Roch Kubatko

Recapping Day 2 of summer training camp

July 04, 2020, 10:59am

Orioles

The Orioles still don't have a full turnout for their summer training camp, with manager Brandon Hyde saying again this afternoon that a couple of Dominican players remain in the intake process for COVID-19 testing. "We're still waiting on that," Hyde said today in a Zoom conference call. While some teams are confirming positive tests, whether or not they receive permission from players to reveal the names, the Orioles are keeping the process under wraps. Major League Baseball announced...

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More from the first day of summer training camp

July 03, 2020, 5:12pm

Orioles

More from the first day of summer training camp

The Sarasota portion of camp ended for the Orioles on March 12, almost four months passing before they could reconvene at Camden Yards for unprecedented summer sessions. The roster has undergone some changes, with 45 players plunging into a pool and 15 others expected at the alternate site in Bowie. Manager Brandon Hyde won't block out everything he saw at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and during Grapefruit League games. It still counts. "Yeah, I think so," he said yesterday after leaving his...

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Davis on the "most odd, just random, weirdest" day of his baseball life

July 03, 2020, 3:36pm

Orioles

Davis on the "most odd, just random, weirdest" day of his baseball life

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis has played a game with no fans inside the ballpark. He's eclipsed 50 home runs, earned a win on the mound, received the richest contract in franchise history and endured the longest hitless streak for a position player to start a season. Nothing, however, can compare to what he experienced today at Camden Yards. So many changes implemented to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The social distancing, the masks, the hand sanitizer stations on...

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Hearing from Hyde and LeBlanc on first day of summer training camp

July 03, 2020, 12:38pm

Orioles

Hearing from Hyde and LeBlanc on first day of summer training camp

The oddity of holding a summer training camp in July at Camden Yards showed itself this afternoon in a variety of ways. More than just the month and location. Starting up again after the coronavirus pandemic shut down baseball in March, the Orioles held their first workout today with Tommy Milone and Thomas Eshelman facing hitters while executive vice president Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde watched from the stands behind home plate. Separated by the tunnel that leads onto the...

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Dwight Smith Jr. on baseball's return and his fundraiser

July 02, 2020, 4:06pm

Orioles

Dwight Smith Jr. on baseball's return and his fundraiser

The temperature in Baltimore today is supposed to reach 98 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. But there will be Orioles on the Camden Yards field. Sweating for a shortened season. The summer camp begins this morning with staggered workouts. The facility and social distancing don't allow 44 players to perform drills simultaneously. Pitchers will do their throwing in shifts with an obvious shortage of mounds, compared to the Sarasota complex. Hitters will take their hacks in cages and drills will...

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Leftovers for breakfast

July 01, 2020, 11:29am

Orioles

The obsession with how the 2020 season impacts the Orioles' rebuild is understandable. The process already is challenging on many levels. Reducing the schedule to 60 games and eliminating the minor league side is downright cruel. No one said life is fair, and that's certainly the case in a pandemic, where perspective is needed on a daily basis within the sports community. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is moving forward with his vision for the organization. Improving the...

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Orioles still deciding next step for Kjerstad after signing him

July 01, 2020, 8:56am

Orioles

Now that the Orioles have signed outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft, they must decide what to do with him. It's a little more complicated than in past summers. The minor league season has been canceled, with the official announcement coming yesterday afternoon. The hammer was going to fall. The only question was how long it would take for everyone to hear it. The Orioles can't assign Kjerstad to one of their lower affiliates. They also...

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Minor league season canceled in 2020

June 30, 2020, 2:09pm

Orioles

The Orioles are making plans to keep their prospects and signed draft picks active and in developmental phase as Major League Baseball attempts to play a truncated season. There are no affiliates to aid the cause. The minor league season officially has been canceled due to COVID-19, with a press released sent out today to confirm what's been known for a while. What's never happened until this summer. "These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first...

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Hess goes from optioned to an Orioles option for opening day

June 30, 2020, 12:35pm

Orioles

David Hess spent the offseason following a program created for him at Premier Pitching & Performance center in St. Louis. The same facility that changed John Means' professional life. He made it through the first version of spring training with a spot on the camp roster. He lost that spot a week later when the Orioles included him among four players optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. He made it back onto the camp roster Sunday afternoon when the Orioles included him among 44 players announced...

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Orioles sign second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad

June 30, 2020, 8:43am

Orioles

A third 2020 draft selection by the Orioles is under contract. The team announced today that it signed outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second overall pick from the University of Arkansas. The biggest fish in their draft pond. Infielder Jordan Westburg, the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, the 39th, signed on Saturday for $2,365,500 and $1,906,800, respectively. Both at full slot value. Kjerstad has signed for $5.2 million, according to a source. Terms were first reported by...

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More on the possible 30-man roster and new rules for 2020

June 29, 2020, 5:51pm

Orioles

More on the possible 30-man roster and new rules for 2020

The composition of the Orioles' second camp roster is public knowledge. We've been able to identify the first 44 players set to gather later this week at Camden Yards. We're just figuring out exactly what to call it. "Summer camp" and "spring training 2.0" are getting mixed reviews on Twitter. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias used "summer camp" in yesterday's Zoom with the media, so perhaps that makes it acceptable. Put the blame on him if anyone rebels. Also under...

Elias: "So far we are expecting full participation"

June 29, 2020, 3:50pm

Orioles

Elias: "So far we are expecting full participation"

Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said today that he anticipates having a full roster and staffs for the beginning of spring training 2.0. Camps open on Friday after testing for COVID-19 is conducted two days earlier. Multiple players on other teams already have decided to sit out the 2020 season, which is reduced to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross and the Diamondbacks' Mike Leake opted out today. "After a great...

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Reviewing the weekend's activity

June 28, 2020, 1:04pm

Orioles

The past two days have been productive for the Orioles and media covering the team. An announcement was made Saturday afternoon on the signings of draft picks Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. And yesterday brought confirmation on 44 of the 60 players who will be tossed in the pool for spring training 2.0. More players will be announced later in the week. The Orioles...

Orioles announce 44 of 60 players in pool

June 28, 2020, 12:38pm

Orioles

The Orioles are preparing for their second spring training, or first summer camp if that's the preferred description, by revealing the majority of their 60-player pool earlier today. Forty-four players have been announced and outfielder Trey Mancini goes on the 60-day injured list to leave the 40-man roster at 38 players. The injured list eventually will be reduced to 45 days, but Mancini won't play in 2020 while undergoing chemotherapy treatments following his colon cancer surgery in...

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Orioles sign draft picks Westburg and Haskin

June 27, 2020, 2:42pm

Orioles

The Orioles haven't forgotten about their 2020 draft picks while plotting the construction of their camp rosters for the second spring training. The club announced this afternoon that it's signed infielder Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. Westburg signed for $2,365,500 and Haskin for $1,906,800 - both at full slot value, according to a source. Westburg, 21, batted...

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Wondering about free agents and arbitration-eligible players

June 26, 2020, 8:48am

Orioles

Wondering about free agents and arbitration-eligible players

With COVID-19 stalling the start of the baseball season until July 23 and 24 and owners tallying the lost revenue, it appears to be a most unfortunate time for a player to be entering free agency. The usual big spenders might be keeping those checkbooks closed. Especially if they find it more difficult to calculate income in 2021. Service time counts in 2020 no matter how many games are played, which inches outfielder Mookie Betts closer to the market entrance. Does it become harder to break...

Orioles getting ready for roster redesign

June 25, 2020, 9:34am

Orioles

Among the many details to emerge concerning the 2020 baseball season was the unfreezing of rosters today and the ability of team executives to resume making cuts and potential trades. The Orioles must create a 30-man roster for opening day, which will be held on July 23 or 24. It's reduced to 28 players after two weeks and 26 after four. It was so long ago that fans may have forgotten, but the Orioles had 54 players on their camp roster on March 12 when baseball shut down and everyone became...

A different pace to the 2020 baseball season

June 24, 2020, 8:56am

Orioles

A different pace to the 2020 baseball season

Baseball used to be a marathon and not a sprint. What does it become when 162 games are reduced to 60? The number still seems too large for a sprint, but it's no longer apt to make comparisons to a marathon. Maybe it's become the 1500-metre run. Kip Keino, Jim Ryun and Sebastian Coe could throw out the ceremonial first pitches. That should cover one home series for the Orioles. The Orioles would be exactly halfway through their schedule without postponements. Eighty-one games in the books...

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Bleier on staying ready for season and reconnecting with fans

June 23, 2020, 4:13pm

Orioles

Bleier on staying ready for season and reconnecting with fans

Of the many questions that linger as baseball moves closer to a 2020 season, two of the most common are where teams will hold their second spring training camps and what's a reasonable amount of time for pitchers to get ready. The Orioles are going to conduct their workouts in Maryland, whether strictly at Camden Yards or spread out to include one or more of their minor league affiliates. The new coronavirus cases in Florida eliminate a return to Sarasota as the facility remains shut down. An...