Spring training will provide its share of storylines, but I don't anticipate much drama when it comes to naming the opening day starter. Is it really a mystery? The past five seasons brought five different starters, but Chris Tillman will go back-to-back by taking the ball on April 6 at Tropicana Field. The only question is how long it takes for manager Buck Showalter to confirm it. "I don't let that enter my mind," Tillman said earlier this week on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan....

Denard Span is coming off an outstanding season in 2014. His 184 hits tied Philadelphia's Ben Revere for most in the National League. For the year, Span batted .302 with 39 doubles and 31 stolen bases, and once again played stellar defense in center field. In early December, Span underwent surgery to repair a nagging sports hernia. On Tuesday, Span appeared on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" and provided an update on his recovery. "I'm working towards Day One being able to work through all the...

While Orioles fans in the Baltimore area are counting down the days to sunny skies, warm weather and the return of baseball at Camden Yards, a huge flock of O's fans in Sarasota, Fla., is just days away from the return of their favorite team. Since moving their full-time spring training operations to Sarasota in 2010, the Orioles have been able to make a huge impact on the Florida community within the confines of Ed Smith Stadium - "Birdland South" - and beyond. Orioles spring training games...

Nationals relief pitcher Jerry Blevins won his arbitration case against the Nationals today. The left-hander was scheduled to make $1.675 million in 2015 before arbitration and was arguing for a bump to a salary of $2.4 million. The Nationals countered with an offer of $2.2 million. The three-person panel in St. Petersburg, Fla., decided in favor of Blevins. The 31-year-old Blevins was 2-3 with a 4.87 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings last season, his first with the Nats after being...

Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez had a string of 48 1/3 innings last season without allowing an earned run while with low Single-A Hagerstown. It is expected that the 21-year-old Lopez will move up to high Single-A Potomac this season. Scouts have been pleasantly surprised with how the Dominican hurler can maintain his strength in the later innings. Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba detailed why the club believes Lopez was able to make his fastball even more lethal last...

Last Wednesday, new Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred visited the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and was quite vague when asked about the chances of an All-Star Game ending up in the nation's capital. "We're going to make some announcements about All-Star games in the relatively near future and I won't go beyond that," Manfred said. On Tuesday night, the Miami Herald reported that the 2017 All-Star Game will be played at Marlins Park, officially confirming the...

The Orioles crossed another item off their to-do list yesterday by announcing their camp roster, which included 15 non-roster invitees. Manager Buck Showalter counts 59 available lockers at the Sarasota complex and he uses that number as his cutoff while constructing the roster. There's room for three more players if the Orioles want to occupy the entire space. The group of instructors includes Kevin Bradshaw, who replaces Dave Anderson as minor league infield coordinator. Anderson was...

Over the winter, the Orioles added four pitchers from their farm system to their 40-man roster. That speaks well for the club's player development operation, as none of the four were drafted since 2012 and all four made improvements on the O's watch to get to this point. The four pitchers added were: * Oliver Drake, a 43rd-round pick in 2008 * Eddie Gamboa, a 21st-round pick in 2008 * Tyler Wilson, a 10th-round pick in 2011 * Mike Wright, a third-round pick in 2011 I'm not ruling any of...

The Orioles are inviting 15 non-roster players to spring training, including pitcher Hunter Harvey, veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson and outfielder Dariel Alvarez. Just as manager Buck Showalter stated at the minicamp, pitcher Suk-min Yoon isn't included among the non-roster invitees. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski also was excluded after moving up from low Single-A Delmarva to Double-A Bowie last summer. The Orioles could still sign another player to a minor league contract with an...

There's been plenty of activity involving the shortstop position this offseason. In December, the Nationals traded for San Diego's Trea Turner, who will be the player to be named in a three-team deal that also involved the Rays. Turner, a highly ranked prospect, was selected by the Padres with the 13th overall pick in June's First-Year Player Draft. Last month, general manager Mike Rizzo acquired infielder Yunel Escobar from Oakland. The plan is for Escobar to play second base in 2015, but...