SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee took ground balls at first base this morning, but most of his work was done before taking the field for the first full-squad workout. He continues to hit soft tosses in the cage. "After talking to him, everything's progressing right on schedule. In fact, he's ahead of schedule," manager Buck Showalter said. Lee underwent surgery in November to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The Orioles won't rush him, and they don't seem concerned about getting...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Don't read too much into it, but manager Buck Showalter has chosen Brad Bergesen to start the first exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 28 in Bradenton. Chris Tillman will follow Bergesen to the mound. They'll each go two or three innings. Showalter will mostly use his relievers for the intrasquad game that will be played the previous day at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Jeremy Guthrie is expected to be the opening day starter at Tropicana Field, which...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The reviews keep pouring in, and it's apparent that manager Buck Showalter's inspirational film is a huge hit with his players. Showalter took his team to a local movie theater last night after everyone gathered at Ed Smith Stadium for a pre-workout meeting. They were treated to a short video that included highlights of past and present players, and a sold-out Camden Yards. Just a reminder of what it was like, and what it could be again. "It was awesome. It was off the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee still has soft hands around first base, fielding the ball cleanly and effortlessly. We'll evaluate his range once the games begin. Lee and Jake Fox took grounders at first and worked on executing the 3-6-3 double play. Mark Reynolds and Brendan Harris took grounders at third, J.J. Hardy and Nick Green at shortstop and Brian Roberts and Cesar Izturis at second. Harris, Green and Izturis will move around the infield. Vladimir Guerrero's first round of batting...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles took the field to stretch around 11:40 a.m. They paired up to play catch and currently are participating in fielding drills. Bobby Dickerson was hitting fly balls to Luke Scott and Randy Winn in left field. Scott showed off an accurate arm. Vladimir Guerrero spent the first part of the workout kneeling beside Rudy Arias after doing some long tossing. He later joined a cluster of outfielders and shagged fly balls from first base coach Wayne Kirby. See what you're...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis reported to camp yesterday afternoon, and Pedro Florimon finally arrived to complete the spring training roster. Last but not least... The only no-show is pitcher Alfredo Simon, and he was already marked absent and placed on the restricted list. The first full-squad workout begins around noon, though manager Buck Showalter indicated yesterday that players will be eased into activities today after undergoing physicals, and dental and vision examinations.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Just a reminder that the clubhouse is closed to the media this morning while the Orioles conduct physicals, and dental and vision exams. They're expected to take the field around noon for the first full-squad workout. Perhaps Vladimir Guerrero will step into the cage and take batting practice in full view of his teammates, fans and the media. And I can provide the latest facial-hair update. No day is complete without one. Ryan Adams, the Orioles' second-round pick in 2006,...

If you look at the statistics of some of the top Orioles' minor league batters from the 2010 season, one stat that may jump out at you is the strikeout totals. O's hitters finished first and second in the Eastern League in strikeouts in 2010 while Baltimore farmhands were first, second and fifth in the Carolina League. Brandon Waring fanned 179 times last season to lead the Eastern League with Tyler Henson second with 156. Frederick's Ronnie Welty was first in the Carolina League with 159...

Manager Jim Riggleman has talked about it before. Build solid defense up the middle and your pitching staff will look a whole lot better. The Nationals already have a Gold Glove third baseman in Ryan Zimmerman. This year they added a quality glove at first base in Adam LaRoche. Now, they hope the pairing of two young, energetic infielders at shortstop and second base will protect their defense for seasons to come. Shortstop Ian Desmond said he was disappointed in his defense last season....

SARASOTA, Fla. - I wanted to pass along a few more items before I pack up my laptop and head out of here. Manager Buck Showalter is still leaning toward batting Derrek Lee third and Vladimir Guerrero fourth. It isn't written in ink, but that's the assumed order. And that's fine with both of them. Lee continues to hit soft tosses in the indoor cage. He could be ready for live batting practice in a week while recovering from thumb surgery. Guerrero also has been hitting indoors. I've seen...