The Orioles' exhibition schedule doesn't end on March 25. Only the Grapefruit League portion of it. For the second year in a row, the Orioles will travel to Norfolk for a game against their Triple-A affiliate. The teams will play on March 26 at Harbor Park with first pitch slated for 3:05 p.m. There's always rain in the forecast. It's become a tradition. But don't let the weather dampen your enthusiasm because there's going to be a window and the sides always manage to play. "The Orioles...

The Norfolk Tides announced today that the Baltimore Orioles will play an exhibition game at Harbor Park on Monday, March 26th. The game will feature the Orioles taking on the Tides, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05. "The Orioles have such an outstanding fan base in the Hampton Roads area, and we're extremely fortunate to have a major league affiliate committed to growing baseball in our local community" said Tides General Manager Joe Gregory. "This is yet another example of the...

Monday's release of Baseball America's top 100 prospects list for 2018 was notable, from the Nationals' perspective, for two reasons: Victor Robles' ascension into one of the sport's best prospects is complete, given his No. 5 overall ranking, and for the first time in a long time, the Nats have no pitching prospects on the list. Nope, no pitchers. Robles and fellow outfielder Juan Soto (ranked 56th) are the only Nationals in this year's top 100 at all. And that's quite unusual for this...

Yesterday was a big day in prospect land, as Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list and ESPN's Keith Law released his second 50 (subscription required). His top 50 will be released today. For the first time since 2014, the Orioles have three on the Baseball America top 100. Austin Hays was ranked No. 21, with Chance Sisco at No. 68 and Ryan Mountcastle at No. 71. The last three years, the Orioles had three combined, with two in 2015, none in 2016 and one last year with Sisco at...

Only four days remain before the Orioles' annual FanFest event commences without the chance to announce a significant acquisition via free agency or trade. The ticking of the clock grows louder. It can't drown out the angst emanating from a fan base that lost patience shortly after the final out of the 2017 season. Could the team make a move later this week? "I hope so," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "I'm trying, I'm trying. I hope so. "We're still talking to a number of...

MASN broadcaster Jim Hunter will headline the newest class of the Brookdale Community College Athletics Hall of Fame, which will hold its induction awards dinner on Friday, Feb. 9 in Freehold, N.J. Hunter, who is entering his 22nd season as a member of the Orioles broadcast team, calls games on the Orioles Radio Network and on MASN. He came to Baltimore from CBS Sports Radio, where he had been a member of the network's Major League Baseball "Game of the Week" announcing team and broadcasted...

Here are some final insights from Double-A Harrisburg pitching coach Michael Tejera about three top Nationals prospects he has coached or seen play over the last few seasons. Center fielder Victor Robles is such an elite prospect he earned a spot on the Nationals' postseason roster. He also was named the MVP at the Fall Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League. Robles is mentioned in every trade discussion with the Nats. The club doesn't want to give him up in a trade because of his tremendous...

While the Orioles try to settle on a left-handed hitter to play the outfield, along with other moves required to fill out the roster, they promise not to skimp on the defense. Upgrading it must be part of any plan. The club's reputation for outstanding glovework took another hit last season, and it could influence the decision whether to carry Anthony Santander for the first 44 days until losing his Rule 5 status. Santander must prove capable of playing the outfield. The Orioles like his bat,...

As some national top 100 prospects lists are about to come out, another outlet has released a new listing of its top Orioles players. Baseball Prospectus released its list of the Orioles' top 10 prospects last week. Here is the list, from top to bottom. I add my own comments and notes and also pose a question or questions about each player heading into next season. 1. Ryan Mountcastle, 3B: Mountcastle's bat looked special in the Carolina League last season. Over 88 games with Single-A...

Everyone has his or her own theory to explain why this offseason has been so slow across baseball. Is it collusion among the owners? Is it analytical evidence that suggests it's not wise to spend big bucks on free agents? Is it Scott Boras? Here's another theory I've seen floated from several others, and I do believe this one has some merit: There simply aren't that many teams actually trying to win big this season. Think about it. How many clubs right now would you say are guaranteed to be...