Orioles minor league catcher Caleb Joseph had a big year for the Double-A Bowie Baysox in 2013. But instead of taking a few weeks off after a solid year, he headed to Venezuela to play winter ball. Playing for the Bravos de Margarita will help him improve as a player. That, in turn, will help him improve his stock in the organization and maybe even enhance his chance to get added to the O's 40-man roster in advance of December's Rule 5 draft. Even though he has played six seasons since the...

No other team in the majors has more Gold Glove finalists than the Orioles, who are represented by catcher Matt Wieters, first baseman Chris Davis, shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Manny Machado, center fielder Adam Jones and right fielder Nick Markakis. While heaping praise on each individual, let's not forget about the coaches who work with them - Bobby Dickerson with the infielders, Wayne Kirby the outfielders and John Russell the catchers. "It's exciting," said Dickerson, named the...

Matt Williams, who appears to be the choice at the next manager of the Nationals, managed the 2012 Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. He helped guide the Rafters to an appearance in the championship game, a 4-3 loss to Peoria. I caught up with right-hander Aaron Barrett and infielder Jason Martinson, two of the eight Nationals prospects on that team, to get their take on the possibility of having Williams as the next manager of the Nats. Barrett is one of the top relievers in the...

For the second straight year, the Nationals have had two players selected as finalists for Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Last year, it was first baseman Adam LaRoche and shortstop Ian Desmond, with LaRoche taking home his first career Gold Glove. This year, it's Desmond and center fielder Denard Span. The Gold Glove winners will be announced Tuesday beginning at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Desmond will go up against the Braves' Andrelton Simmons and the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki for the Gold Glove...

The Orioles set major league records this season with a .991 fielding percentage, 119 errorless games and only 54 errors committed over 162 games. They figured to be well-represented in the balloting for the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Six Orioles have been named finalists at their respective positions: Catcher Matt Wieters, first baseman Chris Davis, shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Manny Machado, center fielder Adam Jones and right fielder Nick Markakis. The winners will be announced at 8...

The Nationals likely won't make an announcement on who has been hired as their next manager until after the World Series has come to an end, but they've already made their selection. The Nats plan to hire Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams to replace Davey Johnson as their new skipper, a source familiar with the situation confirms. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal was first to report the expected hire. In addition to hiring Williams, the Nats will try to keep Randy Knorr on as...

Have you watched the Red Sox and Cardinals duke it out in the first two games of the World Series? While you continue watching to see who emerges as World Series champs, let's catch you up on things you may have missed around the Nationals organization this week. The Nats are continuing managerial interviews, including one with DeMarlo Hale this week. In addition, they have met with Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams, Padres executive Brad Ausmus and Randy Knorr. An announcement...

The World Series is two games in, and the Cardinals and Red Sox have each taken a game. Who do you have as the 2013 world champs? Since your eyes may have been on postseason baseball this week, let's catch you up on all of the Orioles news that you may have missed. The Birds have continued to search for a new pitching coach to replace Rick Adair. With Jim Leyland retiring, skipper Buck Showalter moved up to third in the category of most wins by an active manager. In addition, three...

Let's start out today's blog entry with a reminder that baseball's award for defensive excellence is the Gold Glove. It's not the Golden Gloves, though former Orioles reliever Alan Mills should have been awarded one after decking Darryl Strawberry. The finalists for the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards will be announced today, and the winners will be revealed Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Let's just hope the X Games don't run long. The Orioles were the only team to have three...

They are looking for their second World Series title in three years and their third since 2006. The St. Louis Cardinals are the envy of just about every organization in Major League Baseball. They consistently win and do it with more homegrown players than most. This week, Baseball America editor in chief John Manuel wrote this article about the World Series teams with an emphasis on what the Cardinals have done with some outstanding scouting, drafting and player development. St. Louis has...