Notes on team speed, international signings and Chris Davis

No one is calling them the Go-Go Orioles just yet, but an Orioles team that stole 32 bases all of last year has 19 steals in August. Yes, this is very different.

The club is making some things happen on the bases, morphing into a team hitting fewer home runs, but trying to make it happen more with speed before our eyes. In the first half the Orioles ranked 12th in the American League in stolen bases. In the second half they rank sixth, and this month they rank fourth.

The Orioles have 21 steals and a success rate of 81 percent (third in the league) since the All-Star Game. They have a success rate of 82.6 percent this month to rank third. The AL average success rate in August is 66 percent.

In the last four games, the Orioles are 9-for-10 in steal attempts and they have stolen 14 bases in the last 13 games. Second baseman Jonathan Villar has four steals his last four games and is 8-for-9 with the Orioles.

During the Toronto series, Villar told me why he thinks his stolen base percentage is so strong this year. He is at 88 percent, 22-for-25, between the Brewers and Orioles.

"I'm under more control, and I think about who is catching and who is pitching and in what situation we can run," Villar said. "What count we can run in. Also, what count the pitcher may throw a changeup or breaking ball, making it easier to steal the base than with a fastball."

Villar has the green light to run, he said, and he is encouraging speedy teammates, including Cedric Mullins, John Andreoli, Craig Gentry and Jace Peterson, to join him in running.

"We can change the team into a speed team. Our team right now has more speed, with a lot of fast guys. When I see someone steal a base I feel happy," Villar said.

No doubt many O's fans are smiling too. Speed can do more than just gain 90 feet on the bases. It can pressure the defense into mistakes, pick up extra bases on hits in the gap and force pitchers to throw more fastballs that can play to the advantage of the hitters.

If the Orioles steal bases at this same rate in September, they will have more steals in the last two months of this year than they did in all of last season.

Another international signing: According to Baseball America, the Orioles signed nine international players to a total of $535,000 in the signing period that ended in June. In the year before that they spent just $260,000 on international amateur signings.

But since Aug. 20 the Orioles have announced four international signings to bonuses of at least a combined $645,000. They added 16-year-old switch-hitting outfielder Isaac Bellony from the Dominican for $220,000, infielder Moises Ramirez, 16, of the Dominican, for $225,000 and yesterday added outfielder Damian Valdez, 16, from the Dominican, for $200,000. We can add to that the signing of right-handed pitcher Carlos del Rosario, 19, of the Dominican, reportedly to a lesser amount.

After the Orioles acquired international pool money in trades last month, they were reportedly at approximately $8.25 million with their pool amount for signings and that is the most money currently available to any team in the majors. It seems they likely have in the neighborhood of $7.5 million remaining. So yes, the club is well funded to make a run at Cuban outfielder Victor Victor Mesa. Major League Baseball has not yet ruled Mesa eligible for signing, but that is still expected to happen.

Signing players at age 16 is a new development for the Orioles, but a positive one. These players will take many years to make the majors, if they ever do. They may need to play two or three seasons in the Dominican Summer League before they ever make it to a pro league in the United States. They may start here in short season Single-A Aberdeen. They have a long road ahead of them. But other clubs routinely sign such youngsters, especially American League East clubs. The Orioles have a lot of catching up to do here. But they are at least getting in the game, and that is very important - especially for a rebuilding team.

Recently manager Buck Showalter was asked about the importance of these signings of international amateur talent.

"I'd say two words: Jon Schoop (of Curaçao)," Showalter said. "It's exciting for us. It's not like we haven't signed anybody. But just look around the rosters of baseball, it's pretty obvious. Just watch All-Star games, just do the percentages. It's obvious that that's a part of the industry that you need to be involved with if you can."

Davis' run production: Chris Davis went 5-for-14 with a double and four RBIs in this week's home series against the Blue Jays. Of course, Davis' season is very, very disappointing. But he has made some run-production gains.

In June, Davis got a "reset," a time when he didn't play for about 10 days. Since he returned to the lineup June 22, Davis has hit 12 homers with 33 RBIs in 55 games. At that pace, he would hit 35 homers and drive in 97 runs over a 162-game stretch. He is still hitting for a low average and will probably always strike out a lot, but Davis at least is putting up some numbers that are helping the club.