Noting a few Orioles scouting staff changes

The Orioles' scouting staff is undergoing a few changes. Three scouts are gone from the organization and director of amateur scouting Gary Rajsich will need to hire their replacements over the next few weeks. Chris Gale, the Orioles' area scout in the Carolinas and southern Virginia, left the organization this week to take a pro scouting position with Cleveland. Gale was the area scout that scouted and helped in the signing of the Orioles' 2013 first-round pick, high school pitcher Hunter Harvey from Catawba, N.C. Bob Szymkowski, the club's area scout covering Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota, did not have his contract renewed. Szymkowski scouted and signed two players from the Orioles' 2013 draft, getting pitcher Dylan Rheault out of Central Michigan in round 19 and left-handed high school pitcher Daniel Ayers from Columbus, Ind., in round 25. Ayers was signed to an overslot bonus of $200,000. James Keller, the O's national pitching cross-checker, has left to take a position with the Texas Rangers. The Orioles are expanding the roles of two of their special assignment scouts, Darryl Milne and Wayne Britton, to assume Keller's previous role. They will have primarily pitching coverage assignments in 2014. Rajsich hopes to replace Gale and Szymkowski sometime after the Winter Meetings that run from Dec. 9-12 in Orlando.