In a recent story published by Baseball America, the publication noted 13 players (subscription may be required) that could have breakout seasons on the farm in 2021. Before even reading the text, readers could see the picture at the top of that story. It is of Orioles shortstop prospect Gunnar Henderson. For this story in December, I noted that Henderson could be the club's next top 100 prospect. The club recently put five players on the newly released Baseball America top 100. It is just the...

Various sites are publishing their top prospects lists and the Orioles can't be ignored. No one puts baby Birds in the corner. Baseball America placed five Orioles in its Top 100: catcher Adley Rutschman (No. 2), right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (No. 22), left-hander DL Hall (No. 59), outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 62) and outfielder/first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (No. 63). The Orioles have never been represented by more than five players. Mountcastle retains rookie status, which makes him...

Ryan Zimmerman was close to 100 percent confident all along he'd return to play for the Nationals this year after opting out of the 2020 season. But his motives weren't personal, and they weren't about ensuring his career didn't end without playing one more season for the only franchise he's ever known. "Me coming back this year was in no means for a victory lap sort of thing. I think you guys know me better than that," the 36-year-old first baseman said today during a Zoom session to...

The three-day minicamp earlier this month in Sarasota, Fla., was designed for evaluation purposes and to provide needed work in the offseason prior to the start of spring training. For Orioles who aren't natural outfielders and others who want to get better at it. DJ Stewart wasn't just a participant. He was a driving force behind the idea. "The first thing I can say is this guy will work harder than anybody else we have out there," said first base coach and outfield instructor Anthony...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Zimmerman, 36, has spent his entire 15-year Major League career with the Washington Nationals. Entering the 2021 season, he stands as the all-time Nationals (2005-pres.) leader in nearly every offensive category. In 1,689 career games, he's hit .279 with 401 doubles, 22 triples, 270 home...

Former Nationals manager Davey Johnson was hospitalized this week with COVID-19 but was back at his Florida home resting comfortably Friday evening, according to a message from his wife to the Mets' longtime public relations director. Word of Johnson's illness first became public Friday afternoon when Ken Davidoff of the New York Post sent him a text message seeking his thoughts on Hank Aaron following the Hall of Famer's death. Johnson, 77, replied to Davidoff: "Loved him. Can't talk, in...

The Orioles are counting on Yusniel Diaz, one of their top position prospects, to make his major league debut during the summer of 2021. A promotion that was put on hold due to COVID-19. Diaz will be in camp whenever position players are cleared to report. Published dates are written in hopeful strokes. First base coach Anthony Sanders doubles as the Orioles' outfield instructor and he had an opportunity to work with Diaz earlier this month at the three-day minicamp in Sarasota, Fla. "He...

He was an All-Star player and person, and when Hank Aaron died Friday, the tributes poured in. And poured in and poured in. They talked with great reverence about him yesterday, but also many days before that as well. "As far as I am concerned, Hank Aaron is the best ballplayer of my era," Mickey Mantle once said. "The only man I idolized more than myself," once said Muhammad Ali. "Hank Aaron is near the top of everyone's list of all-time great players," Major League Baseball...

Ryan Zimmerman will indeed play at least one more season for the Nationals after sitting out 2020. Zimmerman, as anticipated all along, agreed to terms on a one-year deal today with the only franchise that has ever employed him. Once finalized it will include a $1 million base salary plus incentives, a source familiar with the contract said. Though he opted out of last season for family health concerns - his wife, Heather, gave birth to the couple's third child in June; and his mother, Cheryl,...

Prospect rankings should always be taken with a grain of salt. And if there's anyone in baseball whose mouth is over-seasoned from lack of interest in prospect rankings, it's Mike Rizzo. The Nationals general manager doesn't care what any outside publication says about his farm system. He cares only about what he sees with his own eyes and what his scouts and coaches see with theirs. OK, there's your caveat to the news that comes next: The Nationals do not currently have any of baseball's...