A little over a month ago, I wrote in this space taking a look ahead at some of the projected roster for the 2022 low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds and how they are expected to feature a club with a strong international flavor. This is yet another big step for the Orioles in their emerging international program, which added 24 signees on Saturday and three more were reported by Baseball America on Monday for a class of 27 to this point. Keep it coming, the fans might say. With major league...

With the pitching minicamp wrapping up over the weekend in Sarasota, the Orioles are ready to conduct two others geared toward hitters in their organization. The breakdown puts more experienced and higher-profile prospects in the first camp, which begins on Friday, followed next Tuesday by a gathering of newer, younger players. The initial wave will consist of first-round selections Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser, along with Kyle Stowers, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg,...

Just 106 games into his major league career, Carter Kieboom is at a crossroads. When spring training begins - hopefully next month - in West Palm Beach, the Nationals are hoping that Kieboom, 24, shakes off whatever competition is provided for him and proves he can handle everyday duties at third base. So far, it's been a mixed bag for the first-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. There have been flashes on offense and defense, but Kieboom has pretty much whiffed on the...

Both players advanced to Double-A Bowie last season and both produced a final OPS of .800 or better. They both showed some nice pop during their time on the field, which was limited by injury for one of these players. When I spoke recently with the new Orioles co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller for this entry and also this one, we talked further about minor league first baseman Andrew Daschbach and shortstop Joey Ortiz. Ortiz had labrum surgery on his non-throwing left shoulder in July, but did take...

For most of the past decade, the offseason has meant pretty much one thing for Nationals fans: Watch carefully as general manager Mike Rizzo makes moves to improve the few holes on the team and eagerly anticipate the first workout of pitchers and catchers in spring training. Not this winter. And not just because the business of baseball has been brought to a screeching halt by a labor stoppage. When Rizzo pulled the plug on a 97-loss campaign that resulted in a last-place finish in the...

The noticeable increase in international spending by the Orioles included six-figure bonuses for Edwin Amparo and Leandro Arias. They have more in common than cash. Amparo ($650,000) and Arias ($600,000) are Dominican-born shortstops. They're teenagers and switch-hitters, with the latter ranked as the No. 46 prospect in MLBPipeline.com's Top 50 list. Here's what the club said about both players in Saturday's news release announcing the 24 signings: Arias, 16, is a shortstop prospect...

With a new academy coming in the Dominican Republic and their latest signing class announced yesterday, the Orioles' resurgent international program keeps growing and getting better. The elite talent pipeline, international division, got better as a result. On one Saturday afternoon, the Orioles announced the signings of 24 players and spent their entire pool allotment of over $6.2 million, according to Koby Perez, the club's senior director of international scouting. Where the Orioles once...

Who needs major league roster moves when a team can stir up its fan base with adjustments to the ballpark's dimensions and an historic day of international signings? Reaction to the former has been mixed on social media. It's much harder to argue an organization's willingness to spend proficiently in the foreign market after years of resistance. And honestly, the latter is much more important. The Orioles made a big splash by doing a cannonball into the international pool. They spent the...

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that left-hander Seth Romero could be running out of chances with the Nationals. News that the 25-year-old left-hander was arrested Friday morning in Sweeny, Texas, on a charge of driving while intoxicated is only the latest misstep in a checkered career for the 25th overall selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, who has just three major league relief appearances in the 2020 campaign on his register. Romero was released on a $5,000 bond, according to...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with ten international free agents on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Vice President and Assistant General Manager of International Operations Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. CUBA PLAYER POS B/T HT WT AGE D.O.B. HOMETOWN SIGNING SCOUT Marlon Perez LHP L/L 5-10 180 21 3/16/00 Havana Modesto Ulloa Cristhian Vaquero CF S/R 6-3 180 17 9/13/04 Havana Johnny DiPuglia *No. 1 prospect in...