We've spent some time here this offseason talking about pitching and the Orioles' hopes and goals to add some. So that leads me to a question for the readers today: What do you look for in a pitcher? What stats are important to you in sizing up a pitcher's talents? Do you put emphasis on ERA or WHIP, innings, homers allowed or strikeout, walk and groundball rates? Do you look at sabermetric stats like Fielding Independent Pitching? For me, it's not necessarily about one stat, but getting...

During the 2013 season, we gave Nationals fans the chance to earn points for interacting with us on social media through our "Touch 'Em All" social rewards program. The top 10 finalists would have the chance to meet Ryan Zimmerman, with one lucky fan being selected to win a private hitting lesson with the third baseman. Fingers flew over keyboards, Instagam pictures were posted and MASN Nationals postgame memes were shared on Facebook. Each month, top followers on our social media accounts...

One of the Orioles' top young pitching prospects will start Saturday's Arizona Fall League championship game. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Surprise against either Mesa or Salt River in the game, which is set for 3 p.m. Eastern time and will be televised live on MLB Network. He is expected to go three innings. Rodriguez is 0-1 with a 5.52 ERA in five AFL games and gave up three runs and seven hits in his most recent outing Friday. Over 14 2/3 innings in Arizona, the...

In a bit of an upset, Cleveland's Terry Francona beat out Boston's John Farrell for American League Manager of the Year. The announcement came tonight on MLB Network. Keep in mind that BBWAA ballots were submitted before the playoffs. The Red Sox's World Series title wasn't a factor. Orioles manager Buck Showalter, a runner-up to Oakland's Bob Melvin last year, received one third-place vote. He finished tied for seventh with Texas' Ron Washington and Kansas City's Ned Yost. Asuka...

The Orioles completed their major league coaching staff this week with the hiring of bullpen coach Dom Chiti. Now, they're drawing closer to filling a vacancy in the minors. According to sources outside the organization, former Rangers coach Dave Anderson has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Matt Martin as minor league infield coordinator. I don't have confirmation from the Orioles, but that's the buzz. They could make an announcement later this week. Anderson, 53, spent four...

A day after losing their third base coach, the Nationals have lost a key member of their front office. Roy Clark, who has served as assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel for the last four years, has left the organization to take a position with the Dodgers, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. Update: A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed that Clark is leaving the Nationals and that he is indeed joining the Dodgers. In Los Angeles, Clark will...

One of the biggest reasons why right-hander Richie Mirowski is pitching in Arizona Fall League now is a spring training introduction. Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams liked what he was seeing from the 24-year-old Mirowski and knew he was close to making a big step. Williams introduced Mirowski to Double-A pitching coach Paul Menhart to help with some fine-tuning on his most important pitch. "In spring, Spin Williams introduced me to Paul Menhart," Mirowski said. "(Williams)...

As the GM meetings proceed through their second day in Orlando, the emphasis with the Orioles remains on finding another starting pitcher and sifting through their options if they don't re-sign left fielder Nate McLouth and second baseman Brian Roberts. The Orioles also are in the market for at least one reliever, and I've heard they would like to acquire two while "shuffling the deck" in their bullpen. They want to strike quickly, knowing that plenty of other teams have the same...

Down the stretch this season, the Nationals leaned heavily on catcher Wilson Ramos, who was finally healthy after missing most of the 2012 season with a knee injury and then twice landing on the disabled list due to hamstring problems in the first half of the 2013 campaign. If Ramos can stay healthy in 2014 (and, yes, that's a big if), he'll likely see a large portion of the playing time yet again. After all, the guy did slug 14 homers and drive in 53 runs over the final three months of the...

The Surprise Saguaros, a team managed by Double-A Bowie's Gary Kendall and featuring eight O's minor league prospects, are headed to the Arizona Fall League's championship game Saturday. Surprise, which also features short-season Single-A Aberdeen's Alan Mills as one of its two pitching coaches, clinched its division title with awith an 8-2 win Monday over Scottsdale. The Saguaros haven't won the AFL championship since 1995, when the it was a best-of-three series. They will face either...