There hasn't been much reason to have actual baseball discussions around here in a while. But lo and behold, baseball players are going to begin doing baseball things inside baseball stadiums Friday for the first time in nearly four months, so it's finally appropriate to discuss some actual baseball topics. There are countless issues facing the Nationals over the next three weeks and beyond, and so many of those have to do with the unprecedented protocols everyone must follow in an attempt to...

Even if the coming 60-game Major League Baseball season gets played to conclusion through the World Series, fans are going to look back at this season for years and see strange things. Like a home run champion that might hit, say, 21 homers. Or a pitcher leading the majors in wins with seven or eight. Or a saves leader with 16. Or a World Series champion crowned after a 60-game season. Will that World Series winner be legit? Well, legit is in the eye of the beholder. To me, that answer is yes....

The obsession with how the 2020 season impacts the Orioles' rebuild is understandable. The process already is challenging on many levels. Reducing the schedule to 60 games and eliminating the minor league side is downright cruel. No one said life is fair, and that's certainly the case in a pandemic, where perspective is needed on a daily basis within the sports community. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is moving forward with his vision for the organization. Improving the...

Now that the Orioles have signed outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft, they must decide what to do with him. It's a little more complicated than in past summers. The minor league season has been canceled, with the official announcement coming yesterday afternoon. The hammer was going to fall. The only question was how long it would take for everyone to hear it. The Orioles can't assign Kjerstad to one of their lower affiliates. They also...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with nine undrafted free agents following Major League Baseball's 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline and Director of Scouting Operations Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement. PLAYER POS B/T HT WT DOB SCHOOL Zach Brzykcy RHP ...

More on Nationals pitching prospects from undrafted free agent Ray Torres IV. The catcher agreed to a deal with the Nats last week out of San Jacinto College North. Torres played for the Central Florida Gators, an elite travel team that included several top selections in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. The Gators boast two national titles and 49 college commitments. One of the pitchers he caught was the Nationals' top 2018 selection, Mason Denaburg. In 2018, Central Florida had 13 players...

The schedule hasn't been finalized yet. The protocols are still being fine-tuned. More players could choose to opt out. But 48 hours from now, the Nationals will be gathering on South Capitol Street for their first team workout in nearly four months. Summer training is officially approved for Nationals Park after D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser granted the team a waiver Tuesday to hold group workouts in its home ballpark. Camp is scheduled to open Friday and run for almost three weeks, setting the...

It was not exactly a secret that there would not be Minor League Baseball in 2020. But when the news became official on Tuesday afternoon, it was not any easier to take. The minors are hurting and it's a brutal time for owners, staff, players and fans on the farm. With all those teams, all those locations and all those players, there was going to be no way to safely play in the minors this summer. Some players will find their way onto a club's 60-man player pool; for some, maybe their chance...

The Orioles are making plans to keep their prospects and signed draft picks active and in developmental phase as Major League Baseball attempts to play a truncated season. There are no affiliates to aid the cause. The minor league season officially has been canceled due to COVID-19, with a press released sent out today to confirm what's been known for a while. What's never happened until this summer. "These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first...

It had been a foregone conclusion for some time, but today's official announcement nonetheless hurts baseball fans around the world: The 2020 minor league season has been canceled. The announcement came after Major League Baseball informed Minor League Baseball it will not be providing its affiliated teams with players this season. MLB clubs have designated 60 players who may appear during the planned 60-game major league season, with those players not on the active roster at any given time...