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...
In his 53rd career at-bat with the bases loaded, Mark Reynolds delivered his first grand slam.
His shot to left in the last of the sixth tonight unloaded the bases and gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead. They won by that score over Toronto in front of 20,086 at Camden Yards.
It was just the O's seventh win in their last 28 meetings with Toronto.
Until the slam, Reynolds was a career .115 hitter with a slugging percentage of .192 with the bases loaded. He was 6-for-52 with four doubles and 26...
With the First-Year Player Draft now less than 48 hours away, is it becoming more likely that the Orioles take a college pitcher rather than Dylan Bundy, the high school right-hander that so many mock drafts have linked the club with?
The answer is: Quite possibly.
In a tweet tonight, Baseball America's Jim Callis said his best projection now has Bundy going with the third pick to Arizona after Pittsburgh, picking first, takes Gerrit Cole of UCLA and Seattle nabs Rice infielder Anthony...
In his mock draft from May 18, ESPN's Keith Law had the Orioles taking Oklahoma high school pitcher Dylan Bundy with the fourth pick in Monday's draft.
In his mock draft out yesterday, Law now projects University of Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen to be the O's pick.
He has Pittsburgh taking UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole with the first pick before Seattle takes Anthony Rendon of Rice and Arizona selects UCLA hurler Trevor Bauer.
Law was a guest on my radio show this week on 105.7 FM in Baltimore...
The Toronto Blue Jays have taken a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the third tonight against Zach Britton and the Orioles.
This would probably be a bad time to remind everyone that Toronto went 15-3 against the Orioles last year and has won 20 of the last 26 games between the teams. They out-homered the Orioles last season 34-8 in the 18 games.
It wasn't a longball tonight, but a Mark Reynolds' error that helped Toronto to two runs in the second. After a leadoff single by Juan Rivera, catcher...
Manager Buck Showalter was asked today if American League hitters are starting to make some adjustments against lefty Zach Britton, who is pitching tonight here against Toronto.
Over his last two starts against K.C. and Oakland, Britton has allowed 19 hits and nine earned runs over 11 2/3 innings as his ERA has increased from 2.14 to 2.93.
Buck Showalter talks about if it's time for Zach Britton to begin making adjustments
"No. There are no secrets," Showalter said. "They had watched...
Adam Jones was in no mood to brag about his great catch against Seattle on Wednesday earlier today in the Orioles' clubhouse.
He was asked what it was like to get national attention over the play where he ran back to the warning track and made a basket catch with his back to the infield to rob Miguel Olivo of extra bases. It was the Play of the Night on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and a top web gem on "Baseball Tonight."
"I don't care. It's a great catch, but that was Wednesday and today...
One of the biggest issues surrounding the Orioles lately has been the continued lack of production from right fielder Nick Markakis.
Markakis does not have an extra-base hit over the last 15 games and 64 at-bats and has just two over his last 24 games. He has now gone 10 games without a multi-hit contest.
Buck Showalter discusses Nick Markakis' struggles with the media
"I think it's been frustrating for him," manager Buck Showalter said. "A day or two goes and you think he is on his...
Derrek Lee will bat leadoff and serve as the designated hitter tonight for Double-A Bowie. Showalter said it's not certain how many games Lee will play with Bowie.
He did say the plans for his grandfather's funeral were finalized and it will be next Friday in California. Lee will leave the team Thursday (he likely would be activated by then) and perhaps be placed on bereavement leave where he can come off the roster for several days.
"We'll go day-to-day with that (Lee)," Showalter said....
The debate will rage on at least for a few more days.
Should the Orioles shy away from drafting a high school pitcher with the fourth pick in round one of Monday's First-Year Player Draft? Should they take a college player or pitcher that is likely closer to getting to the majors?
The last three times the Orioles drafted a high school pitcher in Round 1, they took Matt Hobgood in 2009, Adam Loewen in 2002 and Richard Stahl in 1999.
Only Loewen ever made the majors and Hobgood is rehabbing...



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