Steve Melewski

On Mancini, former Orioles and chemistry experiments

December 10, 2019, 6:34pm

Orioles

If you get the feeling it would take a lot for the Orioles to trade Trey Mancini, you are not alone. And team management and comments from the front office can help lead one to that conclusion. Numerous times during and after the 2019 season, we've heard Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias talk about Mancini in very generous and glowing terms. You get the sense it's quite genuine and not just a GM being respectful of or talking up a star player. In 154 games last...

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More on DiplÃ¡n, the rotation and more

December 09, 2019, 5:55pm

Orioles

The Orioles are still adding young pitchers. They've now acquired six in the last week. It started with getting lefty Easton Lucas from Miami for Jonathan Villar. It continued when they got four right-handers from the Los Angeles Angels for Dylan Bundy. In that deal they added Isaac Mattson, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek. On Monday at the Winter Meetings they claimed right-hander Marcos DiplÃ¡n on waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Diplan never pitched in a game for Detroit, either...

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It's opening day ... of the Winter Meetings (with updates)

December 08, 2019, 2:31pm

Orioles

It's opening day ... of the Winter Meetings (with updates)

Will the Orioles be busy at the Winter Meetings in San Diego that begin today? No doubt they will. But will that work and various meetings lead to actual moves? That is what we are waiting to find out. In recent years, the Orioles have often come away from the Winter Meetings with a Rule 5 pick - some years more than one - but that is usually it. This year the Orioles were busy in the week leading up to the meetings. They acquired five minor league pitchers in separate deals for Jonathan Villar...

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Another look at the new pitchers in the organization

December 07, 2019, 1:40pm

Orioles

Another look at the new pitchers in the organization

One thing that would certainly aid and maybe hasten the Orioles' rebuilding efforts would be seeing some of their young pitching prospects move on to have big league success. Along those lines, the Orioles added five young pitchers to their organization in the last week. Last Monday they acquired lefty pitcher Easton Lucas from Miami in a trade for infielder Jonathan Villar. Two days later the Orioles picked up four young right-handers from the Los Angeles Angels in a trade for starting...

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A look at the Rule 5 draft with Baseball America's J.J. Cooper

December 06, 2019, 12:11pm

Orioles

A look at the Rule 5 draft with Baseball America's J.J. Cooper

The latest edition of the Rule 5 draft is set for Thursday at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. The last Rule 5 draft where the Orioles did not make a selection was in 2005. Yep, it's been that long, and the Orioles are certainly expected to make a selection again this year when they pick second behind Detroit. The order of the draft is the same as for the First-Year Player Draft set for June. Picking first last December in the Rule 5, the Orioles took infielder Richie Martin from Oakland. He...

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Another Orioles Q&A and updating their 2020 draft picks

December 05, 2019, 2:26pm

Orioles

After an eventful week around Birdland with the trades of Jonathan Villar and Dylan Bundy, there is plenty to talk about. Plus the Winter Meetings begin next week in San Diego. The Orioles added five minor league pitchers in the deals for Villar and Bundy and are expected to make at least one pick in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. So today, with a lot going on recently, let's take some reader questions. Ask anything - about the minors or majors, the recent trades or any topic - and I and other...

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Appreciating Dylan Bundy, and some quotes from the other side

December 04, 2019, 4:06pm

Orioles

Appreciating Dylan Bundy, and some quotes from the other side

Through it all - from his stunning pro start with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds in 2012 to more than 100 starts for the Orioles - Dylan Bundy was a class act. I'm pretty sure he will continue to be that for his new team, the Los Angeles Angels. After nine pro seasons with the organization, Bundy is no longer a part of Birdland. The right-hander was traded to the Angels yesterday for four right-handed minor league pitchers. The O's got Isaac Mattson, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Zach...

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Orioles trade right-hander Dylan Bundy to Angels

December 04, 2019, 11:48am

Orioles

He was the Orioles' top draft pick, taken No. 4 overall in 2011, and made 103 starts in an Orioles uniform. But today right-hander Dylan Bundy's time with the club ended as he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for four minor league pitchers. The deal was first reported by The Athletic, which said that right-hander Isaac Mattson would be one of the players coming to Baltimore. Mattson, 24, went 6-3 with a 2.33 ERA last season. Over 37 games - all in relief, with most coming at the Double-A...

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Rebuilding is indeed as difficult as advertised

December 03, 2019, 3:12pm

Orioles

Rebuilding is indeed as difficult as advertised

A few days after the end of the 2019 season, I wrote about the fan reaction to rebuilding and the Orioles season that had just ended. It was a season of a lot of interaction with fans here on this blog, on Twitter and on my postgame radio show. Around the area, anywhere and everywhere, fans seem to like to tell me their opinions and I really like that. My take then was basically that I was suprised that a large majority of fans I interacted with understood the club's rebuilding efforts and...

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He wasn't non-tendered, but Jonathan Villar is no longer an Oriole

December 02, 2019, 5:35pm

Orioles

He wasn't non-tendered, but Jonathan Villar is no longer an Oriole

So, in the end, the Orioles found a trade partner for infielder Jonathan Villar. In a bit of a surprise, it was the Miami Marlins. Miami acquired Villar last night and sent to the Orioles 23-year-old minor league lefty Easton Lucas. Drafted in round 14 in June out of Pepperdine, Lucas went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA, pitching in one game in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and mostly in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League. Over 34 2/3 innings, he walked nine, fanned 41, allowed just three...

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The Mo and Mancini Show was again pretty good

December 01, 2019, 3:11pm

Orioles

The Mo and Mancini Show was again pretty good

Sometimes pro athletes do special things for kids and it's great. Sometimes those players may be in and out their lives quickly and that's fine too. They did something great and it usually has lasting impact. Sometimes it goes further for the player and the kid. Sometimes much further. To see evidence of that close to home, we need look no further than Trey Mancini and 13-year-old Orioles and Ravens superfan Mo Gaba. Their friendship is genuine and lasting. They're pretty good together, as...

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At his tailgate today, Mancini speaks on possible loss of Villar

December 01, 2019, 8:47am

Orioles

At his tailgate today, Mancini speaks on possible loss of Villar

At his Purple Tailgate fundraiser for his good friend Mo Gaba today, the Orioles' Trey Mancini briefly discussed some team business. Like his teammate, infielder Jonathan Villar, hitting the waiver wire and possibly being non-tendered by the club. Last year, Villar hit .274/.339/.453 with 33 doubles, five triples, 24 homers, 40 steals, 111 runs and an OPS of .792. He produced the first season with 20 or more homers and steals by an Oriole since Manny Machado in 2015. "It's tough. He had such...

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Is another O's first-round pick going to be moved?

November 30, 2019, 10:48am

Orioles

Is another O's first-round pick going to be moved?

As a pitcher taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 draft, right-hander Dylan Bundy arrived in the Orioles organization bearing the weight of some very high expectations. Those expectations that he would be a No. 1 starter, and maybe a dominant No. 1, were not realized. Tommy John surgery and shoulder issues took care of that. Bundy has been solid at times for the club and he's led the team the last two years in starts, innings and strikeouts. He's surely a gamer with a four-pitch mix...

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Gary Kendall talks about Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer

November 29, 2019, 6:07pm

Orioles

Gary Kendall talks about Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer

For this recent entry about Ryan Mountcastle and his addition to the Orioles' 40-man roster, I spent some time interviewing Triple-A Norfolk manager Gary Kendall. I talked with Kendall talking about two pitchers. We discussed left-hander Keegan Akin and right-hander Dean Kremer, who were both also recently added to the 40-man roster. Outfielder Ryan McKenna joined that trio and now none of the four can be taken in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Throwing a fastball, slider and changeup, Akin went...

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A look at how the catching position could shape up

November 28, 2019, 3:29pm

Orioles

A look at how the catching position could shape up

If Adley Rutschman is the future of the catching position for the Orioles - and he most certainly is - the present in 2020 will probably look a lot like it did in 2019. Pedro Severino, Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns remain as the three O's catchers currently on the 40-man roster. The club seems set with that trio for next season as they also get set to watch Rutschman progress through his first full season on the O's farm. Both Severino and Sisco got off to hot hitting starts with the club...

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After strong 2019, Villar's time in Baltimore may be ending

November 27, 2019, 4:27pm

Orioles

After strong 2019, Villar's time in Baltimore may be ending

It sure looks like Jonathan Villar's time with the Orioles is coming to an end. With seemingly little interest via trade, Villar was put on waivers yesterday. Any team can claim him, but they would also inherit his arbitration status and potential salary of $10 million or more for 2020. The Orioles' decision appears to be that Villar is too pricey for a rebuilding club and they are about to officially cut ties with a player who had his best season last year. Villar hit .274/.339/.453 with 33...

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It's time for another Orioles Q&A

November 26, 2019, 2:36pm

Orioles

Don't you love it when there is not one specific topic to discuss about the Orioles but many? I know I do, so it's time for another Orioles question-and-answer session. You provide a question on anything about the club - the majors or minors, potential additions or subtractions, the upcoming Rule 5 draft - whatever you've got and I and our readers will provide some responses. For instance, the Orioles have seven arbitration-eligible players, headed up by infielder Jonathan Villar. Readers...

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Could either of these lefties be a fit for the Orioles?

November 25, 2019, 10:59am

Orioles

When we mentioned free agent pitchers Marco Estrada and Trevor Cahill here on Saturday, there was not much sentiment among the readers for the Orioles to pursue either one. Both have a track record of some success, but struggled in 2019. Free agent lefty Brett Anderson however, is a pitcher with a track record of some success. But while he struggled in the 2017-2018 seasons, going 8-9 with a 5.24 ERA and a 1.452 WHIP, he pitched much better last season. Any team can sign him now, but he did not...

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Taking a look at two unheralded players who helped Delmarva

November 24, 2019, 11:27am

Orioles

Taking a look at two unheralded players who helped Delmarva

When I interviewed 2019 Single-A Delmarva manager Kyle Moore recently, we discussed his Shorebirds being named the Minor League Baseball team of the year by Milb.com. But we also discussed a few players who flew under the radar on that team, which went 90-48 this season and became the first South Atlantic League team with 90 or more wins since 2006. One was lefty hitting corner outfielder Robert Neustrom, the Orioles' fifth-round pick out of the University of Iowa in 2018. The 2019 year was...

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A look back: The 40-man roster, Frederick on list of 42 and more

November 23, 2019, 12:55pm

Orioles

A look back: The 40-man roster, Frederick on list of 42 and more

In looking back at the last week of stories here, we discussed a few interesting topics. Today we present a few of these for further discussion. * They included the Single-A Frederick Keys being named as one of 42 minor league teams that could lose their big league affiliations. The Keys have been an O's affiliate since 1989 and they do quite well at the gate. Frederick has ranked first or second in Carolina League attendance the last eight years. MASNsports.com interviewed Frederick owner Ken...