Steve Melewski

Chris Davis adds bulk, but no swing overhaul heading into season

January 23, 2020, 4:46pm

Orioles

Chris Davis adds bulk, but no swing overhaul heading into season

With high strikeout numbers but declining home run numbers, the Orioles' Chris Davis has recorded an OPS of just .539 in 2018 and .601 last year. In 2019, over 352 plate appearances (his fewest since 2011), Davis hit .179/.276/.326 with nine doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 139 strikeouts. By September he was a part-time player, and he made just nine starts in that month. With three years left on the big contract he signed before the 2016 season, Orioles fans are wondering if Davis has made any...

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Orioles add Taylor Davis and Brady Rodgers on minor league deals

January 23, 2020, 7:09am

Orioles

With pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training in a few weeks, the Orioles today added some pitching and catching depth with a pair of minor league signings. They added right-handed pitcher Brady Rodgers, 29, and right-handed hitting catcher Taylor Davis, 30. Both could get spring training invites, although the club has not announced that group of players yet. The Houston Astros drafted Rodgers in round three in 2012 after a stellar career at Arizona State. That was at a time when...

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Why did Ryan Mountcastle miss the Baseball America top 100?

January 22, 2020, 1:44pm

Orioles

Why did Ryan Mountcastle miss the Baseball America top 100?

When Baseball America released its latest top 100 prospects list on Wednesday, the Orioles had three players who made it and one that just missed. Catcher Adley Rutschman was No. 5, right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez No. 35 and left-hander DL Hall No. 47. Those are the club's last three top draft picks, with Hall taken 21st overall in 2017, Rodriguez 11th in 2018 and Rutschman was the overall No. 1 pick last June. When the 2019 season ended, Baseball America had tweaked its list a bit from...

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A suspension's unintended consequence, Hall of Fame vote and more

January 21, 2020, 2:10pm

Orioles

A suspension's unintended consequence, Hall of Fame vote and more

The remaining 63-game suspension of New York Yankees right-hander Domingo GermÃ¡n will hurt the Yankees in the 2020 season, but could help them down the road. Earlier this month GermÃ¡n was suspended under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. The suspension is stemming from an incident in September involving GermÃ¡n and his girlfriend. No criminal charges were filed against GermÃ¡n, who has agreed not to appeal the suspension. GermÃ¡n was hit with an 81-game unpaid...

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Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020

January 20, 2020, 2:22pm

Orioles

Triple-A rotation should be one to watch in 2020

The Double-A Bowie Baysox had a pitching rotation that was fun to watch last year on the O's farm. On its way to the Eastern League championship series for just the second time, Bowie put up some very strong pitching numbers. The Baysox's team ERA of 3.18 led the league and set a record. So did the club's WHIP of 1.18, which was so strong, it was the best in the Eastern League since 2001. Bowie ranked second with 16 shutouts on its way to a 76-64 record. A record that looks much better when...

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A look at how the Orioles bullpen might improve in 2020

January 19, 2020, 4:47pm

Orioles

It is an easy area to mark for improvement in the 2020 season: the Orioles bullpen. The 'pen pitchers posted a 5.63 ERA to rank 15th in the American League last year. The year before that, their ERA ranked 14th, but it was much better at 4.78. The bullpen WHIP was almost equal going from 1.50 in 2018 to 1.51 in 2019. The OPS against went from .776 to .832. The team 'pen had a better strikeout rate last year going from 8.12 to 8.60. But the improvement moving forward could simply come from...

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Season-is-close edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

January 18, 2020, 1:26pm

Orioles

Season-is-close edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

I don't know if it's back by popular demand - I hope so - but it is back. Today we present the latest edition of "10 questions for O's fans." So answer one or all 10, provide short answers or long, respond to other readers' answers. It's all good. This is the season-is-close edition to be followed in a few weeks by the early spring training edition. And the season is indeed close. Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 11 and the first workout...

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In cheating scandal, there were no penalties for players

January 17, 2020, 5:41pm

Orioles

In cheating scandal, there were no penalties for players

It has been quite a week in Major League Baseball. The cheating scandal took down one general manager and three managers. Franchises are tarnished. Houston got hit hard and Boston could be next. But the players involved were not fined or suspended, and none got fired. I'm OK with that. It would be hard to know exactly which players took part and how often. Cheating once is too much, but were I handing out the discipline I would not treat every player equally. In a sense, all the players on the...

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Some prospect recognition for the Orioles

January 16, 2020, 2:29pm

Orioles

The Orioles got some nice prospect recognition this week when three of their young players were noted as among the best in the game by MLBPipeline.com. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was rated as the No. 10 right-handed pitching prospect in the sport. A nice honor, since the prospects lists always seem to be loaded with right-handers. Pitcher DL Hall was listed No. 10 among left-handers and at catcher, Adley Rutschman was ranked No. 1. He's a top 10 national prospect. By the way, some of the...

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Time for another Orioles Q&A

January 14, 2020, 2:17pm

Orioles

We haven't done this since before Thanksgiving, so it's probably past time for another Orioles question-and-answer session here on the blog. Time for readers to throw out O's questions and/or comments - anything on the majors or minors, draft, whatever - and we'll take shots at providing some answers and responses. As always, readers responding to other readers provide interesting, well, reading. We can discuss the shape of the roster heading into spring training next month. Where the camp...

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Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin

January 14, 2020, 12:39pm

Orioles

Taking the incomplete rotation for a spin

A total of 18 different pitchers made starts for the Orioles on the mound in 2019. We know they'll need five to start next season and the number over 162 games will go well north of that, probably. Let's take stock of the rotation as of today. The 2019 O's produced a rotation ERA of 5.57 to rank 14th in the American League. The Los Angeles Angels were worst at 5.64. The Orioles rotation rated 10th in innings (789), ninth in opponent average (.271), 15th in homers allowed (179), 15th in OPS...

Houston hit hard and an early 2020 mock draft

January 13, 2020, 2:28pm

Orioles

Houston hit hard and an early 2020 mock draft

The Houston Astros, as speculated by many, did in fact get hammered for their part in sign-stealing via technology. Major League Baseball suspended their general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager AJ Hinch for the 2020 season. Then Astros owner Jim Crane went further than that. He fired both Luhnow and Hinch. Houston also lost first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. They will also lose the significant bonus pool dollars for each slot of the four picks. That will hurt their...

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Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp

January 12, 2020, 5:29pm

Orioles

Taking stock of the club's position players heading into camp

With the Orioles report date for spring training fast approaching, today we take a look at the club's position players heading into camp. Certainly, this could change pending any further roster moves. O's pitchers and catchers are due to report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 11 and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. The spring training opener is Feb. 22 against Atlanta and the 2020 season opener is March 26 at home versus the New York Yankees. Here is a look at the...

What will mark progress for the Orioles in 2020?

January 11, 2020, 1:16pm

Orioles

Today just a few words from me because this blog is more about what the readers and all O's fans have to say. It's about tracking progress. What would have to happen during the 2020 season for fans to see progress? Is it mostly about winning more games? Or more young players from the farm system making their way onto the roster? Is it about finding some starting pitching from the farm? Or about the farm itself and seeing more progress from minor league players as they make their way toward...

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Anyone know how to predict a win-loss record with any degree of success?

January 10, 2020, 11:24am

Orioles

Anyone know how to predict a win-loss record with any degree of success?

It's risky business - and I'm not talking about a Tom Cruise movie. Lana won't be knocking at the door. No, we're talking about trying to predict a big league team's win-loss record. But's it's OK, even fun to predict and take a shot. If we're wrong, so what? Who will even remember? Sure, that is all true. I read preseason predictions, but seldom make any. I just don't think there is much of a formula to provide insight and I've watched the Pecota system miss by so much over the years...

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Will it be starter, utility role or the farm for Richie Martin?

January 09, 2020, 4:43pm

Orioles

Will it be starter, utility role or the farm for Richie Martin?

When the Orioles signed JosÃ© Iglesias to be their starting shortstop, it was easy to make the assumption that now the club would send Richie Martin to Triple-A to start the 2020 season. For one, Martin has never played at that level - jumping from Double-A to the majors last year as a Rule 5 pick. He could use the everyday batting reps. Even though his offense improved last year, it was still a challenge for him at the big league level. And Martin can start every day at Triple-A, while for...

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In this review of MLB drafts, the Orioles scored well

January 08, 2020, 2:42pm

Orioles

Baseball America published a very interesting article recently as the publication ranked each major league organization by its draft success in the decade starting in 2010 and running through the 2019 draft. They ranked the teams in terms of total Wins Above Replacement those drafts produced. They counted WAR no matter for which team it was accumulated. So the Orioles scored for Manny Machado, but also for Zach Davies, for instance. It may be a surprise to some fans, but the Orioles ranked...

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Trying to get a handle on cheating via technology in MLB

January 07, 2020, 1:44pm

Orioles

Trying to get a handle on cheating via technology in MLB

The hammer may be about to drop on the Houston Astros for their real-time sign stealing and cheating in baseball. But even before that hammer falls comes news that the Boston Red Sox are involved. Again. Wasn't the Apple Watch episode enough? And it can't be a good look for the sport when the World Series champs of 2017 (Houston) and 2018 (Boston) are tainted. You can say I'm exaggerating here, but a "Landis moment" may be coming soon for Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. He...

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January 06, 2020, 5:02pm

Orioles

A few notes and takes on the addition of JosÃ© Iglesias

The Orioles filled one box on their to-do list yesterday when they agreed on a contract with free agent shortstop JosÃ© Iglesias. The former Red Sox, Tiger and Red got a one-year deal for $3 million with a club option for 2021 at $3 million, although the deal has not yet been officially announced by the team. The deal provides the club a plus defender at short and you have to like the terms. It's a lower-dollar deal but also provides shortstop protection for two seasons if they want to bring...

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Building outfield depth for the Orioles

January 05, 2020, 5:28pm

Orioles

It's been coming for a few years. The Orioles are building some nice outfield depth. Will there be room for everyone? Will this position provide a surplus eventually they may trade from? Let's look at the eight players listed as outfielders on the 40-man roster. Trey Mancini: The Orioles are thrilled he's under team control for three more years. At some point, maybe after 2020, they could look to sign him long-term. He was the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole when he hit .291/.364/.535 with 35...