By now we've thoroughly defined how historic Bryce Harper's record-breaking 2015 season was. But while expected after becoming one of the most hyped prospects the game has ever seen, Harper's year could also be described as a breakthrough. After bursting onto the scene with 22 homers in his rookie season, Harper couldn't exceeded that total as nagging injuries bothered him the following two years. In 2016, he mashed 42 longballs. Harper batted .330 in 2015, a whopping 58 points higher...

While the Orioles are figuring out who's going to replace Wei-Yin Chen in the rotation, they're also measuring the starting depth in the organization. It's hard to project the rotation at Triple-A Norfolk without knowing the entire composition of the Orioles bullpen and whether they'll go in-house with Chen's replacement. T.J. McFarland could start at Norfolk if he doesn't break camp with the Orioles, who appear to have one spot open in the bullpen with Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Brad...

Is tanking really becoming an issue in baseball? It appears it may be, and that there is concern in the sport that some teams have set up their rosters to lose games in order to come up with higher draft picks. ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the issue of tanking was raised at the recent MLB owners meetings. "Houston is often cited within the sport as the model of a team that has benefited from losing a lot," Olney writes. "From 2011 through 2013, the Astros became the first team since the...

This is the NFL's Super Bowl week. It is the 50th Super Bowl. It should be Super Bowl L, in keeping with the sport's Roman numeral tradition, but this year, the NFL decided to go with "50" instead of the capital L. So while the Super Bowl is grabbing all the headlines, let's see how many baseball angles we can find to the Carolina-Denver game that's going to be played Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif.: * Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, was supposed to be built in San...

On what's amounting to another slow news day as we venture deeper into the afternoon, I'll pass along that the Orioles signed left-hander Chris Dwyer to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America's transactions page. The Royals chose Dwyer, 27, in the fourth round of the 2009 draft out of Clemson University. His only major league appearances came in 2013, when he pitched in two games in relief and allowed two hits in three scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two. Dwyer...

Count Gio Gonzalez among those itching for the return of baseball when pitchers and catchers report in 16 days. The Nationals left-hander posted a video on his Instagram account yesterday showing off his first flat ground throwing session in 2016. Last spring, Gonzalez showed up at Space Coast Stadium appearing noticeably heavier and joking about enjoying plenty of good Cuban food during the offseason. Followers of Gonzalez on social media know that Gonzalez appears much trimmer now after...

While you've been distracted by daily reminders that the Orioles need another starting pitcher, outfielder L.J. Hoes is waiting to find out whether he needs to report to another organization. It appears that the Orioles want to get Hoes through waivers and hold onto him. He should know soon if it's going to happen. We're also waiting for the Orioles to announce their spring training roster, complete with all the invites. It can't be much longer, considering that pitchers and catchers report...

Christian Walker was the Orioles' minor league Player of the Year after the 2014 season, winning the Brooks Robinson Award. Trey Mancini took that same honor after last season. But going into the 2016 season, both prospects' path to the Orioles is potentially blocked by first baseman Chris Davis. He plays the same position they do and Davis re-signed with the club, agreeing to a seven-year contract through the 2022 season. What does this mean to the futures for Mancini and Walker with the...

A flip of the page in the calendar, and you can almost hear the crack of the bat, the pop of the glove and the smell the hot dogs. February is here and in just 17 days the clubhouse lockers at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., will be filled with brand new snow-white Nationals jerseys. So how close is general manager Mike Rizzo from establishing which 25 players will don the curly W cap on opening day in Atlanta? Probably the biggest surprise this offseason for the Nationals is that...

We've entered the month of February and the Orioles aren't receiving rave reviews for their offseason. Various outlets have given them failing grades. They're picked to finish in last place in the American League East. They aren't the winter darlings within the industry. Any projections at this early date must be taken with a grain of salt. I'd line the rim of the glass with them. The Orioles signed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and outfielder Nelson Cruz after reporting to camp in 2014. Their...