Nationals prospect Chris Marrero is working hard to improve offensively and defensively by playing winter ball in Puerto Rico alongside second baseman Danny Espinosa. Marrero says he has enjoyed the experience playing ball in the offseason again this year after getting an invite to Arizona in 2009. In 10 games for Leones de Ponce, Marrero is batting .349 with 3 doubles and 8 RBI. "I am been feeling good. My swing as been coming around. I have been getting a lot of hits and feeling good at...

I woke up this morning and the Orioles still hadn't signed any free agents. I knew this process would drag along. It's been more than 24 hours since the market opened...and nothing. Here's that list again, in case you need a quick refresher. The Orioles' needs haven't changed. A big bat for the middle of the order is their No. 1 priority - wherever it fits. That's the obsession. And they can't come up short this time. They must address the holes at first and third base, which...

In the wildest dreams of an Orioles' fan, there will be a day soon when, at a press conference, the O's announce the signing of Cliff Lee to a five-year, $125 million dollar contract. Lee steps to the mic and says he noticed some of that good young pitching on the O's roster and how the team responded to Buck Showalter and wants to be a part of it. He adds, "Hey, the O's kicked my butt a couple of times, I didn't forget that either." Of course, in our dreams is probably the only place...

My interview with Jason Berken last week rekindled the debate over whether a pitcher experiences more strain on his injured or surgically repaired shoulder as a starter or reliever. Berken bypassed surgery and is rehabbing his torn labrum, just as Matt Albers did a few years ago. Troy Patton underwent the surgery. Berken and Albers have been working out of the bullpen. Patton was a starter at Triple-A Norfolk and a spectator in the Orioles' bullpen. So is there a definite answer? So far, I...

Earlier this week, I wrote about Ronnie Welty. The 22-year-old played right field for the Frederick Keys in 2010 and had a very good season, finishing among the Carolina League leaders in several categories. Yet, Welty is almost never mentioned as one of the O's better prospects. But he has made three post-season All-Star teams in three different leagues over three years. That is pretty impressive. I guess we could say he has flown "under the radar." Today, here are two questions for...

The Orioles made an interesting personnel move today, placing reliever Jim Hoey on the 40-man roster. Gone, but not forgotten. Hoey appeared in 12 games with the Orioles in 2006 and 23 in 2007, going a combined 3-5 with an 8.13 ERA, 23 walks and 24 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He didn't pitch in 2008 because of a shoulder injury that required an arthroscopic procedure, and he spent last year at Double-A Bowie. That's the gone part. Hoey was 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA in 24 games with Bowie this...

The hot stove season in baseball can be a lot of fun. It's a time where there is a lot of speculation about which players will end up where, who will sign for what dollar amounts and so forth. It can also be a bit of a frustrating time. There are just so many reports and speculation out there anymore and, to me, pretty much every year now, most of it winds up being not completely true or, at the other end of the spectrum, totally wrong. I know that every time any player signs with just...

As I continue to flip through the Orioles' season-in-review and wonder why, in this version, Nolan Reimold has the bad back and Felix Pie injures his Achilles... (OK, not really) • The Orioles were 29-21 in one-run games, including 12-5 under manager Buck Showalter and an astounding 22-6 at Camden Yards. Minnesota led the AL with 31 one-run victories. Texas had 30. • The Orioles were 11-21 in games decided by two...

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa continues to play well in winter ball in Puerto Rico and has altered his batting stance a little to shorten his swing so he can make more contact and get on base. "I have made a little bit of an adjustment. The first three games (here in Puerto Rico) I had four or five strikeouts. That was a point that manager Jim Riggleman had really touched on is that they would really like to see those (strikeout numbers) go down. He said he would be willing to give...

My Orioles postseason media guide just arrived in the mail. Spoiler alert: In this version, they make the playoffs. Flipping through the pages, provided by the Orioles' first-rate PR staff, I'm reminded that: • The Orioles won 34 games from the start of August through the end of the season, the most since 1996, when they won 35 games on their way to the Division Series and ALCS. • The Orioles won 34 games after suffering their...