Orioles outfield prospect Ryan McKenna believes his breakout 2018 season came about as a result of taking care of the little things. He put in the work in the cage, listened to his coaches, and worked on striking out less and using his speed more with grounders and fewer fly balls. He also dealt with some adversity and overcame it. After batting .377/.467/.556 in 67 games for Single-A Frederick, the 21-year-old McKenna lost well over 100 points on his average when he moved to Double-A Bowie....

After a frustrating year where he missed many games and ended it undergoing ankle surgery, Orioles outfield prospect Austin Hays is heading into 2019 with a positive outlook and a right ankle that is returning to full health. Hays had surgery Sept. 13 to repair cartilage damage that led to several other issues with that ankle during the season. But after a two- to three-month recovery, he should be fine for spring training, where he can make a run at a 2019 roster spot. The injury limited Hays...

It's that time again: time for me to ask you some questions and get your responses. Answer one question or all 10. Provide short answers or long. Respond to answers by other readers. It's all welcome. It's all good. So on to the questions. 1. Will the Orioles trade Alex Cobb and/or Andrew Cashner this winter? 2. Who will be the 2019 opening day starter? 3. New GM Mike Elias takes over a 115-loss team. How soon can he have the Orioles playing at least .500 baseball? 4. Over the next five...

We covered a lot of topics and got the opinions and thoughts of a few national reporters and analysts over four days of the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. Today, we'll take a look back at some of the most interesting and pertinent quotes of the week. ESPN's Keith Law provided a take on new GM Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal: "I think this is exactly what they needed. The fact that these guys have worked together for a while now and had so much success in Houston points to this being a great hire. I...

LAS VEGAS - As expected, the Orioles were not very active in player acquisitions at the Winter Meetings, but the process of hiring a new manager moved near completion and the business of rebuilding the team is fully underway for new general manager Mike Elias. It was a chance for beat reporters to get a few opportunities to meet with the new GM and get his thoughts on a variety of topics over a few days in Las Vegas. At some point in the next few days the Orioles should make official the hiring...

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles are a bit short on middle infielders and they added two today via the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings. They selected Oakland shortstop Richie Martin with the No. 1 pick in the draft. After the draft, it was announced they had acquired infielder Drew Jackson, who been selected by Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Orioles sent international bonus money to the Phillies for Jackson. In the Triple-A phase of the draft, the Orioles selected right-handed...

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles left the Winter Meetings today with two Rule 5 picks and a full 40-man roster. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias used the first overall selection to take shortstop Richie Martin from the Athletics organization and the Orioles later acquired infielder Drew Jackson from the Phillies, who had plucked him from the Dodgers system earlier in the morning. Jackson, 25, was a fifth-round selection by the Mariners in 2015 out of Stanford University. He's a...

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles made the decision last night on which player they would select in this morning's Rule 5 draft, the name agreed upon in a second meeting among team officials and scouts. They didn't repeat last year's tactic of loading up on pitching, choosing shortstop Richie Martin from the Athletics organization. Martin, who turns 24 later this month, was the 20th overall pick in the 2015 out of the University of Florida. The Detroit native slashed .300/.368/.439 this year at...

LAS VEGAS - The symbol for this year's Winter Meetings is the strikingly empty scene at the far end of the media work room at the Madalay Bay Resort and Casino: There's a stage with a backdrop, podium and microphone, risers for TV cameras and a couple of hundred chairs lined neatly into rows. The tableau is baseball's version of a ghost town. Except for a charity auction event, the announcement of Nathan Eovaldi's deal with the Red Sox and the Hall of Fame press conference introducing new...

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles are on the clock this morning with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. Their contingent at the Winter Meetings will be on a plane later in the day. A review of the business conducted so far includes claiming third baseman Rio Ruiz off waivers from the Braves and losing pitcher Ryan Meisinger to the Cardinals. And, yes, the decision on a new manager that should be announced by next week. There wasn't much of a buzz here related to the Orioles, as so many people in the...