As we speculate and try and make educated guesses on which pitchers could be helped the most by the Camden Yards fences being moved back in left and left-center fields, the club's best pitcher could be among those that most benefit. In going 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA last year, lefty John Means allowed a career-high 30 homers. Among all Orioles pitchers with any significant number of innings, he was the only one to allow more homers than walks (26). He gave up 1.60 walks per every nine innings last...

Orioles pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in less than a week. Six days, to be exact. With forecasted temperatures reaching the upper 60s. Cold by Sarasota standards, but not as icy as the talks between Major League Baseball and the players association. Everyone is waiting for official word that the start of spring training is delayed. Hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement and making the necessary arrangements to get players into camp...

As the lockout drags on, we're taking this opportunity to break down some players in the Nationals organization who haven't garnered as many headlines. Today we look at left-hander Sam Clay, who spent most of 2021 in the big league bullpen but finished the season in the minors. ... LHP SAM CLAY Bats/Throws: L/L Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 227 lbs. Age on opening day 2022: 28 How acquired: Signed as free agent, November 2020 Service time: 169 days 2021 salary: $575,000 Contract status: Under team...

He is one of the Orioles' top 10 prospects, and after he threw 86 2/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk last year, he is also among their most major league-ready on that list. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, acquired by the club on Dec. 2, 2019 with three other pitchers from the Los Angeles Angels for Dylan Bundy, is likely to make his big league debut during the 2022 season. In November, he was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster. We've been looking at various 2022 rotation candidates over the last...

Reliever Isaac Mattson was counted among the 16 Orioles who made their major league debuts in 2021, 14 of them pitchers. He stood out for a few reasons, none that guarantee him a job this summer. Mattson appeared in four games - never more than one in a month, which seems highly unusual. His first major league outing was May 7 at Camden Yards, followed by opportunities on July 3 in Anaheim, Aug. 7 in Baltimore and Oct. 1 in Toronto. That's one way to spread the wealth, though I believe the...

Friday's news of the Major League Baseball Players Association declining the league's request to bring a government mediator into the stalled negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement made for a dour start to the weekend. As a new week arrives, we're all left wondering a seemingly simple, yet perhaps not-actually-simple question: What happens now? We don't have an official answer yet, but the actions of both parties in the next 48 hours or so should give us a good clue about...

When I interviewed new Orioles co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte recently, I asked him what stats are important to him in dealing with his hitters. When it comes to a question like this one, we have to keep in mind that the teams have so many more available stats and data than the media and general public. No one is going to give away any secrets here. But he did provide a few examples and that is where we began to discuss strikeouts and how the coaches will try to help the hitters produce...

Back on Dec. 14, when the lockout was still fresh and so was optimism for an on-time start to spring training and the regular season, I chose six decisions made by the Orioles after the final game that qualified as surprises in my corner of the baseball world. It was perhaps the first time that I reached for a shovel and really began digging deep for winter story ideas. Fast-forward to this morning and my back constantly aches. I can barely get out of bed. But I don't want your pity. (I...

We gained another reason to admire Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins this week. We learned that he produced a Most Valuable Oriole season, becoming the first player in club history with 30 or more homers and steals in one year, while battling the effects of Chron's disease. This did not keep Mullins from continuing his impressive rise from player demoted back to Double-A in 2019 to American League All-Star and All-Star game starter in 2021. He also won a Silver Slugger in November - the...

Well, here we are. It's February. The Winter Olympics are underway. The Super Bowl is nine days away. And pitchers and catchers will be reporting in ... well, who really knows at this point? There was some news on the collective bargaining front this week, though apparently not positive news. The clock has nearly run out to ensure an on-time start