Notes on managerial hire, Ruiz claim and more

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles will choose a manager from among six candidates, according to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. However, it's possible for two hires to come out of the process.

Elias seems to be leaning more toward experience, preferring someone who's managed in the majors, but he also could hire Diamondbacks director of player development Mike Bell in a coaching capacity.

Bell, 44, could serve as bench coach or third base coach under Chip Hale, Brandon Hyde or Manny Acta, the only candidates who have managed major league teams.

A former first-round pick of the Rangers, Bell is the son of former major league third baseman and manager and current executive Buddy Bell, and the younger brother of new Reds manager David Bell. He's managed and coached in the minors.

It certainly would be convenient for Elias to get multiple hires from his round of interviews, especially with the Orioles also needing to build a coaching staff.

While the manager is supposed to wield the most influence in choosing the coaches, the Orioles already seem intent on making former minor league pitching coordinator John Wasdin their bullpen coach, according to sources. And they also could plug in Bell.

No one anticipates that a manager will be announced in Las Vegas, but Elias wants to make the hire later this month. He hasn't been a prisoner to a timeline, but you can assume that he'd like to be done before Christmas.

* Elias reached into his past again yesterday by claiming third baseman Rio Ruiz off waivers from the Braves. He was the director of scouting for the Astros when they selected Ruiz in the fourth round of the 2012 draft.

The Orioles signed pitcher Josh Lucas to a minor league deal last month. The Cardinals drafted him in the 21st round in 2010 while Elias worked in their scouting department.

Elias also brought assistant Sig Mejdal to Baltimore and hired former Astros assistant pitching coordinator Chris Holt as minor league pitching coordinator.

"With the coaching and front office hires that have occurred to date, certainly my experience with these guys is huge, and it's not just that I've worked with them, it's that we have had a ton of success together," Elias said. "I can point to their track records. It's not just merely a personal connection.

"With regard to the Rio Ruiz claim that was made today, I can't say that the fact he was drafted by us with the Astros was a huge factor in it other than the comfort that it gives you that you know he's a good person and a good teammate. That sort of information is easier to come by because of that, but we feel that he's a good fit for us right now. He's a left-handed bat, primary position is third base. We have a need for some depth there.

"We have an opportunity for some competition there. The fact that he's left-handed and that Renato Núñez is right-handed works out well, and he's going to be another option for us in the infield. And just provides some competition and depth in that regard.

"He's also a young 24-year-old with good plate discipline skills in his career. I think he's got some power that he's yet to really get into, so there's some upside in that regard. Regardless of who drafted him, we would have made this claim."

Ruiz played the outfield this summer at Triple-A Gwinnett.

"I think flexibility nowadays is always attractive," Elias said. "Everybody is doing it. It's part of the game. So, we'll see what that looks like. It could definitely help us out."

* Elias said no trades are imminent. But would he move a veteran and continue the teardown that started in July?

"We're going to listen and look at anything that advances our goal of broadening and elevating the talent base across the organization," he said.

"Every front office, every general manager this day and age has their ears open on everything. The players know that. That's just how it is now. And so, we'll be the same in that regard. Our guys will work the phones and the text messages and the emails and we'll see what happens. But we're going to be very open-minded and very flexible and keep our eye on the ball of elevating the talent base."

* Former Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley is in Las Vegas and expressing interest in transitioning into scouting as the next phase of his professional career. He's already discussed the idea with a couple of teams.

Presley served as hitting coach at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization in 2016 and 2017 and spent this summer working with the Chinatrust Brothers in Taiwan. He joined the Orioles prior to the 2011 season and took a leave of absence in 2014 due to personal reasons, confirmed at the time by multiple sources.

He had one year remaining on his contract.

The Orioles decided after the season to reassign Presley, with the possibility of giving him a scouting assignment, but he left the organization.

In Presley's final season, the Orioles again led the majors in home runs with 211 and ranked sixth in the American League with a .256 average.

Scott Coolbaugh replaced Presley for the 2015 season and remained on the staff until his contract ran out on Oct. 31. He's interviewed for at least three jobs in the minors and isn't expected to come back to the Orioles.

This was the second time that Coolbaugh replaced Presley. It also happened at third base for the Padres in 1991.

Coolbaugh was spotted yesterday at the Winter Meetings, putting him on the same list of individuals with ties to the Orioles that also includes pitcher Josh Towers, outfielder Chris Dickerson and infielder Chris Johnson.

* The most touching moment to come out of these meetings, and it's not even close, occurred yesterday when former Oriole Harold Baines broke down during his press conference with Lee Smith. The two are new inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Asked who's the proudest of him today, Baines replied, "Probably my family. My wife and my four kids. My mother."

Baines began to cry, covering his face with his hand, while attempting to talk about his late father, Linwood Baines Jr. Always so stoic as a player, Baines fought to get out the words before Smith finally saved him - the former closer just doing his job.

"My father's not here," Baines said. "He was my hero. That's the only thing I miss is him not being here."

Baines and Smith were teammates on the 1994 Orioles, forming a friendship despite opposite personalities.

What are Baines' recollections from that strike-shortened season?

"Watching Lee take a nap," he said.

"No. Baltimore is home for me, so it was a very special moment for, I think, any player that can play in his hometown and enjoy that. I was there for seven years and enjoyed every minute of it."

"For myself, I really enjoyed playing there," said Smith, who recorded 33 saves. "It was like one of those things every day you would come out of the house and someone wanted to see if they could get tickets to the game. That's a good feeling as a player.

"Every day someone is trying ... you've got a sellout crowd for the rest of the season and someone is trying to get to the ballpark. That let you know what product that organization was putting on the field that year. And for myself, it really hurt what happened at the end of the season because that was, I thought, probably one of my best years I was having that year in Baltimore.

"But I tell you what, I really loved playing there. I wish I could have played there longer. And a couple other places that I went. But just being able to compete in the major leagues and see what these guys have to go through as a hitter, it's tough. I found at an early age I couldn't hit. Thank God I had a good arm so I could be up here on this podium."