The Nationals built a contender - and ultimately, a World Series champion - on the strength of an impressive run of first-round draft picks who developed into superstars. Ryan Zimmerman. Stephen Strasburg. Anthony Rendon. Bryce Harper and Drew Storen (aside from the champion part). All were top-10 selections during the Nats' first seven drafts. All had a hand in the franchise's ascension. The first three had a major hand in the franchise's title run. But if they want to continue this run of...

Draft day is here. The First-Year Player Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. and the draft will be televised by both ESPN and MLB Network. The Orioles will have two picks this evening when they select No. 2 and No. 30 overall. Their first pick is the second pick of a first round that will last 29 picks. Their second pick is the first selection of Competitive Balance Round A that will comprise picks 30 through 37. The draft resumes Thursday at 5 p.m. with rounds two through five. The Orioles have...

Baseball has found its window to be active tonight beyond negotiations and hostilities with the start of the First-Year Player Draft. The festivities kick off at 7 p.m. on MLB Network and ESPN. Names will begin dropping off the virtual board, with Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson likely to go first to the Tigers. Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias indicated during Monday's Zoom call that there's little suspense behind the pick, though he never said...

Four individuals whose contributions elevated basketball in distinctive ways and two legendary coaches, one immortalized in a film and one etched into history with two World Cup titles, plus two teams that each won their first-ever championship in 2019 are among those selected for induction into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame. The formal induction into the DC Sports Hall of Fame is conducted at Nationals Park prior to a Washington Nationals game. Due to the postponement of Major League...

Tomorrow's First-Year Player Draft will look like no other thanks to the five-round format and the $20,000 cap on free agent signings. But a couple of college coaches I spoke to believe collegiate players now have many more choices to make rather than just jumping at the first offer they receive from a major league team. This changes the free agency pool to an extent as well, not only in 2020, but also looking ahead to 2021. South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said with the NCAA granting...

There are problems with Major League Baseball's economics system. Big problems. Yes, the sport brings in as much as $11 billion a year, but that doesn't mean the economic state of the sport is healthy. Players have been making this argument for two years now. How can owners be making so much money while free agency remains stagnant? How can so many teams be profitable while still claiming they need to cut payroll as part of a long-term rebuilding plan? And how can the best players in this...

When the First-Year Player Draft begins on Wednesday night, the Orioles will have some big decisions to make. They may well be choosing between one of three options with their No. 2 overall pick. * Take a real good hitter in Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson, if he doesn't go 1/1 to the Detroit Tigers, or add Vanderbilt's Austin Martin. He features some defensive versatility and is the best pure hitter in the draft with plus bat skills and bat speed and the potential to add...

The latest Major League Baseball economic proposal sent yesterday to the MLB Players Association assures that the 2020 season won't start before July 10. And it heightens suspicions that we're facing a 50-game schedule that, in the immortal words of heavyweight boxer Clubber Lang in "Rocky III," is going to produce a paper champion. As first reported by ESPN's Karl Ravech, ownership is now seeking a 76-game season, concluding on Sept. 27, that pays players 75 percent of their prorated...

Looking ahead to the coming week's "Orioles Classics," I couldn't help but think of Jim Mora's most famous moment. Mora, then head coach of the Indianapolis (grr!) Colts, spoke with reporters following a 2001 loss that dropped the team to 4-6. One of those reporters asked Mora about the Colts' chances at making the National Football League playoffs that season, triggering the coach's now legendary reaction. "Playoffs? Don't talk about ... playoffs?" Mora screeched incredulously, his...

With two days remaining before the start of the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles have reduced the number of possibilities with the second overall selection but aren't ready to pinpoint their preference. Speaking to the media today on a Zoom call, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said the Orioles are "actively discussing" five players and probably won't make a final decision until the day of the draft. It's a fairly typical stance for a team positioned in such a high...