker, AL East manager job security takes a hit
It was about this time last year, when Orioles manager Buck Showalter was the subject of heavy criticism for not using closer Zach Britton in the club's AL wild card game loss at Toronto. But almost no one suggested Showalter's job was on the line and it wasn't. He is signed through 2018. But two other AL East managers are the subject of rumors now and their job security seems less firm than it was even a week ago. Not long after the New York Yankees lost Game 2 of the American League...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski al east boston red sox buck showalter chicago cubs featured_sidebar joe girardi new york yankees stephen strasburg zach britton frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Are the Orioles ready to turn over right field to Austin Hays?

Are the Orioles ready to turn over right field to Austin Hays?
After he has had 63 plate appearances in the majors, are the Orioles prepared to turn over right field to Austin Hays in 2018? Should they make that bold move? It would be a bit of a bold move for a player that has only 166 minor league games and one full season on the farm under his belt. He was drafted in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft and became the first player from that draft class to make the majors. Hays had an amazing minor league season, one that began at Single-A...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
austin hays steve melewski featured_sidebar orioles anthony santander bowie baysox craig gentry frederick keys seth smith frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A few facts and a few opinions

A few facts and a few opinions
A few items worth nothing and a few opinions about them to start the second week of the offseason. Item: The Orioles offense was the best in the American League in August and the worst in September. This was a pretty stunning change. In August the team ranked first in batting average (.306), slugging (.534), OPS (.882), homers (57) and runs per game (6.0). In September they ranked 15th and last in the AL in average (.224), OBP (.273), slugging (.358) and runs per game (3.1). The Orioles hit 27...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski chris davis jonathan schoop kevin gausman manny machado trey mancini frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Orioles will reload, not rebuild

Orioles will reload, not rebuild
It is a question worth asking even though we pretty much know the direction the organization will take: Should the Orioles be rebuilding now after posting a losing record in 2017, and with several veterans not signed beyond 2018? The Orioles seem much more inclined to be reloading than rebuilding. They are still looking to add to their roster and improve their pitching to make another run for the playoffs in 2018. But we all know that free agency awaits for four key players after the 2018...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski adam jones alec asher anthony santander austin hays brad brach chance sisco chris lee donnie hart dylan bundy featured_sidebar gabriel ynoa hunter harvey jesus liranzo jimmy yacabonis joey rickard jonathan schoop kevin gausman manny machado miguel castro mike wright mychal givens stefan crichton tanner scott tim beckham trey mancini yefry ramirez zach britton frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

What is the ceiling for Trey Mancini?

What is the ceiling for Trey Mancini?
After a stellar rookie season, how much better can Trey Mancini play for the Orioles? What is his ceiling? MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis recently drew the ire of Birdland when he ranked his current top 30 major league rookies based on their future potential. Again, he was ranking not on current stats or performance, but future potential. In an interview for this article on that topic, Callis said he had some concerns about Mancini moving forward. "I worry he doesn't walk much," Callis said....
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski trey mancini featured_sidebar jim callis jonathan schoop frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

The longball in early playoff games and league prospect rankings

The longball in early playoff games and league prospect rankings
We have heard it many times before that "good pitching beats good hitting." We have also heard the narrative that home runs "don't play well in the postseason." So far that has not been true. We are talking about a small sample size. In the wild-card games the four starting pitchers were Ervin Santana, Luis Severino, Jon Gray and Zach Greinke. They combined to pitch 7 1/3 innings allowing 20 hits and 15 runs and gave up five home runs. There were nine homers hit in the wild card games. As...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski ademar rifaela alex wells austin hays cameron bishop cedric mullins chance sisco dj stewart eloy jimenez garabez rosa michael baumann rafael devers ryan mountcastle tanner scott victor robles frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

J.J. Cooper says O's farm has "taken a big step forward"

J.J. Cooper says O's farm has "taken a big step forward"
The Orioles' minor leagues had a good year in 2017. That is the opinion of several national analysts I have spoken to in the last two weeks. Today, here is the second part of a series of interviews with national analysts on the O's farm. For the Orioles, 2017 was a year where outfielder Austin Hays moved from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie and then to the majors. He was a finalist for Baseball America's Player of the Year Award. The Orioles had four players ranked among the top 20...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
austin hays chance sisco dj stewart dl hall hunter harvey jj cooper orioles farm report ryan mountcastle steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Not a dynamic duo: Davis and Trumbo need to increase production in 2018

Not a dynamic duo: Davis and Trumbo need to increase production in 2018
Improving their starting rotation is the biggest issue facing the Orioles as the offseason begins. But that is not the only one. In 2016, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo combined for 85 homers and 192 RBIs. This season they combined for 49 homers and 126 RBIs. Add to that Manny Machado's slow first half and the middle of the Orioles order too often came up short. Bounceback seasons by Davis and Trumbo next year would go a long way toward helping an offense that fell off a bit overall in 2017....
Continue reading
0
Tags:
chris davis mark trumbo orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Mancini on the minors, plus other topics and notes

Mancini on the minors, plus other topics and notes
You will find few players to provide a stronger endorsement for the job done by the Orioles minor league staff and coaches than Trey Mancini. After all Mancini is a one-time unheralded eighth-round draft pick that was one of the top rookies in the majors this year. He hit .293/.338/.488 with 26 doubles, four triples, 24 homers, 78 RBIs and an .826 OPS. This is a player that was never ranked in anyone's top 100 prospects list. But he just worked very hard during four seasons on the O's farm to...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski trey mancini carolina league dave ziedelis featured_sidebar frederick keys frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Key questions the Orioles face as the offseason begins

Key questions the Orioles face as the offseason begins
Finishing in last place is not what the Orioles organization or their fans had in mind. Not for the 2017 season. Not after leading the league in wins from 2012-2016. Not after the Orioles began the year 22-10. On May 9 they had the best record in the majors, playing .688 ball. That was better than three teams that would go on to win 101 or more games. Also not after where the Orioles stood heading into September. On the night of Aug. 30, the Orioles won their seventh straight game. They were 1...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski Ubaldo Jimenez adam jones austin hays brad brach frontstory_orioles2 kevin gausman manny machado ubaldo jimenez zach britton
LinkedIn Pinterest



LATEST ORIOLES NEWS

LATEST NATIONALS NEWS

       
239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248