Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Urrutia's bat stays hot in Arizona and other winter ball notes

Urrutia's bat stays hot in Arizona and other winter ball notes
Henry Urrutia had another strong game for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. The Orioles' 2013 minor league Player of the Year is batting .410 in 16 AFL games with three doubles, three homers and 13 RBIs. Urrutia is slugging .607 with an OPS of 1.069 and is batting over .400 against both left (.412) and right-handed pitchers (.409). Over his last three games, Urrutia is 8-for-13 with a homer, three runs and five...
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Steve Melewski

Baseball's heat wave: Is high-end velocity the new, big thing? (updated)

Baseball's heat wave: Is high-end velocity the new, big thing? (updated)
It was on display in the playoffs, whether it was Michael Wacha or Trevor Rosenthal of the St. Louis Cardinals throwing the ball by a hitter or the Detroit Tigers staff ringing up another strikeout. It was an impressive display of power pitching. A good fastball has always been valued in the sport, but are we entering an era when power pitching will be more important and more sought-after than ever? The combination of a starter who can throw mid-90s heat like Wacha and a closer with...
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Steve Melewski

How are qualifying offers impacting baseball?

How are qualifying offers impacting baseball?
Could the Orioles have any interest in free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran? What about first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales? Or outfielder Shin-Soo Choo? What about pitchers Hiroki Kuroda or Ervin Santana? Well, if the O's do have any interest in any of those players - and a few others - it will cost a first-round draft pick to sign them. The players I mentioned and eight others were given qualifying offers by their current clubs. If they turn down those one-year offers - and we'll know that...
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Steve Melewski

A look at some O's pitchers in the Arizona Fall League

A look at some O's pitchers in the Arizona Fall League
The Orioles have a few pitchers who have done well pitching for the first-place Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League West division. Among them is 22-year-old left-hander Tim Berry, a 50th-round draft pick in 2009. After pitching well for Single-A Frederick this year, Berry is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six games in the AFL. Over 13 1/3 innings, he has allowed 11 hits with three walks, 10 strikeouts and a .229 average against. O's director of player development Brian Graham recently saw...
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Steve Melewski

Manto remembers the 1995 season, plus an O's thought for the day

Manto remembers the 1995 season, plus an O's thought for the day
New Orioles minor league hitting coordinator Jeff Manto said he is excited to start his new position with the team. He returns to the organization where he had his best big league season and to work for one of his former minor league managers and a mentor. The 49-year-old Manto batted just 713 times over parts of nine big league seasons, but 254 of those at-bats came during his 1995 year with the Orioles when he hit .256 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs over 89 games. He tied a major league record...
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Steve Melewski

Should the Orioles consider J.J. Hardy as a trade chip?

Should the Orioles consider J.J. Hardy as a trade chip?
It is interesting that some of you have suggested here that the Orioles consider making shortstop J.J. Hardy available in a trade this winter. I assume part of the thinking is that with just a year left on his contract you would like to see the team get something in return - like quality pitching - before he could leave via free agency at the end of the 2014 season, barring a new contract. There also could be a thought from some that signing him to a new, long-term deal is not the best move....
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Steve Melewski

Jeff Manto talks about his new job with the Orioles

Jeff Manto talks about his new job with the Orioles
Jeff Manto spent one season as an Oriole, but it was eventful for him. During the 1995 season he tied a major league record with four homers in four consecutive at-bats in June and he was also around when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record. He fondly remembers that season with the Orioles and today, Manto is back with the club after being hired as its minor league hitting coordinator. He replaces Mike Boulanger, who, after two years in that role, will move into an...
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Steve Melewski

O's minor league homer leader expects to play elsewhere next year (plus Rule 5 eligible players)

O's minor league homer leader expects to play elsewhere next year (plus Rule 5 eligible players)
He led all Orioles minor leaguers in homers in four of the last five seasons, including the last three in a row. But infielder Brandon Waring realizes that probably won't happen again in 2014. After hitting 119 homers over the last five seasons on the O's farm, the 27-year-old Waring officially became a minor league free agent Monday afternoon and expects to sign with another organization for next season. "Honestly, I think I need a change of scenery," Waring said yesterday. "I've spent...
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Steve Melewski

Orioles lead majors with three Topps minor league Players of the Year (Chris Jones note)

Orioles lead majors with three Topps minor league Players of the Year (Chris Jones note)
The Orioles led all major league organizations today as three of their minor league players were named Topps Players of the Year in the annual George M. Trautman Awards. Catcher Caleb Joseph of Double-A Bowie was honored for his play in the Eastern League, with catcher Michael Ohlman of Single-A Frederick winning for the Carolina League and first baseman Trey Mancini of short-season Single-A Aberdeen the winner in the New York-Penn League. The honorees were announced today by Minor League...
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Showalter talks about improving the Orioles' OBP

Showalter talks about improving the Orioles' OBP
There is no doubt that team on-base percentage is one offensive stat where the Orioles need to improve. Their .313 mark last year - which actually ranked just ahead of their .311 mark in 2012 - was behind the league average of .320. Boston led the American League in team OBP at .349 and Detroit was second at .346. The O's were fourth in the league in runs scored, but 10th in OBP and, moving forward, that stat needs to improve. Will that improvement need to come from players who are not...
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Urrutia and Ohlman are swinging bats well in AFL

Urrutia and Ohlman are swinging bats well in AFL
Henry Urrutia and Michael Ohlman were two of the better hitters in the Orioles minor leagues this season and both have continued to hit well in the Arizona Fall League for the first-place Surprise Saguaros. Urrutia is batting .364 with two homers, eight RBIs, a .568 slugging percentage and .997 OPS in 12 games. Of note, he has five extra-base hits in his last seven games with three doubles and two homers after producing just one extra-base hit in 58 at-bats with the Orioles. After seeing...
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Showalter talks pitching, free agency and more (O's decline option on Wada)

Showalter talks pitching, free agency and more (O's decline option on Wada)
As the Orioles look to improve their pitching for 2014, manager Buck Showalter wonders if the club has some answers now or looking to the future already within their organization. Last night, Showalter indicated the Orioles are open to adding pitching this winter via free agency while at the same time expressing some optimism for some of the current pitchers in the minor leagues. Showalter recently spent some time checking out O's prospects in person in the Arizona Fall League. "I went out...
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Which free agent pitchers could wind up on Orioles' radar? (Schoop note)

Which free agent pitchers could wind up on Orioles' radar? (Schoop note)
After a season where the Orioles finished 10th in the American League in team ERA and 12th in starting pitcher ERA, it's pretty clear they'll need to pitch better to get back in the playoffs in 2014. But how to upgrade the rotation, in particular, after O's starters posted a 4.57 ERA in 2013? Everyone wants an ace, but we know that there are not any available in this free agent class and getting one via a deal is very unlikely. That said, here is a look at five free agent pitchers that...
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Revisiting 2013 predictions with a look ahead

Revisiting 2013 predictions with a look ahead
The Boston Red Sox have now won three World Series championships in the last 10 years. That is very impressive, and they capped a strong season with their Game 6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last night. Not sure many O's fans will pass along even grudging congratulations, but now the offseason is officially here and the it's the job of Orioles management to try to figure out how to beat them and get back in the playoffs next season. So now, with the season over, how did you do with any...
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Matching a 37-year-old mark on defense, plus some power emerges in the AFL

Matching a 37-year-old mark on defense, plus some power emerges in the AFL
Last night, the Orioles became the first American League team since the 2002-03 Seattle Mariners to win at least three Gold Gloves in consecutive seasons. Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones took home the hardware. That is strong stuff. From 1977 to 2011, the Orioles won three Gold Gloves in one season just once, in 1998. From 2000-2008, the Orioles won a total of zero Gold Gloves. Before last night, the last time an Orioles team won three or more Gold Gloves in back-to-back years was...
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Machado, Hardy, Showalter and Duquette on O's Gold Glove winners

Machado, Hardy, Showalter and Duquette on O's Gold Glove winners
After winning his first Gold Glove tonight, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado said he was surprised when he heard his name called. Machado was one of three O's winners tonight, along with J.J. Hardy at short and center fielder Adam Jones. "It's just an honor to be in the same category as the other third basemen out there," Machado said on a conference call. "I'm blessed. It wasn't something that happened with (just) myself. It helped me out having (coach) Bobby Dickerson there with...
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Will it be the first of many for Machado tonight?

Will it be the first of many for Machado tonight?
In 1960, Brooks Robinson won the first of what would be 16 Gold Gloves. He did that at 23. Manny Machado could win his first tonight at 21. Can Manny win 16 before his career is over? Who would be foolish enough to put anything past the kid? A win by Machado would be impressive in many ways. First of all, he would be doing this at such a young age and at a position he didn't begin playing regularly until after he got to the major leagues. Also, the other finalists at third base - Adrian...
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Minor league notes on Bundy, the Rule 5 draft, Gamboa and more

Minor league notes on Bundy, the Rule 5 draft, Gamboa and more
Orioles 2011 first-round draft pick Dylan Bundy continues to progress well after undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in late June. "He is working hard with Dave Walker (Orioles minor league medical coordinator) every day in Florida," O's director of minor league operations Kent Qualls said. "His follow-up appointment with Dr. (James) Andrews went well and he was cleared to begin a tossing program, where you play light catch, around the end of November. The rehab...
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Steve Melewski

Comparing Kevin Gausman to Michael Wacha (AFL All-Stars)

Comparing Kevin Gausman to Michael Wacha (AFL All-Stars)
As Orioles fans have watched right-hander Michael Wacha pitch so well for the St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason, could they be seeing a preview of what Kevin Gausman possibly could be for their team in the future? They can at least hope so. After all, coming out of the 2012 draft, most scouts rated Gausman as the better of the two college pitchers. The similarities between the two are many. Both are 22 and were 2012 first-round draft picks out of major colleges. Both feature a...
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Will the Tim Lincecum contract impact deals for other pitchers, including Scott Feldman?

Will the Tim Lincecum contract impact deals for other pitchers, including Scott Feldman?
There have been times in baseball when a popular player signs a new contract to stay with his current team for perhaps less than he can get on the open market. It is said the player gave his team a "hometown discount." That doesn't happen much, but it can. If so, is the reverse true? Did the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum get a "hometown increase?" In other words, did the two-year, $35 million dollar deal Lincecum just signed with the Giants have as much do with his popularity and...
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