Roch Kubatko

Orioles living in the past defensively

October 30, 2012, 7:18pm

Orioles

Now that the Orioles have three Gold Glove winners in 2012, all that's left is for Buck Showalter to be named the American League's Manager of the Year and Chris Davis to take home the Rolaids Relief Man Award. Showalter already won The Sporting News award by edging out Oakland's Bob Melvin in voting by his peers. The Baseball Writers' Association of America award, the biggie, will be announced on Nov. 13, with another thin margin expected to separate Showalter and Melvin. The Orioles...

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Orioles complete sweep: Wieters, Jones and Hardy win Gold Gloves

October 30, 2012, 5:48pm

Orioles

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove, with the announcement coming tonight on ESPN2. Wieters beat out the Tigers' Alex Avila, the Yankees' Russell Martin and the White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski. Wieters led the American League in defensive games (134) and putouts (994), ranked second in runners caught stealing (32) and range factor per game (7.81), and was third in caught stealing percentage (38.6 percent). His 994 putouts were the third-most in AL...

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Opposing scout sizes up Orioles' Gold Glove candidates

October 30, 2012, 10:16am

Orioles

Rawlings will announce its Gold Glove winners beginning at 9:30 p.m. tonight on ESPN2. As I recall, the program was delayed in 2011 because a college football game lasted six hours. Tonight, the network is airing the "Global Rallycross Championship" live from Las Vegas. No chance for overtime, right? Matt Wieters is a finalist among the American League catchers. The same is true for J.J. Hardy at shortstop and Adam Jones in center field. The Orioles will attempt to have three winners in the...

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This and that

October 29, 2012, 2:35pm

Orioles

I'm drying off my pumpkins this morning, and I really wish that were a euphemism. The local news outlets continue to remind us to stay indoors. Amazing that anyone needs to be told. I'll pass along my own suggestions. Don't stick a fork in a light socket - once your power is restored, of course - and never kiss a rabid dog on the mouth. Common sense, folks. Seriously, though, I hope everyone made it through the worst of Hurricane Sandy. Continue to be safe. The sun has to come out...

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Seven Orioles declare for free agency (World Series odds for 2013)

October 29, 2012, 11:45am

Orioles

With the World Series ending late last night, seven Orioles joined the list of major league players declaring for free agency today: Outfielders Nate McLouth and Endy Chavez, pitchers Joe Saunders and Randy Wolf, designated hitter Jim Thome, first baseman Nick Johnson and infielder/outfielder Bill Hall. Stop me if you've heard this one: The Orioles are likely to pursue McLouth and Saunders, and they could hold some interest in Thome if he doesn't retire. That's it. They have a five-day...

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Orioles have three finalists for Gold Glove awards

October 29, 2012, 8:58am

Orioles

The Rawlings Gold Glove winners for 2012 will be announced Tuesday night on ESPN2, and the list of finalists in the American League includes Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, shortstop J.J. Hardy and center fielder Adam Jones. Wieters and right fielder Nick Markakis won their first Gold Gloves last year. Jones was honored in 2009. Wieters is competing against the Tigers' Alex Avila, the Yankees' Russell Martin and the White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski. Hardy is competing against the Rangers' Elvis...

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Bundy, Gausman top Baseball America's list of top 10 Orioles prospects

October 29, 2012, 8:01am

Orioles

The Orioles' first-round selections in the last two First-Year Player Drafts head Baseball America's list of Top 10 prospects in the organization. The publication's list reads as follows: 1. Dylan Bundy, RHP 2. Kevin Gausman, RHP 3. Jonathan Schoop, 2B/SS 4. Nicky Delmonico, 1B/2B 5. Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP 6. LJ Hoes, OF 7. Xavier Avery, OF 8. Mike Wright, RHP 9. Branden Kline, RHP 10. Adrian Marin, SS Kline was chosen in the second round of the 2012 draft out of the University of...

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Talking about Jim Johnson

October 28, 2012, 6:49pm

Orioles

Taking the advice of family and friends, I bought 12 cases of bottled waters in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, I spent a large part of my childhood drinking out of a garden hose. I'm a survivor. I'll be brief this morning, as I continue to charge the batteries on my laptop and iPhone and stack my canned goods. I'm afraid that I'll run low on Beefaroni. I may need to make another grocery store run before the weather really turns bad. Folks laughed when I threw away my...

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Where the Orioles need to direct their attention

October 28, 2012, 4:25am

Orioles

Did anyone think the Giants would jump out to a 3-0 lead on the Tigers in the World Series? Tim Lincecum has been a beast out of the bullpen. Another starter-turned-reliever success story. I've been asked who would replace Rick Peterson as the Orioles' director of pitching development if he's hired as the Red Sox's pitching coach. I don't know whether the club would fill that role. It's unique. It's been created for Peterson and his unique talents. Not everyone carries around the...

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Tillman's time is now

October 27, 2012, 5:33am

Orioles

As we attempt to piece together the Orioles rotation for 2013, we must keep in mind that Chris Tillman is out of minor league options. Tillman can't be sent down if he isn't deemed worthy of a starting job, and he's never pitched in relief. Fifty-one major league appearances, 51 starts. The Orioles have placed other starters in the bullpen, including Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz, but they've always resisted changing Tillman's role, even if only temporarily. Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen...

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Willis released, Steve Johnson honored (Peterson update)

October 26, 2012, 12:26pm

Orioles

Willis released, Steve Johnson honored (Peterson update)

The Orioles have officially released left-hander Dontrelle Willis, according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy. My first reaction was, "Dontrelle Willis was still in the organization?" The Orioles must have taken the hint when he retired July 2. They sent out a tweet to confirm it. But I guess releasing him after the season was some kind of a procedural move. Willis was 0-3 with an 8.53 ERA in four appearances for Triple-A Norfolk, with six earned runs (eight total) and 10 hits in 6 1/3...

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Figuring out which free agents to put in the discard pile

October 25, 2012, 7:23pm

Orioles

Figuring out which free agents to put in the discard pile

As we learned a long time ago, the offseason is open season on free agent speculation. The Orioles are fairly quiet while the World Series plays out. Dana Eveland and Ronny Paulino elected to become minor league free agents. Third base coach DeMarlo Hale interviewed for the Red Sox managerial job. The Sporting News named Buck Showalter American League Manager of the Year. The Diamondbacks received cash to complete the Joe Saunders/Matt Lindstrom trade. That's about it. Nothing to grab the...

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Another look at the spring training schedule

October 25, 2012, 5:28pm

Orioles

Another look at the spring training schedule

The Orioles haven't released their 2013 spring training schedule, but I'll pass along some tentative dates off the Grapefruit League's master list, put together by SpringTrainingOnline.com. Plan accordingly. The home games, of course, are held at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Feb. 23: Twins at Orioles Feb. 24: Orioles at Blue Jays (Dunedin) March 2: Orioles at Rays (Port Charlotte) March 3: Phillies at Orioles March 4: Orioles at Yankees (Tampa) March 8: Orioles at Pirates...

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Wieters fails to repeat as Fielding Bible winner

October 25, 2012, 1:15pm

Orioles

Wieters fails to repeat as Fielding Bible winner

The 2012 Fielding Bible Award winners have been announced, and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is excluded from the list after being selected last year. Wieters lost out to the Cardinals' Yadier Molina. Here are the winners, chosen by a panel of 10 "experts," including Peter Gammons, Bill James, Joe Posnanski, Doug Glanville and John Dewan: First Base: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees (first-time winner) Second Base: Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs (first-time winner) Third Base: Adrian Beltre,...

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Which Orioles were the most clutch?

October 24, 2012, 7:47pm

Orioles

Looking back on the 2012 season, it's worth mentioning again that the Orioles had only one losing month, not counting their 1-2 record in October. They were 14-9 in April, 15-13 in May, 13-13 in June, 13-14 in July (but 10-7 on the road), 18-9 in August and 20-11 in September/October. The Orioles were above .500 on every day of the week except Mondays, when they were 7-13. That's a case of the Mondays. They were 17-8 on Tuesdays, 12-12 on Wednesdays, 10-6 on Thursdays, 15-11 on Fridays,...

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Showalter named Sporting News AL Manager of the Year

October 24, 2012, 7:57am

Orioles

Showalter named Sporting News AL Manager of the Year

Buck Showalter has been named the Sporting News American League Manager of the Year for 2012. The Nationals' Davey Johnson made it a clean beltway sweep by winning the National League honor. Showalter and Johnson were chosen by a panel of 17 major league managers. The Orioles improved from 69-93 in 2011 to 93-69 in 2012, winning the wild card game in Texas and pushing the Yankees to a fifth game in the American League Division Series. The Orioles hadn't posted a winning season or made the...

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Who's next to debut for the Orioles?

October 24, 2012, 4:24am

Orioles

The cutoff for Super Two status this offseason is two years and 139 days of service time, according to The Associated Press. The cutoff would have been two years and 144 days under the old collective bargaining agreement. Super Two status enables a player to obtain a fourth year of arbitration eligibility. Jim Johnson qualified in 2010, Brad Bergesen in 2011. None of the Orioles were impacted this year. Brian Matusz has two years, 155 days of service time. Again, here's the list in...

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Answering the PTBNL question

October 23, 2012, 10:20am

Orioles

The August trade that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks for left-hander Joe Saunders and cash has been completed. The teams couldn't agree on a PTBNL. The Orioles instead will send an undisclosed amount of cash to Arizona. It's a done deal. The PTBNL was supposed to be determined after the season. In the meantime, Saunders went 3-3 with a 3.63 ERA in seven starts after the Aug. 26 trade and allowed two earned runs in 11 1/3 innings in the...

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Orioles don't have many decisions to make on their own free agents

October 23, 2012, 1:58am

Orioles

A few days ago, I gave you the rundown of arbitration-eligible Orioles and educated guesses on which players could be non-tendered. There are enough names on the list to keep any team executive busy. The Orioles don't have nearly as many pending unrestricted free agents. The 40-man roster includes outfielders Nate McLouth and Endy Chavez, pitcher Joe Saunders and designated hitter Jim Thome. Pitcher Randy Wolf and first baseman Nick Johnson are on the 60-day disabled list. This group can...

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Showalter staying busy this month (spring training note)

October 22, 2012, 1:28pm

Orioles

Showalter staying busy this month (spring training note)

Because so many fans wanted to know, I'll pass along that manager Buck Showalter's knee surgery was a success and he's rehabbing at home. No complications. No fun, either, if you've ever rehabbed a knee. Here are a few more Showalter-related notes: A week after being the honorary captain at a Ravens game, Showalter will appear on this season's first episode of "Basketball and Beyond with Coach K," co-hosted by Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and Dave Sims, at 7 p.m....