Roch Kubatko

A former teammate's take on Shed Long Jr. (updated)

February 27, 2022, 9:33am

Orioles

A former teammate's take on Shed Long Jr. (updated)

Representatives for Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met until early this morning in Jupiter, Fla., while trying to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, moving much closer to one than seemed possible when the sun came up. Blowing past the MLB-imposed deadline that softened and providing reasons to feel a little better about the state of the sport in 2022. Various reports in the afternoon and early evening created a sense of optimism, but were followed after 9...

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Tossing out a few Orioles questions during the lockout

February 26, 2022, 7:32am

Orioles

Pitchers and catchers report today to minor league camp, but the Orioles should be hosting the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. It says so on the original Grapefruit League schedule. The lockout has forced the cancellation of at least 10 games. Major League Baseball announced on Friday that games were wiped out through March 7, with three more dates tagged onto the first update. A new collective bargaining agreement must be in place for teams to play on March 8. The Orioles have...

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How analytics helped Herrmann turn adversity to advantage

February 25, 2022, 10:56am

Orioles

How analytics helped Herrmann turn adversity to advantage

The analytical side of baseball operations that's reshaping how players are evaluated and instructed, with teams now embracing what they used to resist, didn't find former college pitcher Forrest Herrmann. He hunted for it, absorbed every bit of information available to him, and turned a desperate attempt to draw out the last ounces of his talent into a post-playing career that's taking off. The Orioles hired Herrmann, 29, as their pitching coach at Single-A Aberdeen, contacting the Reds...

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Because You Asked - The Rise of Gru

February 25, 2022, 10:25am

Orioles

The start of the 2022 season reportedly will be delayed, with games lost, unless Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association settle on a new collective bargaining agreement by Monday. An MLB deadline that the union says doesn't really exist. I haven't been locked out of my mailbag. Can't do it. You can negotiate with me, but I'm getting the last word. You get the first by sending along questions. Thanks for your interest and humor. The sequels keep flowing since the original more...

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Springing ahead with more Orioles camp memories

February 24, 2022, 5:51am

Orioles

Until the lockout ends and major league spring training camps finally open, I'm left to reminisce about past stays in Florida. The many stories that unfolded, some of which never made it into print. The many mornings spent inside the clubhouse and on the back fields. The road trips, more grueling when the home site was down in Fort Lauderdale. The unexpected arrivals and departures. I'll share a few more today: Betemit's knee injury Media wanting to interview the starting pitcher or a...

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Looking at lingering questions as spring training remains on hold

February 23, 2022, 12:31pm

Orioles

Looking at lingering questions as spring training remains on hold

The eventual implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement and the abolishment of the lockout that began on Dec. 2 are going to leave plenty of questions spread across baseball's landscape. Answers may be staggered like the players who arrived in camp last spring. Or perhaps we'll be educated with one big news release. The date of the CBA and how much of spring training is lost are going to be factors. Will the sacrifices be confined to exhibition games? Four days remain before...

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Two more Orioles spring training storylines

February 22, 2022, 11:36am

Orioles

The meetings between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Associations are strung together this week like pearls. The goal is to end the lockout before we ring in a new month. Spring training is on hold, with at least seven exhibition games lost. I've already written 18 anticipated camp storylines, however I'm able to revisit them. If I'm able to revisit them. There's the rotation behind John Means and Jordan Lyles, whether Adley Rutschman will get a fair shot at breaking camp with the...

The little we've learned in recent days

February 21, 2022, 2:39pm

Orioles

Exactly one week has passed since Orioles pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Devising a new collective bargaining agreement also is complex, but the sides met yesterday in Jupiter - they caucused for about three hours separately before reconvening late in the afternoon - and Major League Baseball reportedly made modifications on the bonus pool and draft lottery, but there were no discussions about the luxury tax. They'll try again this...

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Because You Asked - Hero of the Federation

February 18, 2022, 12:10pm

Orioles

Because You Asked - Hero of the Federation

The first Sunday without football. No spring training. How about those Wizards? The mailbag isn't overflowing, but I'll dip into it anyway. There's always room for Jell-O and another sequel. This has been going on for a long time. Longer than I realized. A friend asked whether I could look up an article from Jan. 22, 2010 that she found amusing, to the point where she thanked me in a Facebook post for making her day. She didn't remember the content, just that it made her laugh. I did a...

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Elias waiting for new CBA before detailing roster plans

February 18, 2022, 10:21am

Orioles

Elias waiting for new CBA before detailing roster plans

Exhibition games have been postponed through March 4 due to the lockout. The inevitable became official yesterday afternoon. Shocked faces didn't exist. "We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of spring training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5th," Major League Baseball said in a statement. "All 30 clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands. The clubs have...

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John Angelos on lockout, lease, concert, rebuild and more

February 18, 2022, 8:49am

Orioles

John Angelos on lockout, lease, concert, rebuild and more

As baseball's lockout bleeds deeper into the month of February, threatening an on-time start to the 2022 season, Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos remains hopeful that his club will be on the field March 31 for opening day at Camden Yards. Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will resume next week, perhaps with daily sessions, as the sides attempt to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement by Feb. 28. Commissioner Rob Manfred has...

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Paul McCartney to play at Camden Yards on June 12 (updated)

February 18, 2022, 5:23am

Orioles

Paul McCartney to play at Camden Yards on June 12 (updated)

The Orioles are opening Camden Yards to the concert scene again in 2022, with an announcement this morning that Paul McCartney will perform on June 12 as part of his 2022 GOT BACK tour. Presented by AEG and Orioles Entertainment, the concert will mark the first appearance in Baltimore for McCartney since 1964, during The Beatles' first North American tour. Tickets will be on sale beginning Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. American Express Card Members are allowed to purchase tickets before the general...

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More memories from past Orioles spring trainings

February 17, 2022, 9:31am

Orioles

Orioles pitchers and catchers would be stretching later this morning and undergoing the next round of workouts at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, perhaps joined by some position players who reported early and passed their physicals, except the lockout remains in place and threatens an on-time opening day. Representatives for Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met again yesterday and the session lasted about 15 minutes, according to reports. Lead negotiators Dan Halem and Bruce...

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Orioles sign Long to minor league deal

February 16, 2022, 10:41am

Orioles

The Orioles made their first transaction of 2022 that didn't involve the international market, with an industry source confirming that they've signed Shed Long Jr. to a minor league deal. The lockout prevents moves that impact the 40-man roster. The Mariners outrighted Long, 26, in October after he batted .198/.258/.360 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs in 34 games, and he elected free agency. Long underwent surgery in September 2020 to repair a stress fracture in his right...

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Baseball moves Marrow back to Maryland as minors coach

February 15, 2022, 12:21pm

Orioles

Baseball moves Marrow back to Maryland as minors coach

Troy Marrow didn't begin his life in the Baltimore area, but he feels like he's back home. Though the seeds were planted in New York, where he learned to cheer for the Yankees with his father, Glenn, a Brooklyn native, the roots run deep here. They keep latching onto him. The Orioles hired Marrow as fundamentals coach in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, returning him to the area once again before the minor league season begins. The pull is always so strong. Marrow, 29, moved to...

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This, that and the other

February 15, 2022, 8:24am

Orioles

Baseball prospect lists are dropping like snowflakes as the start of major league spring training is put on ice. Organizations and players are ranked within a top 100, 30, 20 or 10. And the variety doesn't change how the Orioles are perceived within the industry. They keep gaining respect, with the only caveats being how they're a bit "top heavy" in the system. Trust me, they gladly would have taken it back in the day. The Athletic's Keith Law offered his opinion this week on the top...

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Revisiting some of the most memorable moments in camp

February 14, 2022, 8:00am

Orioles

Revisiting some of the most memorable moments in camp

The Ed Smith Stadium complex remains open to non-roster players. The rehabbing, the recovered, the recent international signing. Media and fans aren't allowed inside. One way we can relate to the 40-man crew. The minor league camp opens on Feb. 28 for pitchers and catchers - and perhaps media and fans. All of the details haven't been worked out. We're stuck waiting to find out whether major league spring training already will be in motion. Commissioner Rob Manfred stated it must run a...

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How will baseball's delay determine what Orioles do with roster?

February 13, 2022, 5:22am

Orioles

The opening day roster is supposed to hold 26 players, but a delayed regular season might prompt Major League Baseball to expand it again. There's a precedent, with teams permitted to carry 30 to begin the truncated 2020 season. The Orioles aren't remotely close to setting their roster as the spring training delay is upon us. The sport remains in shutdown mode except for minor league transactions. They haven't moved away from the free agent market and certainly could renew trade talks with...

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A sampling of Hardy and Wieters from upcoming "Babe's Birthday Bash"

February 11, 2022, 12:47pm

Orioles

A sampling of Hardy and Wieters from upcoming "Babe's Birthday Bash"

Among the more humorous social media reactions to the Orioles moving back the left field fence approximately 30 feet this season is how former shortstop J.J. Hardy would have scored standing up on Delmon Young's bases-clearing double in Game 2 of the 2014 American League Division Series against the Tigers. The loudest moment in Camden Yards history. The press box literally shook. The new dimensions would have removed the heart-pounding excitement of a close play at the plate. Hardy's...

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Kjerstad recounts his small world moment

February 11, 2022, 5:51am

Orioles

Kjerstad recounts his small world moment

Heston Kjerstad won't claim that he never forgets a face, but the young outfielder was certain that he recognized one of the players who showed up in Sarasota last month to work out at the minicamps for hitters. The stranger wasn't at the fall instructional camp. He wasn't in the organization until January. Who was this guy? A little detective work revealed his identity and proved again that it's a small baseball world. Kjerstad already lived the coincidence of being teammates with...