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It's been busy during prospect ranking season

February 19, 2022, 9:37am

Orioles

It's been busy during prospect ranking season

During a lockout, we can't say it's baseball season yet. Hopefully, sooner than later. But we can say it is prospect ranking season. Multiple outlets have been coming out with player and team rankings. Today let's review what we have seen so far. Six Orioles were in the ESPN top 100: 1 - Adley Rutschman 8 - Grayson Rodriguez 74 - Colton Cowser 94 - DL Hall 96 - Gunnar Henderson 98 - Coby Mayo Five Orioles were in the Baseball America top 100: 1 - Rutschman 6 - Rodriguez 52 - Hall 57 -...

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New Delmarva skipper can ask dad, brother about managing

February 28, 2022, 11:32am

Orioles

New Delmarva skipper can ask dad, brother about managing

He is from a famous baseball family and proud of the Alou name. His dad played and managed in the majors, and his brother managed in the big leagues the last two seasons. There is family experience to draw on as the Orioles' Felipe Rojas Alou Jr. gets ready for his first season as a professional manager. The younger Alou will skipper the Orioles' low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds this year, following in the footsteps of both his dad, Felipe Alou, and his brother, Luis Rojas, who managed the...

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Analyst bullish on DL Hall, but future role is a question

February 27, 2022, 9:24am

Orioles

Analyst bullish on DL Hall, but future role is a question

There is no doubt that the combination of an injury that limited him to seven starts last season and trouble at times in his career with control and command have dropped Orioles lefty pitching prospect DL Hall a bit on some top 100 prospects lists. But he hasn't dropped on all of them, and on one list, he actually moved way up, even though the outlet feels he could end up pitching in the bullpen in the majors. This is an interesting guy for publications to rank. Before 2021, Baseball...

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One analyst's take on O's No. 1 farm rankings

February 26, 2022, 3:36pm

Orioles

One analyst's take on O's No. 1 farm rankings

When FanGraphs.com placed six Orioles among its top 69 prospects this week in their ranking of the top 100 in baseball, it was certainly an impressive haul for the O's. But they were not the first outlet to rank six Orioles in the top 100, as ESPN beat them to it by a few days and the O's placed a half-dozen players among the top 98 in baseball. Six Orioles were in the ESPN top 100: 1 - Adley Rutschman 8 - Grayson Rodriguez 74 - Colton Cowser 94 - DL Hall 96 - Gunnar Henderson 98 - Coby...

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Who's the best guess for Orioles breakout player in 2022?

January 24, 2022, 10:58am

Orioles

Before we can toss out ideas for an Orioles breakout player this season, we first need to rummage through the qualifications. Cedric Mullins made it easy in 2021. The April demotion in 2019 and inability to claw his way back to the majors. No assurances that he'd hold onto the center field job last spring. The first 30/30 season in franchise history, along with an All-Star berth, Silver Slugger Award and ninth-place finish in Most Valuable Player voting in the American League. And so on and...

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Kjerstad recounts his small world moment

February 11, 2022, 5:51am

Orioles

Kjerstad recounts his small world moment

Heston Kjerstad won't claim that he never forgets a face, but the young outfielder was certain that he recognized one of the players who showed up in Sarasota last month to work out at the minicamps for hitters. The stranger wasn't at the fall instructional camp. He wasn't in the organization until January. Who was this guy? A little detective work revealed his identity and proved again that it's a small baseball world. Kjerstad already lived the coincidence of being teammates with...

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Nothing normal about Hyde's first three seasons with O's

February 08, 2022, 11:29am

Orioles

Nothing normal about Hyde's first three seasons with O's

Orioles pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in less than a week. Six days, to be exact. With forecasted temperatures reaching the upper 60s. Cold by Sarasota standards, but not as icy as the talks between Major League Baseball and the players association. Everyone is waiting for official word that the start of spring training is delayed. Hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement and making the necessary arrangements to get players into camp...

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Baseball moves Marrow back to Maryland as minors coach

February 15, 2022, 12:21pm

Orioles

Baseball moves Marrow back to Maryland as minors coach

Troy Marrow didn't begin his life in the Baltimore area, but he feels like he's back home. Though the seeds were planted in New York, where he learned to cheer for the Yankees with his father, Glenn, a Brooklyn native, the roots run deep here. They keep latching onto him. The Orioles hired Marrow as fundamentals coach in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, returning him to the area once again before the minor league season begins. The pull is always so strong. Marrow, 29, moved to...

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Orioles sign Long to minor league deal

February 16, 2022, 10:41am

Orioles

The Orioles made their first transaction of 2022 that didn't involve the international market, with an industry source confirming that they've signed Shed Long Jr. to a minor league deal. The lockout prevents moves that impact the 40-man roster. The Mariners outrighted Long, 26, in October after he batted .198/.258/.360 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs in 34 games, and he elected free agency. Long underwent surgery in September 2020 to repair a stress fracture in his right...

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The birthday boy could still take his offense to a higher gear

February 18, 2022, 12:15pm

Orioles

The birthday boy could still take his offense to a higher gear

Ryan Mountcastle turned 25 on Friday. As he gets ready for his third big league season, let's take a look at a few ways he can take an impressive 117 career OPS+ and maybe even do a little better. After 140 plate appearances in his 2020 debut season, Mountcastle finished eighth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and was still rookie-eligible in 2021. And he finished sixth in the voting after last season. Over 144 games and 586 plate appearances last season, he batted...

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Non-drafted JD Mundy swung a potent bat in 2021 season

February 21, 2022, 1:13pm

Orioles

Non-drafted JD Mundy swung a potent bat in 2021 season

During my series of interviews with the four full-season Orioles minor league managers, I talked with 2021 high Single-A Aberdeen manager Kyle Moore and we discussed a few of his players from last season. Today we'll take a closer look at first baseman JD Mundy. In this recent entry, we discussed pitchers Garrett Stallings and Jake Prizina. Among the 28 Orioles on the farm last season who had 300 or more plate appearance, Mundy was an impressive first in OPS at .926. Adley Rutschman was second...

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Piggyback pitching on the farm and Kjerstad close to pro debut

February 25, 2022, 7:46am

Orioles

Piggyback pitching on the farm and Kjerstad close to pro debut

Especially at low Single-A Delmarva, but possibly at other affiliates as well, the Orioles could use a piggyback pitching system in some minor league games again this year. Last April in this story, we told you about this coming to the O's farm in advance of the start of the 2021 minor league season. It is essentially where one of the affiliates gets two starting pitchers or starting rotation candidates into the same game, with one going the first part of the contest and the other the second...

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New Aberdeen skipper ready for the challenge of pro ball

February 24, 2022, 2:00pm

Orioles

New Aberdeen skipper ready for the challenge of pro ball

When you talk to Roberto Mercado, a new member of the Orioles front office and player development staff, his excitement to work for the club in 2022 comes through. It's going to be a big adjustment for the 42-year-old Mercado. He was the head coach of New Britain (Conn.) High School from 2011-2021 with a record of 139-80 and dean of students at the school since 2004. But his baseball experience also includes time spent as an assistant coach in the summer wood bat Cape Cod League, one of the...

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As rookie farm manager, Mercado can draw on Cape experience

February 20, 2022, 2:36pm

Orioles

As rookie farm manager, Mercado can draw on Cape experience

Earlier this year, the Orioles did, in fact, hire someone who this summer will make the big jump from manager of a high school team to manager of the high Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds. That is an accurate statement. But another accurate statement is that calling him a high school coach doesn't begin to provide the full story of the baseball experiences for 42-year-old Robert Mercado. In his new role as Aberdeen skipper, Mercado will draw often on his time, from 2014 to 2021, as an assistant...

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Will some prospects have a chance to play at three levels in 2022?

February 22, 2022, 1:38pm

Orioles

Will some prospects have a chance to play at three levels in 2022?

There were a few players on the Orioles farm that played at three levels last season. They got promoted twice, in other words, and that was impressive. Could we see more of that in terms of promotions coming in 2022? "I think last year was a unique situation," O's director of player development Matt Blood said this week from Sarasota. "We didn't have as much information to go off of (with no minors games in 2020). I think this year will be a little more normal in regard to those type of...

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A look at the O's haul of prospects on FanGraphs' list

February 23, 2022, 11:33am

Orioles

A look at the O's haul of prospects on FanGraphs' list

Another outlet released a top 100 list (actually 114) on Wednesday, and this time the Orioles produced their strongest representation yet when they placed six players in the top 69 on the list released by FanGraphs.com. Adley Rutschman was yet again rated as the top position prospect and overall No. 1 prospect in baseball, as he was earlier by Baseball America, The Athletic and ESPN. But this time right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez achieved his highest ranking ever, at No. 3. He had been...

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Orioles remove Kriske, Fox from 40-man roster (with multiple updates)

November 30, 2021, 9:58am

Orioles

While the Orioles are busy making contract decisions on their arbitration eligible players, with the deadline set at 8 p.m. tonight, they also cleared two spots on a 40-man roster that's no longer filled. Reliever Brooks Kriske was released to pursue an international opportunity, according to the club, confirming news that appeared this morning on baseball's transactions page. And the Nationals claimed infielder Lucius Fox off waivers, ending his stay with the Orioles only two weeks after...

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Next deadline is upon Orioles as CBA is set to expire (updated)

November 29, 2021, 4:12pm

Orioles

With the clock ticking much louder on the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, and a resolution by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday seems impossible, the next order of business for anyone covering the Winter Meetings is to check the hotel's cancellation policy. Don't want to get charged for a room that isn't used. (The policy is 48 hours before check-in, if you care.) Also, who doesn't love a Southwest credit? A free agent still must pass his physical and sign a contract after the final...

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Rewinding an Orioles roster review

December 26, 2021, 1:33pm

Orioles

Among the inconveniences of baseball's lockout is the delay in attacking roster deficiencies with major league free agent signings. Get ready for the frenzy of activity after a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, with teams racing through the green light at speeds that could leave many competitors in the dust. The Orioles tossed a starting pitcher and second baseman in their cart before the market closed. Jordan Lyles isn't listed on the 40-man roster, which holds at 38, because...

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Almost time for Orioles to tender contracts

November 28, 2021, 11:03am

Orioles

The last gasp from the Orioles front office before the air is potentially squeezed out of the offseason comes on Tuesday with the deadline for tendering contracts to players eligible for arbitration. The date was moved up a couple of days with the threat of a shutdown due to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. The Orioles had eight eligible players before outrighting catcher Pedro Severino and infielder Pat Valaika, sending them into free agency. Severino, projected by...