Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

Duquette on Bundy and Gausman: "They have serious talent"

Duquette on Bundy and Gausman: "They have serious talent"
If you are expecting the Orioles brass to try and manage or downplay the high expectations for their top pitching prospects, Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, don't. Simply put, the Orioles have two of baseball's best young pitchers in that duo and everyone knows it. When Baseball America releases its next list of the sport's top 100 prospects in February, they could rank among the top 20-25 in the game and Bundy could be No. 1, as he was in the publication's 2012 mid-season listing. Even...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski dan duquette dylan bundy kevin gausman frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

O's expected to add Luis Pujols to minor league staff, which could lead to other moves

O's expected to add Luis Pujols to minor league staff, which could lead to other moves
Luis Pujols, who has a famous cousin and who once managed in the major leagues, has agreed to terms to work on the Orioles' minor league coaching staff for the 2013 season. The 57-year-old Pujols, whose cousin Albert has hit 475 big league homers, is a native of the Dominican Republic. He played 15 pro seasons and spent nine years as a backup catcher in the majors with Houston, Kansas City and Texas. He hit .193 with six homers and 81 RBIs in 850 career at-bats. While the Orioles have yet to...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski luis pujols frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Which Oriole will be next to get a long-term contract?

Which Oriole will be next to get a long-term contract?
Well, that new contract that Evan Longoria signed with the Tampa Bay Rays was a surprise to me. I guess if there was one player to lock up long-term for that franchise, it's Longoria. But the Rays had Longoria under team control through the 2016 season. Why add six years to that? Maybe the Rays will be proven to have made a smart move here, but having a player under team control for the next four seasons seems like a very long time to me. Wasn't there plenty of time over the next few years...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar jason hammel jim johnson matt wieters frontstory_orioles1
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

O's want McLouth, but he should want them, too

O's want McLouth, but he should want them, too
The Orioles say they'd like Nate McLouth back. He played well for the last two months of last year and was the Orioles' best hitter in the playoffs. Now that he is a free agent, McLouth can sign with any team and the Orioles will likely have competition as they try to retain the 32-year-old lefty hitter. But maybe one thing they have in their favor is that Baltimore just may be the best place for McLouth. Shouldn't he want to return to the Orioles as well? McLouth was with the Pirates his...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski nate mclouth frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A look at the stand-pat theory

A look at the stand-pat theory
There seems to be a concern among some of the Orioles' fan base that the club wants to return pretty much the same roster as it had last year. A concern that the club may stand pat, so to speak. I say one big reason to not worry about that theory is the duo of Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter. Those men were at the controls in 2012, when the Orioles led the universe in roster moves. "Stand pat" is not in their dictionaries. But if the Orioles did return a club next season that looked a lot...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

What's the price for pitching?

What's the price for pitching?
Jeremy Guthrie went 9-17 with an ERA of 4.33 for the 2011 Orioles. This July, he was traded from Colorado to Kansas City. After his first three starts with the Royals, he was 3-12 with a 6.10 ERA between the two teams. This week, Guthrie signed a new deal with Kansas City for three years and $25 million. The Yankees signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal worth $15 million and there were reports that Kuroda could have gotten more from other teams. While both pitchers are talented veterans,...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski joe saunders frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

On Turkey Day, thankful for baseball

On Turkey Day, thankful for baseball
On Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for baseball. No, it shouldn't outrank the importance of family and friends in our lives, our health and so forth, but it's pretty important to many of us. Some of us make our living in the game and we're glad and thankful there are great O's fans like you out there that make that possible. So keeping all that in perspective and taking time to relax and just have fun today and not get too deep, I'm thankful for these things among many others: * That...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski chris davis dylan bundy frontstory_orioles2
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Bowie manager Gary Kendall talks about Schoop and Belfiore

Bowie manager Gary Kendall talks about Schoop and Belfiore
The Orioles added infielder Jonathan Schoop and left-handed pitcher Mike Belfiore to their 40-man roster yesterday. It will mean, for one, that each player will report to spring training when the big leaguers do. It also could be a big step for both as they look to get to the majors with the Orioles. The man who saw the pair play every day this year was Double-A Bowie manager Gary Kendall. Schoop, ranked by Baseball America as the club's No. 3 prospect, spent all season with the Baysox, and...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski gary kendall jonathan schoop mike belfiore frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A look at some players that could be eligible for the Rule 5 draft (updated)

A look at some players that could be eligible for the Rule 5 draft (updated)
By 11:59 p.m. Eastern time tonight, the Orioles will have to set their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft which will be held Dec. 6 during the upcoming Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Essentially the rules state that a player in your organization that is not on your 40-man roster can be taken by another team in the Rule 5 draft if the player was drafted and signed at age 18 or younger and has five years with your club, or the player was drafted and signed at 19 and older and has four years...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles1 jonathan schoop mike belfiore ty kelly
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Is the balance of power shifting in the AL East?

Is the balance of power shifting in the AL East?
An opinion I have heard is that one reason the Orioles were able to make a 24-win improvement during the 2012 season was tied to the fall of the Boston Red Sox, who lost 21 more games in 2012 than the previous year. The Orioles moved forward and the Red Sox fell back. It may be not that simple, but that is a theory that you hear. Even with Boston having a losing season, the American League East remained a beast last year. Three teams won 90 or more games and once again, two made the...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A matter of pitching

A matter of pitching
When you go from last in the American League to sixth in team ERA in one year, that is an impressive improvement. The Orioles did that in 2012, with a 3.90 team ERA after posting a 4.89 ERA to rank 14th the year before. The improved pitching - both the quality and depth of it - was a big key to the club's 24-win improvement. Here are some pitching questions the club may be looking at right now. Is there any lingering talk of moving Jim Johnson to the rotation?: I don't hear of any and it...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski brian matusz jim johnson miguel gonzalez frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

When it comes to finding good ballplayers, should character count?

When it comes to finding good ballplayers, should character count?
When it comes to selecting baseball players for your team, should character count? I say a big yes to that, and in a sport that seemingly has a stat for everything, how can you rate how much having players of solid character helps your team? Do you believe in having a strong clubhouse? I don't know how to rate it, but I think it's important and was a crucial element in the success of the 2012 Orioles. Before he hit his 100th career homer on Aug. 28, Adam Jones went through a long homerless...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Quick takes on the big trade, strikeouts, David Price and more

Quick takes on the big trade, strikeouts, David Price and more
Some quick takes today and please jump in with comments and opinions as you provide your takes on mine. The Toronto Blue Jays, 2013 American League East champs?: Pardon me if I wait for them to play the season before attending the Blue Jays' victory parade. No, the Orioles don't need to counter this move. This is not chess, or the Red Sox and Yankees. The Orioles need to make moves to try and improve their team and that held true before the big Miami-Toronto trade and still does. I'm...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski buck showalter dan duquette mark reynolds frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

One vote for Orioles to offer Mark Reynolds arbitration

One vote for Orioles to offer Mark Reynolds arbitration
I've come to this conclusion and I wonder if the Orioles are thinking the same way: If they truly want Mark Reynolds to be their first baseman in 2013, they should simply offer him arbitration and guarantee he stays with the club through next year. The Orioles must decide whether to offer Reynolds arbitration by Nov. 30 or they could non-tender him. That means no arbitration offer, with Reynolds becoming a free agent able to sign with any club. There are estimates that Reynolds, who earned...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski featured_sidebar mark reynolds frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

The scoop on Schoop's bat and the AL Manager of the Year Award

The scoop on Schoop's bat and the AL Manager of the Year Award
He may be ranked as the Orioles' third-best prospect, but there are a few offensive concerns about infielder Jonathan Schoop. In my recent interview with Matt Forman of Baseball America, I asked about them. Forman wrote up the new O's top 10 prospects list recently published by Baseball America. I spoke with him about Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman here and published a Q&A with him here. After those two interviews, there were still a few questions I asked Forman that have yet to appear in...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski buck showalter jonathan schoop frontstory_orioles2
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A look at second base, backup catcher and the bullpen

A look at second base, backup catcher and the bullpen
While the hot stove season is still in warm-up mode, let's take a look at three aspects of the 2012 Orioles and what they might look like next season. Are the O's set at second base?: The Orioles have a lot of candidates to play at second base, but no one jumps out as the regular right now unless you have confidence that Brian Roberts will return healthy and regain his old job. Clearly the club can't count on that, but rather can hope for it. Recent addition Alexi Casilla brings a good...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski alexi casilla brian roberts darren o'day jim johnson luis ayala taylor teagarden frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

What is O's priority? Upgrade the pitching or the offense?

What is O's priority? Upgrade the pitching or the offense?
Here is a question I'd love to get many reader responses on this weekend. As the hot stove season now really begins to heat up, are the Orioles more in need of additions to their pitching or offense? The stats sheet says the Orioles performed a little better on the mound than they did at the bat in 2012. Where the O's offense ranked in the American League this season: Ninth in runs with 712 (AL avg. was 721) Tenth in batting average at .247 (AL avg. was .255) Eleventh in OBP at .311 (AL...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

MLB ponders smaller September rosters (plus winter ball updates)

MLB ponders smaller September rosters (plus winter ball updates)
The time has probably come for a move like this. It looks like Major League Baseball officials are considering a change to the current rules that allow for teams to carry 40-man rosters in September. It seems some teams choose to call up few players while others bring in a truckload, and some in the sport feel it's not fair that those clubs have more players than others for late-season games. While my take on that would be, "too bad," the team with fewer players simply should have called up...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski alexi casilla buck showalter jonathan schoop mike belfiore frontstory_orioles1
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

Rick Peterson talks about Boston interview and possible future with O's

Rick Peterson talks about Boston interview and possible future with O's
Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson remains with the organization after interviewing for the Boston Red Sox pitching coach job, a position that went to Juan Nieves. Peterson continues to say how much he loved working with the club this year, but at the same time, does admit that he would likely have interest if any other big league pitching coach positions come open. "I love the Orioles," he said tonight during a phone interview. "I love the energy, the people, everything...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski rick peterson frontstory_orioles1
LinkedIn Pinterest
Steve Melewski

A teammate criticizes Josh Hamilton and a take on Showalter vs. Melvin

A teammate criticizes Josh Hamilton and a take on Showalter vs. Melvin
You don't see or hear this every day. One teammate openly criticizing another. Especially one that batted .285 with 43 homers, 128 RBIs and an OPS of .930. Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is a finalist for the AL's Most Valuable Player award with those numbers, but Rangers relief pitcher Mike Adams didn't sound like a huge Hamilton fan yesterday. In an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Adams said, "Sometimes Josh is hard to figure out," and, when asked about Texas trying to...
Continue reading
0
Tags:
orioles steve melewski buck showalter frontstory_orioles1 josh hamilton mike adams
LinkedIn Pinterest



LATEST ORIOLES NEWS

LATEST NATIONALS NEWS

       
483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492