It's time to release another sequel to "Because You Asked," where I post the most repeated questions sent to my blog and Twitter account. You ask, I answer. You ask again, I answer again. It's our own little SOR dance, only without the decorations and punch bowl. And it's OK if the boys stand on one side of the gym and the girls on the other side. Slow dancing to Journey is optional. Wow, I'm old. Anyway, let's get started. Do you think that Jonathan Schoop will play second base for...

The 2012 season was one where the Orioles saw their pitching staff and pitching depth much improved. To make the future outlook even brighter, the Orioles have two of baseball's best young pitching prospects and one or both could be a mainstay in the rotation at some point next season. Dylan Bundy went 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 23 starts this year at three minor league levels and then pitched 1 2/3 scoreless in two major league relief appearances in September. Kevin Gausman went 0-1 with a 3.60...

As expected, both first baseman Adam LaRoche and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett have declined their mutual options and have become free agents, a source confirmed Thursday. LaRoche had a $10 million mutual option for 2013, while Burnett's option was for $3.5 million. Assuming the two players don't reach a new contract with the Nationals before Saturday, they will hit the open market and be allowed to negotiate with all 30 teams. Because the two players each declined their half of the...

When Mike Boulanger was hired by Dan Duquette in January as the Orioles' minor league hitting coordinator, Boulanger told me he would track something he called productive team plate appearances both by O's minor league players and teams. PTPA, similar to something Buck Showalter referred to as productive outs for Orioles (or POFO), can be a hit, a walk, a sac bunt, a sac fly, hitting behind the runner or making the pitcher work with an eight-pitch at-bat. You get the point. It's a plate...

Though they may seem hidden in the Arizona Fall League, which doesn't generate a tremendous amount of coverage, Orioles farmhands Jonathan Schoop and Mike Belfiore haven't gone unnoticed. Schoop and Belfiore have been chosen to play in Saturday's Rising Stars Game that will air live at 8 p.m. on MLB Network. Schoop, a middle infielder and the third-ranked prospect in the Orioles' system according to Baseball America, is batting .310/.453/.548 with four doubles, two homers, seven RBIs,...

As the offseason kicks into high gear, the Nationals are a defending champion in an unusual position: They could stand pat and be picked to win the National League East for a second consecutive season in 2013. But that's not how the Nationals operate. They'll likely be looking for an experienced pitcher and a leadoff batter. The Nationals rotation will have Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler, but the fifth guy is up for debate. It could be Zack Greinke,...

Not only was Bryce Harper apparently pretty excited to welcome kids to his doorstep for Halloween, he also threw on a costume himself. What did the 20-year-old dress up as?

I always look forward to MLBTradeRumors.com's list of the Top 50 Free Agents and where they may end up. The Orioles are projected to sign three of them, including left-hander Joe Saunders, who started seven games after being acquired from the Diamondbacks, and two more in the playoffs. I'll agree with that prediction. He's the kind of reasonably priced veteran starter that executive vice president Dan Duquette is seeking, and Saunders would like to return. Plus, he's kinda/sorta local as...

Outfielder Brian Goodwin is leading off for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League and has gotten off to a fast start with a league-best nine extra-base hits. His outstanding play earned the 21-year-old an invitation to play in the AFL Rising Stars Game on Saturday night, alongside teammates Aaron Barrett and Anthony Rendon. Pitching coach Mark Grater has watched Goodwin since May and has seen what the talented center fielder has to offer the Nationals. "Brian Goodwin (was)...

If you are an elite prospect like Dylan Bundy, you can make it on your team's 40-man roster the day you sign a contract - and he did. Zach Clark took a longer road, but the former UMBC pitcher and Wilmington, Del., native finally made it yesterday. Clark got an important phone call Wednesday morning as he drove in his car with his wife. He was told that at 29 and after seven seasons, 171 games and 758 innings pitched in the Orioles' minors, that he was added to the 40-man. Not bad for a...