It was about this time last year when I wrote something similar to this, asking what will keep fans engaged in 2020? Now it's time to ponder the same question about 2021. An obvious answer is the ability to get back to attending games. That goes without saying. We all want that back. But the interest level in this rebuilding team remains high, even though fans could not attend this past year. So what is keeping the fans' interest right now? Here are a few possibilities. The young pitchers...

Anyone can perform under the lights, but what about a microscope? A few Orioles are destined to attract more attention than others in camp and during the season, whether due to prospect status, health, recent hiring or set of responsibilities. There's no escaping it. Rather than wait, let's get it started now and avoid the rush. Third base coach Tony Mansolino The coaching staff has undergone more changes, with Mansolino the outside hire as the replacement for José Flores. Being a third...

A total of 370 players have appeared in at least one game for the Nationals since 2005. Some of them were longtime stalwarts who are forever associated fondly with this franchise. Some were only here for a year or two as part of successful careers with multiple clubs. And some of them played for a while in Washington and then never played in the big leagues again. Actually, more than some of them fit that last description. Would you believe at least 127 of the 370 players in Nationals history...

Recently, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo provided great insight on Andrew Stevenson as the potential fourth outfielder heading into 2021, taking on the role owned by Michael A. Taylor the past six seasons. Stevenson ended the season on a flurry, hitting .417 over the final 12 games of 2020. The LSU star enjoyed a .488 on-base percentage the final two weeks, making it very difficult for the opposing pitcher to record an out with him at the plate. Nats outfielder/baserunning coordinator...

In the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays garner a lot of respect. Among fans, media, just about anyone that marvels how they keep up with the big boys on such a low payroll. There are ways O's fans would love to see the Orioles emulate the Rays - mostly in how they win. But probably not in actually how they get there, a point hammered home with their most recent big move. But the Rays have done a lot of winning since 2008. From 2008-2013 the club won 90 or more games five times in six...

I don't know much, but I've got a pretty firm grasp on what won't happen with the Orioles. Predictions can work that way, too. I'll avoid the painfully obvious stuff like, "The Orioles won't carry one catcher on their opening day roster." Or, "The Orioles won't replace the warehouse with LEGO blocks." Or, "The Orioles won't move to Nashville at the All-Star break." My insults won't be aimed at your intelligence. Since every sportswriter list apparently has to contain five items...

The hiring of Quincy Boyd last month as an area scout was prompted by Rich Morales' departure from the Orioles. Morales accepted a West Coast position with the Mets. Why did Morales, who signed outfielder Cedric Mullins and catcher Austin Wynns and won the Jim Russo Scout of the Year Award in 2018, make the move across the country? "It was not an easy decision to leave the Orioles, but an opportunity was presented to me to get me back home on the West Coast," he said. "My father is 77 now...

You already know this, but 2020 was a pretty awful year. Not that many folks didn't experience some legitimately positive moments, but in the big picture this was among the worst years in most everybody's lives. Now, you have to be awfully naïve to believe that the world is suddenly going to change for the better just because we're all opening up a new calendar today. Nothing is inherently different today compared to yesterday, other than an arbitrary number someone a long time ago chose...

Today we begin a new year, but we are still a ways away from beginning a new baseball season. The calendar flips today, but some of the old questions didn't go away at midnight. We still wait to find out if spring training will start on time and whether each team will play 162 games in 2021. My hope for the new year in baseball is that it at least ends with some and maybe complete normalcy. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Even if it starts with limitations, maybe they will be gone by the end of...

Before pitcher David Hess took his first dive into free agency and came up with a minor league deal from the Rays, he spent the majority of his summer at the Orioles' alternate camp site in Bowie. The Orioles put Hess on their opening day roster and gave him one relief appearance in July and two in August - all of them on the road and in blowouts. There were the occasional taxi squad assignments, including the duration of the final trip of 2020. Otherwise, Hess worked out at Prince George's...