The Orioles could be on the verge of announcing their coaching staff for the 2019 season as the last few vacancies are filled. Doug Brocail has been hired as pitching coach, according to an industry source. He's going to replace Roger McDowell, whose contract expired on Oct. 31. Brocail, 51, spent the past three seasons as the Rangers pitching coach before his dismissal in November. He owns previous ties to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias, working as the Astros pitching...

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital curriculum, content, and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced the launch of a new, multiyear partnership that brings Major League Baseball's dynamic content into Discovery Education's Science Techbooks. The partnership launched during a special event in the Baltimore County Public Schools' Deep Creek Middle School, during which Nicole Sherry, Head Groundskeeper for the Baltimore...

There are still four weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report, 10 weeks to go until opening day against the Mets. There's plenty of time for things to change, and they probably will. Yet if the Nationals needed to assemble a 25-man roster today, they could easily do it. And there's a decent chance that roster would look the exact same for Game 1 on March 28. Such is the case when your front office has been among the most aggressive in the majors through the first three months of the...

We certainly know that Orioles pitchers didn't collectively do very well in the 2018 season. Baltimore ranked last in the American League with a team ERA of 5.18, well over the league average of 4.27. The starters' ERA ranked last in the league at 5.48, with the AL average at 4.39. The bullpen ERA was 4.78 to rank 14th and above the league norm of 4.09. But as longtime Orioles fans know, the team won often back in the day due to strong pitching and defense, and the two work hand in hand. The...

Home runs are exciting, but true baseball fans get just as cranked up to see their guy on the mound firing on all cylinders. If great pitching is your jam, have we got a deal for you. Regular viewers of "Nationals Classics" are used to looking back at standout performances from star pitchers, but this Monday you can binge-watch three of the best ever back-to-back-to-back. That's on top of a full schedule of throwback Nationals games over the coming week. So dig in, because some of the best...

The challenges for the Orioles in filling the holes in their roster include payroll limitations and enticing free agents without the promise of a winning season and playoff run. Using a championship ring as a selling point would ring hollow. We've gone over the list of needs, which more easily can be addressed via trades. Players don't have a choice, of course. Infielder Jonathan Villar was pulled from a pennant race at the non-waiver deadline and joined a team with the worst record in...

The Orioles have announced they will conduct an open tryout to find ballgirls and ballboys for the 2019 season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, March 9. The judges will include members of the Orioles' front office. Outgoing and athletic men and women ages 18 and older who are interested in serving as ballboys and ballgirls for the Orioles during the upcoming 2019 season are invited to try out for a position at Oriole Park beginning at noon on March 9. Those interested should dress...

Finally, we reach the No. 1 Nationals prospect in Baseball America's latest top 10: center fielder Victor Robles, who was also the publication's No. 1 prospect in 2018. Robles suffered an arm injury to begin the season and that slowed what was likely be an ascension similar to what rookie Juan Soto demonstrated in his first full year as a major league player. Baseball America national writer Carlos Collazo said Robles still has the best collection of all-around tools of any Nats prospect....

A few thoughts as everyone wakes up this Monday morning and digs out from the weekend snowstorm ... * We should be hearing from Brian Dozier soon, perhaps as soon as today, now that the veteran second baseman's one-year, $9 million contract with the Nationals has officially been announced. Dozier, who agreed to terms of the deal Thursday, passed his physical Sunday to finalize the process. There will be plenty of topics to discuss with Dozier, but perhaps most interesting will be his...

Baseball America recently released its list of the top 100 prospects available for the First-Year Player Draft in June and Oregon State switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman is No. 1. Texas high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is No. 2. That is the same top two that we saw on MLBPipeline.com's list. For just the second time in Orioles history, the club will make the overall No. 1 pick on June 3. In 1989, the Orioles selected LSU right-hander Ben McDonald 1/1, with the first pick in the first...