If you read the entry I wrote last night with Baseball America's Jim Callis, you know he is pretty high on the Orioles draft. He called it a "very good draft" for the Orioles and said it had the "makings of a terrific draft."
He took some time with me to go over some of the Orioles' picks made after they tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall selection.
Here are his comments on some of the picks.
2nd-round pick, third baseman Jason Esposito from Vanderbilt:
"Jason Esposito in the...
Even though they won their eighth game in a row on Wednesday night, the Frederick Keys were not in a mood to celebrate much after their game at Potomac.
Two of their key players, first baseman Tyler Townsend and outfielder Trent Mummey both left the game with hamstring injuries within minutes of each other in the fifth inning of a 6-4 win.
Mummey's hamstring appears to be the more serious of the two at this point.
Mummey, playing center field, was running into the gap in right center...
Well, for tonight there will be no talk of the American League catching up to Zach Britton.
The rookie lefty had given up 14 earned runs and 25 hits over 16 2/3 over his past three starts, but he was back to his earlier form tonight, getting his sixth win as the Orioles beat Oakland 3-2.
For the Birds, it's their first three-game home sweep of Oakland since July of 1998.
Britton, who gave up six runs in 5 2/3 against Oakland on May 29, tonight gave up just one run and four hits over 6 1/3...
Mark Reynolds hit another homer tonight, a two-run shot in the 5th to give the Orioles a three-run lead that is now 3-1.
Reynolds' 10th homer of the year, a team-leading figure, traveled 398 feet to left center field. It was his third homer in the last five games and he now has 32 RBIs which ties Adam Jones for the team RBI lead.
It could be said Reynolds has been producing homers at a pace expected of him since May began. He hit just two homers in April but has now hit eight over the last...
Now that the draft is over, how did the Orioles do?
We won't know for sure on that for a few years, but few analysts know the draft better than Baseball America's Jim Callis and he gives the Orioles high marks.
"They got the best pitcher in the draft and depth after that," Callis said. "They got tremendous quality and quantity. There's an expression that every scouting director tells every GM on draft day they had the best draft in baseball. But I think this is a very good draft for the...
The Orioles have moved Bowie closer Jose Diaz to Triple-A Norfolk. They officially placed pitcher Dan Klein on the 7-day DL and added Pedro Viola from Baltimore along with pitcher Armando Gabino, who leaves Norfolk and joins Bowie.
Diaz appeared in 25 games for Bowie, going 0-2 with a 1.48 ERA and an Eastern League-leading 17 saves in 19 opportunities. The right-hander struck out 28 batters in 24.1 innings of work.
Klein has appeared in nine games for the Baysox, going 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA...
The Frederick Keys are one of the hottest teams in minor league baseball right now. The Keys beat Potomac 7-2 last night and that extended the club's win streak to seven games, the Keys' longest since August of 2005.
The Keys have won 12 of their past 13 games and have the Carolina League's best record at 36-22, a .621 winning percentage. They are closing in on the first-half title in their division with a lead of 5 1/2 games with 12 contests to play.
After finishing April a game under...
If you look at the Orioles' draft picks this year through 30 rounds, the O's have certainly grabbed much more college than high school talent with the picks so far.
Of the Orioles' picks through the first 20 rounds, they selected 16 college players. Through 30 rounds, they took 21 college and nine high school players.
Over the last three years of drafts combined, from 2008 to 2010, the Orioles selected 100 college players to 49 from high schools.
After the Orioles took high school pitcher...
Say it quietly, but the Orioles' bullpen continues to throw well, at least it has for the last nine games.
The Orioles 'pen put up four scoreless innings tonight in relief of starter Chris Jakubauskas who got the win in the Birds' 4-0 victory over Oakland.
This was the O's fourth shutout of the season.
But about that 'pen ... Over the last nine games now, the O's 'pen has worked to an ERA of 0.30 allowing just two earned runs over the last 30 innings in that time.
That is some roll...
The Orioles took a Baltimore-area kid among their draft picks today when they selected Kevin "K.J." Hockaday in the 14th round with the 425th overall selection.
Hockaday played high school ball at John Carroll in Harford County and the Joppatowne resident has a college commitment to play at the University of Maryland.
His high school coach, Joe Stetka, is also an Orioles' associate scout. He said it was emotional for him and the Hockaday family today when the hometown kid got drafted by...
Luke Scott is looking forward to his return to the Orioles lineup tonight. He has not played since Friday against Toronto, but he's in there tonight batting seventh in left field.
Scott got a cortisone shot in his ailing right shoulder on Sunday. It seems that shot has worked for him so far.
"It feels the best it's felt in six weeks. That's a positive," he said in the clubhouse a few moments ago.
Then he headed out for batting practice to test the shoulder in the cage for the first time...
Here is a bit of a surprise: The Orioles may be considering another Oklahoma right-handed high school pitcher for the fourth pick in the draft.
They have been linked for weeks to pitcher Dylan Bundy from the Sooner state, but now there are indications they are also considering Archie Bradley, a 6-foot-4 inch, 215-pounder, for their first-round pick.
Bradley pitched a two-hit shutout and fanned 14 when his school, Broken Arrow, beat Bundy's Owasso squad for the Oklahoma 6-A state championship...
Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan said first-round draft pick Dylan Bundy was "the best guy on our board when our turn came and we took him."
Jordan just finished a conference call with Baltimore reporters and he was asked how quickly Bundy, who was chosen with the fourth overall pick, could move through the minors to get to Baltimore.
"Barring injury, he will be on a good pace, an accelerated pace," he said.
Jordan said Bundy had "one of the best deliveries of any pitcher in the...
Well, in the end, the Orioles did take Oklahoma high school hurler Dylan Bundy with the fourth pick in tonight's first round.
Bundy is an 18-year-old right-hander out of Owasso (Okla.) High near Tulsa. This year, he went 11-0 with an 0.20 ERA. In 71 innings, he walked just five and fanned 158. He pitched one no-hitter and six one-hitters.
Now there are two Bundys on the O's farm. His brother, Bobby, was drafted in round eight in 2008 and now pitches at Single-A Frederick.
Baseball...
It didn't take long for some fans to get worked up over the possibility that the Orioles may take high school pitcher Archie Bradley with the fourth pick in tonight's draft.
Before we go any further, please keep in mind that Keith Law has Bradley rated 5th on his latest top-100 board and Baseball America lists him 9th.
They would not be reaching into the late first-round to draft a player fourth, but Bradley's name has not been linked to the Orioles much in the last few days and some fans...
Playing with a labrum tear in his right shoulder, Luke Scott got a cortisone ejection in that shoulder today. He hopes that allows him to begin to play pain free and put up some stats like he did last year when he was the Orioles team MVP.
"It still bothers me and subconsciously it's a challenge to deal with. So this was an opportunity to get a cortisone shot and see how that goes," Scott said.
He had said earlier it impacted him more with throwing than hitting, but today had to admit it...
The Orioles began today with a record of 8-13 on the year against American League East clubs and a record of 18-17 against everyone else.
The East is still a bit of a beast and is the only division in baseball that features four teams right now with .500 or better records. The Orioles are not one of those four as you probably knew.
While the Orioles won five of their first nine games this season against the East, they are just 3-9 over the last 12 and trail by three runs today versus Toronto...
It has been a tough season for the Orioles' 2010 minor league Player of the Year, Joe Mahoney. He has been on the disabled list twice this year due to a quad injury and this past week had a hamstring issue that set him back a few days at extended spring training.
But, the Orioles have their fingers crossed that Mahoney could finally return to play next weekend.
Since Double-A Bowie will be on a road trip in Maine then, Mahoney may come north and join the Single-A Frederick Keys for a few...
After getting two hits last night in the Eastern League, Derrek Lee returned to the Orioles and got two hits tonight in four at bats in the American League.
He had been out since May 16 with a strained left oblique and said he came through the game with no issues physically.
"I feel fine, felt good," he said.
Batting fifth in the order for the first time on the year, Lee came up with singles in the second and sixth innings and scored both times.
"I am just going to go out there and play...



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