A look at players the Orioles may protect from the Rule 5 draft

A look at players the Orioles may protect from the Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is the last event of the Winter Meetings and it is now about a month away. This year it takes place on Dec. 10 in Nashville. Any player selected in this draft must remain on the selecting team's 25-man roster for the entire 2016 season or be offered back to his original club. Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft when they are not on their organization's 40-man roster and: * were signed at 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or *...
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A look at some of the free agent predictions

A look at some of the free agent predictions
By my count, the Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers led the majors by making three qualifying offers each. The Nationals, Cardinals and Padres made two QOs each and eight different teams made one offer each. Again, if I have figured correctly, only three teams (San Diego, Seattle, Chicago White Sox) that made qualifying offers won fewer than 81 games last year. Those three teams (with four total picks) would get compensation picks ahead of the Orioles if the players they made QOs to turn them down...
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Bodie at Bowie: New to O's in 2015, Bodie did solid job with Baysox (plus qualifying offer notes)

Bodie at Bowie: New to O's in 2015, Bodie did solid job with Baysox (plus qualifying offer notes)
There were many reasons the Double-A Bowie Baysox won their first Eastern League championship this season. The great leadership of manager Gary Kendall and his coaching staff and the strong performances of so many players were pretty important. But there was one man who was there for all of it and did some solid work out of the media spotlight. But as I talked to Bowie hitters, his name came up often. They were happy to thank hitting coach Keith Bodie for his help during the season. This...
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One year after posting a career-best ERA, Miguel Gonzalez posted his career worst

One year after posting a career-best ERA, Miguel Gonzalez posted his career worst
So why did Miguel Gonzalez pitch so well in 2014, and for much of his first three years with the Orioles, only to struggle in 2015? Was it all about injuries? Did the league catch up to him? If so, why didn't that happen during the 2014 season? Is his stuff just not good enough? At one time, it seemed Gonzalez was the Orioles' most underrated and/or underappreciated starter. Now, after his 2015 campaign, there are certainly some that feel his spot in the 2016 Orioles rotation is far from...
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A look at Manny Machado's season and possible future defensive destination

A look at Manny Machado's season and possible future defensive destination
On Aug. 31, we saw something on the diamond for the first time and something that we could see often in the future. We saw Manny Machado start at shortstop for the Orioles. It was his first major league start at short and his first professional start at the position since Aug. 8, 2012 with Double-A Bowie. While J.J. Hardy is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018, a day is coming when Hardy will no longer be the Orioles' shortstop. The best man to take over for a Gold Glover is probably...
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Notes on Adrian Marin, World Series odds, Statcast numbers and more (Almanzar note)

Notes on Adrian Marin, World Series odds, Statcast numbers and more (Almanzar note)
Taking some time today to check on a hot hitter in the Arizona Fall League, along with a few other notes: Swinging a hot bat: Once ranked as the Orioles' No. 10 prospect, shortstop Adrian Marin's stock has fallen a bit after he hit .232 and .238 the last two years at Single-A Frederick. But the 21-year-old Marin is on quite a roll right now for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League. After batting .222 over his first seven games there, Marin has now put together four consecutive multi-hit games in...
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In AFL, Dylan Bundy and Tanner Scott show their stuff and future promise

In AFL, Dylan Bundy and Tanner Scott show their stuff and future promise
Right-hander Dylan Bundy's seven-pitch outing in the Arizona Fall League yesterday certainly attracted attention. Even though he got three outs so fast that if you blinked, you may have missed it, some fans were no doubt excited that Bundy was back on a mound. It was his first outing in a game since he pitched four scoreless innings for Double-A Bowie on May 21 at Trenton. At that point, Bundy's comeback from Tommy John surgery on June 27, 2013 was just about complete. His command was coming...
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Another look at the Orioles' six free agents

Another look at the Orioles' six free agents
Let the free agent shopping begin. The Kansas City Royals are the 2015 World Series champs after scoring two runs in the ninth last night to tie the Mets and then five in the 12th for a 7-2 win. Kansas City won its first championship since 1985 in five games. With the end of the World Series, players that were pending free agents are now actual free agents. The Orioles have six such players. Today, we take another look at these players and whether they may return to the Orioles in 2016. Chris...
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World Series game blog: Mets rally behind Murphy, now they need to rally in series

World Series game blog: Mets rally behind Murphy, now they need to rally in series
Second baseman Daniel Murphy was a big reason why the New York Mets got to the World Series. So when he was also a big reason why the Mets lost critical Game 4 last night, it was good to see his teammates didn't forget that. Murphy's error on an easy grounder allowed Kansas City to tie the game 3-3 in the eighth inning last night. They went on to score twice more to rally for a 5-3 win and 3-1 lead in the World Series. The Royals are now one win away. "Jeurys (Familia) did his job," Murphy...
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World Series game blog: Mets host Royals with a chance to even series

World Series game blog: Mets host Royals with a chance to even series
After a 9-3 victory on Friday night, the New York Mets can even the World Series at two wins each with a victory tonight at Citi Field against the Kansas City Royals. After being held to five runs and 13 hits in the first two games, New York produced nine runs on 12 hits last night. David Wright went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. Curtis Granderson went 2-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored and two RBIs. Wright and Rusty Staub are the only Mets players to have at least four RBIs in a...
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Should the Orioles take another chance on Nolan Reimold next year?

Should the Orioles take another chance on Nolan Reimold next year?
For a brief time in the 2014 season, outfielder Nolan Reimold was an ex-Oriole. The player the club drafted in the second round in 2005 out of Bowling Green played in 22 games for Toronto and seven for Arizona. But when the 2015 season began, he was an Oriole again. Signed by the O's to a minor league deal in February, Reimold had a healthy 2015 season. He showed he is now fully recovered from a corrective procedure in 2013 to fuse two vertebrae in his neck. Reimold got about 400 plate...
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World Series game blog: Mets host Game 3 down 0-2 to Royals

World Series game blog: Mets host Game 3 down 0-2 to Royals
The New York Mets are looking to do what they did in the 1986 World Series. They won it after losing the first two games to Boston. Tonight, the Mets host Game 3 of the World Series at Citi Field against Kansas City. The Royals hold a 2-0 series lead after winning the opener 5-4 in 14 innings and the second game by a 7-1 score. In 1986, the Mets lost the first game by one run and the second by six runs. In World Series history, 42 of 53 teams with a 2-0 lead have gone on to win. The last 14...
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A look at the Kansas City offense and a Wieters contract prediction

A look at the Kansas City offense and a Wieters contract prediction
Here is a quick question for you: Which team drew more walks this season, the Orioles or the Kansas City Royals? Surprise, surprise, but it was the Orioles. The Orioles were not great in this stat, finishing 13th in the American League with 418 walks, while Kansas City ranked last at 383. But those same Royals are averaging 5.77 runs per game in the postseason. Kansas City has the unique combination of finishing last in the AL on offense in both strikeouts and walks. They don't strike out much...
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Prospect profile: Chris Lee made a nice first impression with the Orioles

Prospect profile: Chris Lee made a nice first impression with the Orioles
It seemed like a pretty minor trade at the time. On May 18 of this past season, the Orioles acquired minor league left-hander Chris Lee from the Houston Astros. They gave up two international bonus slots to Houston. Lee, a tall, lanky southpaw with a good fastball that touches the mid-90s, had never pitched above low Single-A ball with Houston. But the Orioles sent him to Single-A Frederick after the deal and he ended the season making seven starts at Double-A Bowie. He is likely now among the...
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World Series game blog: It's deGrom against Cueto in Game 2

World Series game blog: It's deGrom against Cueto in Game 2
After an epic, five-hour-plus battle that went 14 innings last night, the Kansas City Royals host the New York Mets in Game 2 of the World Series tonight at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the opener 5-4 in 14 innings Tuesday night. Alex Gordon homered in the ninth off Mets closer Jeurys Familia to tie the game and Kansas City won on Eric Hosmer's sac fly in the 14th. In the last 20 World Series, the team that won Game 1 won the series 17 times. In the last of the first, Alcides Escobar of...
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Will the power return for J.J. Hardy?

Will the power return for J.J. Hardy?
In his first season as an Oriole in 2011, J.J. Hardy hit 30 homers. Over his first three seasons in Baltimore, he averaged 25.6 homers per year. In fact, from 2011-13, Hardy led all major league shortstops in both homers (77) and RBIs (224). But over the last two seasons, Hardy has 17 homers combined to rank 15th among all major league shortstops and has driven in 89 runs to rank 16th. The power outage is no doubt related - probably very much so - to injuries that have at the least impacted his...
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World Series game blog: Royals host Mets in Game 1

World Series game blog: Royals host Mets in Game 1
The 111th World Series begins tonight as the Kansas City Royals (95-67) host the New York Mets (90-72). The Royals last won the World Series on this date in 1985 and the Mets last won on this date in 1986. So far in the postseason, the Royals have beaten Houston 3-2 and Toronto 4-2, while the Mets advanced over Los Angeles 3-2 and Chicago 4-0. The Mets seem to have a big edge in the pitching department. Their team ERA in the postseason is 2.81 and their starting pitchers have an ERA of 2.65...
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Chris Tillman talk: Why did he struggle in 2015?

Chris Tillman talk: Why did he struggle in 2015?
Here is a good question: Why did Chris Tillman struggle so much during a 2015 season where he went 11-11 with an ERA of 4.99? Those that feel Tillman simply regressed to the mean must not have been watching from 2012-14. In those three years, Tillman went a combined 38-16 with an ERA of 3.42. In those years, he ranked tied for 11th in the American League in wins and was 15th in ERA. No, he is not an ace pitcher, nor was he then. But he was the Orioles' No. 1 and pitched like a...
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Another look at Matt Wieters and the possibility of a qualifying offer

Another look at Matt Wieters and the possibility of a qualifying offer
While it seems a pretty safe bet that Chris Davis is going to cash in big with some team this winter and that Wei-Yin Chen may be in line for a three- or four-year deal (and maybe one longer than that), catcher Matt Wieters' future is harder to predict. It starts with the Orioles and their decision whether or not to make him the qualifying offer. If they make the offer, Wieters could sign it and he would then earn $15.8 million to play the 2016 season as an Oriole. If he declines the...
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First offseason edition: "10 Questions for O's Fans"

First offseason edition: "10 Questions for O's Fans"
If you were a reader here last winter, you probably are familiar with what this is all about. In this edition of "10 Questions for O's Fans," I ask and seek your answers. Provide a short or long answer. Answer just one or two question or all 10. Please number your answers as that makes it a little easier to follow along. Now our first offseason edition of "10 Questions": 1) Dylan Bundy is out of minor league options starting next season. How many innings will he pitch for the 2016...
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