In reviewing some notes from the Winter Meetings, I found some quotes from an interview in Dallas with Jim Callis of Baseball America that had not yet been published here. I know many fans love to hear Callis' insights, and I do, too. So here are some topics we covered there. Callis said that when Baseball America puts out its next list of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball, both Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy could be in the top 10. "We haven't put those lists together yet, but yes,...

The day the Orioles hired Fred Ferreira as their executive director of international recruiting, Ferreira told me he plans to add international scouts and also that he would look into the possibility of the Orioles adding an academy in Venezuela. The Orioles have never produced a major league player from Venezuela, although the club has some promising young talent from there in the lower minors now, with players like catcher Gabriel Lino and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Ben Badler, who covers...

As Orioles fans wonder who will start at certain positions for the 2012 Birds, there are indications that manager Buck Showalter prefers Nolan Reimold as his starting left fielder next year. No one from the club - Showalter included - has said with certainty that Reimold is the starting left fielder moving forward. But in an interview at the Winter Meetings with Mel Antonen of MASN's "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report," here is what Buck said about Reimold: "(I want him) just to continue to...

He was drafted by the Orioles out of an Oklahoma high school in the fifth round in 2006. After playing in 622 minor league games with 2,338 at-bats representing the Orioles, Tyler Henson will now find out what it's like with another team. Last week, Henson and pitcher Jarret Martin were traded to the Dodgers when the Orioles acquired pitcher Dana Eveland. Henson was working for the family business when he found out about the deal last Thursday, on the final day of the Winter Meetings. "I...

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie will visit a third grade class at Pointers Run Elementary in Clarksville tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13. Teacher Matt Noon contacted Guthrie in response to Guthrie's Twitter question, "All I want for Christmas is ..." and asked for Guthrie to meet his class. Guthrie will visit with the children and sign autographs from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Pointers Run Elementary is located at 6600 Trotter Road, Clarksville, 21029.

The Nationals added some outfield depth to the organization Monday with the signing of Brett Carroll to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training in Viera, Fla. The 29-year-old Carroll has spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Marlins and Brewers. A 10th-round pick by the Marlins in the 2004 draft, Carroll is a career .203 hitter with five home runs and 28 RBIs in 175 games. The addition of Carroll helps the Nationals replace Erik Komatsu, who was taken by the...

Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club will host event to benefit the Miracle League of Manasota On Wednesday, Feb. 22, the Orioles will hold the 2nd Annual OriolesREACH Birdland Golf Classic at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club in Sarasota to benefit the Miracle League of Manasota, an organization dedicated to providing an opportunity for every person to play baseball, regardless of their ability. The event begins with registration and lunch at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start set for 12:30...

When building a solid major league system, a franchise can never have enough catching depth. The Nationals have demonstrated this on their 40-man roster, with four backstops. Jesus Flores, Derek Norris, Wilson Ramos and Jhonatan Solano represent the top four catchers protected on the Nationals' 40-man. It has been an emotional offseason for incumbent Ramos, who had to endure a horrible kidnapping. Despite that deeply traumatic event, Ramos is expected to be the starter heading into spring...

At some point today, we'll find out whether the Orioles have tendered contracts to the following arbitration-eligible players: pitchers Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson, Brad Bergesen and Jo-Jo Reyes, infielder Robert Andino, and outfielders Adam Jones and Luke Scott. Update: I omitted left-hander Dana Eveland, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time. Players who are non-tendered become free agents, but they can sign with their former teams. It's not necessarily a divorce. It could be...

How far the Nationals' pursuit of Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish goes - assuming, of course, that they participate in the bidding process now that the right-hander has been posted by his homeland club, the Nippon-Ham Fighters - depends just as much on the other bidders as it does the Lerner family's deep pockets and desire to add to their collection of stud pitchers. There will be no shortage of interest in Darvish, who is generally considered the best hurler never to pitch in Major League...