Every Oriole finally is able to take a break. Trey Mancini finished as runner-up Monday night in the Home Run Derby. Cedric Mullins started for the American League and scored a run in last night's All-Star Game. Two days for the team to clear its collective heads and get back to business, which hasn't exactly been a pleasant experience in the first half. The Orioles are 28-61, the worst record in the American League and second behind the Diamondbacks (26-66). "We've been going through a lot...

Seven major league clubs will have four or more players representing them tonight at Coors Field in the All-Star Game. Five of those clubs (the Dodgers, Padres, Brewers, Red Sox and Astros) entered the break in possession of a postseason berth, and a sixth (the Blue Jays) owns a winning record. The seventh? That would be the Nationals, who despite climbing two games over the .500 mark two weeks ago, limped into the break having lost nine of 11 and now own a disappointing 42-47 record. And that...

The Washington Nationals selected nine players on the second day of Major League Baseball's 2021 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline and Director of Scouting Operations Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement. The Nationals kicked off Monday's action by selecting the 2021 Perfect Game/Rawlings National High School Player of the Year, outfielder...

The Baltimore Orioles today made 10 selections on Day Two of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, completing rounds 2-10. The Orioles started the day by selecting Iinfielder Connor Norby at No. 41 overall from East Carolina University (NC). The Orioles also selected outfielder Reed Trimble at No. 65 overall from the University of Southern Mississippi, outfielder John Rhodes at No. 76 overall from the University of Kentucky, outfielder Donta' Williams at No. 106 overall from the University of...

As fans around Birdland noted yesterday that the Orioles have taken just one pitcher so far in this draft, I will take a moment to point out a few things to consider. For one, the Orioles do have several pitchers in the minor league pipeline they like, to include several among their top 30 prospects list and two in overall top 100 lists in Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall. Also - and we have heard this so many times over so many drafts - you don't select for current need in the First-Year Player...

Maybe Juan Soto was drained from his first-round victory in Monday night's Home Run Derby at Coors Field, when he vanquished the favored Shohei Ohtani of the Angels in a three-swing swing-off to advance to the semifinals against the Mets' Pete Alonso. Perhaps his hand-selected pitcher, Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long, tired as the night went along, failing to deliver enough pitches to Soto's up-and-in happy zone. At one point in the opening round, teammates Max Scherzer and Trea Turner...

Trey Mancini didn't offer any predictions Sunday afternoon about how he'd fare in the Home Run Derby. He didn't share his expectations. The euphoria of his pinch-hit, two-run homer was still fresh. So was the disappointment of a 10th-inning loss. The derby? He was just happy to be invited. "I'm just going to try to enjoy it," he said on his postgame Zoom call, his last swing blending nicely into tonight's competition. "It's surreal. It's something that I haven't really thought too...

The major league draft is down to its final day and 10 picks. Emotions won't run quite as high with the final announcements. Fans don't typically vent over the 20th selection. The first? Yeah, it gets pretty loud. The Orioles passed on three high school shortstops Sunday who remained on the board as their turn came, the mocks blown up immediately with the Pirates taking Louisville catcher Henry Davis at No. 1. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias also shunned Vanderbilt pitcher...

As the Orioles proceeded through the second day of the draft, selecting a fourth outfielder among their first five picks, they also learned that their current center fielder has entered the starting lineup for the American League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Denver. Cedric Mullins has been chosen to replace the Angels' Mike Trout, who's on the 60-day injured list. Mullins is batting ninth, the opposite end from his usual spot with the Orioles. As the lone Orioles representative,...

The First-Year Player Draft continued today with the second through 10th rounds, and the Nationals continued to stock up on hitters in the early portion of Tuesday's action. In the second round, with the 47th overall selection, the Nats chose another prep player, left-handed hitting outfielder Daylen Lile of Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky. Lile hit .510 (45-for-88) with 10 doubles, eight triples, 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. The 32 extra-base hits show emerging power and Lile walked 35...