The Orioles led the American League in one pitching category last year that they would have preferred not to. The club gave up more homers than any other AL staff. The Orioles allowed 202 gopherballs while Toronto was second with 195. Both were way above the AL average of 167 homers allowed. We often hear about the appeal of a groundball pitcher - that is, a pitcher that gets the majority of his outs, or close to 50 percent of balls put in play, on the ground. The obvious theories are that a...

With FanFest just three days away, we are even closer to baseball being back. Just a reminder: pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 13. The Orioles have had a quiet offseason thus far, but things may be heating up rather soon. Stay tuned. * Oh, the offseason. I'm sure most Orioles fans are ready for the winter blues to end. Before spring training starts, SI.com's Cliff Corcoran graded the O's offseason. Look away if you're expecting some good news. Corcoran gives the Birds an offseason...

One of the Orioles' primary free agent targets, A.J. Burnett, has decided to pitch this season, according to multiple reports. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Travis Sawchik was the first to report it. Burnett is willing to pitch for a team other than the Pirates, according to Sawchik, and will test the open market. The Orioles reached out to Burnett's agent at the Winter Meetings, but turned their attention elsewhere while the right-hander contemplated retirement. Burnett makes sense to...

With NatsFest officially in the books, we are one week closer to spring training. There are still a few weeks left of the offseason, however, and many are still talking about the Nationals. * SI.com's Jay Jaffe released his offseason report cards for each team in baseball. Jaffe was very impressed with Mike Rizzo's offseason so far, which includes the hiring of first-year manager Matt Williams. Jaffe gave the Nationals an offseason grade of B+. He points out that the Nationals only spent...

Baseball Prospectus came out with its top 101 prospects this week and three Nationals made the list. Lucas Giolito was No. 13, while A.J. Cole was No. 53 and Brian Goodwin was No. 86. Jason Parks, the national prospect/player development writer for Baseball Prospectus, called Giolito a potential "superstar" and flirted with placing the young right-hander in the publication's top 10. "I think with that type of player, the entire farm system looks better as a result," Parks said of...

NatsFest on Saturday was a blast. We had so much fun meeting Nationals fans at the MASN booth, where we had photo shoots with players, trivia sessions and prize giveaways. By the time more than 8,400 Nats fans left the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, we had given away signed gear from Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman, Denard Span and Drew Storen. We also awarded fans with posters, Nats bags and shirts, and we even hooked up some lucky fans with suite tickets. For a full recap,...

It's almost here! FanFest is this Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center. I am ready to see players and Orioles fans come together and get excited for the season. Considering the absolutely freezing temperatures this offseason (or winter, as non-baseball lovers call it,) I cannot wait for warm nights at Camden Yards. Even though spring training is still a few weeks away, I'm declaring this the start of the 2014 baseball season. We at MASN have been preparing for Saturday's event. As...

Two months after returning to the Orioles organization, Jeff Manto has learned that he will be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame. Manto is enjoying another hot stretch. He's a streaky guy. Manto was hired in November as the Orioles minor league hitting coordinator. He replaced Mike Boulanger, who moved into an amateur and professional scouting role. Now comes news that he's joining Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Dave Miley and Toledo broadcaster Jim Weber as the newest...

The Orioles and 1090 AM WBAL Radio, the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network, have announced that 14 Orioles spring training games will be broadcast in 2014. The schedule begins with the spring opener at the Tampa Bay Rays from Port Charlotte on Friday, February 28 at 1:05 p.m., and includes the home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, March 1, along with seven additional home games in Sarasota. Three of the 14 broadcasts will feature 30-minute Pre-Game and Post-Game...

Signaled by a multi-year agreement, the Washington Nationals and Levy Restaurants have extended their partnership and ongoing commitment to welcome and wow Nats fans with an unforgettable game day experience at Nationals Park. Levy has been the exclusive restaurant partner at the ballpark since 2009. "For the last five years, our collaboration with Levy Restaurants has resulted in a diverse selection of fantastic food options and outstanding hospitality," said Alan H. Gottlieb, Lerner Sports...