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SARASOTA, Fla. - We've come upon the third and final day of the Orioles minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. It feels like we just arrived and got reacquainted with the facility. Like we just checked the nameplates above the lockers to make certain that no one signed during the flight.
Pitching coach Roger McDowell will meet briefly with the three beat writers before everyone heads home. This is, after all, a gathering of pitchers with no position players. It will be good to...
Orioles manager Buck Showalter added further confirmation Tuesday to what looked to be a pretty safe bet when last season ended. That is that right-hander Miguel Castro will get a look for a rotation spot in spring training.
And why not? He's a young guy with a good arm and the Orioles surely need starting pitchers right now. The Orioles' trade last April 7 for Castro from Colorado was an under-the-radar move that could pay off for years to come. That is if Castro continues to show the...
SARASOTA, Fla. - As Zach Britton sits at home with a boot covering his foot following Achilles surgery, the backend of the Orioles bullpen now fractured, manager Buck Showalter won't anoint one reliever as his closer moving forward.
Britton could miss the first half of the season depending on his recovery, with no firm timeline in place. He's hoping to be back in May or June.
"We have some people that are capable of doing it," Showalter said. "Obviously, nobody of the track record of the...
You love them. You recognize them around town. You have your favorite (George for this particular blogger). And you cheer for them during every fourth inning of a Nationals home game. And now, you can be one of them.
That's right, the Nationals are hosting auditions for the 2018 Racing Presidents, meaning you can be the next George, Tom, Abe or Teddy!
Those who wish to fill the running shoes of the Racing Presidents during this upcoming season will have a chance to "run for office" during...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter won't put an innings limit on Hunter Harvey, the former first-round pick who's recovered from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. No decision has been made on where he'll be assigned.
Keeping Harvey healthy is job No. 1. The rest should take care of itself.
Watching Harvey throw his bullpen session today "brings a smile to my face," Showalter said.
"Think about how far he's come and the similarities with Dylan (Bundy). I...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The second day of Orioles minicamp concluded this morning with Hunter Harvey, Joely RodrÃguez, Luis Gonzalez, Lucas Long and Yefri RamÃrez throwing bullpen sessions.
Harvey's sessions always will attract interest, but manager Buck Showalter also has varying levels of praise for the other four pitchers in the group. He's relieved that Gonzalez, a left-hander who went 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 36 relief appearances at Single-A Frederick and didn't give up an...
The Nationals bullpen will enter the 2018 season in far better shape than it did a year ago. Lest anyone forget the open competition to be the closer between Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover.
That won't be an issue this time, not with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler all back in the late-inning roles they inherited (and thrived in) following their July acquisitions.
But the Nats bullpen doesn't exactly look pristine beyond that trio.
The loss of Matt Albers - who...
SARASOTA, Fla. - We're only one day into the Orioles minicamp and manager Buck Showalter is accomplishing everything on the list. Pitchers coming off surgeries are checked, the newbies are evaluated, meetings are held with everyone who received an invitation.
Chris Tillman's workouts while the club retains interest in re-signing him are an added bonus. I'll just assume that he remains out of view of the three beat writers who made the trip.
"The criteria for being here, and we have a lot of...
Over the weekend, the Orioles were once again linked to free agent right-hander Andrew Cashner. When the free agent period began, MLBTradeRumors.com ranked him as the No. 27 free agent on a list of all available players. They projected he would get a two-year deal for $20 million from the Oakland Athletics.
Here is what I have written previously about Cashner, when we looked at him here:
He signed a one-year $10 million deal for Texas last winter and it paid off for the Rangers. After pitching...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles set up their yearly minicamps, initially at Camden Yards and for the past five years at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, in part to gather early impressions on pitchers they've mostly known through scouting reports, video and word of mouth.
Manager Buck Showalter already held a favorable opinion of left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. and it heightened after the first day of minicamp.
"Cortes can spin the ball. Did you all see that?" Showalter asked following...