Right-hander A.J. Cole wrapped up his 2013 season at fall instructional league in Viera, Fla. It was the culmination of his first full season back with the Nationals after spending last season in the A's organization. In 2012, Cole went from high Single-A to low Single-A in the Oakland system. In 2013, Cole jumped from high Single-A to Double-A in the Nationals system. In his final seven starts of the season with Double-A Harrisburg, Cole went 4-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 49 strikeouts. He had...

I want to take a break this morning from talking about Orioles pitching coach candidates and revisit the AFL. Daryle Lamonica completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Warren Wells, and ... Hold on, that's the American Football League. Let me try that again. I've got something here in my notes about the Tampa Bay Storm and the Orlando Predators, but I'm pretty sure that's the Arena Football League. Stay with me. OK, Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia is swinging a hot bat in the Arizona Fall...

This season, Jordan Zimmermann emerged as an elite pitcher for the Nationals. After making the All-Star team for the first time, he finished the season with 19 wins and a 3.25 ERA. This week, we're throwin' it back to April, when Zimmermann threw his first career shutout. Watch the recap below and make sure to check back every Thursday for more memorable moments from 2013. Your browser does not support iframes.

Though the Orioles are excluded from the World Series again this fall, they had a busy day interviewing candidates for the vacant job of pitching coach. According to industry sources, the Orioles met today with Carl Willis, Andy Hawkins and Dave Wallace. Willis started the procession with an interview at 10 a.m. Rich Dubee met yesterday with team officials. Those are the four known outside candidates. No word on whether the Orioles are planning any more interviews, but they're expected to...

With a cannon for an arm, Matt Wieters makes it very difficult for opposing runners. This past season, he caught 24 baserunners stealing, but in this play, he had a little bit of help. And by a little bit, I mean a lot. With Desmond Jennings looking to take second, Wieters threw the ball to the wrong side of the bag. Lucky for him, Alexi Casilla made a spectacular play to get the out. Watch the play below and make sure to check back every Thursday for more memorable moments from 2013. Your...

As Orioles manager Buck Showalter waited to board his flight back to Dallas last week after spending a few days checking out prospects in the Arizona Fall League, he again brought up catcher Michael Ohlman's name without any prompting. He wasn't led in a particular direction during our brief phone conversation. He went there by himself. Ohlman had another impressive game today for the Surprise Saguaros, hitting a three-run homer in an 8-6 victory over Salt River. He also walked and scored...

Outfielder Stephen Souza Jr. is excited to be able to continue his season playing in the Arizona Fall League, even if it is only two games a week. Souza is on Mesa's taxi squad, which means he is eligible to play Wednesday and Saturday each week for the Solar Sox. Souza's first week went so well he was nominated for Player of the Week even though he played in just two games and everyone else had the opportunity to play in at least six contests. "It is going great," Souza said of his...

The Orioles have claimed three of the eight position player spots on the 2013 Sporting News American League All-Star team, as first baseman Chris Davis, shortstop J.J. Hardy and outfielder Adam Jones made the team. The team was selected by a panel of 17 AL general managers and assistant GMs. Davis hit .286 with 42 doubles, 53 homers, 138 RBIs and a 1.004 OPS. He led the AL in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits. He had 21 more extra-base hits with 96 than Mike Trout, who finished second with 75....

One lucky fan to win Trick-or-Treating with the Oriole Bird. In the spirit of the season, the Orioles today announced a pumpkin carving contest for fans with a grand prize of trick-or-treating with the Oriole Bird. Fans may enter by carving an Orioles-themed pumpkin and posting a photo of their creation using the hashtag #OsPumpkin on a public Instagram account. The entry period begins today and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 27. Orioles' staff members will then judge the...

I'm going to give you the stat lines of two right-handed starters who were set to enter the offseason as free agents. These stat lines contain each player's numbers over the last two seasons. For the sake of a decent chuckle, let's compare the two, shall we? Player X: 20-29, 4.76 ERA, 383 2/3 IP, 72 ERA+, 1.389 WHIP, 1.0 HR/9, 3.9 BB/9, 9.0 K/9, 2.31 K/BB Player Y: 22-27, 4.50 ERA, 346 1/3 IP, 84 ERA+, 1.265 WHIP, 1.5 HR/9, 1.8 BB/9, 7.6 K/9, 4.25 K/BB Player X just landed himself a...