When it comes to baseball prospects, do you want quantity or quality? Do you want stars or depth? These questions were raised again this week when the Orioles had just two players ranked in the Baseball America top 100 prospects list, with Dylan Bundy at No. 2 and Kevin Gausman at No. 26. Of the American League East teams, Tampa Bay and Boston had five players in the top 100, New York had four and Toronto joined the Orioles with just two. But it's not just how many are ranked, but where...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals believe that the lingering tightness in the area between Christian Garcia's right wrist and forearm is due to a strain, but they are awaiting a second opinion on the right-hander's MRI results, which they hope will clear up what manager Davey Johnson has called "a strange injury." Garcia has been feeling tightness in his right arm for the last few days, but he doesn't notice any discomfort when throwing curveballs or changeups. The tightness is only present...

VIERA, Fla. - Right about now, Chris Young should be toeing a mound somewhere at the Nationals' spring facility, throwing a bullpen session in front of his new pitching coach, Steve McCatty, and other Nats staffers. Young got to the Nationals' complex this morning after signing a minor league deal with the team last night, and spent the early part of today going through various medical procedures. He was scheduled to throw at 2:30 p.m., after which the Nats will determine how to utilize the...

This week, the Nationals revealed their accelerated development roster. The intrasquad games with this roster begin around March 1. Some fans asked what is the accelerated development roster and what is its purpose? Nationals director of minor league operations Mark Scialabba says the development program has three main goals: 1. To place the Nationals' top prospects on one roster for focused one-on-one work with the coaching staff and instructors. The idea is to get the best together and...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis returned to the Orioles this morning after flying back to Baltimore on Wednesday to attend a funeral. Markakis underwent a test before leaving to determine the cause of his acid reflux symptoms - the same procedure given to third baseman Manny Machado and left-hander Zach Braddock. "I had the test done in 2005 and they just wanted to go in and do a checkup and make sure everything was OK," Markakis said. "I had a little reflux and everything turned out...

VIERA, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez has received word from the Major League Baseball Players Association that he has tested negative for performance-enhancing drugs. Two days after the Miami New Times listed Gonzalez among a group of players linked to Biogenesis, a Miami-area anti-aging clinic that was allegedly supplying performance-enhancing substances to players, Gonzalez had both his blood and urine tested by MLB. The Nationals left-hander, who finished third in the National League Cy Young...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, Tommy Hunter, Steve Johnson, Dylan Bundy, T.J. McFarland, Todd Redmond, Zach Clark and Adam Russell will pitch Saturday in the Orioles' exhibition opener against the Minnesota Twins. As you can tell, each pitcher is scheduled to throw one inning. Jair Jurrjens, Troy Patton, Mike Belfiore, Kevin Gausman, Mike Wright, Daniel Schlereth and Eduardo Rodriguez will pitch Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Manager Buck Showalter will likely...

The Orioles have announced plans for the first game of their 2013 spring training season and their fourth season in Sarasota. The team will face the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow, Saturday, February 23, at 1:05 p.m. Tomorrow and throughout the season, ballpark gates will open two hours prior to the scheduled first pitch. All fans attending tomorrow's opener will receive a 2013 spring training magnet schedule presented by the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the first...

The Orioles announced this afternoon that they will wear a patch honoring former manager Earl Weaver on their jersey sleeve during the 2013 season. Weaver, the fiery skipper known for managing the Orioles' pennant-winning teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s, died Jan. 19 at 82 on an Orioles fan cruise in the Caribbean. His passing turned FanFest at the Convention Center into a public wake, and O's fans placed memorials from an orange lei to a can of National Bohemian to an Orioles cap at...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada estimated that he threw 15 pitches today in his third half-mound session this week. He remains scheduled to throw off a regular mound Monday for the first time since his ligament-reconstructive surgery in May. "It felt the best today," he said through his interpreter/athletic trainer. Wada hasn't experienced any setbacks in his recovery from the surgery. "It's gradually getting better and better, day by day," he said. "Today was more...