MLB.com's Richard Justice put out his list of the top 10 most interesting players and storylines to begin spring training. The Angels' Shohei Ohtani and the Orioles' Manny Machado headed this list. I was asked last week during "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" on MASN who I would pick as the most interesting player as the Nationals get going in spring training. It would be an obvious choice to pick second baseman Daniel Murphy (microfracture surgery, right knee) or outfielder Adam Eaton...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Every pitching coach has his own philosophies, his own advice for those who take the mound under his watch. And when a new coach takes over a club, he typically wants to start imparting his wisdom on his pitchers right from the get-go. Derek Lilliquist, though, didn't inherit any old pitching staff. He arrived here earlier this month to a Nationals staff that features the man who won the last two National League Cy Young Awards, another who finished third in voting,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Koda Glover's attempt to make the opening day roster after an injury-plagued 2017 season has already hit a snag. Glover has not thrown since reporting to Nationals camp, informing club officials when he arrived that he had been experiencing shoulder soreness following the bullpen sessions he was throwing on his own at home this winter. The Nationals had Glover undergo an MRI of his shoulder, which was injured much of last season, and found only inflammation. For now,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles catcher Andrew Susac could miss at least three or four days with "a possible staph infection," according to manager Buck Showalter, who met with the media following the fifth workout of spring training. Susac's condition worsened overnight and he wasn't on the field this morning, the latest health issue to strike the former Giants and Brewers catcher. "Something we're concerned about," Showalter said. "We're not sure if it's a staph infection yet, but we want...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles held an abbreviated workout this morning with no bullpen sessions on the agenda. Manager Buck Showalter ran various fielding drills, including bunt coverage. However, catcher Andrew Susac wasn't a participant due to an undisclosed physical issue. Showalter will meet with the media at 12:30 p.m. and provide an update on Susac, who came to the Orioles in a Feb. 2 trade with the Brewers. Hindered by injuries in the past - he went on the disabled list last year with a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Adam Jones sat at his locker this morning wrapping tape around his fingers as sweat ran down his forehead. Players weren't due on the field to stretch for another hour. He was in full work mode in preparation for his 11th and perhaps final season with the Orioles. Jones stated again that the club hasn't reached out to his agent regarding a contract extension, He referred questions to executive vice president Dan Duquette, as he did last month at the annual FanFest event. Does...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Since the day he was hired, we've all wondered what kind of manager Davey Martinez would be, especially when it comes to in-game strategy. Having had no prior managerial experience, there's no advance scouting report to consider, only speculation based on his answers to various questions posed his way. We got a few glimpses into Martinez's strategic mindset over the winter, and we're starting to get more in these early days of spring training. Such as his philosophy...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - He won't be ready to open the year with the Nationals, but Joe Ross has every intention of being a significant contributor to the pitching staff later this season. "That's in my head, for sure," he said. "My arm will dictate that. But that's how I feel, and I'm looking forward to helping the team in the second half." Ross, who had Tommy John surgery on July 19, still has a long way to go to make it back to the mound at Nationals Park. But the last month has seen...

The Orioles could re-sign right-hander Chris Tillman any day now. Or he could go to another team. If he winds up back with the Orioles, my question would be: What took so long? Even in this slow market, couldn't we have expected Tillman and the Orioles to decide if they wanted a reunion or not by now? This one indeed has been dragging out. If the O's get their opening day starter from 2014-2016 back, we will eventually find out if he can bounce back from a terrible season. We may not truly...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tim Beckham took his cuts in the batting cage yesterday afternoon beneath another gorgeous blue sky and headed to the Camden Yards replica field. He walked with Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, the trio shadowed by third base coach Bobby Dickerson. Dickerson, who also serves as infield instructor, kept hitting grounders to Beckham at third and Machado at shortstop. It ranks as some of the most important and closely scrutinized tasks in camp. Balls hit to Beckham's left and...