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Despite playing only 10 games, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez is leading his Arizona Fall League team in batting with a .414 average. His club, the Mesa Solar Sox, are 15-10-1 and have a 2 1/2-game lead atop the East Division with only a handful of games remaining.
Gutierrez has 12 hits, a triple, a homer, six runs and eight RBIs. All 12 of those hits have come in his last eight games, where he has gone 12-for-25 (.480). He missed several games in the middle of the AFL season after getting his...
It's awards week in baseball, with the big four - MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year - set to be handed out over the next four nights by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Despite their success and deep roster of players who enjoyed impressive seasons, the Nationals have an opportunity to emerge with only one of these four awards. Both Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg are finalists for the National League Cy Young Award (along with Clayton Kershaw).
Anthony...
Can a pitcher with zero career saves be a future closer for the Orioles?
If that pitcher is right-hander Mychal Givens, I believe the answer is yes. He has the velocity, has the stuff, is durable and has the mentality, in my opinion, which might be the hardest of all to find in a late-inning pitcher.
One key trait of any closer is the ability to bounce back after he blows a save. Take a bump in the road and fly past it. Givens seems to be able to shake off tough outings quickly.
Givens had a...
As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Sammy SolÃs, who labored through an erratic season.
PLAYER REVIEW: SAMMY SOLIS
Age on opening day 2018: 29
How acquired: Second round pick, 2010 draft
MLB service time: 2 years, 84 days
2017 salary: $545,700
Contract status: Under team control in 2018, arbitration-eligible in 2019, free agent in 2022
2017 stats: 1-0, 5.88 ERA, 30 G, 1 SV, 26 IP, 22 H, 17 R, 17...
Time for another look at some stories and topics we've touched on here in the past week. Feel free to comment on any or all three once more.
On Monday, we got a lot of responses to the question, "How far away are the Orioles?" The 2017 club stayed in the race into September. In fact, on the night of Aug. 30, the Orioles won their seventh straight game. They were 1 1/2 games behind the Twins for the second American League wild card and 2 1/2 behind the Yankees for the first wild card. But in...
My recent dive into the ol' mailbag went swimmingly, so to speak, but I neglected one question that turns into an obsession every winter as the Orioles try to fix their rotation.
It comes in many forms. It's the ooze of offseason inquiries.
Is there any chance that Zach Britton becomes a starter again? Is there any talk of Zach Britton becoming a starter again? Could Zach Britton become a starter again? Why aren't the Orioles at least thinking about making Zach Britton a starter again?
It's...
As the Orioles sift through the batch of minor league free agents who could fill out rosters at the upper levels of their farm system, they're going to stumble upon some familiar names. Reunions are unlikely, though a few of them may intrigue you.
Others may cause you to run screaming into the night.
The list includes former Orioles outfielder Henry Urrutia, who finished the season with the Red Sox's Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.
The Orioles released Urrutia on May 25 and the Red Sox...
Barring a batter reaching on a third strike and a wild pitch, not much good comes from a strikeout. Certainly, some good can come from a walk.
Orioles fans know their team well and the Baltimore offense in recent seasons has featured too many strikeouts and too few walks. This was a problem again in the 2017 season.
The Orioles' strikeout rate of 23 percent of all plate appearances by the team ranked as fifth-most in the American League this year. The team walk rate of 6.4 percent ranked last...
As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Matt Albers, perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise of the season.
PLAYER REVIEW: MATT ALBERS
Age on opening day 2018: 35
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, January 2017
MLB service time: 10 years, 141 days
2017 salary: $1.15 million
Contract status: Free agent in 2018
2017 stats: 7-2, 1.62 ERA, 63 G, 2 SV, 61 IP, 35 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 6 HR, 17 BB, 63 SO,...
As the Orioles try to plug holes and upgrade in spots over the winter, they figure to maintain their aggressive approach with certain prospects in their system.
They may have to go station to station on the basepaths, but they aren't afraid to bump minor leaguers a level or push them harder up the ladder.
I like this mindset.
Cedric Mullins skipped high Single-A Frederick after batting .273/.321/.464 with 37 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs and 30 stolen bases at low Single-A Delmarva. He had...