Heston Kjerstad doesn't know the reasons why he contracted myocarditis, a condition that causes inflammation in the heart and halts the career of a young baseball player. It could have been related to COVID-19. It could have been something else. What's indisputable is how it wrecked his professional life and changed him personally. Maybe for the better in the long run. Kjerstad certainly believes so, and he carries that positive attitude into his daily workouts at the Orioles' fall...

The Orioles have to be encouraged by the early returns on their six-player 2020 draft. They've seen Jordan Westburg, Hudson Haskin, Anthony Servideo and Coby Mayo do some nice things. Now they look to get Heston Kjerstad and Carter Baumler in the mix. Both Kjerstad, the No. 2 overall pick in that draft, and Baumler, the right-hander the Orioles drafted in round five (No. 133 overall), should be on the field in games when the 2022 season begins. Baumler has only pitched in one game since the...

His 2021 stats are modest, but it says here his talent is large. He was taken No. 4 overall in the 2015 draft and he has a right arm worthy of such a high pick. But so far at the major league level, Orioles reliever Dillon Tate has not put it all together. Just when it looks like he is getting on a roll and we see a bunch of nasty pitches, something often seems to go wrong. Will next season be his year? I say it will and there are stats from 2021 that might provide a clue. First of all, his...

With the 2021 season officially over and baseball moving into full offseason mode, important dates on the calendar crossed off one at a time, the mailbag again is inflating like my ego. My new wife is only available to deflate the ego. Not the mailbag. That one is up to me. Just to review: You, my wonderful followers - which unfortunately sounds like a cult that will be documented on Netflix - ask me many questions that I attempt to answer. Some of you ask the same ones as if I ignored you. And...

Watching everyone's memories of the 2019 postseason run, a World Series win in Game 7 in Houston on Howie Kendrick's clanger and the ensuing celebratory parade in D.C. has been a blast. I've always preferred memories over memorabilia, because memories can't be bought, sold or traded. They'll be with us until the day we die. Man, what a fun postseason we had two years ago, full of memories to last a lifetime. But the 2021 campaign is over, and it's time to throw another log into the hot...

PLAYER REVIEW: ANDRES MACHADO Age on opening day 2022: 28 How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, February 2021 MLB service time: 120 days 2021 salary: $570,500 Contract status: Under team control, possibly arbitration-eligible in 2024, free agent in 2028 2021 stats: 1-2, 3.53 ERA, 40 G, 35 2/3 IP, 30 H, 17 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 30 SO, 5 HBP, 1.262 WHIP, 116 ERA+, 4.63 FIP, 0.0 fWAR, 0.2 bWAR Quotable: "I've been watching him and using him in different situations. He gets the ball...

PLAYER REVIEW: MASON THOMPSON Age on opening day 2022: 24 How acquired: Traded from Padres with Jordy Barley for Daniel Hudson, July 2021 MLB service time: 80 days 2021 salary: $570,500 Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2025, free agent in 2028 2021 stats (SD/WSH): 1-3, 4.01 ERA, 31 G, 24 2/3 IP, 32 H, 15 R, 11 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 23 SO, 1 HBP, 1.905 WHIP, 103 ERA+, 5.36 FIP, minus-0.2 fWAR, minus-0.1 bWAR Quotable: "There's definitely nerves coming over to a new...

The Orioles did some heavy work today on their 40-man roster, including outrighting catcher Pedro Severino to Triple-A Norfolk. Severino and relievers Conner Greene and Marcos Diplán cleared waivers and were outrighted. They can become free agents after going through a procedural process that might take a couple of days. Left-hander Fernando Abad entered free agency this afternoon and the Pirates claimed reliever Eric Hanhold off waivers. The moves have left the Orioles with 30 players on...

When the Atlanta Braves won the World Series on Tuesday night - as Atlanta beat the Houston Astros in six games - a Braves employee since 1977 could exhale and realize he got to the baseball mountaintop. He was a world champion - one who started with the organization as a minor league player in 1977. He is a former longtime minor league manager and a man who was promoted to the position of major league coach three times over the years, only to be sent back to the minors each time. He is the...

The Washington Nationals announced the remainder of their 2022 Major League coaching staff on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Dave Martinez made the joint announcement. * Tim Bogar - Bench Coach * Darnell Coles - Hitting Coach * Pat Roessler - Assistant Hitting Coach * Jim Hickey - Pitching Coach * Eric Young Jr. - First Base Coach * Gary DiSarcina - Third Base Coach * Henry Blanco - Catching and Strategy Coach * Ricky Bones -...