Steve Melewski

It is interesting down the road

Nationals Orioles
It is interesting down the road
The Orioles' neighbors to the south are one interesting baseball team right now. They lost Bryce Harper to a division rival, failed to win their division, yet won the World Series. They overcame a poor bullpen by using their starters in relief at times in October. They got clutch offense late throughout the month and won it all. This after a terrible start to the season that produced 93 wins eventually - a total that would not have been enough to make the postseason in the American League. A...
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Steve Melewski

Another look at the importance of winning on the farm

Orioles
Another look at the importance of winning on the farm
In the minor leagues, winning is not everything. In fact, it may rank a few steps down the line. You can develop players while your team wins, but it's not a prerequisite. You can certainly develop players on teams that don't win. It happens often. It's pretty clear that the primary goal on the O's farm again in 2020 is for individual players to get better and to try to get them to the majors. That is job one, and the rest of the tasks are down the board. It stands to reason that on a team...
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Steve Melewski

Pitch mix and improving slider could serve John Means well in 2020

Orioles
Pitch mix and improving slider could serve John Means well in 2020
It is a fair and reasonable question to ask about Orioles left-hander John Means: After he had such a strong 2019 season, will he regress next season? What will it take to keep him performing at such a high level? Means went 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.135 WHIP and finished second in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. He made the All-Star team, going 7-4 with a 2.50 ERA in the first half. The last O's starter with a better season-long ERA was Wei-Yin Chen at 3.34 in...
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Steve Melewski

Another reason to watch in 2020: Hunter Harvey

Orioles
Another reason to watch in 2020: Hunter Harvey
If there were an award for top Orioles relief outing of the 2019 season, the work by Hunter Harvey from Aug. 27 at Nationals Park would be a prime contender. When we discussed reasons to watch the 2020 Orioles in yesterday's entry, we sure could have included Harvey. After his impressive pitching in a small sample in 2019, who doesn't want to see more from the kid in 2020? His high-wire act on that late August night - when he was throwing fastballs from 98 to 100 mph - was something special...
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Steve Melewski

What will keep fans invested in 2020?

Orioles
What will keep fans invested in 2020?
Welcome to a new year filled with a new season and new hopes for the Orioles. Those hopes are tempered a bit during rebuilding and no one is likely dreaming too big in light of 223 losses over the past two years. During the offseason, some fans I've met tell me they feel for me having to cover a team that losses so much. I tell all of them that I love what I do and that I truthfully enjoyed covering the 2019 Orioles a great deal. We knew it would not be a winning season and the year would be...
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Steve Melewski

After hitting .305, can Hanser Alberto do it again?

Orioles
After hitting .305, can Hanser Alberto do it again?
Maybe Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto won't be thrilled to see 2019 blend into the background. It was a pretty good year for him and now we find out what he can do for an encore. A surprise .300 hitter in 2019, can Alberto produce a similar average for the 2020 Orioles? His .305 average last season ranked eighth-best in the American League and was 16th in Major League Baseball. Maybe Alberto's numbers should not have been a complete surprise. For the Orioles, over 139 games and 550 plate...
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Steve Melewski

For O's pitchers less (fastballs) could be more

Orioles
For O's pitchers less (fastballs) could be more
In October in this space, we took a look at fastball usage around Major League Baseball and how the Orioles stacked up in a comparison. We found that while the Orioles' average velocity ranked pretty low compared to other teams, their usage of the fastball ranked pretty high. Orioles pitchers threw the sixth-highest percentage of fastballs among 30 MLB teams in 2019 at 54.9 percent. But the average velocity for the Orioles of 92.4 mph rated 27th. By the way, this shows how velocity has...
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Steve Melewski

Alex Cobb's healthy return would provide rotation a big boost

Orioles
Alex Cobb's healthy return would provide rotation a big boost
When right-hander Alex Cobb signed a four-year deal for $57 million in March 2018, he was joining an Orioles team with a roster that included Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop, Mark Trumbo, Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Zack Britton and Brad Brach and hoped to contend in the American League East. When he reported to spring training last February, he was with a very different-looking team - one that was rebuilding and was expected to finish in last place. Cobb made just three starts...
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Steve Melewski

For this player, expectations will be high in 2020

Orioles
For this player, expectations will be high in 2020
He may not see the Orioles roster at all in the 2020 season. But at a time when expectations will be very low for the team in the standings, they will remain very high for at least one player in the organization come next season. That player is catcher Adley Rutschman. In June, the Orioles made him just the second overall No. 1 draft pick in team history. He was then signed to a record $8.1 million bonus and there is almost no way to temper expectations at this point. While fans greatly...
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Steve Melewski

After 223 losses over two years, can O's fans remain patient?

Orioles
After 223 losses over two years, can O's fans remain patient?
Yes, we do discuss the Orioles rebuilding a lot on this blog. It's interesting to discuss and it's also the factor that dominates just about everything with the team right now. It seems every baseball decision is made with rebuilding in mind. Some call it tanking and it is your right to use any word you want. To me, that word has a connotation of trying to lose. I don't see the Orioles encouraging losses, but Mike Elias and his front office inherited a team that lost 115 games. They didn't...
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Steve Melewski

Free agent spending: Some do it, some don't

Orioles
Free agent spending: Some do it, some don't
Remember last winter when baseball free agent spending was moving at a crawl. If it was even moving that fast. The top contracts were not signed until after spring training had started. On Feb. 21, 2019, the San Diego Padres signed former Oriole Manny Machado to a 10-year deal worth $300 million. A week later, the Phillies signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year deal worth $330 million. But sometimes big dollars don't equate to big wins. The Padres went 70-92 and finished in last place. The Phillies...
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Steve Melewski

In September burst, Austin Hays showed a strong skill set

Orioles
In September burst, Austin Hays showed a strong skill set
In 63 plate appearances with a September call-up in 2017 with the Orioles, outfielder Austin Hays hit .217. In 75 plate appearances last September, he hit .309. But just beyond those numbers, Hays showed some real five-tool talent in his 21-game run last September. Hays hit for average and some power. He drove balls in the gaps. He ran down balls in the gaps and made diving catches. He showed a strong throwing arm. He stole bases. He brought some real energy to the team. During the Winter...
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Steve Melewski

The O's have acquired eight young pitchers in 11 days

Orioles
The O's have acquired eight young pitchers in 11 days
The Orioles had some solid success with their young pitchers on the farm during the 2019 season. And they keep adding young pitchers to that group that competed last season. Of the Orioles' top six farm teams, four clubs led their leagues in ERA last summer. That was at Double-A Bowie, Single-A Delmarva, short-season Single-A Aberdeen and in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. And while it is true that Triple-A Norfolk and Single-A Frederick ranked last in their leagues in ERA in 2019,...
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Steve Melewski

Pondering a few questions about Ryan Mountcastle

Orioles
Pondering a few questions about Ryan Mountcastle
One aspect of the Orioles' rebuild that could and should excite fans is seeing young prospects come up from the minor leagues. One of the O's best is expected to make his debut next season. That is 22-year-old Ryan Mountcastle. His defensive position may not be set yet, but his bat looks ready. Mountcastle was an easy 40-man roster addition last month after a season when he was named both International League Most Valuable Player and the O's Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the...
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Steve Melewski

Looking further at some quotes from the Winter Meetings

Orioles
Looking further at some quotes from the Winter Meetings
Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias did a lot of talking at the recent Winter Meetings in San Diego. And not just to agents and other front office execs. He did a lot of talking to the media during the four days there. Here are a few of his quotes we read here at MASNSports.com and my take on them. Elias on the rebuilding and the trades of Dylan Bundy and Jonathan Villar: "There's going to be a couple years where we take steps back to take steps forward, where we say...
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Steve Melewski

Post-Winter Meetings edition: "10 questions for O's fans"

Orioles
Post-Winter Meetings edition: "10 questions for O's fans"
The Winter Meetings have come and gone. The Orioles added pitcher Marcos Diplán on waivers from Detroit. They added pitchers Brandon Bailey and Michael Rucker in the Rule 5 draft. More additions are coming certainly. So it's time for a post Winter Meetings edition of 10 questions. Answer one question or all 10. Provide short answers or long. Your call. Respond to other readers. Here's are today's questions: 1) Which Rule 5 pitcher - Bailey or Rucker - has a better chance to make the team...
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Steve Melewski

Part two: A scout's take on O's prospects

Orioles
Part two: A scout's take on O's prospects
A few days ago in this space we got a scout's take on several young players in the Orioles organization. Today we get the perspective of this scout from outside the organization on a few more O's prospects. And we start with his comparison of two young and talented pitchers in lefty DL Hall and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Hall was the Orioles' No. 1 pick, taken No. 21 overall, out of a Georgia high school in 2017. While his overall stats were not as strong in 2018, he pitched all last...
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Steve Melewski

A scout's take on some Orioles prospects

Orioles
A scout's take on some Orioles prospects
From time to time it is very interesting and also educational to hear from scouts from organizations outside of Baltimore to get opinions on Orioles players. I did just that recently with an American League scout who provided several solid insights on various O's minor league players. He had coverage of a few O's farm teams this year and got some good looks at players. He was generous with his time and opinions. We jumped around to various players, some highly ranked and others not ranked. So...
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Steve Melewski

A look at how one O's minor league pitcher used technology to improve

Orioles
A look at how one O's minor league pitcher used technology to improve
For the Orioles, the progress in 2019 of young pitcher Ryan Wilson had to be a real positive development. The 23-year-old lefty was moved from a bullpen role to starting and he had a big season for Single-A Delmarva. His year flew under the radar a bit as he pitched in a rotation with pitchers like Grayson Rodriguez, Gray Fenter and Drew Rom, but Wilson made 17 starts for the Shorebirds. He went 6-5 with a 2.80 ERA. Over 93 1/3 innings he allowed 73 hits and gave up just six homers with 29...
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Steve Melewski

The Rule 5 draft is up today at the Winter Meetings

Orioles
The Rule 5 draft is up today at the Winter Meetings
The Rule 5 draft is set for today at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. The Orioles have the second pick. At last year's meetings in Las Vegas, the Orioles had the first pick in this draft and selected Oakland infielder Richie Martin. Martin, who turns 25 on Dec. 22, was originally drafted in the first round (No. 20 overall) in the First-Year Player Draft by Oakland in 2015 and signed to a bonus of $1.95 million. But he batted .237, .235 and .234 in his first three pro seasons. That changed in...
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