Daniel Kim is a reporter for what is basically the ESPN of Korea. He has been following closely the story of Seong-Min Kim, the 17-year-old lefty high school pitcher signed recently by the Orioles that is from his country. The Korean Baseball Organization, which runs the nation's top baseball league, seems to believe the Orioles violated protocol in signing Kim and have taken their concerns ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 9, 2012 11:55 AM
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Even though they played just about a half-season each last year in the Carolina League, it sure seems quite possible that the Orioles' top two minor league position players could begin the 2012 season with Double-A Bowie. The Orioles have to decide if they will start the dynamic, young double play combo of 19-year-old Manny Machado and 20-year-old Jonathan Schoop in the Eastern League with ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 9, 2012 8:32 AM
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Here is a mild surprise to me: Keith Law of ESPN.com rates the Orioles' farm system 17th out of 30 in baseball. Frankly, with all the criticism the Orioles' farm system has been getting, I would have expected a ranking a little lower, maybe in the 20-25 range. The Orioles, according to Law's ranking, which cannot be linked as premium content, still rank fourth among ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 8, 2012 11:30 AM
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If a healthy Brian Roberts is batting atop the Orioles' lineup, they have one of the best leadoff hitters in the game to ignite their team. If Roberts is out - and his status remains very much in question for 2012 - the Orioles don't have a bonafide leadoff hitter in that spot. Orioles leadoff hitters didn't rate very highly among American League teams in ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 8, 2012 8:20 AM
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Whether they liked the Jeremy Guthrie trade (a few did) or not, it seemed everyone had an opinion on the deal. It's Day Two WG (without Guthrie) and here are more thoughts on the deal and its ramifications. * I would rather have seen the Orioles trade Guthrie for a couple of 22-year-old pitchers with some promise for the future, and many fans would agree ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 7, 2012 8:48 AM
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Jason Hammel was all set to report to spring training in Arizona with the Colorado Rockies. After today's trade to the Orioles, along with Matt Lindstrom for Jeremy Guthrie, the 29-year-old right-hander will now be heading to Sarasota soon to join his new team. "Obviously, it was a surprise this morning," Hammel told reporters via a conference call this afternoon. "My plans had basically been ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 6, 2012 2:12 PM
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This Jeremy Guthrie trade is not playing to rave reviews with fans or media. Guthrie was a popular player who pitched well for this team and the early response from fans is that the Orioles did not get enough in return for the right-hander. This morning, he was sent to Colorado for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. Keep in mind that the closer a ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 6, 2012 1:14 PM
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The Orioles got Jeremy Guthrie through a waiver claim from Cleveland and today, five years later, he leaves for Colorado. All the trade talk about him actually culminated in a deal, ironically, at a time when there wasn't much talk about his leaving. Guthrie was a pitcher thrust into a No. 1 role in a rotation that couldn't match the rest of the American League ... read more
By Steve Melewski, February 6, 2012 10:44 AM
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