Right now, the Orioles have that feel of a team between a rock and hard place. Trying to catch the Yankees and Red Sox looks like a daunting task. They have four key players entering the last years of their contracts. They are coming off their first last-place finish since 2011. There are other facts that are daunting. The 2017 Orioles finished the year going 7-22. The Orioles have had losing records in six of their last nine full months of baseball. But the Orioles also have some huge...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 4: Strasburg steps up Through the first seven seasons of his big league career, Stephen Strasburg seemed to be noted more for what he hadn't accomplished than for what he had done on the mound. He...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 5: Jayson Werth's farewell "LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's a rare day indeed, when the Washington Nationals make a move that shakes up the entire baseball world. "This is a franchise that for the...

Orioles third base coach Bobby Dickerson, regarded as one of baseball's finest infield instructors, has no idea whether Tim Beckham will open the 2018 season at shortstop, move to another position or take a seat on the bench and handle a utility role. He isn't privy to any inside information regarding the club's plans, which remain in the developmental stages as executive vice president Dan Duquette continues to hear from teams interested in trading for Manny Machado. The best that Dickerson...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 6: Ryan Zimmerman's comeback It sounds a bit silly now, but one year ago a not-so-insignificant number of Nationals fans - perhaps even some folks employed by the club itself - weren't sure Ryan...

Four players hit 32 or more home runs this year in Minor League Baseball. Three of the four played in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League. The only player that didn't was the Orioles' Austin Hays, who hit 32 between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. Houston's A.J. Reed hit 34 to lead all of the minors playing in the PCL. Former Oriole Christian Walker hit 32 for Arizona's PCL entry and Oakland's Renato Núñez hit 32 in the same league. Hays had a monster season on the O's farm,...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 7: Bryce Harper's knee injury As he took the field on Aug. 12 - after waiting out a 3-hour, 1-minute rain delay - Bryce Harper was about three-quarters of the way through a potential MVP...

Happy 2018, Nationals fans! As the calendar flips to a new year, we're that much closer baseball returning. The countdown to pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach is winding down. For our first 2018 Throwback Thursday moment as part of our "Nationals Classics" airing on MASN, we're taking you back to a grand old time down in Atlanta from April 19, as Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman put on a show. Harper, who continued his torrid start to the season, homered in each of his first...

The rotation was the Orioles' primary concern before and during the 2017 season and it remains long after Rays reliever Chaz Roe struck out rookie Trey Mancini for the final out at Tropicana Field. It dominates, but it doesn't distract. There's other serious business that needs to get done before opening day. Try creating a mock lineup and count the number of left-handed hitters in it. Let's put a right-hander on the mound for the opposition. Let's try to stay in step with manager Buck...

Happy New Year, everyone! As we inch closer and closer to Spring Training and the 2018 season we'll continue to take at more memorable throwback moments from last year to get you through the next few weeks. One of the best parts of the 2017 season was MLB's new player-focused initiative, Players Weekend. With customized alternate jerseys, nicknames and commemorative patches, players got the chance to show us all a different, more personal side of themselves that they don't normally get to...