There's positive news on catcher Jesus Flores' progress in instructional league competition this month in Viera. Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu says it would be huge to have Flores back 100 percent after shoulder surgery. "Boy, I sure hope so. I remember watching Flo in 2007. He was a Diamondback killer. That guy can hit. He has an uncanny way of getting the barrel on the ball. He hits the ball the other way, battles with two strikes. He has some power. It would be...

It's been said and asked before about Nick Markakis by those with the Orioles and some others from outside the organization. Why doesn't he pull the ball more and hit a bunch of homers over that right-field scoreboard? Some think that short right-field porch should become a regular landing place for Markakis homers. That is, if he would turn on the ball more and drive the inside pitch to right. We know Markakis loves to hit to left and left center and has gap-to-gap power. But he can...

The most important item first: Longtime umpires attendant Ernie Tyler remains hospitalized at the University of Maryland Medical Center after undergoing successful surgery on Oct. 6 to remove a benign brain tumor, but a team official tells me that doctors are pleased with his progress. We still don't know when they'll allow Tyler to return home, but his continued improvement is encouraging news. According to Bodog, the odds of the Phillies winning the World Series stand at 5/4. The...

Gary Thorne, the play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles on MASN, will also provide play-by-play for Major League Baseball's international broadcasts of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and World Series this fall. Beginning on Friday, Thorne will team up with Cy Young Award-winner Rick Sutcliffe to bring October baseball to fans in 219 countries and territories, as well as to the more than one million United States and Canadian Armed Forces personnel stationed around the...

When manager Buck Showalter was asked late in the season about his timetable for announcing which coaches would return in 2011, he said it would be "sooner rather than later." It's my fault for not getting a clear definition. This week would be considered "sooner," as opposed to after the World Series, which would fall into the "later" category. Showalter underwent the first of his two knee surgeries on Tuesday. He was supposed to return to Baltimore before the second procedure. Just...

There is no spin or excuses that can explain the fact the Orioles had just four players listed on the Baseball America minor league top 20 prospects lists while the rest of the AL East had 56 combined. The O's come up lacking big time here and got blown away by the rest of the division. To me it raises a red flag or two and is cause for concern, but certainly not wide spread panic. It doesn't mean everything the O's are doing is wrong or that they can't produce talent. They do have a...

I checked in with Andy MacPhail to get his thoughts on why the Orioles had so few prospects on the Baseball America minor league top 20 prospects lists. He can see, like we all can, that the O's had just four players listed and it tied Oakland for last in baseball. "The last two drafts, for whatever reason, we've had an inordinate amount of our players hurt, just didn't play a lot. Givens, Townsend. Then you add to the fact that no one is signing until August 15th these days. "But...

Since nothing else seems to be happening today... First baseman Tyler Townsend and third baseman Ryan Adams have two-run singles today for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. The Scorpions lead the Peoria Saguaros, 7-0, in the sixth inning. Townsend and Adams singled off right-hander Jeremy Hall, who went 6-9 with a 3.52 ERA in 27 starts for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits - yes, I want to see the mascot - of the Southern League. The Biscuits are a Tampa Bay...

Nationals number one draft selection Bryce Harper has confirmed that he will play in the Arizona Fall League and will report to the Scottsdale Scorpions on Sunday night. Harper will be on the team's taxi squad and play in Wednesday and Saturday games. "I am stoked. I am so excited," Harper said. "It has been a goal of mine to be able play in the Arizona Fall league." Harper will spend time at home this weekend in Las Vegas with his family to celebrate his 18th birthday on...

Earlier today, I ran a story with quotes from Jim Callis of Baseball America discussing the O's lack of players on the publication's top 20 prospects lists in minor league baseball. Only four players from the O's farm - Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, Xavier Avery and Wynn Pelzer - were listed in the top 20 of any league. In Baseball America online chats about each league, several O's prospects were referenced. Manny Machado would have likely been the top prospect in both leagues in played...