We are now a little over three weeks away from the start of the fifth World Baseball Classic. The now expanded to 20-nation tourney begins with four pools of five teams each playing games in Taiwan, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami. Team USA will play in Pool C at Chase Field in Phoenix along with Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Great Britain. The two top tea

We’ve reached the final countdown to spring training, so we’re counting down the biggest storylines facing the Nationals this spring in West Palm Beach. We continue today with a look at players not on the team’s 40-man roster who might still have a shot to make the Opening Day roster … For a team coming off a miserable, 107-loss season, the Nationa

So close to the start of spring training, so insecure about how much I’m willing to guarantee about the 2023 Orioles. They won’t move out of Baltimore during the season. Bet the house on it. They won’t change managers. They won’t change mascots. They won’t change Boog’s BBQ into a vegan concession stand. But what about the team itself prior to open

When it comes to scoring runs, the Orioles were slightly below American League average in 2022 – due in large part to a scoring drought late in the year. The AL average for runs per game last season was 4.22 and the Orioles were at 4.16. They ranked 10th in the league in runs scored, up from 2021, when the Orioles were 14th. And for much of last se

We’ve reached the final countdown to spring training, so we’re counting down the biggest storylines facing the Nationals this spring in West Palm Beach. We begin today with a storyline that will impact every major league club this year: The implementation of several dramatic rule changes … As long as baseball has existed, what has distinguished it

Four more days before Orioles pitchers and catchers are due at the spring training complex in Sarasota. Where has the time gone? The mailbag already is in the best shape of its life. Bulky but strong enough to handle the extra weight. You know the routine. You ask, I answer, you trust that I’m in the know, I trust that you won’t fact-check me. And

Outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad is trending up, and he’s soaking in all of it. After all, he had to wait 27 months between his last game for the University of Arkansas and his first pro game, which he played June 10 for the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Orioles' Single-A affiliate. In between the two, a pandemic ended his 2020 Arkansas season early. T

Pitchers and catchers don’t have to officially report to the Nationals’ facility in West Palm Beach until Tuesday. But it’s not uncommon to see guys start arriving a week or so early. Josiah Gray is among those already down there getting ready for the start of camp. He joined “The Hot Stove Show” last week over Zoom from his back patio under cover

The volatile nature of a major league bullpen can push teams out of their comfort zone and into pure survival mode. Doesn’t matter how good it was in past seasons. Relievers are fickle in nature. They can carry you one summer and let you down the next. Be the pulse and break your heart. The Orioles departed their camp in 2022 hopeful, but far from

The Orioles are bringing back seven of their minor league managers in the same roles in 2023, but also replacing and relocating several coaches. Buck Britton will begin his second season as manager at Triple-A Norfolk after top prospects Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson graduated to the majors last summer. Kyle Moore returns to Double-A Bowie,