Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's recovery from knee surgery in October has been "a little slow," according to manager Buck Showalter. Reason for concern? Not at this point, but it's worth tracking. Chen won't be attending next week's mini-camp in Sarasota, as I wrote previously, but pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti will fly to California and check on him. Chen is working out with Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Bud Norris and Brian Matusz. Chen had small bone spurs removed...

During tonight's "Hot Stove Baseball" show on WBAL Radio, I asked manager Buck Showalter whether he found it unusual that physicians from other organizations made public comments on the Orioles' interpretation of closer Grant Balfour's physical and the decision to back away from a two-year, $15 million agreement. Rays physician Dr. Koko Eaton and Reds medical director and chief orthopedic surgeon Dr. Timothy Kremchek questioned why the Orioles were concerned about the results of an MRI...

It seems as if I have been asking myself if it's baseball season almost every day this offseason. Since the Nationals took care of filling the holes on their roster early, this past month has seemed even more slow-paced than the rest of the offseason. But now, instead of me rumbling and grumbling about how far away baseball is, we can officially count down the days until spring training. This week, the Nationals stated that pitchers and catchers would report to Viera, Fla., on Feb. 13. In...

The Orioles announced their minor league staff for the 2014 season yesterday and the eight men that managed in the minors last year all return to the organization. As noted yesterday, low Single-A Delmarva and high Single-A Frederick are basically switching managers with Ryan Minor headed back to Delmarva where he managed from 2010-12 and Luis Pujols taking over at Frederick. Director of player development Brian Graham said this was the best fit for the Orioles in terms of putting the best...

In the aftermath of the Hall of Fame voting, it is fair to say that the system works, but it doesn't hurt to look at alternatives to make the voting better. There is no perfect voting system, and for the most part, the Baseball Writers Association of America got the vote right when they elected Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. All three were on the ballot for the first time. Maddux (who appeared on 97.2 percent of the ballots) and Glavine (91.3 percent) were part of the Atlanta...

Major League Baseball released its full spring training schedule this afternoon, and if offers confirmation that the Orioles will play Triple-A Norfolk in a March 29 exhibition game at Harbor Park. First pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m. The Orioles break camp the previous day after a light workout in Sarasota. Their final Grapefruit League game is March 27 against the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 13. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 19. Where has the winter...

The Orioles today announced the coaching staffs for their eight minor league affiliates for the 2014 season. Ron Johnson returns for his third season as the manager at Triple-A Norfolk after guiding the Tides to a 77-67 mark in 2013. The 2014 season will be Johnson's 21st as a minor league manager and he is sixth among active minor league managers with 1,412 career victories (1,412-1,399 overall). Mike Griffin will serve as pitching coach for the seventh consecutive season in the...

The Orioles have announced their minor league managers and coaching staff assignments for the 2014 season. All four full-season managers return to the organization, although Luis Pujols moves from Single-A Delmarva to Single-A Frederick and Ryan Minor moves from Frederick to Delmarva. Ron Johnson returns for his third season as manager at Triple-A Norfolk and Gary Kendall will manage for the fourth season at Double-A Bowie. Former Oriole Alan Mills, the pitching coach last season at...

The Nationals have added more depth to their infield, signing Jamey Carroll to a minor league deal, a source confirms. The contract is not finalized yet, but it will include an invitation to big league spring training, per the source. Carroll, who will turn 40 next month, has played in 12 big league seasons and has experience playing second base, third base and shortstop. He played with the Nationals during their inaugural season in D.C. in 2005, and suited up for both the Twins and Royals...

The Orioles announced today that they've created a 60th anniversary website to celebrate the franchise's move from St. Louis in 1954. Featured on www.orioles.com/60 is a new video contest, "My Orioles Magic Moment," that invites fans to recreate some of the amazing moments that the club has experienced in the last 60 seasons. This month's choice may be my favorite. It's Doug DeCinces' home run on June 22, 1979 at Memorial Stadium that's widely credited with starting "Orioles Magic."...