With such unusual circumstances altering how the media covered baseball this summer, it was necessary to find the humor in just about any situation rather than spend two months pouting over it. A survival tactic of sorts. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde made it a lot easier to lighten the mood, aided by his hearty laugh and tolerance for just about anything thrown at him. I kept my arm loose. We had some fun exchanges while taping the pregame manager's show for 105.7 The Fan, which was done via...

On this date in 1970, the Orioles were a day removed from clinching their second World Series title. The champagne had barely dried. But a year later, they faced a must-win situation against the Pirates at Memorial Stadium. Down 3-2 in games, the Orioles won 3-2 in 10 innings on Brooks Robinson's sacrifice fly off Bob Miller that scored Frank Robinson, who drew a one-out walk and hustled to third base on Merv Rettenmund's single. Brooks always will be remembered for his defensive wizardry in...

Earlier tonight, the Oriole Advocates honored Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto, the recipient of the 2020 Oriole Way Award, during a virtual ceremony. The Oriole Advocates, with the support of the Baltimore Orioles, created the Oriole Way Award to recognize a member of the Orioles who has made significant contributions both on and off the field and who has demonstrated a sincere desire to serve the community. The award is presented annually to an Oriole whose participation in the community also...

Our offseason player review series continues today with Aníbal Sánchez, who labored through a difficult season on the mound. PLAYER REVIEW: ANÍBAL SÁNCHEZ Age on opening day 2021: 37 How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2018 MLB service time: 14 years, 83 days 2020 salary: $9,555,556 (prorated $3,148,149) Contract status: Club holds $12 million option or $2 million buyout for 2021 2020 stats: 4-5, 6.62 ERA, 11 GS, 0 CG, 53 IP, 70 H, 40 R, 39 ER, 11 HR, 18 BB, 43 SO, 3 HBP,...

As the summer was rolling on, it became apparent it would be a year without minor league baseball. Around the country, that hit some teams and their local communities pretty hard. No games for the fans to see, no revenue for the teams to generate. But that didn't keep Orioles farm teams from reaching out in their local communities to host events that brought some normalcy to fans and staff alike late this year. I've covered the minors long enough around Birdland to know that these clubs are...

The Nationals continue to clear space on their 40-man roster. The club announced this afternoon that right-hander James Bourque and catcher Raudy Read have cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Fresno. The 40-man roster is at 34 players. Bourque, 27, appeared in six games this season, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 6.75 ERA over four innings of relief. He appeared in one game in 2019, allowing four runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. Early on in the 2020 season,...

An initial scan of the Orioles' fall instructional league roster, which confirmed the absence of second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad, highlighted the prospects invited to the Ed Smith Stadium complex and challenged the mind to remember a few of the names. Included among the 24 pitchers were former first-round selections Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall, and top 30 prospects Zac Lowther, Drew Rom and Blaine Knight. The easy ones to identify. I had to do a little research to become acquainted...

The order for the 2021 First-Year Player Draft was unveiled Monday with the Nationals selecting at the No. 11 position in the first round. The 2021 draft will take place on July 11-13, 2021, in conjunction with the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta. The order repeats itself in the second round. So the Nats will pick No. 40 with their second selection. There are only 29 teams in the first two rounds because the Astros forfeited their picks as punishment for the sign-stealing scandal. These...

Our offseason player review series continues today with Patrick Corbin, who like much of the Nationals rotation didn't live up to his typical standards this season. PLAYER REVIEW: PATRICK CORBIN Age on opening day 2021: 31 How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2018 MLB service time: 8 years, 105 days 2020 salary: $19 million (prorated $7,453,703) Contract status: Signed for $24 million in 2021, $23 million in 2022, $24 million in 2023, $35 million in 2024 ($10 million deferred) 2020...

It was just a four-start sample and that's not a lot of innings. But it was a stunning four starts. For the Orioles, it was a stretch of games where they realized their ace was back. And while an injury kept left-hander John Means from making the opening day start this year, if they had to pick that guy for 2021 today, it would be Means. An easy call. A year that began with Means dealing with left shoulder fatigue later produced the emotions surrounding the passing of his father. On the field,...