Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Nelson Norman talks about the Orioles' Dominican program

Nelson Norman talks about the Orioles' Dominican program
In March, the Orioles hired former major leaguer Nelson Norman to serve as the director of baseball operations in the Dominican Republic. Norman oversees all aspects of the organization's Dominican program and managed one of its two teams this year in the Dominican Summer League. A former major league infielder born in San Pedro de Macoris, Norman, 54, has more than two decades of experience in player development in both the United States and the Dominican Republic with Montreal, Atlanta,...
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Steve Melewski

Pitcher in transition: Zach Clark will continue conversion to knuckleball pitcher in 2014

Pitcher in transition: Zach Clark will continue conversion to knuckleball pitcher in 2014
For a few wonderful days early last season, Zach Clark reached his major league goal. He was an Oriole for four days and even pitched in a May 1 game against Seattle. But a few days later, he was designated for assignment, and the right-hander's future was uncertain. His career then took a major turn when he agreed to begin throwing a knuckleball and to try to work his way back to the Orioles that way. What a 2013 season the UMBC product experienced. He started with Triple-A Norfolk and then...
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Steve Melewski

What is the state of the Orioles' offense?

What is the state of the Orioles' offense?
So how did the Orioles' offense fare in 2013? It was a mixed bag as the club was strong in some areas and not nearly strong enough in others. Since the bottom line is scoring runs, they get good marks there. The O's scored 745 runs last year to rank tied for fourth in the American League. Only Boston (853), Detroit (796) and Oakland (767) scored more. The O's scored 31 more runs in 2013 than they did in 2012. The O's ranked high in homers (first in the AL), slugging (third) and OPS...
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Steve Melewski

A take on the Orioles minor leagues: pitcher Hunter Harvey

A take on the Orioles minor leagues: pitcher Hunter Harvey
By almost any measure, Hunter Harvey's first pro season was a rousing success. The 18-year-old right-hander, drafted with the 22nd pick in Round 1 by the Orioles in June, went 0-1 with a 1.78 ERA over eight starts between the Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Today I'm beginning an offseason series of blogs where I provide information and opinions on an aspect of the Orioles minor leagues with a closer look at their 2013 top pick. If you count five no-hit innings Harvey...
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Steve Melewski

Are O's fans rooting for or against the Red Sox?

Are O's fans rooting for or against the Red Sox?
The Boston Red Sox are one win away from the World Series. They host Detroit later today and have a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox need five more wins to claim what would be their third World Series title in 10 years. So how would that sit with Orioles fans? Are more O's fans rooting against or for Boston? I would guess against by a large margin, there doesn't seem to be much love lost between Orioles and Red Sox fans. The Orioles are 24-13 against Boston...
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Steve Melewski

A look at some of the O's young talent in the club's Dominican program (updated)

A look at some of the O's young talent in the club's Dominican program (updated)
In March, the Orioles hired former major leaguer Nelson Norman to serve as their director of baseball operations in the Dominican Republic. Norman oversees all aspects of the organization's Dominican program and managed one of their two teams this year in the Dominican Summer League. A former major league infielder born in San Pedro de Macoris, Norman, 54, has over two decades of experience in player development with Montreal, Atlanta, Boston, Minnesota, St. Louis and Washington, both in the...
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Steve Melewski

For Orioles and plenty of other teams, pursuit of an ace pitcher continues

For Orioles and plenty of other teams, pursuit of an ace pitcher continues
It has been a postseason of stunning pitching. We've seen low-scoring games featuring dominant starting pitching. Aces have pitched like aces and some youngsters have burst on the scene showing their stuff and vast potential. So far in the playoffs: * Clayton Kershaw is 1-1 with a 0.47 ERA. * Justin Verlander is 1-0 with a 0.39 ERA. * Max Scherzer is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. * Jon Lester is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA. * Adam Wainwright is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA. * Michael Wacha is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA. *...
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Steve Melewski

NFL trumped MLB postseason in TV ratings

NFL trumped MLB postseason in TV ratings
According to this Los Angeles Times article, sports dominated the television ratings Sunday night. But NBC, with its telecast of the Washington-Dallas football game, easily topped FOX, which was showing Game 2 of the Detroit-Boston American League Championship Series. The football game drew 19.6 million viewers and the baseball game drew 8.3 million. That is a better than 2-to-1 edge and a big win for the NFL. Here are two recent tweets from Darren Rovell, ESPN's sports business reporter: *...
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Steve Melewski

A look at the O's pitching prospect that got props in two different leagues

A look at the O's pitching prospect that got props in two different leagues
The 2013 season could not have gone too much better for 20-year-old Orioles left-handed pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez. He began spring training as an invitee to major league camp. After pitching well for Single-A Frederick, he was promoted to Double-A Bowie. He pitched in the Carolina League against the California League in the All-Star Game and also in the Futures Game in New York. Now he is completing his year by adding a few innings in the Arizona Fall League, while also recently...
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The Orioles should look to sign, not trade, Matt Wieters

The Orioles should look to sign, not trade, Matt Wieters
Despite a three-year decline in some of his offensive stats, I still see the best move for the Orioles with catcher Matt Wieters is to sign him to a long-term contract rather than to explore trade talks. While no one from the club has even hinted at the possibility of trading Wieters, it has become an increasingly popular topic with some fans who consider it a viable option for a player with two more years remaining of team control. From that standpoint, if the Orioles did pursue moving...
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The Sisco kid had a strong first year for the Orioles

The Sisco kid had a strong first year for the Orioles
Catcher Chance Sisco, the Orioles' second-round pick out of a California high school in June, had an impressive first season. He hit for a high batting average in the Gulf Coast League, played in two games for short-season Single-A Aberdeen at the end of the year and continued to impress club officials with a strong performance in instructional league. It was a solid first season for this 18-year-old left-handed hitter from Corona, Calif. What is also impressive about Sisco is how...
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Why the backlash against bunting? (Urrutia note)

Why the backlash against bunting? (Urrutia note)
Someone pass me that can of worms and let me open it. Let's discuss bunting and my take that sometimes it's OK to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Let's get this out of the way: Any manager that would ask a player to make an out to advance a runner or runners has not gone mad. And just because you play for one run doesn't make you a bad guy. That one run might be the one to win you the game. Or you might go on to score five runs. You might get none by bunting, and you might get none by...
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Steve Melewski

A look at the ballpark renovations under way at Triple-A Norfolk

A look at the ballpark renovations under way at Triple-A Norfolk
More than a few Orioles prospects over the years have been frustrated at times by the degree of difficulty in hitting a home run at Triple-A Norfolk's Harbor Park, the home of the team's International League affiliate. Starting next season, it will be a little easier to hit one over the wall in Norfolk. The ballpark is currently undergoing upgrades and improvements that will feature a completely new field with a new natural grass turf and infield dirt, while the fences are being moved in...
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Now out of options, 2014 could be make-or-break year for Zach Britton

Now out of options, 2014 could be make-or-break year for Zach Britton
After a 2013 season where he made 19 starts in Triple-A and just seven for the Orioles, 25-year-old lefty Zach Britton knows he may be running out of chances. Next spring, he will head to Sarasota, Fla., as a pitcher out of options and maybe running out of time to impress the O's brass. Over the last three years, Britton is 18-17 with a 4.77 ERA over 46 big league starts. Since he pitched so well early during the 2011 season for the Orioles, he has dealt with some shoulder issues and...
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Did O's players wear down late this year? My debate with Adam Jones

Did O's players wear down late this year? My debate with Adam Jones
During the O's final homestand of 2013, we held our last MASNSports.com live video chats of this season with Adam Jones and Darren O'Day. Both players were generous with their time and answered questions from me and the fans on a large variety of topics. At one point, I got into a lengthy discussion with Jones about the fact that several Orioles players were among the league leaders in games played this year. Did that lead to the team and the offense wearing down in September? "Do you pay...
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Checking on the list of O's minor league free agents and other notes

Checking on the list of O's minor league free agents and other notes
On a list of 27 Orioles organization players who could soon be minor league free agents, you will find Zach Clark's name. He has pitched in the O's organization since 2006. After a wild 2013 season that saw him pitch at five levels of the organization, make the majors, get designated for assignment days later and then convert to a knuckleball pitcher, Clark is certainly hopeful of a return to the O's next year. But the former UMBC pitcher hasn't yet been offered a contract for next...
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Steve Melewski

10 questions for O's fans: Offseason edition No. 1

10 questions for O's fans: Offseason edition No. 1
It became a popular feature on this blog late last offseason, so I'm breaking it out early this time around. It's the first offseason edition of "10 questions for O's fans." I've got plenty of questions and you provide plenty of answers. You don't need to answer all the questions. Answer one, two, five or all 10. Provide a one-word answer to any question or expand fully on your answer as much as you like. There are no right or wrong answers, just opinions from you that I'd love to...
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The wins were down, but the attendance was up in 2013

The wins were down, but the attendance was up in 2013
The Orioles' attendance was up 12.1 percent in 2013 as the club drew a total of 2,357,101 fans over 81 dates a season after drawing 2,102,240 for 79 dates. This was the Orioles' largest attendance figure since the club drew 2,624,740 in 2005. The O's average attendance increased from 26,611 per game in 2012 to 29,100 in 2013. The Orioles posted seven sellouts, actually down one from last year. Maybe the most impressive was the 44,230 on the final day of the season for a game with no...
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For Jim Johnson, the four-seamer is not part of the plan

For Jim Johnson, the four-seamer is not part of the plan
With 51 saves last year and 50 this season, Jim Johnson joined a small club that also includes Mariano Rivera and Eric Gagne. They are the only pitchers in big league history with two 50-save seasons. No one has ever had three. But we know that doesn't tell the whole story of Johnson's 2013 season and his nine blown saves were very costly for the Orioles. But he didn't have any blown saves from mid-August through the end of year, going 11-for-11 with an ERA of 0.57 over his last 16 games...
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So which AL East team will reach the ALCS?

So which AL East team will reach the ALCS?
There was an all-American League East matchup in the American League Division Series last year and there will be one this season - just not involving the Orioles and Yankees. The Boston Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon in Game 1 of the ALDS. The Red Sox are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 after a 97-win regular season. Tampa Bay is back in postseason play and, after winning games Sunday at Toronto, Monday at Texas and Wednesday at Cleveland, they try to...
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