By the time that the media descends upon the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, three new coaches on manager Brandon Hyde's staff will be familiar with every corner of it. The coaches' retreat that's folded into the annual January minicamp in Sarasota enabled Fredi González, Anthony Sanders and Darren Holmes to become acclimated with the spacious facility. No need to waste valuable time later. Drills will run more smoothly. This isn't the old Fort Lauderdale complex with its...

As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... The Nationals knew they needed a major catching upgrade last winter, and they could've attempted to achieve that with one big acquisition. Instead, general manager Mike Rizzo decided to add two veterans and hope their combined production would get the job done at a fraction of the cost. How'd it work out? Not bad at all....

Will the Orioles offense be better in 2020? Full seasons from players including Anthony Santander and Austin Hays and others could help that. While the Orioles offense was better in the 2019 second half, it ranked mostly from 11th to 13th in the American League in various categories for the full season. Here is a look at some of them with Major League Baseball average and where the Orioles ranked in the American League: Runs per game: MLB average was 4.83, O's at 4.50 (11th in AL). Batting...

Will reliever Travis Lakins break camp with the Orioles in late March, be optioned to the minors, be designated for assignment, clear waivers and stay in the organization or disappear? Those are the choices. How you rank them in order is entirely up to you. Lakins is on the 40-man roster after the Orioles claimed him off waivers Friday from the Cubs and designated utility player Stevie Wilkerson for assignment. He can be viewed now as bullpen depth and a pitcher with a shot at making the club...

As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the bullpen ... We know the Nationals bullpen was terrible last season. That's not news to anyone. How bad was it, though? And, more importantly, why was it so bad? The stat most often cited throughout the ordeal that was the 2019 regular season was the Nats' bullpen ERA: 5.66. That was worst in the majors, and worst by any major league bullpen...

At No. 9 on the Baseball America top 10 Nationals prospects list is 20-year-old shortstop Yasel Antuna. Antuna is from Peravia, D.R., and is a switch-hitter who battled injuries in 2019, which held him to only three games for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals. In 2018, Antuna played in 87 games for Single-A Hagerstown. The infielder slashed .220/.293/.331 with 14 doubles, two triples, six homers, eight stolen bases and 27 RBIs. Baseball America Nationals correspondent Lacy Lusk says...

The Orioles have now signed a total of 34 players in an international amateur signing class that is the biggest in team history and has a chance to grow even larger. The Orioles announced 27 signings on July 2 and on Jan. 24 they announced seven more 16-year-old players signed out of the Dominican Republic. The totals now show 23 players from the Dominican Republic, eight from Venezuela and one each from Aruba, the Bahamas and Colombia. Of the 34, the Orioles have signed 19 pitchers (14...

Pitchers and catchers are reporting to the Orioles' spring training complex in exactly one week. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 17. I've been asked about leaving for "spring break" since December. There's a difference, including how you won't find me dancing poolside on MTV. It isn't all fun and exhibition games. It actually qualifies as work - with only one day off in six weeks - but the sunshine kills the pity factor. I won't be penning a love letter to Sarasota because it...

Celebrations that commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series championship and the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game highlight the Orioles' 2020 promotional schedule. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. Birdland Members will receive an email with details on an exclusive pre-sale opportunity that begins Tuesday. Fans who subscribe to the...

The Orioles today announced their 2020 promotional schedule, highlighted by an extensive slate of unique giveaway items, events, and returning favorites to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The wide variety of promotions features family-friendly activities and entertainment to appeal to Birdland's diverse fan base, as well as the return of the Birdland Summer Music Series. Throughout the season, the Orioles will also celebrate a variety of anniversaries and initiatives, including women's...