Roch Kubatko

Focusing on Orioles who can expect extra attention

January 02, 2021, 11:22am

Orioles

Anyone can perform under the lights, but what about a microscope? A few Orioles are destined to attract more attention than others in camp and during the season, whether due to prospect status, health, recent hiring or set of responsibilities. There's no escaping it. Rather than wait, let's get it started now and avoid the rush. Third base coach Tony Mansolino The coaching staff has undergone more changes, with Mansolino the outside hire as the replacement for JosÃ© Flores. Being a third...

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Five things that won't happen in 2021

January 01, 2021, 9:33am

Orioles

I don't know much, but I've got a pretty firm grasp on what won't happen with the Orioles. Predictions can work that way, too. I'll avoid the painfully obvious stuff like, "The Orioles won't carry one catcher on their opening day roster." Or, "The Orioles won't replace the warehouse with LEGO blocks." Or, "The Orioles won't move to Nashville at the All-Star break." My insults won't be aimed at your intelligence. Since every sportswriter list apparently has to contain five items...

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This, that and the other

January 01, 2021, 9:00am

Orioles

The hiring of Quincy Boyd last month as an area scout was prompted by Rich Morales' departure from the Orioles. Morales accepted a West Coast position with the Mets. Why did Morales, who signed outfielder Cedric Mullins and catcher Austin Wynns and won the Jim Russo Scout of the Year Award in 2018, make the move across the country? "It was not an easy decision to leave the Orioles, but an opportunity was presented to me to get me back home on the West Coast," he said. "My father is 77 now...

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Hess on Rutschman: "He's the real deal"

December 31, 2020, 6:38am

Orioles

Before pitcher David Hess took his first dive into free agency and came up with a minor league deal from the Rays, he spent the majority of his summer at the Orioles' alternate camp site in Bowie. The Orioles put Hess on their opening day roster and gave him one relief appearance in July and two in August - all of them on the road and in blowouts. There were the occasional taxi squad assignments, including the duration of the final trip of 2020. Otherwise, Hess worked out at Prince George's...

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What's coming in 2021?

December 30, 2020, 12:00pm

Orioles

A new year always conjures up old memories of poor judgement while waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square. A second countdown pertaining to how long a stomach is going to cooperate before beginning to reject everything inside it. The ball is lowered and your dinner comes up. Here's hoping that none of you are experiencing such misery. Like the time decades ago when I thought tequila was the perfect nightcap. And the morning of Jan. 1, 2012, when my friend stood at his front door as I...

Seeking a fresh start in 2021

December 30, 2020, 7:11am

Orioles

It's just another New Year's Eve, another night like all the rest. It's just another New Year's Eve, let's make it the best. (If I can reference Garrett Cleavinger twice within a week, I can sing along with Barry Manilow to close out 2020. There are no rules.) I feel bad for the people who keep acting as though the world is returning to normal after tonight. The "I can't wait for 2020 to be over" crowd. I've got bad news for you. It won't feel any different in the morning or the next...

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More on Martin in shortstop competition

December 29, 2020, 9:28am

Orioles

Shortstop Richie Martin remains in the Puerto Rican Winter League with Criollos de Caguas, where he's appeared in 14 games and gone 13-for-51 (.255) with six doubles, two home runs, six walks and a .345 on-base percentage. More at-bats and reps in the field after a wasted 2020 season. The Orioles are expected to bring in a shortstop to replace JosÃ© Iglesias, who was traded to the Angels for minor league pitchers Garrett Stallings and Jean Pinto. It won't be Adeiny HechavarrÃa, who...

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Flaherty on Mansolino: "He'll be good, really good"

December 28, 2020, 11:04am

Orioles

Flaherty on Mansolino: "He'll be good, really good"

Former Orioles utility player Ryan Flaherty believes that the club made a smart hire in Tony Mansolino, who is replacing JosÃ© Flores as third base coach and infield instructor. Flaherty has known Mansolino for a long time. They were drafted three years apart from Vanderbilt University and Mansolino managed Flaherty at Triple-A Columbus in the Indians organization in 2019. The Orioles haven't announced the composition of their coaching staff, but a source last week confirmed Mansolino's...

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Big non-baseball news for Hays and Means

December 23, 2020, 11:35am

Orioles

Big non-baseball news for Hays and Means

Austin Hays would be the heavy favorite to win a footrace against John Means. However, Means beat him to the father finish line. McCoy Alan Means was born on Dec. 17. Levi Austin Jerald Hays was born on Dec. 22. Tremendous gifts to close out a very difficult year. Means and Hays will have lots to talk about in spring training besides baseball, but they're two hugely important components of the roster and rebuild. The Orioles have been envisioning Hays as their center fielder and leadoff hitter...

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Orioles facts and what we learned from them

December 23, 2020, 11:29am

Orioles

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. Hall of Famers John Wooden and Earl Weaver preached it. The phrase serves as the title of Weaver's autobiography. I'm using it this morning to lead everyone into my latest offseason collection of random facts. And most important, what we learned from them. No need to dig too deeply. Sometimes the answers are lying on the surface. Also, don't overlook an orchid while searching for a rose. Or something like that. * The Orioles were 18-11...

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A no-return policy on Orioles

December 23, 2020, 11:24am

Orioles

The day after Christmas exists in many households to eat leftovers, vacuum pine needles and return unwanted gifts. There's also time spent rehashing some of the most uncomfortable moments at the dinner table. The Orioles haven't been shy about keeping receipts and making returns, no matter whose feelings get hurt. Just ask Grant Balfour's agent. Sometimes they can be talked into returning home with the same item, but feeling much better about it. Just ask Yovani Gallardo's agent. (If you...

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Christmas list of reasons to be happy

December 23, 2020, 11:17am

Orioles

'Tis the season to be jolly. If you pretend that 2020 didn't happen. My only advice is to dig deep and unearth the joyous moments in your lives. Hopefully, you'll find many more than you expected. Hopefully, you can use a trowel instead of a bulldozer. For me, it's getting engaged at spring training, less than a week before the shutdown. My plan to propose at the spot where we met outside the Ed Smith Stadium press box would have been ruined if she chose to fly down later. (I'll never know...

Roster work doesn't take a holiday break (updated)

December 23, 2020, 11:09am

Orioles

Roster work doesn't take a holiday break (updated)

The Orioles are approaching the Christmas holiday with a shopping list that won't be satisfied by a late trip to the mall. Their search for a veteran starting pitcher and replacement for shortstop JosÃ© Iglesias, to name two of the items, could stretch into January or February. The market is evolving. A drop in prices can expand it. Their last transaction on this date occurred in 2014 with the signing of left-hander CÃ©sar Cabral to a minor league deal. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway was claimed...

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Orioles announce four minor league signings

December 21, 2020, 8:52am

Orioles

The Orioles announced four of their minor league signings this afternoon, with catcher Nick Ciuffo going unreported until today. The list also includes left-hander Fernando Abad and right-handers Claudio Custodio and Conner Greene. Abad and Greene were confirmed additions to the organization earlier this month. Ciuffo, who turns 26 in March, provides some catching depth that the organization has sought with Bryan Holaday and Martin Cervenka entering free agency. He's a left-handed hitter and...

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This, that and the other

December 18, 2020, 10:16am

Orioles

I'm not sure how manager Brandon Hyde will readjust to a normal baseball season, if one becomes available to him, after devoting so much of his energy to detailing the protocols set up at Camden Yards and on the road and how his players adhered to them. How the Orioles kept everyone safe, taking no chances if someone reported to the ballpark with the sniffles or a headache. How the sport survived outside of a bubble and completed a 60-game regular season, the playoffs and World Series. What it...

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Valdez provides a valuable lesson on January signings

December 17, 2020, 8:26am

Orioles

Valdez provides a valuable lesson on January signings

The downplaying and scant reporting of a minor league signing in January is as common as a cold. Players pop into an organization and often leave it without a fuss. The same indifference coming and going. CÃ©sar Valdez is a classic example, except for the part about him going. He's stayed on the 40-man roster since the Orioles selected his contract on Aug. 27, the latest move of significance in his rejuvenated career after the appearances in exhibition games as an extra from Twin Lakes Park...

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Cobb on Mancini: "We're all just so excited to give him a big hug"

December 17, 2020, 5:57am

Orioles

Cobb on Mancini: "We're all just so excited to give him a big hug"

The Orioles were getting ready to play their 17th exhibition game on March 8. Four days before the team bus pulled out of the complex and circled back, confirmation that baseball was shutting down due to COVID-19. Four days before outfielder Trey Mancini would undergo surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. Alex Cobb can close his eyes and see it all. He remembers the local media gathering to ask about Mancini's departure from camp. How he described the situation as...

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Disorder in an early lineup projection

December 16, 2020, 10:42am

Orioles

An offseason exercise that doesn't require a home gym, but makes me sweat as if competing in a triathlon, is creating an Orioles lineup in December. Taking the players on the current 40-man roster and the likely invites to spring training and filling every position. Go nuts and, if you dare, also craft a bench, rotation and bullpen. But only if you've stretched prior to attempting it. A national publication seeks my assistance every winter, with a deadline prior to the Christmas holiday. The...

Cobb on pending free agency and a new offseason plan

December 16, 2020, 10:30am

Orioles

Cobb on pending free agency and a new offseason plan

Alex Cobb has arrived back at a point in his career that looks the same in some aspects and completely foreign in others. The final year of his contract. Shuffled priorities as he stands on the deck and peers out again at free agency. Been there, but doing it differently. Cobb isn't in the hunt for another four-year deal, which the Orioles gave him at a cost of $57 million before the 2018 season to mark the largest for a pitcher in franchise history. He turned 33 in October, is entering a new...

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Sources: Orioles signing Abad to minor league contract

December 16, 2020, 6:37am

Orioles

Conducting the usual search for veteran relievers during the offseason, the Orioles are on the verge of signing left-hander Fernando Abad to a minor league contract per multiple sources. Final details are being worked out, but the sides are in agreement. Abad will receive an invitation to spring training, which for the Orioles is supposed to begin with pitchers and catchers reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 16. The Orioles also held interest in Abad last winter and made an offer...