Mark Zuckerman

Friday morning Nats Q&A

Friday morning Nats Q&A
Well, there's not a whole lot going on right now in the baseball world, as you probably are painfully aware. The sport's first work stoppage in 27 years has brought a halt to the hot stove league, though those final 48 hours leading up to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement sure were eventful, weren't they? In our continuing quest to keep everyone engaged throughout this downtime, we're going to fire up the Q&A machine this morning and take your questions. On the...
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Roch Kubatko

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The Orioles signed five more pitchers this week to minor league deals, according to Major League Baseball's transactions page: Right-handers Bryan Bautista, Raynel Duran, Wilton Rondon and Darwin Caballero, and left-hander Noelin Cuevas. They also signed right-hander Jarlin Guerrero on Monday, which I noted a few days later. I didn't think the page was incorrect, but I checked anyway for confirmation. You're safe to run with it. These are the signings that don't garner much attention....
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Roch Kubatko

How does Odor's signing impact Jones?

How does Odor's signing impact Jones?
The signing of Rougned Odor for the 2022 season fit the usual description of a placeholder for the Orioles until their top middle infield prospects are ready to hold down full-time jobs in the majors. Until the club decides where to spread out its shortstops, including Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. The Orioles waited until Aug. 24 to recall Jahmai Jones from Triple-A Norfolk, after his bat had cooled and he appeared to grow a little more comfortable in his reintroduction to second base....
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Mark Zuckerman

What if Zimmermann had re-signed with the Nats in 2014?

What if Zimmermann had re-signed with the Nats in 2014?
Baseball organizations and baseball players make countless decisions that impact their short-term and long-term success. Many have no real significant bearing on a franchise's ultimate fortunes, but some really do wind up having major implications that affect not only the player involved but several others either already on the roster or perhaps arriving in the future. You never know which of these decisions are going to have lasting repercussions and which ones won't. It often takes years to...
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Roch Kubatko

Wondering whether Orioles acquire another outfielder

Wondering whether Orioles acquire another outfielder
Areas that the Orioles must address during the offseason, when they're able to function normally again post-lockout, may or may not include the outfield. How's that for a definitive statement? The Orioles signed catcher Jacob Nottingham to a minor league contract last week, but they still don't have a backstop on the 40-man roster. They aren't done and could offer a major league deal after a new collective bargaining agreement allows it, along with at least one more minor league pact. The...
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Steve Melewski

O's add Hoffman and Uvila in Rule 5, plus other notes

O's add Hoffman and Uvila in Rule 5, plus other notes
The Orioles added two pitchers Wednesday in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. This phase is very different than the major league Rule 5, which was postponed for now during the lockout. These players do not need to be placed on the 40-man roster and they are, essentially, now Orioles. No need to send either of them back to the team from which each was claimed. They can also play on any affiliate the Orioles send them to in 2022. Since these players were neither on any club's 40-man roster...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats take four in Triple-A Rule 5 draft, led by Young

Nats take four in Triple-A Rule 5 draft, led by Young
For a good decade, the Nationals would take their seats at the Rule 5 draft, the annual event that always wraps up the Winter Meetings, and sit back and watch as other clubs either selected or lost players. As a perennial contender, they didn't typically have roster room to devote to a longshot prospect, nor did they tend to have many young players of their own coveted by other organizations. Now that they've entered a full-scale rebuild of their entire operation, both at the major-league and...
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Steve Melewski

O's Chris Holt on pitchers using performance centers in winter

O's Chris Holt on pitchers using performance centers in winter
Recently, in this entry, I interviewed Orioles pitching coach/director of pitching Chris Holt and we discussed offseason velocity gains for pitchers. Can they make them, should they try to do so and how do they go about it? Holt and the organization are in favor of pitchers looking to improve their game, but they also have a strong interest in how a player intends to do this and what help and resources are available. During our discussion about velocity, I also asked Holt about the bigger...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles add two relievers in Triple-A Rule 5 draft (updated again)

Orioles add two relievers in Triple-A Rule 5 draft (updated again)
The Orioles made two selections in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft to bring the roster to a full 38, again relying on analytic data to improve their relief depth. They had the first overall pick and used it on sidearming right-hander Nolan Hoffman of the Mariners organization. They also chose right-hander Cole Uvila from the Rangers in the second round. Hoffman, 24, was a fifth round draft pick in 2018 out of Texas A&M. He hasn't pitched above high Single-A. Hoffman has posted a...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles sign Nottingham to minor league deal (and notes)

Orioles sign Nottingham to minor league deal (and notes)
The Orioles will begin announcing their selections in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft today after making a much-needed move to address their catching deficiency. Jacob Nottingham has signed a minor league deal that likely includes an invitation to spring training. The team revealed the transaction this morning, but it's listed in Baseball-Reference.com as happening on Dec. 1. Nottingham, 26, can provide an option at a position that's lost Pedro Severino, Austin Wynns and Nick Ciuffo...
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Mark Zuckerman

For first time in long time, Nats have young catching depth

For first time in long time, Nats have young catching depth
The Nationals of the last half-decade boasted as veteran-laden a roster as you'd find in baseball. Yes, there were a handful of young, rising stars mixed in, but general manager Mike Rizzo always made a point to surround them with heavily experienced players who weren't about to get caught up in any moment that became too big for them. And nowhere on the field was this more true than behind the plate. The Nats featured almost exclusively veteran catchers for years, from Kurt Suzuki to Yan...
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Steve Melewski

Even after injury-marred season Vavra ascends to 40-man

Even after injury-marred season Vavra ascends to 40-man
Even though injuries limited to him to just 48 games last season and he has only 40 games under his belt at the Double-A level, infielder Terrin Vavra made it to the Orioles' 40-man roster late last month . Drafted in round three (No. 96 overall) in 2018 by the Colorado Rockies out of the University of Minnesota, Vavra came to the O's organization in a trade for reliever Mychal Givens on Aug. 30, 2020. Givens went to the Rockies and the Orioles acquired Vavra and Tyler Nevin, along with a...
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Steve Melewski

How much of Tanner Scott's 2021 season was derailed by injury?

How much of Tanner Scott's 2021 season was derailed by injury?
He is the lefty reliever with the power arm, but inconsistent control and command. We've seen him look like the best reliever in the league and also one that had no idea where the ball is going. But while he put together some really strong numbers during the shortened 2020 season, southpaw Tanner Scott struggled late in the 2021 season. There may have been an easy explanation for that, but until we see more of him in 2022, we just don't know for sure. In 2020 - and, yes, it was over just 20...
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Roch Kubatko

Time for Orioles to choose in Triple-A phase of Rule 5 draft

Time for Orioles to choose in Triple-A phase of Rule 5 draft
Baseball's lockout and the slamming of brakes on offseason business only impacts the major league side. The minors are proceeding as usual, with their Winter Meetings in Orlando going along uninterrupted. And largely in silence. If an event is held and no one is there, does it make a sound? It used to be for the minor league people anyway. The majors crashed the party and took over, with media descending upon the hotel site and crowding the lobby area while team executives worked trades,...
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Roch Kubatko

Mancini endorses Trumbo as coach, news on Trimble injury

Mancini endorses Trumbo as coach, news on Trimble injury
The hitting voices in Trey Mancini's head are changing again. The Orioles didn't retain coach Don Long after three seasons. Long had replaced Scott Coolbaugh, who was hired in December 2014 and lasted four seasons. Assistant hitting coach José Hernández is moving into a new role on manager Brandon Hyde's staff. The shuffling has led to the Orioles hiring co-hitting coaches, bringing Ryan Fuller from Double-A Bowie and going outside the organization for Matt Borgschulte. Mancini has...
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Mark Zuckerman

How will fans greet Scherzer when he returns as a Met?

How will fans greet Scherzer when he returns as a Met?
Because the baseball world was on the verge of shutting down when it happened, we didn't really get a lot of time to process Max Scherzer's decision to sign with the Mets and wonder what kind of reaction he'll get when he returns to Nationals Park to face his former team. But since we've now got nothing but time on our hands, let's return to the subject and contemplate the scene that ultimately awaits the three-time Cy Young Award winner when he emerges from the visitors' dugout next...
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Roch Kubatko

Mancini's friendship with Trumbo leads them back to baseball

Mancini's friendship with Trumbo leads them back to baseball
The friendship began to evolve on the back fields at the spring training complex. Two first basemen taking ground balls during workouts, their careers in vastly different phases. One of them a mentor, acquired for his power at the plate and influence inside the clubhouse, the other an eager young prospect. Mark Trumbo had joined his fourth organization since his major league debut six years earlier, with the Orioles sending catcher Steve Clevenger to the Mariners in a Dec. 2, 2015 trade. Trumbo...
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Mark Zuckerman

A vote against expanding the postseason field

A vote against expanding the postseason field
Watching college football the last two weekends, I couldn't help but keep asking myself: Why does that sport still only allow four teams into its top-level playoff? How much better would it be if every major conference winner automatically qualified, plus two at-large teams and the highest-ranked team from one of the other conferences, making up an eight-team bracket? Which also got me thinking how baseball really does have its postseason system right at the moment. Ten of the sport's 30...
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Steve Melewski

Veteran pitchers could provide more development time for younger ones

Veteran pitchers could provide more development time for younger ones
When it was reported this week that the Orioles reached an agreement with right-handed starting pitcher Jordan Lyles for the 2022 season, the news was met with mixed reviews from the O's fan base. Some were pleased at least that the team invested a one-year deal for $7 million on a player, signing someone to a big league deal and for more than a player could earn on a minor league deal. Others noted that Lyles' ERA was only 5.15 last year and he led the majors by allowing 38 homers. But it...
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Roch Kubatko

Trying to answer a few more Orioles questions

Trying to answer a few more Orioles questions
My mailbag initiated negotiations with me this weekend and we reached an agreement that I'd respond to a few more questions rather than wait until it's overflowing. I need to find something else to do in my spare time. There's no editing for clarity, length, brevity, style or Harry Styles. We roll like the tide. Also, my small mailbag knocks down your giant mailbag with a slingshot. Why Jordan Lyles? I got this one a lot and tried to bounce some theories off you. I should have aimed a little...
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