Joey Ortiz possesses the skills to knock down a bad-hop grounder and block out trade noise. The number of gifted young Orioles infielders has left Ortiz with trade chip status bestowed upon him. Not from people inside the organization as much as outside observers who are trying to solve the riddle of how to create space. MLB Pipeline ranks Ortiz as

On the final day of Birdland Caravan and at the final event of the three-day run, reporters caught up with four pitchers who will look to break north with the Orioles in April by winning roster spots in spring training. That group included lefties Bruce Zimmermann, Keegan Akin and Nick Vespi, and right-hander Mike Baumann. All four spent some, or i

It was a tricky task just days ago: For this week’s “The Hot Stove Show” on MASN All Access, I was struggling to put together a potential Opening Day starting defensive lineup graphic with the Nationals roster as it stood at the time. Some positions were obvious: Keibert Ruiz was the starting catcher, CJ Abrams at shortstop and Lane Thomas in right

On the day that Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias selected Heston Kjerstad in the 2020 draft, he talked about the second-overall pick playing right field at Camden Yards. As if the position was just waiting for him. The diagnosis of myocarditis and a hamstring injury prolonged the wait, but Kjerstad made his major league d

The smile probably said the most about Dillon Tate’s right arm. Tate is encouraged by his health as he waits for other pitchers to report to spring training on Feb. 14. He’s gotten a head start down in Sarasota, taking a break this weekend to attend the Birdland Caravan. The last pitch thrown by Tate with the Orioles was 15 months ago. He was sidel

Orioles infield prospect Joey Ortiz, who made his major league debut in the 2023 season, may have finally shed that “glove-first” label. While his glove is still strong and he gets 70 fielding grades and 55 for arm strength by Baseball America, he also produced an .885 OPS in 88 games at Triple-A Norfolk last summer. “Yeah, definitely, I feel like

We’re not quite there yet, but spring training is drawing near. Pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach in a mere 18 days, and at long last the 2024 Nationals will begin to take shape. There will be more optimism surrounding this year’s team than there was a year ago, with the organization hoping to take another step forward after improving

Aaron Hicks injured his left hamstring on July 24 in Philadelphia while racing in for a fly ball from Johan Rojas in the third inning. Colton Cowser replaced him in center field. Cowser batted in the ninth inning and lined a tie-breaking double to left field off Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel that scored rookie Gunnar Henderson. Henderson will be in

For the Nationals’ on-field look, it’s a “new year, new me” in 2024. On Friday, the Nats unveiled new changes to their uniform collection for the upcoming season with the start of spring training just weeks away, including the team’s first pullover jersey and an updated design to their road grays. The Nationals’ 2024 uniform collection is composed

With Spring Training just weeks away, the Washington Nationals today unveiled the team’s 2024 uniform collection, highlighted by a new pullover jersey and updated road grays. Full- and Half-Season Plan Holders will be the first see the uniforms in person at the NATS PLUS Hot Stove event tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 27, at Nationals Park. The Nationals’