Attending youth baseball openers for local teams has been a tradition since the Orioles arrived in Sarasota for Major League Spring Training in 2010. This season, the Oriole Bird will make three stops to help open youth baseball leagues. On Saturday, February 14, the Oriole Bird will participate in Opening Day ceremonies for Venice Little League, followed by Sarasota Little League on February 21, and the Miracle League of Manasota on March 14. The Oriole Bird will open the Venice Little League...

Pitchers and catchers report to Nationals spring training in Viera, Fla., on Feb. 19. The club announced its non-roster invitees yesterday, a list that included catchers Spencer Kieboom, Steven Lerud and Pedro Severino. Both Kieboom and Severino played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Lerud played 60 games with the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves last season. Nats director of player development Mark Scialabba told me this week that the catching depth is solid throughout the...

Two words: Anthony Rendon. All he did was finish fifth in the National League MVP voting and win a Silver Slugger Award in just his second season in the majors. Rendon led all NL third baseman with a .287 batting average, slugging percentage (.473) and OPS (.824). He added 39 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs and 83 RBIs, and his 111 runs scored were the most in the league. Rendon also had 17 steals in 20 attempts. The 24-year-old hit .368 (7-for-19) in the National League Division...

Bryce Harper is becoming one of social media's new stars. The 22-year-old has been piling up re-tweets and likes on his Twitter and Instagram accounts over the past few weeks with anything from pictures of him hanging with Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter at Super Bowl parties to crushing golf balls into outer space. By the looks of his most recent Instagram post, it appears the Nationals outfielder is more than ready for spring training. A video posted by Bryce Harper (@bharper3407) on...

When you look at the Orioles and their attempt to replace the 40 homers Nelson Cruz hit last year, one source of added pop for 2015 could be at shortstop. At FanFest, J.J. Hardy revealed that he played part of last year with a back injury that may have hampered him in 2014 more than he let on at the time. It could have been a factor that saw Hardy's homer total drop to nine last year after he averaged 25.6 per season for the club from 2011-13. Hardy missed five games early last year and got a...

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo today announced 20 non-roster invitees for spring training. First baseman/outfielder Mike Carp, second baseman Dan Uggla, third baseman Ian Stewart and right-hander Heath Bell were among 13 players the Nationals agreed to terms with on minor league contracts with invites to major league spring training. Seven additional minor league players received spring training invites, including right-hander Rafael Martin and infielder Cutter Dykstra. Carp started 56...

To borrow another one of manager Buck Showalter's favorite expressions, our curiosity will be satisfied in spring training. I'm curious about a handful of the 56 players reporting to Orioles camp. For instance: * Dylan Bundy: He's going to be treated like any other pitcher in camp, according to Showalter. No reason to hold him back any longer. He's healthy and on a regular schedule. No half-mounds for Bundy. Will his stuff be electric? It would be a shock - yes, you see what I did there -...

It wasn't so long ago that a spring training game was enough of an event to draw fans in Florida and Arizona communities that had no other access to Major League Baseball. But times change, and even Grapefruit League games need a little creative nudge, something special to bring the fans out. The Orioles today announced their list of promotional giveaways and special events for spring games at Ed Smith Stadium. Depending on which games you attend in Sarasota - and providing you arrive early...

The Orioles today announced their 2015 spring training promotions and special events schedule featuring many fun-filled promotional giveaways and events for fans to enjoy at Ed Smith Stadium. On Wednesday, March 4, all fans will receive an orange rally towel as well as a spring training magnet schedule, presented by Visit Sarasota County, as the Orioles celebrate their spring training Opening Day and sixth season at Ed Smith Stadium. In addition, the first 1,000 women will receive a Bird of...

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Heath Bell, right-handed pitcher Bruce Billings, right-handed pitcher Manny Delcarmen, right-handed pitcher Mitch Lively, right-handed pitcher Scott McGregor, right-handed pitcher Evan Meek, catcher Steve Lerud, infielder Emmanuel Burriss, first baseman Kila Ka'aihue, first baseman Clint Robinson, third baseman Ian Stewart, second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielder Mike Carp on Minor-League contracts with invitations to...