When the dust settled and the day was over, there were no real surprises. The Orioles got Manny Machado and they said from the beginning they were confident they would. Jim Callis, in this space last week, said it was 99.9 percent certain. He said that for a few reasons I'm sure but one of the biggest was that most of these kids do sign every year. In the end, all the worry about how many O's unsigned top ten picks there were as the deadline neared was wasted worry. The O's total...

With the Nationals signing their No. 1 overall selection Bryce Harper, his college coach, Tim Chambers, said the Nats are getting the "greatest amateur baseball player of all time". Jim Callis of Baseball America called him the best hitting prospect he had ever seen at the amateur level. A source with knowledge of the situation says Harper is expected to first play in the instructional league and then go to the prestigious Arizona Fall League, the same league Stephen Strasburg played in...

In the end, the O's added three draft picks today getting top pick Manny Machado, seventh-round pick Matt Bywater and 19th-round pick, pitcher Kenneth Wise. Scouting director Joe Jordan told me tonight that Manny Machado did not get a Major League contract. It wasn't expected that he would. I asked Jordan what had to happen to officially finalize this deal that the sides agreed to about three minutes before the midnight deadline. Was it just a matter of hitting a few computer key...

The Orioles tonight announced that they have agreed to terms with SS Manny Machado, their first selection (third pick overall) in this year's First Year Player Draft. Machado, 17, is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop from Brito Private High School in Miami, FL. In his senior season he batted .639 (55-86) with 12 home runs and 56 RBI, adding 43 runs scored, 27 doubles and 17 stolen bases. In the summer of 2009, Machado helped lead USA Baseball's 18 & Under team to a gold medal in Venezuela in...

The Orioles reached agreement with shortstop Manny Machado about three minutes before the midnight deadline. Scouting director Joe Jordan said the bonus doesn't exceed the $6 million given to catcher Matt Wieters. "It played the way we thought it was going to play," Jordan said. "We had a really good read on the financial side, what it was going to take, and again, they played it until the end. We're very happy. It's a good deal for the club and the player. "It's one of those...

NATIONALS SECURE CONTRACTS WITH 25 OF TOP 26 SELECTIONS IN '10 DRAFT The Washington Nationals tonight agreed to terms on a Major League contract with College of Southern Nevada outfielder Bryce Harper, the first-overall selection in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Nationals Director of Scouting Kris Kline made the joint...

Adam Jones got the idea to bunt just before he squared up. No regrets. "I can bunt. I've been bunting this year. Good idea to do it," he said. "I looked at him (Jose Lopez) and I saw where he was playing me all night, all my at-bats, and when I was on third I was talking to him and said, 'I'm not going to bunt on you. I'm not going to bunt this series.' Hey, he moved back. "It was hot. I wish it ended in nine. As long as we came out victorious, it was worth it." The O's Xtra...

Did manager Buck Showalter call for the bunt with Adam Jones at the plate, Nick Markakis at third base and two outs in the bottom of the 11th? "Yeah, we've been working on that," he said, grinning. "No. You've got good players making good decisions. A lot of opportunities there to throw in the towel and we kept grinding. I'm proud of them. We refused to give in there and it was fun to watch. It wasn't always fun to watch, but it was fun to watch. "I love it. I think it's a great...

The Orioles have come to terms with their top draft pick, Miami prep shortstop Manny Machado, the third pick in the first round. Machado's bonus is between five and six million dollars. Machado goes 6'2" and 180 pounds and is a right-handed hitter. He just turned 18 July 6th. This season for Miami's Brito High he batted .639-12-56 and had 27 doubles in 86 at bats and 44 of his 55 hits went for extra bases. As a junior, he hit .636-8-53. Last summer he helped lead the USA 18 and under...

That's correct. Adam Jones laid down a bunt with two outs in the bottom of the 11th to score Nick Markakis, who reached base on his 200th career double and took third on Ty Wigginton's tapper to the mound. Markakis held on Corey Patterson's sharp grounder to short, but Jones shocked everyone with a bunt that third baseman Jose Lopez couldn't pick up cleanly. That's 11 extra-inning wins for the Orioles.