Here's a summer activity that might interest some fans. Track the performances of Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Then stay on it through the rest of their professional careers. Rutschman is going to play for Double-A Bowie after games begin in early May. The Royals are suggesting that Witt could break camp with the team at 20 and with no experience beyond rookie ball. General manager Dayton Moore is on record as saying the team will be "very open-minded"...

Coming off an outstanding season, one that earned him the Most Valuable Oriole award even though he only played in 37 of the 60 games, Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander is now working on ways to take his game to an even higher level. In 2020, he batted .261/.315/.575 in 165 plate appearances with 13 doubles, 11 homers, 32 RBIs and an .890 OPS. His OPS was over 1.000 before his bat cooled off late in his year. A year that ended for him on Sept. 5, when he went on the injured list with a...

The math is intertwined with logic to make left-hander John Means the opening day starter for the Orioles. It just isn't official. Means held the Braves to one run and two hits tonight in four innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. He's allowed two runs and four hits with eight strikeouts in his last two appearances covering eight innings. Putting him on the mound every fifth day aligns him to pitch on April 1 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park to begin the 2021 season. Done deal. Means...

With opening day fast approaching, the Orioles pitcher who is expected to be on the mound that afternoon is very much rounding into game shape. Lefty John Means had a second straight strong tonight, retiring the first 10 batters he faced, as the Orioles faced the Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium. If Means continues to pitch every fifth day, he would line up for spring starts on March 22 and 27, then the opening game start at Boston on April 1. Tonight, Means made quick work of the Braves in...

The early news on Félix Hernández is more encouraging than his premature exit yesterday. Hernández tossed a 1-2-3 first inning against the Rays and departed with soreness in his right elbow. "He came out of the game with elbow discomfort, he still has a little bit, we're just treating him today," manager Brandon Hyde said in his Zoom call. "He was in the training room just getting treatment on his elbow this afternoon." The Orioles aren't ready to speculate on whether...

The Orioles are breaking out a lineup tonight against the Braves that could come close to duplicating the opening day order. Cedric Mullins is in center field and batting first, with Trey Mancini following at first base. Anthony Santander is in right field and Ryan Mountcastle is in left and batting cleanup. Freddy Galvis and Yolmer Sánchez form the double play combination and Rio Ruiz is starting at third base. Austin Hays is the designated hitter, which is one of many combinations this...

The Orioles today announced updated home game times for the 2021 season. All home games in April, May, and September which were originally scheduled to begin at 6:35 p.m. will now begin at 7:05 p.m. ET. Home games impacted by the change include April 12-14 against the Seattle Mariners, April 26-28 against the New York Yankees, May 10 against the Boston Red Sox, May 18-19 against the Tampa Bay Rays, September 7-9 against the Kansas City Royals, September 14-15 against the Yankees, September 23...

As he enters his 12th major league season, right-hander Stephen Strasburg is definitely more of a pitcher than a thrower. And even as he approaches the twilight of his career, Strasburg is still learning. Think back to the beanpole-thin 21-year-old who took the game by storm in 2010 and you'll see a gangly fireballer. All arms and legs, Strasburg sometimes had to rein his body in as he delivered a pitch. This often worked in his favor, since hitters had trouble picking up the ball amid flying...

Alan Mills is ready to manage again. The former Orioles reliever didn't leave baseball. It sort of left him. Hurricane Dorian washed away the end of the Gulf Coast League's regular season and playoffs in 2019, making the Orioles owners of the best record at 38-15 and Mills the choice as Manager of the Year. The minors were canceled last summer due to COVID-19. Mills stayed home in Lakeland, Fla., with no offer to serve as an instructor at the alternate camp site in Bowie or in the fall...

There is a word Luis García keeps using when talking about himself: confidence. He uses it not as some means of bragging about his immense talent and reputation at the ripe age of 20, but rather to explain how he managed to hold up during his first season in the major leagues and, at times, even thrive. "At every level I've played at, I've always told myself: 'It's the same baseball,' " the Nationals infielder said last week via interpreter Octavio Martinez, during a Zoom session with...