The Orioles made their minor league managing and coaching assignments official yesterday and they sure have a solid list of eight managers, counting four at full-season affiliates, two with short-season clubs and two for their Dominican Summer League teams. The managers at their top three affiliates either already are or could become the winningest managers for those teams by the end of 2015. Ron Johnson, 58, is entering his fourth year as skipper at Triple-A Norfolk. He has a record of an even...

Executive vice president Dan Duquette had been seeking another infielder to bring to Sarasota and added one this afternoon, signing Jayson Nix to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The Orioles now have 57 players coming to camp, including 16 non-roster invitees. Nix, 32, was selected in the first round by the Rockies in 2001, and has played seven major league seasons with eight different clubs and at seven different positions. He is primarily an infielder, having...

Former Orioles reliever Alan Mills has moved up two levels in the farm system to become pitching coach at Double-A Bowie. Mills continues a climb that began at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, where he spent two seasons. He served last summer as pitching coach at Single-A Delmarva. "It's just a job," said Mills, who pitched for the Orioles from 1992-98 and again in 2000-01. "Wherever I am, it's my job to help them make progress. I really don't focus too much on where I am or where I'm...

While the Orioles' location of spring training operations in Sarasota County began as a back-up plan of sorts, it has become a valuable and uniting force between the O's and the county. When the Orioles failed to lock down a long-term deal with the city of Fort Lauderdale for spring operations more than five years ago, they began to look west. "We did the deal (with Sarasota in 2009) because the (Orioles) ownership felt it was such a good community and such a good fit for the fan base,...

The Orioles announced their minor league coaching staffs today for their affiliates this afternoon. All six managers for their U.S.-based clubs will return for next year, but a few are with new teams. As previously reported here at MASNSports.com, Ron Johnson will return as manager at Triple-A Norfolk with Gary Kendall at Double-A Bowie, Orlando Gomez at Single-A Frederick and Ryan Minor returning to Single-A Delmarva. Luis Pujols will manage at short-season Single-A Aberdeen and Matt Merullo...

The Orioles today announced the coaching staffs for their eight minor league affiliates for the 2015 season. Ron Johnson returns for his fourth season as the manager at Triple-A Norfolk after guiding the Tides to a 65-79 mark in 2014. The 2015 season will be Johnson's 22nd as a minor league manager. He has compiled 1,477 career victories (1,477-1,478 overall) and is 68 wins shy of matching the record for most managerial wins in Tides franchise history after going 216-216 over his first three...

Spring training camps open this week in Florida and Arizona. In the American League East, where all the teams train on the east coast of Florida and see each other regularly during the Grapefruit League season, the Orioles have the most stable rotation with the fewest questions. The last-place Red Sox have revamped their rotation. The Yankees are hoping for health with their big-money starters. The Rays, even without David Price and Jeremy Hellickson, have a deep and talented rotation with...

The Orioles and CBS RADIO's 105.7 The Fan (WJZ-FM), the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network, have announced a change in the spring training radio broadcast schedule. The Sunday, March 8 game against the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. will replace the Saturday, March 14 game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The March 14 game will still be televised by MASN as part of their seven-game television broadcast schedule. The complete schedule of spring training games to be carried live on 105.7...

Has it stopped snowing? My Southwest flight is listed as questionable. I may need a place to crash, so let me know if you've got a spare bedroom or an unoccupied couch. Whatever happened to the Orioles announcing their minor league staffs? I understand that it's not the kind of news that keeps fans awake a night, but I'm still waiting to cross it off my list. One of my goals in spring training is to find out whether the Orioles are willing to let Matt Wieters serve exclusively as the...

With just two days left until pitchers and report to Space Coast Stadium for spring training, our positional breakdown reaches the relievers. A couple of major moves by Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo in January changed the whole dynamic of the bullpen. First, the departure of Tyler Clippard surprised many. The reliable right-hander was expected to resume his role as the eighth inning set-up man in 2015 until a trade sent him to Oakland for infielder Yunel Escobar. Clippard, a two-time...