Is Gary Allenson disappointed that he's not part of manager Buck Showalter's coaching staff? "That's an understatement," he says. Allenson was bypassed for the job of third base coach and catching instructor, losing out to former Pirates manager John Russell. He accepted the offer to return to Triple-A Norfolk as manager, assuring that he'll remain in the organization for one more season. Allenson contacted new Pirates manager Clint Hurdle about the possibility of joining his staff,...

Joel Guzman was one of the top hitters on the O's farm last year. He hit .279-33-98 at Bowie, leading the O's farm system in homers and runs batted in. In 130 Baysox games, he recorded 21 doubles, scored 87 runs, slugged .519 and had an OPS of .863. He led the Eastern League in homers and total bases, was 2nd in RBI and 5th in extra-base hits. Guzman is a one-time top Dodgers prospect, who signed with Los Angeles as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican in 2001. At the time, his signing bonus...

The 2011 Hall of Fame ballot has been released, and former Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro is on it. Working in his favor: Palmeiro, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray are the only players in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. Aaron, Mays and Murray are in the Hall of Fame. Working against him: That failed test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005. Palmeiro could have been a first-ballot inductee, but not anymore. He might not make it at all. Your...

Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg today was named to the 52nd Annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. Strasburg was one of 11 players to earn the citation, which annually recognizes the premier rookies at each position on the field, as well as the top right-handed, left-handed and relief pitchers. Strasburg went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts and led all major league starting pitchers with a 33.6 strikeout percentage (92 of 274 batters faced) in 2010. The...

Well, it's a big "if", but "if" say the Orioles were to add Adam Dunn or Carlos Pena at first base and Mark Reynolds for third base, they'd gain some power for next year's lineup. But they'd be adding a lot of strikeouts as well. Dunn and Reynolds combined for a whopping 410 strikeouts last year and Pena and Reynolds combined for 369. My take on that is basically, so what. Power hitters usually strikeout at a higher rate than most. Some do it at a very high rate. Often it's a...

The Orioles might announce their minor league coaching staffs this week. See, I just copied a past entry and inserted the words "minor league." No heavy lifting. It appears that they're waiting to hire a manager at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, with Gary Kendall moving up to Double-A Bowie. Former Baysox manager Brad Komminsk will serve as hitting coach at Triple-A Norfolk, where Gary Allenson will manage again after replacing Juan Samuel as the Orioles' third base coach. Got all...

Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is enjoying this off season much more so than last year when he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. "It is nice," says Zimmermann. "I can actually go home and have a month off and not have to worry about rehabbing every single day. I have been working out for (four weeks now). It is good to get back in the swings of things and not have to worry about going to rehab every day and just working on my arm. I can lift like a normal baseball player...

Who bats leadoff if Brian Roberts is injured again? It's a question that keeps popping up here, and I've been responding that the Orioles could turn to whichever player is acquired as a backup. Felix Pie also would be an option if his anger management classes let out early enough. It's impossible to know for sure in late November, but the Orioles need to find a utility infielder with lots of experience at second base. Robert Andino will compete for a utility job, and he made a pretty...

I think Derek Jeter needs to understand something. His next contract will not pay him an average of 18.9 million dollars per year like his last one did. His 10-year, $189 million dollar deal ran out after the 2010 season and Jeter is now a free agent. The Yankees' captain is just 74 hits from 3,000 but something is happening now that is surprising to me - Jeter's current negotiations with the team are getting messy. After his agent said he was "baffled" by the Yankees approach to the...

Video of Felix Pie's meltdown in a Dominican Winter League game is surfacing all over the place, so I may as well join the party and post it here, in case you've missed it. Pie was called out at first base on a pickoff and had to be restrained by an Estrellas coach as he attempted to jump into the umpire's chest and take up residence. As tantrum's go, this one is an instant classic. A rumor spread that Pie had attacked the umpire, which isn't quite true. He never made contact. But boy,...