Joe Mauer's Hall of Fame case is complicated. If Mauer, 35, who officially announced his retirement Monday, is judged as one of the game's best-hitting catchers, then he'll be in Cooperstown. If the final five seasons of his 15-year career figure into the case, it could be a different story. It's shaping up to be a long debate. Mauer, playing for the Minnesota Twins, is the only catcher in history to win three batting titles. He was also an American League MVP with a career OPS of .827. He...

Hot on the heels of the national observance honoring veterans of the armed services, MASN this week celebrates the arms of some veteran hurlers serving the Nationals. As are most teams, the Nats this offseason are taking stock of their starting pitching and trying to figure out how they can improve it. That's entirely right and proper, but the telecasts in this latest batch of "Nationals Classics" offer a reminder that at least three of the guys in the club's 2018 rotation have at times...

It won't be long now. Pretty soon, the house will be filled with the aroma of roasting turkey. Folks will cram around the table to give thanks for life's many blessings. They'll also debate which type of cranberry sauce is better, the jiggly gel that slides out of the can or the kind boasting actual berries. But before Turkey Day, you can give thanks for some pretty special memories by watching this week's slate of "Orioles Classics" on MASN. If you prefer your baseball to feature...

The Orioles rotation was bad - really bad - during the 2017 season. The team ERA for its starters was 5.70, was last in the American League and was the highest rotation ERA in Orioles history, which of course, began in 1954. While the rotation ERA was a tick better last year at 5.48, that still rated last in the AL, and a case could be made that it wasn't that much better than the disaster of 2017. The 2018 rotation pitched fewer innings than the year before (846 to 833 2/3) and posted a...

Ronald Acuña Jr. had the higher batting average (barely) and slugging percentage (by a lot). Juan Soto had the higher on-base percentage (by a lot) and OPS (barely). Soto was the more consistent hitter throughout his rookie season, never posting an OPS lower than .800 in any single month. Acuña was the more explosive hitter during stretches of his rookie season, producing a brilliant August in which he hit .336 with 11 homers and a 1.103 OPS. Acuña was the better defensive outfielder...

Juan Soto's remarkable season, though historic for a teenager, wasn't quite good enough to merit Rookie of the Year honors. Soto finished runner-up to the Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., who tonight was revealed the winner of the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Award in a race that was awfully close on paper but wound up more lopsided in actual balloting. Acuña received 27 of 30 first-place votes and 144 total points, with Soto receiving two first-place votes and 89 total points to...

Not long ago, I wrote how openings in the Orioles' front office and scouting department were viewed as having tremendous appeal by a significant number of people in the industry. The delays in making hires weren't based on a lack of interest. To follow up on it, I talked to someone over the weekend who used the term "a goldmine" to describe the situation. Not "a landmine," which illustrates how the perception of the job has changed over the years. One reason for the positive outlook is...

Bryce Harper has declined the qualifying offer extended to him 10 days ago, an expected move that now ensures the Nationals will get draft-pick compensation if the star outfielder signs with another club this winter. The Nationals extended the offer - one year for $17.9 million, a figure predetermined by Major League Baseball - as required Nov. 2, then technically had to wait 10 days before Harper was required to make his decision. Not that his decision was ever in doubt. Harper, who made...

Salt River has lost three in a row, but still has a 1 1/2-game lead over the Mesa Solar Sox for the East Division lead in the Arizona Fall League. Mesa defeated Salt River 7-2 in the Military Appreciation Game on Saturday. Carter Kieboom was the designated hitter and went 1-for-5. He is hitting .284. Catcher Tres Barrera went 0-for-4 and is batting .243. Left-hander Jordan Mills struck out three batters over two innings, allowing no runs on one hit with no walks and a balk. His ERA is...

Bryce Harper hasn't yet decided where he's going to play in 2019, and as far as we know, he hasn't even really begun talking to potential suitors in order to decide where he's going to play in 2019. Yet it feels like he's been a free agent far longer than the two weeks he's actually been on the open market because there's been a steady stream of Harper news making the rounds ever since the World Series concluded and the offseason officially began. This has produced no shortage of...