As I prepare to watch "A Christmas Story" (yes, again), I wanted to file just a short post today to wish every reader here and every Orioles fan worldwide a very merry Christmas and happy holidays.
We've come a long way from last Christmas in terms of Oriole fandom - from hoping for that long-awaited winning season, to now wondering if the Orioles can repeat the magical 2012 year.
This time of year, it's OK to look back, and looking back at the 2012 baseball season should bring a smile to...
Sometimes you surprise me, Orioles fans.
Take last Friday, for instance. After weeks of reading your responses here and on Twitter, disappointed about the team's lack of big player moves so far, when I wrote that article about ESPN labeling the O's one of the baseball's least improved teams, your responses were interesting.
Rather than diss the team, many of you took up for your club, saying they were still a good club and the four-letter network could stick it. Maybe it was the ESPN...
As I see it, the current state of the Orioles' rotation is good.
On the plus side, the Orioles have some depth, some youth, some very good arms and some youngsters on the rise.
On the downside, they have a few pitchers that dealt with injuries last year and some young pitchers that have been consistent with their inconsistency.
If spring training began tomorrow, some of the following pitchers would be candidates for rotation spots. The 2012 Orioles staff seemed to benefit from the...
Add ESPN's Jayson Stark and a few anonymous baseball executives to the chorus of Orioles' fans that are disappointed in the team's lack of significant offseason moves to date.
While the Orioles have added some players they like, none have yet have fallen under the "big splash" department or have produced much excitement among the fans.
Of course, the Orioles have plenty of offseason left to make additions and they have pointed out a few times now that they really like the team they...
It was a topic on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio this morning. They were discussing some of the feel-good stories of the sports year. It made me think about the 2012 Orioles, a club that produced a few feel-good stories of their own.
How about Lew Ford? Even though he hit just .183 in 25 games, he began last year in the Atlantic League and ended it in the American League. Plus, he had been out of the majors since 2007 until he made it back with the Orioles. That's not a bad...
He is one of the Orioles' top young pitchers, but like most pitchers in the O's organization this past season, he got overshadowed by Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. But Eduardo Rodriguez had a third straight strong season in 2012 and most consider him the club's best pitching prospect after the Bundy-Gausman duo.
In November, Baseball America rated Rodriguez, a 19-year-old lefty from Valencia, Venezuela, as the Orioles' fifth-best prospect in its top 10 ranking.
After pitching to an ERA...
When the Orioles drafted pitcher Josh Hader out of Old Mill High School in Anne Arundel County in June, they knew they were getting a kid with impressive high school stats, but not yet an impressive fastball.
But that changed this summer.
The 18-year-old left-hander, who went 10-0 with an ERA of 0.39 as a senior, was pitching in the mid 80s during his high school season but ended up touching 93 and 94 by the end of his first pro season, surprising even some seasoned members of the Orioles'...
It was a few minutes after 9 a.m. Central time last Thursday and T.J. McFarland was by his computer to see if his name would be called in the Rule 5 draft.
But before he could hear his name called, a former teammate in the Cleveland organization (no doubt one with a very fast Internet connection) reached out to him.
"I actually got a text message from a former teammate (Donnie Webb, now with Miami) and that is how I found out I was drafted (by the Orioles). Guess the Internet wasn't up to...
Henry Urrutia is the 25-year-old Cuban outfielder the Orioles signed to a $778,500 bonus in July. Urrutia remains in Haiti, awaiting a visa that will allow him to play for a team in the Dominican Winter League. The Orioles had hoped to send Urrutia to Double-A Bowie late last season, but without a visa, that was not possible.
How good is Urrutia? I asked Ben Badler his opinion. Badler covers international player signings for Baseball America. He said it can be difficult to project how Cuban...
The Orioles selected lefty pitcher T.J. McFarland in last week's Rule 5 draft. McFarland went a combined 16-8 with a 4.03 ERA last season at Double-A and Triple-A in the Cleveland Indians' farm system.
Ben Badler of Baseball America feels the Orioles made a good selection and he sees McFarland, a 2007 fourth-round pick out of an Illinois high school, as a player who could make the Orioles' opening day roster next April.
"I think that was a solid pickup. I think he has a pretty solid...
Well, with not millions, but billions pouring in through their megabucks television contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers had to put that money somewhere. They could have used it instead on firewood to warm themselves, but I guess this seemed like a better plan.
The Dodgers agreed to give pitcher Zack Greinke a six-year deal worth $147 million on Saturday. Last season, they acquired a total of $260 million in contracts when they added Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford. It wasn't...
At a time when many Americans are struggling to pay their bills, the salaries for pro athletes continues to rise and dwarf the rest of us. This story indicates that the average salary of a big league baseball player was $3.2 million in 2012.
Can the average fan relate to that?
The answer is probably no, but also I think we are desensitized somewhat to all the money in the sport because this is not new. Ballplayers have been making the big bucks for years. Now we throw around those figures...
As it turns out, Matt Wieters is not any switch-hitting Jesus or Joe Mauer with power. But he is an All-Star catcher and Gold Glove winner that the Orioles are thrilled to call their own. He has turned into one of the game's top young catchers.
But how good can Wieters get on offense?
In 2011, he batted .262 with 22 homers, 68 RBIs and an OPS of .778. Last season, he batted .249 with 22 homers, 83 RBIs and a .764 OPS. Could Wieters ever hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs? That may be...
There has been plenty of talk about the Orioles' offense in recent days. The club is looking to add a hitter, preferably one that can fit and hit in the middle of its order.
Here is how the Orioles' offense fared last season in the American League and, more specifically, in the AL East:
Runs: 712, ninth in AL, fourth in East
Average: .247 10th in AL, third in East
Homers: 214, second in AL, second in East
OBP: .311, 11th in AL, fourth in East
Slugging: .417, sixth in AL, second in...
I do understand that some fans are disappointed that the Orioles didn't do more at the Winter Meetings. Every year, it seems there is a segment of the fan base that gets very, very excited about those few days and if major moves are not made, they get very unhappy about it. I think sometimes some fans just want action, any kind of action.
Don't think some of the media don't want that, too. It was more exciting to be at the Winter Meetings two years ago in Orlando when the O's acquired J.J....
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Two of the biggest teases for Orioles fans from these Winter Meetings were the news that the club had interest in free agents Nick Swisher and Adam LaRoche.
While you never say never, it sure appears the club had little interest in either player at the salaries they project to get via free agency. The Orioles did meet with Swisher's agent, but didn't meet with LaRoche or his camp here.
When asked about the club's budget for 2013 player salaries, Orioles executive vice...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In the Triple-A phase of today's Rule 5 draft, the Orioles selected right-handed pitcher Tom Boleska from the Minnesota Twins organization. The 26-year-old native of Montreal was originally drafted out of High Point University by Pittsburgh in Round 35 of 2007.
Last year, Boleska pitched in the independent American Association for Fargo-Moorhead, going 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA over 46 relief appearances. In 46 innings, he gave up 37 hits with 11 walks to 58 strikeouts.
In his...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Orioles selected lefty pitcher T.J. McFarland with the 23rd pick in this morning's Rule 5 draft. McFarland went a combined 16-8 with a 4.03 ERA last season at two levels in the Cleveland Indians' farm system.
"He's a 23-year-old left-handed pitcher that pitched last year for Cleveland at Double-A and Triple-A," Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said. "He has a knack for winning games, he won eight games at both stops. He won 16 games on the year and he...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Major League Baseball's Rule 5 draft will be held this morning at 10 a.m. Eastern time here at the Winter Meetings and the Orioles will have the 23rd pick. Any player selected in this draft must remain on the selecting team's 25-man roster for the entire 2013 big league season or be offered back to his original club.
This is the draft where the Orioles got Ryan Flaherty last December.
Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Once again tonight, Dan Duquette took time to talk with me for a video interview on MASNSports.com. With today's news that the club has agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Nate McLouth, pending a physical, and with Nolan Reimold returning, I asked Duquette if the Orioles were now set in left field.
"I thought Nate did a great job for us late in the year," Duquette said. "He solidified our defense, he got on base, he stole bases, he hit and he hit with some...
