Roch Kubatko

How analytics helped Herrmann turn adversity to advantage

How analytics helped Herrmann turn adversity to advantage
The analytical side of baseball operations that's reshaping how players are evaluated and instructed, with teams now embracing what they used to resist, didn't find former college pitcher Forrest Herrmann. He hunted for it, absorbed every bit of information available to him, and turned a desperate attempt to draw out the last ounces of his talent into a post-playing career that's taking off. The Orioles hired Herrmann, 29, as their pitching coach at Single-A Aberdeen, contacting the Reds...
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Roch Kubatko

Because You Asked - The Rise of Gru

Because You Asked - The Rise of Gru
The start of the 2022 season reportedly will be delayed, with games lost, unless Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association settle on a new collective bargaining agreement by Monday. An MLB deadline that the union says doesn't really exist. I haven't been locked out of my mailbag. Can't do it. You can negotiate with me, but I'm getting the last word. You get the first by sending along questions. Thanks for your interest and humor. The sequels keep flowing since the original more...
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Roch Kubatko

Looking at lingering questions as spring training remains on hold

Looking at lingering questions as spring training remains on hold
The eventual implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement and the abolishment of the lockout that began on Dec. 2 are going to leave plenty of questions spread across baseball's landscape. Answers may be staggered like the players who arrived in camp last spring. Or perhaps we'll be educated with one big news release. The date of the CBA and how much of spring training is lost are going to be factors. Will the sacrifices be confined to exhibition games? Four days remain before...
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Roch Kubatko

Two more Orioles spring training storylines

Two more Orioles spring training storylines
The meetings between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Associations are strung together this week like pearls. The goal is to end the lockout before we ring in a new month. Spring training is on hold, with at least seven exhibition games lost. I've already written 18 anticipated camp storylines, however I'm able to revisit them. If I'm able to revisit them. There's the rotation behind John Means and Jordan Lyles, whether Adley Rutschman will get a fair shot at breaking camp with the...
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Roch Kubatko

The little we've learned in recent days

The little we've learned in recent days
Exactly one week has passed since Orioles pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Devising a new collective bargaining agreement also is complex, but the sides met yesterday in Jupiter - they caucused for about three hours separately before reconvening late in the afternoon - and Major League Baseball reportedly made modifications on the bonus pool and draft lottery, but there were no discussions about the luxury tax. They'll try again this...
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Roch Kubatko

John Angelos on lockout, lease, concert, rebuild and more

John Angelos on lockout, lease, concert, rebuild and more
As baseball's lockout bleeds deeper into the month of February, threatening an on-time start to the 2022 season, Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos remains hopeful that his club will be on the field March 31 for opening day at Camden Yards. Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will resume next week, perhaps with daily sessions, as the sides attempt to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement by Feb. 28. Commissioner Rob Manfred has...
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Roch Kubatko

Paul McCartney to play at Camden Yards on June 12 (updated)

Paul McCartney to play at Camden Yards on June 12 (updated)
The Orioles are opening Camden Yards to the concert scene again in 2022, with an announcement this morning that Paul McCartney will perform on June 12 as part of his 2022 GOT BACK tour. Presented by AEG and Orioles Entertainment, the concert will mark the first appearance in Baltimore for McCartney since 1964, during The Beatles' first North American tour. Tickets will be on sale beginning Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. American Express Card Members are allowed to purchase tickets before the general...
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Steve Melewski

Revisiting the 2020 Orioles draft class

Revisiting the 2020 Orioles draft class
On the night of June 10, 2020, Major League Baseball was not yet playing regular-season games, but was set to host its First-Year Player Draft. The draft would be limited to five rounds. That night the Orioles selected University of Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. That selection created some initial confusion, frustration and angst around Birdland. They did not select Vanderbilt's Austin Martin, as many fans had read they would in pre-draft...
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Steve Melewski

O's new Double-A skipper on winning, chemistry, player development and more

O's new Double-A skipper on winning, chemistry, player development and more
When it comes to the improved farm system for the Orioles - one ranked No. 1 in organizational rankings by MLBPipeline.com and No. 4 via Baseball America - it can seem the club leaves no stone unturned. Whether it is data and analytics and the latest technology, the move to place five coaches with each affiliate, improved nutrition and even gains in areas like mental skills, the Orioles seem to be doing right by their young talent. They want to give them every chance to succeed. Seeing the...
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Steve Melewski

On O's farm, managers and players are moving up

On O's farm, managers and players are moving up
Orioles minor league players don't have wait around for the end of a season to get a promotion to the next level. Players such as infielders Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson and outfielder Kyle Stowers played at three levels in 2021. Westburg and Henderson began with low Single-A Delmarva and later moved onto high Single-A Aberdeen and to Double-A Bowie. They ended the season in the playoffs with the Baysox. Stowers started with Aberdeen, later moved to Bowie and then to Triple-A Norfolk...
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Steve Melewski

Does Rutschman have any deficiencies?

Does Rutschman have any deficiencies?
With the understanding that no prospect - no matter how highly rated - is too good to be true, and no prospect is can't-miss, the Orioles' Adley Rutschman does come close. FanGraphs.com, in ranking him the No. 1 Orioles prospect (and several outlets rank him No. 1 prospect in all of baseball), said of Rutschman: "Rutschman is a complete, franchise-altering prospect, and one of the most exciting young players in the entire sport. He's a switch-hitter with a hit/power combination that would...
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Steve Melewski

Discussing pitching prospects, 20-game winners and more

Discussing pitching prospects, 20-game winners and more
Orioles pitching prospect Kyle Bradish is ranked among the club's top 10 prospects on lists from Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He is rated No. 8 by MLBPipeline.com and No. 9 via Baseball America. This week, FanGraphs.com topped that, ranking the right-hander No. 7 when it released its list of the O's top 45 prospects. The outlet puts a 60 grade on his fastball, which tops in the 97 mph range, and a 55 on his curveball. As I have noted numerous times in this blog, FanGraphs also noted...
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Steve Melewski

There are likely no untouchables in trade talks

There are likely no untouchables in trade talks
It was around Thanksgiving and it was a tweet that got a lot of attention around Birdland. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the Orioles were "dangling" lefty John Means in trade talks. Olney cited other teams, not the Orioles, as his source. When a credible national reporter states such, it should get our attention. He does have great sources within the game. But I as wrote in this entry, I felt it was a matter more of the Orioles doing due diligence. I pointed out that there must be numerous...
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Steve Melewski

Britton on move to Triple-A, thoughts on Rutschman and Rodriguez

Britton on move to Triple-A, thoughts on Rutschman and Rodriguez
He is a talented young minor league manager on the rise. At just 35, Buck Britton is not too far away from his playing days on the Orioles farm. But coming up in the 2022 season, he will manage at Triple-A Norfolk as a first-time skipper at the game's highest minor league level. In their 28-year history, the Double-A Bowie Baysox have played for a league championship three times. They did that twice in two seasons under Britton. His 2019 team had a terrible 7-23 start, but still played for the...
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Steve Melewski

How important are these stats for pitching staffs?

How important are these stats for pitching staffs?
The topic of the Orioles signing more groundball pitchers came up in the comments section of the blog yesterday. It is a topic worthy of discussion. The basic thinking states that ground balls are generally easier to turn into outs than fly balls and we have yet to see a hitter drive a grounder over the outfield fence. It's guaranteed to keep the ball in the ballpark. The pitcher we discussed here yesterday, O's lefty John Means, is not a groundball pitcher. His 2021 groundball rate of 32.9...
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Steve Melewski

Fewer homers allowed could be a big plus for this pitcher

Fewer homers allowed could be a big plus for this pitcher
As we speculate and try and make educated guesses on which pitchers could be helped the most by the Camden Yards fences being moved back in left and left-center fields, the club's best pitcher could be among those that most benefit. In going 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA last year, lefty John Means allowed a career-high 30 homers. Among all Orioles pitchers with any significant number of innings, he was the only one to allow more homers than walks (26). He gave up 1.60 walks per every nine innings last...
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Steve Melewski

This pitching prospect could crack the rotation this season

This pitching prospect could crack the rotation this season
He is one of the Orioles' top 10 prospects, and after he threw 86 2/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk last year, he is also among their most major league-ready on that list. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, acquired by the club on Dec. 2, 2019 with three other pitchers from the Los Angeles Angels for Dylan Bundy, is likely to make his big league debut during the 2022 season. In November, he was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster. We've been looking at various 2022 rotation candidates over the last...
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Steve Melewski

Borgschulte on working with Hyde, building player trust and more

Borgschulte on working with Hyde, building player trust and more
When I interviewed new Orioles co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte recently, I asked him what stats are important to him in dealing with his hitters. When it comes to a question like this one, we have to keep in mind that the teams have so many more available stats and data than the media and general public. No one is going to give away any secrets here. But he did provide a few examples and that is where we began to discuss strikeouts and how the coaches will try to help the hitters produce...
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Steve Melewski

More appreciation for Mullins, plus other notes

More appreciation for Mullins, plus other notes
We gained another reason to admire Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins this week. We learned that he produced a Most Valuable Oriole season, becoming the first player in club history with 30 or more homers and steals in one year, while battling the effects of Chron's disease. This did not keep Mullins from continuing his impressive rise from player demoted back to Double-A in 2019 to American League All-Star and All-Star game starter in 2021. He also won a Silver Slugger in November - the...
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Steve Melewski

Still No. 1: Rutschman leads five players on Baseball America list

Still No. 1: Rutschman leads five players on Baseball America list
For just the third time since Baseball America started releasing top 100 prospect lists in 1990, the Orioles had five players in the initial top 100 of the year when the newest list came out on Wednesday. We say initial top 100 because now these lists are tweaked and changed often during the year. Some outlets, including Baseball America, move players in and out as they "graduate" and lose prospect and rookie eligibility. There was once a time when outlets released one list per year and a...
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