Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski

O's minor league batting coach on Kelly, Schoop and more

O's minor league batting coach on Kelly, Schoop and more
Mike Boulanger has completed his first season as the Orioles' minor league hitting coordinator. I spoke with him recently to review how things went in 2012 for O's minor league batters overall. We talked about that in articles that were published earlier here and here. I also asked Boulanger to comment on a few specific players. Ty Kelly, in 133 games between three clubs, batted .327 with 11 homers, 70 RBIs and an OPS of .892. "He was third in the organization in runs, RBIs and batting...
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Steve Melewski

Do O's have to match the Toronto trade? (and a take on Mark Reynolds)

Do O's have to match the Toronto trade? (and a take on Mark Reynolds)
The Toronto Blue Jays recently completed a blockbuster 12-player trade where they acquired Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins. It's a deal that some believe has shifted the balance of power in the AL East. It's a deal some Orioles fans seem to feel the team has to counter with a move or moves of their own. I asked executive vice president Dan Duquette just that question this week. Do the Orioles feel pressure to counter the Toronto...
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Steve Melewski

Joe Mahoney talks about leaving Orioles and joining Marlins

Joe Mahoney talks about leaving Orioles and joining Marlins
It's been an interesting few days for now-former Orioles prospect Joe Mahoney, who this afternoon was claimed on waivers by the Miami Marlins. Just two days ago, Mahoney was designated for assignment by the Orioles when they traded for Danny Valencia. Now he is headed to a new club and feels he'll be given a good chance to win an opening day roster spot come next April. "It's a new opportunity for me and it's exciting," Mahoney said this afternoon. "My wife and I are excited to see a...
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Steve Melewski

The pace of the offseason is about to move into a higher gear

The pace of the offseason is about to move into a higher gear
Even though a few players have signed in recent days as free agents, the biggest fish remain out there, setting up what could be an active few days next week when baseball's Winter Meetings get going in Nashville, Tenn. We figure to hear a lot of rumors - maybe even more than usual - about players like Josh Hamilton and Zach Greinke. The Orioles probably won't be playing in that neighborhood, but it seems you can't rule anything right now. On yesterday's "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report"...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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