As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series begins today with the starting rotation ... What was the biggest difference between the 2018 Nationals, who disappointed and failed to reach the postseason, and the 2019 Nationals, who not only reached October but were the last team standing at the end of the month? Starting pitching. Yes, the offensive heroics of Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick and company...

Next week, Orioles pitchers and catchers will report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., for spring training. Late next month, a new regular season will begin. It's coming fast. Today we ponder some random questions and topics that will be getting scrutiny in spring training. Will Alex Cobb be healthy?: The answer seems to be most definitely yes. Now the Orioles need to keep it that way and see if they can get Cobb pitching as he did in the second half of the 2018 season. Unable to pitch on...

As the Orioles bring in another bullpen candidate in former Red Sox prospect Travis Lakins, they keep holding onto a reliever who wears the trade chip label as if it's sewn onto his uniform jersey. Mychal Givens hears the description during the July deadline, the Winter Meetings and the ensuing weeks that lead into spring training. He offers a shrug and continues to ignore it. Givens has become a veteran in the majors and at avoiding distractions and the stress that accompanies them. "I've...

MLB Network has been airing its annual "Top 10 Right Now!" series over the last several weeks. If you haven't watched it before, the network attempts to rate the 10 best players at each position at this moment, using a complex computer algorithm affectionately referred to as "The Shredder" to come up with the final rankings. This, of course, means nothing and shouldn't be taken seriously. But it does lead to some fun debates, and the Nationals definitely fall into that category. So far,...

Today, on Super Bowl Sunday, let's talk some baseball. Seems appropriate even on such a big day for football as Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., a week from Tuesday. Today we're looking back at a few stories published here in recent weeks. Feel free to post some comments on those stories and/or present any other O's comments and questions. The crack of the bat will soon be heard under the Florida sun. In this story, published Jan. 1, we began the new year looking ahead...

Phil Rizzo, a Hall of Fame scout who spent the last 11 years serving as senior advisor to his son, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, died Friday night. He was 90. Over a scouting career that spanned more than five decades, Phil Rizzo worked for nine different franchises and was credited with signing future big leaguers including Brandon Webb, Mike Matheny, Bob Wickman, Mark Loretta, Bob Kipper and Dick Schofield (Jayson Werth's uncle). In 2008, Phil Rizzo was named one of eight members of...

As the clock ticks down to the start of spring training, so does the scramble for the remaining unsigned free agents out there to find jobs. One member of the Nationals' World Series-winning roster found a job Friday: Matt Adams, who agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets. Adams, the left-handed half of the Nats' first base platoon for most of the last two seasons, will get an invitation to big league camp in Port St. Lucie and have a chance to make the Mets' opening day roster. But...

When the Orioles and their fans dream on a better future for the team - one that includes that elite pipeline - they surely dream of having some young pitchers come to the majors and hit it big. Any pitcher who contributes is important - starter or bullpen - but all teams covet young pitching that can become top-of-the-rotation starters. If you can produce a true No. 1 starter you've hit the jackpot. No doubt fans are hopeful that young pitchers such as 21-year-old left-hander DL Hall and...

Counting down the Nationals' top 10 prospects in 2020, according to the latest Baseball America list, we begin at No. 10 with southpaw Seth Romero, the club's first-round selection in 2017. Romero worked his way back from Tommy John surgery last season and is expected to make his first appearance in minor league play since 2018. I caught up with him in last year's spring training to see how well his rehabilitation from the injury was going. 10. LHP Seth Romero The 23-year-old Houston native...

The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...