Buck Showalter has flown back to Texas after meeting with Orioles owner Peter Angelos on Friday and club president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail on Friday and Saturday.

There will be plenty of ongoing conversations heading into the club’s mini organizational meetings in Arizona, which begin in earnest Thursday after a Wednesday night dinner.

Showalter would like to have his full coaching staff assembled by then. In fact, he’d love to have them there. Not sure if that will happen, but one thing we’ve learned in dealing with Showalter so far is that he gets an idea in his head and pushes to complete it.

It has been an interesting week as far as the coaching staff is concerned. Here’s a recap of what we know and what we can surmise:

The current staff’s contracts expire today, Oct. 31. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that some couldn’t come back. The Orioles, in the past, have renewed contracts after they have expired. But the reality is it’s looking like Showalter will have an entirely new staff in 2011.

Who’s on the 2011 staff? Jim Presley is the hitting coach and Rick Adair the bullpen coach. Mark Connor, who has been with Showalter at all three stops of his big league managerial career, is all but signed, sealed and delivered to be the pitching coach. They are negotiating with him, and it is seemingly just a matter of time before Connor is on board. If Don Wakamatsu doesn’t get a managerial job -- the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly have had interest, as did the Toronto Blue Jays, who have filled that spot -- he likely will be Showalter’s bench coach.

That leaves openings at first base and third base. The Orioles have asked permission to talk to former big league outfielder Wayne Kirby, a member of the Texas Rangers' minor league staff (as is Connor) who likely would also work with the Orioles outfielders if he’s hired. One of the base coaches will also serve as infield coach, and one surely will be a Spanish speaker.

Any initial thoughts on the 2011 staff? It will be experienced and has the potential to be extremely diverse, with a Japanese-American, African-American and Latino on staff. One of the most impressive things so far is landing Adair as a bullpen coach. Adair has had two stints as a big league pitching coach and is highly respected in that role. So why would he take a bullpen job? The guess is that the opportunity to work with Connor -- unofficially the godfather of pitching coaches -- has significant appeal.

What happens to the 2010 staff? Terry Crowley will serve in a newly created position of offensive evaluator in the system. It allows the Orioles to have a new voice on the big league level and yet not lose Crowley’s ability as a teacher and evaluator. Alan Dunn, last year’s bullpen coach, has been offered a pitching instructor position within the organization. Dunn was quiet and very businesslike, but he is widely respected and would be an asset to any club. It would be great to see him stay with the Orioles in some capacity. Bench coach Jeff Datz has been rumored as a link to Eric Wedge in Seattle, and pitching coach Rick Kranitz has ties to Joe Girardi in New York. Gary Allenson could return to managing Triple-A Norfolk if he wants to. Allenson, Datz, Dunn, Kranitz and John Shelby have been in the game so long and have such strong work ethics that it would be a surprise to see any of them out of a job for long. They might not have been part of a successful run in Baltimore, but you would be hard pressed to find current Orioles who didn’t respect and like those men.

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Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Every postseason a few baseball players emerge both on the field and in the clubhouse.

The national media begins paying attention to teams it hadn’t covered before and there are always a couple guys that stand out. I remember Curtis Granderson’s coming-out party in 2006. Not only did he have a great ALCS for the Detroit Tigers that year, but he was unbelievably polished during post-game and pre-game interviews.

I wasn’t the only one that noticed. The next year, when the Tigers weren’t in the postseason, Granderson was used as a network in-studio analyst.

This postseason, according to what some of my writer friends have said (and tweeted), Texas Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson has become the belle of the postseason ball. Wilson has pitched well in three of his four postseason starts. And he backs it up afterward as a great interview.

I spent about 15 minutes in July with Wilson talking about his experiences as a young pitcher in 2005 and 2006 under Buck Showalter. The Orioles were about to hire Showalter at the time and I wanted some input from his former players.

Wilson was tremendous. Very introspective and polished. He came up as a starter/middle reliever/lefty specialist and Showalter immediately had confidence in him, inserting him into close games and, eventually, to finish games. Wilson ultimately became a closer for parts of three seasons, but switched back to starting this year and was 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA.

I thought about that interview with Wilson recently and found the transcription. I used three quotes from Wilson in the main story on Showalter when he was hired, but there was a lot left over that hit the editing room floor.

So here are some quotes from C.J. Wilson on Showalter. Yes, they are three months old. But I thought they were worth passing on since Wilson has been in the World Series spotlight.

“I always felt good (with Showalter), because when you went in there, he had trust in you and you had a purpose. Like you were going to get that lefty out or you were going to get that particular set of batters out.”

“He is really good with the bullpen. He handles the bullpen really well. You always knew you were going to get action because he liked to keep guys fresh. Have them work and then give them a day off. It was good because it always felt like he was always ahead of the game.”

“Buck’s memory is unbelievable. So he’d start a conversation with you and something would come up and he couldn’t finish it and then he would finish it later. That happened on numerous occasions.”

“I felt like I could talk to him. He was the first manager I have ever had really trust me as a closer. And he instilled in me that I could do that, be a closer. When a rookie comes up as a middle reliever, as a lefty specialist, that’s a really big compliment. He has had a lot of really good players, so that really meant a lot to me.”

“I don’t think there would be too many guys in this game that would be better for young players. He makes you feel like part of a system. Kind of like Bill Belichick or something, where there is a system that you know we are going to use and you are going to be a part of that. And you are going to do your job and the other guys are going to do their jobs and that’s how the team works.”

“I think with Buck I had success with him, because of him, because he gave me an opportunity. The reason why I am here (in the majors) right now is because he had trust in me. So he gave me the opportunity to play. He put his trust in me and he gave me a chance to succeed and I did. So I owe him a lot.”

“He expects a lot out of people because he puts a lot in, which is fair. It’s the friggin’ major leagues. No one gets their hand held and told they’re OK. You’ve got to go out there and do your job.”

“He brought the work ethic every day and hopefully he gets the most out of you. Really, that’s all you can ask for. A manager needs to get the most talent out of what he is given.

“You can’t take someone and turn them into Alex Rodriguez. If you don’t have that guy, you can’t make him Alex Rodriguez. Now, if you have a guy that’s a potential Alex Rodriguez, then you work with him. And that’s the way I think about Buck. He is kind of a capitalist manager in the sense that he trusts you to do your job, because if you do your job, then it will benefit everybody.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Rick Adair, the former Seattle Mariners pitching coach, will be joining hitting coach Jim Presley on Buck Showalter’s 2011 staff.

Adair will become the Orioles’ bullpen coach, replacing Alan Dunn, who has been offered a job working with minor league pitchers in the organization.

According to an industry source, Adair and Presley have agreed to two-year deals with the Orioles, though some contractual language is still being worked out.

That leaves four spots open on Showalter’s staff: pitching coach and bench coach as well as third base and first base coaches who will also have dual responsibility for infield and outfield instruction.

Adair, 52, has spent seven years as a major league pitching coach, including the past two seasons with the Mariners. He was fired in August along with Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu, who is the leading candidate to become Showalter’s bench coach.

Presley is traveling and could not be reached for comment. Adair declined to comment until an official Orioles announcement is made.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The Orioles are close to signing former major leaguer Jim Presley to be the club’s hitting coach, replacing Terry Crowley, who had held the post for 12 seasons.

According to mlb.com, which first reported the story, Presley, 49, would be reunited with Orioles manager Buck Showalter, whom Presley worked for as hitting coach from 1998 to 2000.

An industry source told The Sun that a deal wasn’t yet official this afternoon, but it was likely to happen.

Presley spent the past five seasons as the Florida Marlins hitting coach before being fired in June along with Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez. Earlier this month, Gonzalez took the Atlanta Braves' managerial job and Presley was a leading candidate to join him in Atlanta.

But the Braves have hired Larry Parrish, so Presley likely will rejoin Showalter, who gave Presley his first big league hitting coach job in 1998. Presley did not immediately return phone calls.

Presley was one of three primary candidates for the Orioles job, along with former Kansas City Royals hitting coach Mike Barnett and former Orioles hitting coach Rick Down.

Showalter would neither confirm nor deny the report, saying only that Presley is indeed a top candidate.

“Jimmy is a very qualified guy that a lot of people are interested in,” Showalter said. “He’s a good guy; so are the other ones. There are a lot of good people out there.”

The Orioles begin organizational meetings in Arizona next week, and Showalter would like to have his 2011 coaches there. So far, no new coaches have been officially announced and none of last year’s coaches officially have been told they won’t be coming back, except for Crowley, who chose to take a hitting evaluator position within the organization.

The current coaches’ contracts expire Sunday.

Mlb.com reported that Presley is expected to receive a two-year deal.

Presley spent eight years playing in the majors, six with the Seattle Mariners. He made the 1986 American League All-Star team and three times hit 24 or more homers in a season.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

There’s no Ravens game this week and I thought a Prediction Friday about Joe Flacco’s hair and his success at Halloween parties would lower the standards set in this fine establishment.

So we’ll have a baseball version of Prediction Friday during this bye week.

First, I apologize for no Prediction Friday last week against the Buffalo Bills. I was off all week and there was a mixup involving me and an editor and the liquor control board and the Maryland Gaming Commission. But it’s all good now. And you’ll still be able to visit me on weekends.

Anyway, Prediction Friday for the Bills’ game would have been ridiculous. No one – including Marv Levy and Thurman Thomas -- could have imagined the winless Bills taking the Ravens into overtime in Baltimore before finally losing.

It’s looking like the Texas Rangers may be imitating the Bills of yesteryear and losing four straight on the big stage. The San Francisco Giants are up 2-0 in the World Series and, frankly, have made it look easy.

Now the World Series is in Texas for three games (if necessary). I say they will be necessary, but it won’t be necessary for the Rangers to head back to California.

I think this one is going to end in five games. But I’ve been discounting the Rangers all postseason (I covered the Orioles in Arlington when they swept the Rangers in a four-game series and I can’t get that awful Rangers’ showing out of my head).

But there are some experts that think the Rangers will show their resiliency once again and win at least two of three at home to send the World Series back to San Fran. I’m not buying it.

Are you? Do you think the Rangers can make the Series a series?

Daily Think Special: Prediction Friday: Can the Rangers rebound at home?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

He wore a San Francisco Giants uniform for a short time this spring, but Orioles minor league pitcher Steve Johnson said he’s rooting for his former teammates in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

Johnson, a St. Paul’s graduate, has been enjoying the playoffs from his home in Kingsville, and said it’s surreal knowing how close he was to making his first major league roster, and possibly the World Series.

“They were working hard in spring training and I was right there with them,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “It’s kind of bittersweet because I was with 95 percent of the team in spring training and I know them and root for them. But at the same time, I could have been on that team.”

The Giants selected Johnson in last year’s Rule 5 Draft after the Orioles chose not to protect him on their 40-man roster. He spent nearly a month at the Giants’ spring training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., before he was offered back to the Orioles on March 16.

Johnson would be eligible for Rule 5 status again this year if the Orioles don’t protect him, but even he admits his numbers this season at Double-A Bowie don’t exactly warrant big league consideration.

He posted a 7-8 record with a 5.09 ERA for the Baysox, and led the Eastern League with 24 home runs allowed. His 78 walks trailed teammate Chorye Spoone by one for the league lead.

“I had my streaks this year with a couple pretty bad ones and some pretty good ones in there,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be interesting. I didn’t really put myself in a position to get Rule Fived. It just depends if someone wants to take a risk again. Hopefully, the Orioles protect me. That’d be great.”

Johnson was originally acquired along with third baseman Josh Bell from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for closer George Sherrill on July 31, 2009. Though he can’t help imagining himself in a playoff run with the Giants, Johnson insists he’s happy to be at home with the Orioles.

“I think what people have to understand is that it doesn’t matter what team is interested in you,” Johnson said. “The goal is to make the big leagues. I love the Orioles and I loved coming back to my hometown. At the same time, I had an opportunity to be in the big leagues and the Giants showed an interest in me.”

Johnson has been working out and dieting in preparation for next season and plans to begin his throwing program next week. By that time, he hopes a few of his baseball friends on the West Coast will be celebrating a World Series victory.

“It’s just fun to know that I was with them and that I was close.” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean much for a lot of other people, but it means a lot to me.”

-- Mike Miller

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The excellent Web site, mlbtraderumors.com has obtained the final Elias Sports Bureau free-agent rankings for this offseason and two of the Orioles’ seven pending free agents are listed.

Pitchers Kevin Millwood and Koji Uehara are both Type B free agents, meaning if the Orioles offer them arbitration and they refuse and sign elsewhere, the Orioles will receive a supplemental pick after the first round of the 2011 amateur draft.

None of the other five Orioles’ free agents – Ty Wigginton, Julio Lugo, Mark Hendrickson, Cesar Izturis or Corey Patterson – would land the Orioles compensation if they go to another team. The rankings are based on a complicated formula that takes the previous two seasons into consideration.

I wouldn’t expect the Orioles to offer arbitration to Millwood because he might consider accepting after a difficult 2010 and he could receive a relatively high award given his experience, past salaries, etc.

Uehara is a little different. The Orioles want him back if the price is right. They might gamble for the draft pick, chancing that the arbitration filing could be reasonable. My guess is they won’t, but it certainly is possible.

Another thing worth mentioning about the rankings: Most of the first basemen the Orioles are targeting are Type A, meaning the Orioles will have to surrender their second-round pick in 2011 if they sign one that has been offered arbitration (normally it would be a first-rounder, but the Orioles' pick high enough that their first-rounder is protected).

The following corner infielders are Type A: Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee and Victor Martinez. Type B players – meaning that their old teams would receive supplemental-round compensation, but their new team wouldn’t have to give up a pick – include Carlos Pena, Aubrey Huff and Lance Berkman, whose option already wasn’t picked up by the New York Yankees, making the offer of arbitration unlikely.

One more thing: Miguel Tejada is a Type A, meaning the Orioles could have gotten two picks for him instead of trading him for minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer in July. But there’s no guarantee Tejada would have remained a Type A in Baltimore, considering his play improved dramatically while in San Diego. And, as some readers have pointed out, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he might have accepted arbitration as well.

Click here for the full list.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Florida’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Sarasota County didn’t violate open-meeting laws when it agreed to a deal with the Orioles to renovate Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lake Park complexes.

The ruling means funding will continue uninterrupted for the $31 million construction renovation to the Orioles’ major-league and minor-league spring training facilities, which is currently underway.

A taxpayers’ group had sued the county and its board of commissioners alleging that the agreement was in violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law. A Circuit Court ruled earlier this year in favor of Sarasota County; Thursday’s decision upheld that ruling, dismissing the plaintiffs’ complaints.

“The Orioles’ confidence in Sarasota County has yet again been reaffirmed by this decision,” the Orioles said in a prepared statement. “We continue to move full speed ahead with the club's plans for the finest spring training facility in all of baseball and look forward to the opening of the stadium for Spring Training 2011.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As the Orioles’ 2011 coaching staff vigil continues, I thought I’d add some thoughts about the situation. Some are educated guesses, others are observations. And some are things that have been told to me as we’ve covered this story.

Showalter will have an experienced staff:
If you have noticed, most of the names that have been tossed around for Buck Showalter’s 2011 staff have major-league coaching experience. Several have had that under Showalter. This is a real benefit of having a veteran, respected manager. People want to coach under Showalter for several reasons. For one, he’s won. And it is a whole lot more fun coaching a winning team. Plus, one way to advance up the coaching ladder is to be part of a winner. And even if the Orioles don’t win, Showalter’s contract is for three years. There’s nothing that attracts coaches more to a team than the security of the manager. True, Showalter hasn’t stayed in one spot beyond four seasons in his big-league managerial history, but he hasn’t been somewhere fewer than three either.

Prepare to work:
Showalter’s reputation among coaches is similar to the one he has with players. If you want to survive under him, you have to work. Showalter is demanding, no doubt about it. He demands a lot of himself and of his staff. But he’s also known in baseball circles as being incredibly loyal. Do your job and do your job well and Showalter will respect you. It’s no coincidence that so many of his former coaches have been mentioned as candidates for the Orioles’ staff. They want to work for him and he wants people he knows aren’t afraid to offer sweat equity.

If not Connor, then Kranitz?
Since the moment Buck Showalter took over in early August, the consensus has been that Mark Connor would rejoin Showalter as the Orioles’ pitching coach. The 61-year-old has been with Showalter in each of his three stints as a manager (New York, Arizona and Texas). He’s currently a special assistant with the Texas Rangers, so it wouldn’t be a lateral move for him to return to a big-league coaching staff. But if the seemingly inevitable doesn’t occur and Connor doesn’t join the Orioles, I’ve been told current pitching coach Rick Kranitz would have a real good chance of returning. Showalter and Kranitz seemed to click, and the pitching staff excelled during the time they worked together. Kranitz also may have other options – like a potential reunion with Joe Girardi in New York.

A Spanish speaker on staff:
It would be a surprise – and a serious omission – if Showalter didn’t bring in at least one coach fluent in Spanish to be part of the staff. With such a huge Latin influence in the game these days, having a coach who can talk to a player, especially a young player, in his native tongue is big. Juan Samuel filled that void for most of the past three years, but he’s gone and won’t be returning. The great thing about Samuel is that English and Spanish speakers both gravitated toward him; a good coach and person is such in any language. Hopefully, Showalter can find another coach like that.

Showalter trends:
If you look at Showalter’s past hirings, a couple things jump out. He doesn’t usually clean the slate when he becomes manager. In the past, he’s kept a couple holdovers on staff. He also has promoted respected minor league coaches to the big-league staff for the first time. That’s why when foxsports.com first mentioned former big-league outfielder Wayne Kirby as a potential O’s coaching candidate it made sense. Kirby, an instructor in the Rangers’ minor league system, is the kind of up-and-comer type Showalter seems to handpick. It may not end up being Kirby, whom the Orioles have asked permission to talk to, but either him or someone with a similar resume likely will be making his big-league coaching debut with the Orioles in 2011.

The ex-Oriole connection:
Showalter has said he would like to reach into the club’s deep history when assembling a staff. Names that have been tossed around include Mike Bordick, Brady Anderson, Billy Ripken and B.J. Surhoff. And John Shelby has been on staff for a few years. I could see Showalter having one ex-Oriole on his staff, but not sure if he’d go beyond that. The most important thing, he says and I believe, is that he gets the right fit, no matter the background of the candidates.

Predictions:
Again, these are more educated guesses than anything definitive, but I could see a staff that included Connor as pitching coach, Don Wakamatsu as bench coach, Mike Barnett at hitting coach and a former pitching coach in the bullpen, perhaps a Nardi Contreras or Rick Adair. Since Wakamatsu could handle catching instruction, that would leave an infield instructor and an outfield instructor in the first and third base coaches’ boxes. I think we’ll see one young guy getting a break and one old Oriole in those roles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Now that Terry Crowley has accepted a newly created position to work with minor leaguers and evaluate the organization’s offensive players as well as targeted amateurs, the Orioles will have a new hitting coach for the first time since 1998.

Here’s someone the Orioles are considering for the job: Mike Barnett.

Barnett, 51, spent the past two seasons as the Houston Astros’ minor-league hitting coordinator. Before that, he had a three-year stint as the hitting coach with the Kansas City Royals and spent the previous four seasons in the same position with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was credited with helping young hitters such as Vernon Wells and Orlando Hudson mature at the plate.

From 1998-2001, he was the hitting coach for Tucson, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate. The big-league manager of the Diamondbacks for most of that time was Buck Showalter, the Orioles’ new manager.

Barnett also worked in the New York Yankees’ baseball operations department in the 1980s while Showalter was a minor-league player and manager in the Yankees’ system.

Barnett’s not the only one with previous ties to Showalter that will be linked to the hitting coach job. The man that Crowley replaced after the 1998 season likely will get some consideration.

Rick Down, currently a special assignment scout for the San Francisco Giants, was the Orioles’ hitting coach from 1996-98 under Davey Johnson and Ray Miller. He was the hitting coach for the New York Yankees under Buck Showalter in the mid-1990s.

Also in the mix is Jim Presley, who worked with Showalter as the hitting coach in Arizona. Presley, however, is considered the leading candidate for the Atlanta Braves’ vacant hitting coach job. Presley was fired this summer as the Florida Marlins’ hitting coach under Fredi Gonzalez, who also was canned at the same time.

Gonzalez is now the new manager in Atlanta, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Gonzalez has interviewed Presley for that job.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

First base prospect Joe Mahoney visited Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens on Tuesday to get his right wrist looked at. The good news is that the injury, which occurred during the one game Mahoney played in the Venezuelan Winter League, was diagnosed as a right wrist sprain, though Mahoney will see a hand specialist Friday to make sure.

The bad news is while he was there, Mahoney happened to mention that his right knee has been bothering him for the past three or four months. He was ultimately diagnosed with a meniscus tear, and he will have surgery to repair it today.

Mahoney will be shut down from baseball activities for six to eight weeks, ending his winter league plans. However, it shouldn't affect his preparations for the 2011 season much.

Mahoney, 23, hit .307 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in 124 games this past season for Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. He was given the organization's Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year award.

Also, fellow Orioles first base prospect Tyler Townsend will see a hand specialist today, and he's scheduled to have a cyst removed from his hand Thursday. Townsend played in just one game in the Arizona Fall League before the injury ended his stint there.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Although no official announcement has been made, the Orioles have reached an agreement with Terry Crowley that will make the big league hitting coach an organization-wide offensive evaluator in 2011, according to two sources.

One source said all the specifics have not been finalized, including Crowley’s exact title, but it is “a matter of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.”

Crowley, 63, had the option to remain with the big league club in 2011, according to a source. But instead of signing on for his 13th consecutive season and 17th overall as Orioles hitting coach, he has chosen this newly created role, which will have him working with the organization’s minor leaguers and major leaguers in spring training.

Next season, Crowley is expected to have a wide range of responsibilities that would include tutoring specific minor league hitters, evaluating potential amateur draft choices and scouting hitters from other organizations who could be available via trade or free agency.

Crowley’s new role is not expected to be announced until manager Buck Showalter names his 2011 staff. Although Showalter said he is nearing that goal, he said there are “some moving parts” that need to be resolved before a staff is assembled. He does not have a timetable for that declaration.

Crowley would not comment on his future with the organization until an official announcement is made. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail also would not comment, saying the coaching staff is Showalter’s domain.

Showalter is not discussing who is on his wish list, but two of his former hitting coaches could be available: Rick Down and Jim Presley.

Down, 59, was Showalter’s hitting coach with the New York Yankees and also held that position with the Orioles from 1996 to 1998. He currently is an advanced scout with the San Francisco Giants.

Presley, 49, was Showalter’s hitting coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks and most recently held the position with the Florida Marlins before being fired, along with manager Fredi Gonzalez, this season. Presley also could rejoin Gonzalez, who recently was hired as the Atlanta Braves’ manager.

It’s possible that Crowley will not be the only current member of Showalter’s staff to take on a different role in the organization. Third base coach Gary Allenson has the option of returning to managing at Triple-A Norfolk if he doesn’t remain with the big league staff. Bullpen coach Alan Dunn also could be offered a minor league position working with pitchers if he is not retained by the Orioles.

A longtime big leaguer known for his pinch-hitting expertise with the Orioles, Crowley had been the team’s hitting coach for the past 12 seasons and for 16 seasons overall. In this most recent 12-season stint, Crowley worked with seven managers, six pitching coaches and six presidents or vice presidents of baseball operations.

Crowley’s offense finished 13th of 14 teams in the American League this year in runs, but he remained exceptionally popular with the club’s hitters for his work ethic and positive reinforcement.

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Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

While naming former Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell their new manager earlier today, the Toronto Blue Jays also announced that third base and infield coach Brian Butterfield will return to the club and work on Farrell's coaching staff.

That's significant to the Orioles because Butterfield was one of the candidates for Buck Showalter's 2011 coaching staff.

Showalter and Butterfield, one of the most respected infield coaches in the game, were minor league teammates with Nashville in 1982, and they remain close friends. Butterfield was Showalter’s first base coach with the Yankees from 1994 to 1995 and followed him to the Diamondbacks organization as a minor league manager and infield instructor before becoming Arizona’s third base coach from 1998 to 2000.

Showalter started with a rather long list of coaching candidates, and I'm sure he won't have to change course too much with news of Butterfield's return to Toronto.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

While the Orioles coaches are waiting to hear whether they are coming back, the coaching carousel continues to turn throughout baseball.

And you have to wonder whether Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz’s ride may stop in the Bronx.

After 22 years in the Chicago Cubs organization, Kranitz was given his big break to be a big-league pitching coach in 2006 by the Florida Marlins new manager (and longtime Cub) Joe Girardi.

Girardi spent just one season with the Marlins before leaving due to a scrap with ownership, but it was a successful year. Girardi won the NL Manager of the Year Award and Kranitz was named by Baseball America as the Major League Coach of the Year for his work with the Marlins’ young hurlers.

Kranitz eventually joined the Orioles as pitching coach in 2008 and Girardi ended up with the New York Yankees that year, leading them to last year’s World Series title.

With news today that the Yankees have fired pitching coach Dave Eiland, and knowing that Kranitz could be out with the Orioles, it only makes sense that there could be a reunion between Girardi and Kranitz with the Yankees.

Girardi currently is without a Yankees’ contract for 2011, but general manager Brian Cashman has gone on record saying that getting Girardi signed is a top priority. When and if that happens, don’t be surprised if Kranitz’s name surfaces as a candidate for the Yankees’ pitching coach opening.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Aubrey Huff, the thong-wearing, wise-cracking first baseman of the National League champion San Francisco Giants, certainly gets much of the attention, but he is not the only ex-Oriole on the Giants’ roster.

There is utility infielder Mike Fontenot, one of the Orioles’ first-round picks in 2001. Fontenot never cracked the majors with the Orioles and was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 2005 season in the Sammy Sosa deal. Fontenot, 30, has started four of the Giants’ 10 playoff games, going 3-for-14 (.214) with a triple and a stolen base.

You have backup catcher Eli Whiteside, the Orioles’ sixth-round selection in 2001. Whiteside was Jonathan Sanchez’s personal catcher for most of the regular season, but he still hasn’t gotten into a game in the postseason. That’s no surprise with rookie phenom Buster Posey in front of him. Whiteside, 31, played in nine games with the Orioles, all in the 2005 season. He went 3-for-12 with an RBI.

Then there’s former Orioles closer Chris Ray, who hasn’t been on the Giants’ playoff roster but has been very visible the dugout and has certainly supported the cause by growing a beard, like the other Giant relievers. Ray went 3-0 with a save and a 4.13 ERA in 28 appearances for the Giants after he was acquired from the Rangers in July for catcher Bengie Molina. Coincidentally, both Ray and Molina could get World Series wins regardless of who wins.

Ray saved 49 games for the Orioles in 2006 and 2007 before he needed Tommy John ligament-reconstruction surgery. You certainly have to feel good for Ray, who saw his once-promising career interrupted by injuries.

And I also feel really good for Huff, though I’m not sure all of you share that sentiment. I understand Huff burned a lot of bridges with his derogatory comments about the city. I know that his carefree attitude on things, including conditioning, rubbed some people the wrong way. He also didn’t do the Orioles any favors when he followed up his standout 32-homer, 108-RBI 2008 season by hitting just .253 with 13 homers and driving in 72 runs the following year. Once thought to be a pretty good trade chip, Huff fetched only a Single-A reliever back from the Detroit Tigers after the 2009 trade deadline.

But Huff was always a pretty stand-up guy who took accountability for his play. He also had a reputation as a clubhouse cancer from his days with Tampa Bay, but I never found that to be the case in Baltimore. In fact, the young players loved him and gravitated toward him.

For all his wacky antics, Huff wasn’t afraid to put some of the young players in line and tell them how not to behave. I remember one night in Arlington when the Orioles were swept in a doubleheader by the Texas Rangers. Following Game 2, young shortstop Luis Hernandez was chatting on his cell phone in an otherwise quiet and depressed clubhouse. It was Huff who walked over to him without making a show of it and quietly but sternly told him to hang up the phone or go somewhere else.

During the 2009 season, Huff and Nick Markakis also arranged and financed the purchase of new suits for the Orioles' rookies. I know veterans do this kind of stuff for younger players in clubhouses throughout major league baseball, but I think it is worth pointing out considering Huff’s reputation.

I haven’t spoken to all Huff’s former Orioles teammates, but I can almost guarantee you that pretty much every one of them is rooting for the big first baseman to get a World Series ring.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Orioles first base prospect Joe Mahoney, who is playing winter ball in Venezuela, suffered a right wrist sprain on Wednesday in the only game that he has played for Bravos de Margarita.

Mahoney went 0-for-4 in that game with three strikeouts, and apparently suffered the injury on one of the swings.

He had a magnetic resonance imaging performed and that didn't reveal anything serious, according to a team official. However, there is still swelling in the wrist so he has decided to come back to Baltimore to see team doctors.

It's still too early to determine when - or if - Mahoney will return to Venezuela.

Mahoney, 23, hit .307 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in 124 games this past season for Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. He was given the organization's Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year award.

Several other Orioles' prospects are playing in the Arizona Fall League. Below is their numbers so far. I didn't include infielder Tyler Townsend because his AFL stint is over after he had a cyst surgically removed from his hand. He played in just one game, going 1-for-4.

Position players
Ryan Adams 9-for-27 (.333) 1 HR 8 RBIs 2 runs 1 BB 6 Ks
Xavier Avery 7-for-27 (.259) 5 runs 1 RBI 4 BBs 8 Ks 3 SBs
Caleb Joseph 5-for-12 (.417) 5 runs 1 BBs 2 Ks
Greg Miclat 9-for-27 (.333) 1 2B 1 RBI 1 run 4 BBs 5 Ks

Pitchers
Oliver Drake 6 1/3 IP 5 ERs (7.11 ERA) 4 hits 4 BBs 6 Ks
Pat Egan 5 2/3 IP 1 ERs (1.59 ERA) 6 hits 0 BBs 3 Ks
Kam Mickolio 2 2/3 IP 1 ERs (3.38 ERA) 3 hits 1 BB 3 Ks
Wynn Pelzer 4 1/3 IP 2 ERs (4.15 ERA) 3 hits 6 BBs 4 Ks

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I haven’t spoken to Brian Roberts since the season ended, but I’m told that the second baseman, who missed the final six games because of concussion-type symptoms after he hit himself in the head with his bat in frustration, is doing fine.

If Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell takes the Toronto Blue Jays’ managerial job and he’s reportedly been offered it, it will be interesting to see if Boston considers Rick Kranitz for its pitching coach vacancy. Kranitz knows Boston manager Terry Francona reasonably well through his close friendship with Houston Astros manager Brad Mills, a long-time bench coach under Francona. Another name that might also be worth keeping an eye on is Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin. Griffin spent nine years in the Red Sox organization before joining the Orioles. He apparently still has a strong relationship with one of his pupils, ace lefty Jon Lester.

I wrote on Thursday about the Orioles discussing a different role with hitting coach Terry Crowley, who would become more of an evaluator and an organizational instructor. I want to stress that it certainly isn’t a done deal and plans could change. They already have in a way. However, the more I hear, the more I expect that Crowley will take on the new role and the Orioles will have a new hitting coach for the first time since the 1997 season.

And finally a quick plug for an Orioles great and baseball Hall of Famer: Cal Ripken Jr., who is doing a fine job in his analyst role with the TBS playoff coverage, is part of a new integrated marketing and media company called The Experts Network. Other former athletes involved in the venture, which will deliver group rights through multiple platforms including sponsorships, endorsements, licensing partnerships and digital and social media, include Phil Simms, Howie Long, Cris Collinsworth, Boomer Esiason and Nick Faldo.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu’s focus today is on his son, Jake, who is playing in a baseball tournament in Florida. It’s a welcome distraction from the ongoing talks about where Wakamatsu will either manage -- or coach -- in 2011.

Wakamatsu was Buck Showalter’s bench coach for the Texas Rangers from 2003 to 2006, and the two remain close friends. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Wakamatsu is on Showalter’s list as a potential candidate for his 2011 Orioles coaching staff.

“I’ve talked to Buck a little about it, just the situation that’s going on there,” Wakamatsu said. “We haven’t talked about anything concrete yet. He’s putting together his coaching staff, and I’m weighing my options.”

Wakamatsu, who was fired by the Mariners in early August, said he’s still involved in talking to clubs about both managing and coaching jobs. He declined to offer specifics, though the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins are teams that have managerial vacancies.

“There is a lot out there right now that I have to make some decisions on,” said Wakamatsu, who has three kids with his wife, Laura. The family lives in Texas. “I also have an option to stay home with my family, which is kind of nice. There is a lot I need to weigh right now.”

Wakamatsu acknowledged that an opportunity to reunite with Showalter makes a potential coaching job with the Orioles an attractive option.

“I don’t know too many men that are more intelligent and understand the game like he does,” Wakamatsu said of Showalter. “To work with somebody like that is a benefit. I’ve already benefited from it.”

Wakamatsu is a former catcher who played 18 games in the majors for the Chicago White Sox. If he joins the Orioles’ staff, a big part of his duties will most likely be working with young catcher Matt Wieters.

Jeff Datz, the Orioles’ bench coach last season, did a nice job with Wieters, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll be back on Showalter’s staff for 2011. Some expect Datz to go to Seattle and work under new Mariners manager Eric Wedge, who was his boss for several years in Cleveland.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

While Orioles manager Buck Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail met for about 2 1/2 hours yesterday with owner Peter Angelos in his downtown law office, the next important get together will be the first week of November, when MacPhail will preside over organizational meetings in Phoenix. The Orioles opted against having organizational meetings last year, but MacPhail felt it was important to have them this offseason. These meetings will include Showalter, his coaching staff, the front office and all the organization’s scouts.

In case you missed this from my article talking about Terry Crowley’s potential role change, I think it’s likely that the Orioles will hire an experienced candidate to replace Crowley as hitting coach. I point this out only because former Orioles B.J. Surhoff, Mike Bordick and Brady Anderson have all been mentioned as potential replacements for Crowley. While I expect all of them to have a role in the organization in 2011, I’d be surprised if it were as the big league hitting coach.

The Orioles let go two amateur scouts on Joe Jordan’s staff and added three. Those added were Brandon Verley, a former Florida Marlins farmhand who will scout in the Northwest; Scott Walter, a former player and coach for Loyola Marymount who will be based in California; and Arthur McConnehead, who was formerly in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization and will scout in Georgia. The two scouts let go were Mike Tullier, who was based in Louisiana; and Gil Kubski, who scouted in Central California and Hawaii.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Tommy Thompson is expected to become the manager of Kannapolis, the White Sox’s Low-A team. Thompson, you might recall, was the manager for Single-A Frederick before he was granted a leave of absence for personal reasons about a month and a half into the 2008 season. Thompson never returned as manager. The season before, he had guided the Keys to the playoffs and was the recipient of the organization’s Cal Ripken Sr. award for player development. The Tribune also reported that Pete Rose Jr. is expected to be named the manager of Rookie-level Bristol, the White Sox’s affiliate in the Appalachian League.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Last week, I took New England over the Ravens in part because the Patriots were coming off a bye week.

Well, the Buffalo Bills are coming off a bye week heading into Sunday’s game in Baltimore against the Ravens.

Yeah, not doing it twice in a row. The Ravens win this one in a laugher.

What’ll be the score? I know you guys need to know because I have been red hot on Prediction Fridays recently. Sans one point, I was perfect in each of the past two weeks.

Let’s see if I can do it three weeks in a row. Get your bookies on the phone (just kidding, this is for fake-bar amusement only).

My prediction: Ravens 31, Bills 6.

Ray Rice is the hero of the afternoon with two touchdowns and 140-plus yards.

Now it is your turn. I need your score and player of the game. See if you can beat the scorching hot house.

Daily Think Special: Prediction Friday: Ravens-Bills

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Orioles infield prospect Tyler Townsend will have surgery to remove a cyst from his hand, a procedure that won't significantly affect his preparation for the 2011 season, but will end his time in the Arizona Fall League.

Townsend, a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions' taxi squad, played in just one game in the AFL, going 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

He's apparently had the cyst since high school, but it recently started affecting how he gripped the bat. By having surgery, Townsend should be able to resume baseball activities by December.

The Orioles' third-round pick in 2009 out of Florida International University, Townsend hit .325 with six homers and 45 RBIs in 52 games at three different affiliates this past season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The Orioles are currently discussing an adviser/instructor type position with Terry Crowley, an arrangement that will end his long stint as the team’s hitting coach but keep him in a prominent role in the organization.

The deal has not been finalized, according to multiple sources, and the Orioles remain open to Crowley returning for his 13th straight season as Orioles’ hitting coaching and his 17th overall.

However, the club, wanting to take advantage of Crowley’s ability to evaluate hitters, has been mostly talking to the 63-year-old about a different role, one in which he will still work with both major league and minor league hitters during spring training, but also assist in scouting and evaluating potential trade, free agent or draft targets. Either way, Crowley will still factor prominently in the instruction of hitters in the organization.

A mainstay with the franchise and popular among Orioles’ hitters for his work ethic and positive reinforcement, Crowley was the subject of much criticism during the 2010 season as the team’s offense ranked 13th of 14 American League teams in runs scored.

The club’s 613 runs in 2010 was its worst output for a full season since 1988. However, for nearly two-thirds of the season, the Orioles’ lineup was without its igniter, leadoff hitter Brian Roberts. Luke Scott, Matt Wieters and Felix Pie also had stints on the disabled list.

Crowley hasn’t returned calls this week seeking comment. Orioles manager Buck Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail also declined comment, saying only that final decisions have not been made on the 2011 coaching staff.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I wrote earlier today about the Orioles’ interest in several Japanese players. Well, you can probably cross shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima off the list. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker tweeted earlier today that it “looks like Seibu is not going to post Nakajima.”

I’ve written a lot about how thin the free agent starting pitching market is. Well, the free agent shortstop market is probably even worse, which makes the resigning of Cesar Izturis a definite – if not strong - possibility.

Derek Jeter is on the list, but nobody expects him to go anywhere. Alex Gonzalez and Jose Reyes also figure to have their options picked up. That leaves a list headed by Orlando Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta and Juan Uribe.

I haven’t spoken to anybody in the Orioles organization who feels that Peralta and Uribe are everyday shortstops right now with their defensive limitations. Cabrera, a fiery, no-nonsense type who is not afraid to get in the face of a teammate, strikes me as a Buck Showalter-type player, but that’s just one man’s opinion. I would suspect that the Orioles would be all over Jason Bartlett if he isn’t tendered a contract by the Tampa Bay Rays, but that’s hardly a sure thing, too.

On another topic, I still haven’t heard anything definitive on the coaching staff and I wonder if it won’t be finalized until after the World Series, which is what Showalter said initially before changing his tune a couple of days later.

I don’t like to speculate too much about this kind of stuff when we are talking about quality coaches potentially being out of jobs, but Showalter informing his staff to explore other opportunities because he can’t guarantee something being available here is probably as good of an indication as any that there will be significant changes made.

I’ve said this a couple of times already, but I still expect Jeff Datz to land in Seattle and reunite with Mariners manager Eric Wedge and likely pitching coach Carl Willis. Datz worked with both for years in Cleveland.

There are also reports out there that the Toronto Blue Jays, after interviewing more than 20 candidates, are down to Red Sox coaches DeMarlo Hale and John Farrell, and Indians coach Sandy Alomar Jr. as the finalists for their managerial job. If that is true, that means that Brian Butterfield, a close friend of Showalter and a well-respected infield and third base coach, could become available.

He would obviously jump to the top of Showalter’s list as either a third base or bench coach, but I wouldn’t say it’s a given either. The Blue Jays are very high on Butterfield so they could be willing to offer him a nice position to get him to stay in the organization. Butterfield will also undoubtedly be wooed by several other teams if he becomes available.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

The Orioles have seen Yu Darvish, the highly-decorated, 24-year-old Japanese pitcher, throw about 30 times in person over the past three years and they would have at least “kicked the tires” on the Japanese starter if he planned on coming to the major leagues for the 2011 season. However, that has become a moot point as Darvish said earlier this week that he will stay in Japan at least for one more year.

His announcement further weakens an already poor free agent starting pitching market. It, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that the Orioles won’t be involved with other Japanese players this offseason.

Orioles Director of Player Development, John Stockstill, who has done pretty much all of the organization’s scouting in Japan over the past couple of years, said that there are between “five and eight” Japanese players who would draw at least some interest from the Orioles if they were made available.

Stockstill wouldn’t offer specific names. That is apparently deeply frowned on before it is determined whether the players will be made available by their respective Japanese teams. But one guy that is drawing a lot of attention from several teams, including the Orioles, is shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima.

The Orioles have seen the Seibu Lions’ infielder play several times, including in September when Stockstill went to Japan for about two weeks to scout some players that are on the team’s radar.

“I went over and looked at 10 to 12 players, just to get another look,” Stockstill said. “We’re ready and prepared for virtually every player that might be available.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

OK, I’m kidding, but please tell me I’m not the only one who has watched Cliff Lee’s three playoff starts and come away wondering how an Orioles team that was offensively challenged for much of 2010 so had its way with the ace left-hander.

Consider the following:
                                                          Rec   ERA   IP   ER   H   HR   BB   Ks
Lee’s 3 playoff starts                     3-0   0.75   24   2   13   1       1     34
Lee’s 3 starts vs. O’s in 2010     1-2   6.14   22   15   27   7     1     8

Some things you can’t explain, though several Orioles hitters said they didn’t mind facing Lee at all. It helped that the lefty clearly didn’t bring his good stuff into two of his three starts against the Orioles this past season. But the Orioles are a free-swinging bunch, and they liked that they knew what was coming with Lee. More often than not, he was going to throw a first-pitch strike, and the Orioles were ready to swing at it.

Orioles rookie third baseman Josh Bell went 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs against Lee this season. Nick Markakis was 5-for-11 with a homer, Adam Jones was 3-for-11 with a homer and Ty Wigginton was 3-for-10 with a homer.

They should have given Julio Lugo some tips. Against Lee this season, Lugo went 0-for-11. Some of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays can relate.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail will meet Thursday with team owner Peter Angelos to review the 2010 season as well as to continue discussions about the team’s offseason plans.

MacPhail and Angelos traditionally meet in October to discuss the completed season and different options to upgrade the roster. However, this is the first time in several years that the manager will be present, which further strengthens the idea that Showalter will have a major say in the team’s multitude of offseason decisions.

Asked about Showalter’s offseason role, MacPhail said late last month: “Buck will have a lot of say. I always think it’s important for a manager to be involved in the player personnel decisions. Why on earth would you want to make a move where your manager isn’t supportive of it right from the beginning? I think Buck, by virtue of his past, what he’s done, and by the nature of the force of his personality, will probably be more involved than our previous managers, and that’s fine by us.”

I don’t expect any revelations to come out of Thursday’s meeting, and I’m nearly certain that the three parties involved won’t be sharing the particulars. Angelos and MacPhail have these sitdowns a couple of times a year, though Showalter’s presence adds a little more interest to this one.

Speaking of Showalter, he has now called every member of his coaching staff to inform them of where they stand and to encourage them to pursue other opportunities if they become available. Again, that doesn’t mean that none of the coaches will return. Final decisions on that matter have not been made, and everybody is still under consideration for the Orioles’ 2011 staff. I suspect that we are still a ways away from Showalter’s staff being finalized.

However, Showalter doesn’t want to leave these guys hanging while jobs elsewhere are getting filled. There are six teams that haven’t hired a manager, so there remain a ton of quality coaches who don’t know where they’ll be come spring training.

It wouldn’t surprise me if several of the Orioles’ coaches interview elsewhere while they await word of their future in Baltimore. Bench coach Jeff Datz could reunite with his former Cleveland Indians boss, Eric Wedge, in Seattle, for one.

Either way, I still suspect next year’s Orioles’ coaching staff to be significantly different than the one Showalter inherited. I felt that way a couple of months ago, and nothing I’ve heard has changed that.

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Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Scottsdale Scorpion infielder and Orioles prospect Ryan Adams shared player of the week honors with Mesa's Brandon Wood after the first week of play in the Arizona Fall League.

Adams, the Orioles' second-round pick in 2006, batted .500 (6–12) with one homer, seven RBI and two runs scored.

This past season at Double-A Bowie, Adams hit .298 with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and 43 doubles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I’m not gloating too much about this one. I don’t want to get beat up in my own bar.

But it needs to be pointed out for posterity sake as well as to pump up my fragile ego.

In the last two weeks, the house is the winner in our weekly Prediction Friday contest. And with some impressive results, if I can type so myself.

Last week, I nailed the Ravens’ 31-17 victory over the Denver Broncos on the nose. This week, I was one point off in the Ravens’ 23-20 overtime loss to the New England Patriots. I said the Pats would win 24-20 and I didn’t predict overtime. But that’s picking nits.

Six others had the Patriots winning; the closest – besides the old barkeep – was Mike B at 23-17. Enjoy the free (and fake) bar tab this week, Mike.

For about three-plus quarters it looked like Tom Brady and I would be losers. But the Ravens just couldn’t hold on. You could say the Ravens beat themselves on Sunday. You could say it – I am sticking to expert predictions without the analysis. I’m still leaving that to our football guys at The Sun. And to you.

At 4-2, the Ravens are definitely where they need to be. But, sure, they could be 6-0 if they did some things a little better against the Bengals and the Patriots. I want to know what part of the Ravens’ game you think needs the most improvement. Do the Ravens most need to figure out how to best utilize their new receiving weapons? Or do they simply need a better offensive game plan overall? How about a better pass rush? How about big plays from the secondary? Or more consistent special teams?

You tell me. But pick just one.

Also, since we are talking improvements, I am curious as to what you think is the Orioles’ most glaring need heading into this offseason. To me, it’s a no brainer. They need one or two power bats in the middle of the lineup, preferably at first and third base.

We’ve discussed this before, so I didn’t think this was much of a question. But as I’ve talked to Orioles’ fans in the past few weeks, I keep him hearing the same refrain: The Orioles need to sign Cliff Lee or trade for Zack Greinke.

I don’t think the Orioles are adding an ace, but I understand the desire for one atop the rotation. It is something the club is missing – so are roughly 20 other teams. I still think the bat is the biggest need, but set my priorities straight.

Where do the Orioles need to improve the most before next season, on offense, defense, top of the rotation or back end of the bullpen?

Daily Think Special: Which part of the Ravens’ game needs the most improvement?

Bonus Think Special: Which is the most glaring need for the Orioles this offseason?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

There were two non-playoff related baseball headlines over the weekend that caught my eye. One was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ imminent resigning of potential free agent pitcher Ted Lilly. The other was the report that the St. Louis Cardinals have started contract talks with their would-be free agent starter, Jake Westbrook.

If Westbrook and Lilly agree to deals before hitting free agency, an already thin pitching market will be further weakened, strengthening my belief that the Orioles will go with the starting arms that they have, rather than spending a lot of money on a pitcher who would essentially be a No.5 starter in the American League East.

Sure, it would be nice for the Orioles to play “Name Your Price” with Cliff Lee, but it’s hard – impossible actually – to imagine any scenario where the ace lefty signs with the Orioles when the richest and best teams in baseball will be willing to hand him a blank check.

The second tier of free agent starters includes Jorge De La Rosa, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla, Carl Pavano and Javier Vazquez. Then, you have a bunch of potential back-end guys who would eat innings but probably do little else.

I can’t imagine the likes of David Bush, Doug Davis, Rodrigo Lopez and Jeff Suppan would fare too well in the A.L. East.

Are any of these pitchers that I mentioned besides Lee worth lucrative multi-year commitments?

I understand that pitching is the name of the game, but I’d have a real hard time investing a decent chunk of money in that group. Perhaps you gamble on a free agent pitcher coming off an injury, like a Brandon Webb, Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer or Chris Young. Of course, even that would be a tough sell as such pitchers looking for make-good, prove you are healthy one-year deals don’t traditionally want to be in a division where they’d have to face the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays five times each per season.

That’s why letting Brad Bergesen, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton, and maybe one of the current starter-turned-relievers (Jason Berken, David Hernandez and Jim Johnson) come to spring training for a chance to compete for the three rotation spots behind Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz may not be the worst thing to happen.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

There are about seven different scenarios that Orioles Director of Player Development John Stockstill is pondering as he attempts to finalize the organization’s minor league coaching roster for the 2011 season. And virtually all of them depend on the makeup of Buck Showalter’s big league coaching staff.

“It affects just the timing of the finality of the process,” said Stockstill when asked about Showalter’s pending decisions. “I’m ready for virtually every scenario that may happen at the big league level. It’s just a matter of when we finalize the actual positions each person will hold.”

Triple-A Norfolk manager Bobby Dickerson, Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin and minor league instructors Brian Graham, Mike Bordick and B.J. Surhoff are all candidates for Showalter’s staff. So is Gary Allenson, who started the season as Norfolk’s manager and ended it as the Orioles’ third-base coach. But the coaches not named to the big league staff by Showalter could slot into different roles among the organization's affiliates. That will create more shuffling that Stockstill would be happy to perform.

“The minor league guys, we’d love to retain all of them,” Stockstill said. “Everyone wants to be in the big leagues. I respect the fact that coaches want to be in the big leagues. If a coach has a desire to be at the major league level and an opportunity is available, we’d never stand in the way. But otherwise we’d want to retain our quality coaches.”

The Orioles have already informed Triple-A hitting coach Richie Hebner and Rookie League Bluefield pitching coach Larry McCall that they won’t be invited back for next season. The Orioles will no longer have a team in Bluefield, but they could reassign the other coaches there to different affiliates.

Stockstill said that if he has to, he is prepared to conduct a couple of outside interviews to fill the Triple-A hitting coach vacancy, but it is more likely that spot, and any other openings that may arise, will be filled internally.

“There are probably 6 or seven scenarios and only one or two would require me to look outside for a couple of key positions,” he said.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles infield prospect Tyler Townsend could miss up to a week after hurting his hand while playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

Townsend, a member of the Scorpions' taxi squad, has played in just one game in the AFL, going 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

The Orioles' third-round pick in 2009 out of Florida International University hit .325 with six homers and 45 RBIs in 52 games at three different affiliates this season.

Several Orioles, including Xavier Avery and Ryan Adams, have the day off in the AFL today. Infielder Greg Miclat did play and went 1-for-4 against the Peo Javelinas.

Wynn Pelzer, who the Orioles obtained from the San Diego Padres for Miguel Tejada, pitched one inning and allowed a solo homer to Adam Loewen, who continues his transformation from a pitcher to an outfielder.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

First, some assorted stats from the Orioles’ prospects playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League:

Position players
Xavier Avery 4-for-13 (.308) 3 runs 2 BBs 4 Ks 3 SBs
Ryan Adams 6-for-12 (.500) 1 HR 7 RBIs 2 runs 1 BB 3 Ks
Caleb Joseph 3-for-5 (.600) 2 runs 1 Ks
Greg Miclat 4-for-8 (.500) 1 2B 1 BB
Tyler Townsend 1-for-4 (.250) 2 RBIs 1 K

Pitchers
Oliver Drake 3 IP 2 ERs (6.00) 1 hit 1 BB 4 Ks
Pat Egan 3 IP 1 ER (3.00) 3 hits 2 Ks
Kam Mickolio 1 IP 0 ER 1 hit 2 Ks
Wynn Pelzer 1 IP 0 ER 1 hit 1 K

Now, a couple of other things: As expected, the Orioles have not started serious negotiations with any of their prospective free agents. At this point, I don’t expect them to sign anybody during the exclusive negotiation period. It’s no secret that Ty Wigginton, Cesar Izturis, Koji Uehara and Corey Patterson are all candidates to return, but it appears that they’ll have a chance to shop their services elsewhere first.

Bench coach Jeff Datz remains a candidate to stay on Buck Showalter's staff for the 2011 season as team officials were very pleased with the job he did in working with young catcher Matt Wieters behind the plate. However, if it doesn’t work out here, don’t be surprised if Datz joins Eric Wedge in Seattle. Datz worked on Wedge’s staff for several seasons in Cleveland.

According to reports out of Toronto, former Orioles' interim manager Juan Samuel is expected to get interviewed for the Blue Jays’ managerial vacancy. Samuel has also been mentioned as a candidate in both Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, but as of now, there have been no formal interviews scheduled with him in either place.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has begun the process of calling his coaches to inform them that he is still deliberating on the makeup of his 2011 staff.

As of late this afternoon, at least two of his coaches had heard from Showalter on Friday and were told that no official decision had been made. At least two others had not yet heard from their boss, who took over the Orioles on Aug. 2 and retained the six coaches that had served under interim manager Juan Samuel.

Showalter, who is in Dallas recovering from knee surgery, could not be reached for comment. He has said in the past that he was impressed by the stable of coaches he inherited and that the decision to fire any of them would be difficult.

On the last weekend of the season, Showalter met with each of his coaches and explained that he planned to have answers about their job security in the upcoming days. He also told the local media that he thought the issue would be resolved in days instead of weeks. Friday is believed to be the first day since the season ended that Showalter has called staff members, though he remains in nearly daily contact with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

The unusually high number of manager vacancies throughout baseball has likely stalled Showalter’s decisions. The biggest stumbling block could be the Toronto Blue Jays, who, according to the Toronto Sun, have interviewed 14 candidates on the phone and could talk to at least seven more.

Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield, who was on Showalter’s staff with the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, has already interviewed with the Jays, the Toronto Sun reported. Don Wakamatsu, the former Seattle Mariners manager who was Showalter’s bench coach with the Texas Rangers, is also expected to be interviewed for the Toronto job, the Toronto Sun reported.

Both Butterfield and Wakamatsu are presumed to be high on Showalter’s list of potential Orioles’ coaches, but their availability may not be determined until after the Blue Jays name a manager. Therefore, it’s possible the Orioles’ coaching situation may not be resolved until after the World Series, when typically most managerial hirings are announced.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Welcome to Prediction Friday. I am your host and bartender, who incidentally picked the exact score of last week’s Ravens-Broncos game.

Hey, this is likely my last time to brag about that. I’ll head back to the “haven’t-got-a-clue” section of the bar pretty soon.

Here’s hoping for Ravens’ fans’ sake that I don’t have a clue. Because I am going with the New England Patriots to win this one at home.

I know these aren’t the same Patriots as yesteryear. I know Randy Moss is in purple and Tom Brady is older and the Ravens proved in January they could win at Gillette Stadium.

I just don’t like picking against Pats coach Bill Belichick when he has a bye week before a home game. That’s a whole lot of preparation time for the Grumpy Genius. Of course, that won’t matter if the Ravens’ offensive line creates craters for Ray Rice to barge through.

But I think this will be a close one, and the Pats will end up winning 24-20. My player of the game is Brandon Tate, who catches a TD pass and runs a kickoff back for another score.

Now I need your predictions of a final score and player of the game. And for those of you who demand baseball in this space, well, you get a bonus. Predict who wins the American League and National League Championship Series.

I think the New York Yankees hammer the Texas Rangers and, though I believe the Philadelphia Phillies are the best team standing, I just don’t see a repeat of 2009 (the same two teams have made consecutive World Series appearances just once since 1960: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Yankees in 1977-78).

So against my better judgment, I am saying the San Francisco Giants upset the Phillies. Hey, stranger things have happened (like me actually hitting a NFL score on the nose).

Daily Think Special: Prediction Friday: Ravens-Patriots

Bonus Think Special: Predict who ends up in the 2010 World Series

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Righty reliever Ross Wolf, a former Orioles farmhand who was dealt to the Oakland A’s in June for infielder Jake Fox, has elected to become a free agent instead of accepting an outright assignment to Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate.

So, at least for now, the Orioles’ sly decision to choose Fox over Wolf paid off.

A’s outfielder Jeremy Hermida also refused Oakland’s outright, so he’s a free agent, too. Hermida, who once was one of the most touted prospects in baseball, also has an Orioles' connection. He grew up in Marietta, Georgia and is one of Nick Markakis’ best friends.

No idea if the Orioles would be interested in either player. Way too early for that, but manager Buck Showalter has said he would like to see the Orioles bolster their options at Triple-A with more big-league-ready fill-ins.

Wolf, who turns 28 on Monday, had a 4.26 ERA and no decisions in 11 relief appearances for the A’s. He had a 1.88 ERA in 25 games for Norfolk before the trade.

Hermida, 26, is a .259 career hitter in parts of six big-league seasons. The left-handed hitter was selected by the Florida Marlins with the 11th overall pick in 2002. His best year was 2007 when he had 18 homers and hit .296 at age 23 for Florida.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

One of the more interesting storylines for the Orioles this winter is what the club does to shape its rotation.

The obvious hope is that they land Cliff Lee. Don’t expect it.

Lee can break the bank for a team that is going to compete immediately. The Orioles, two good finishing months or not, just aren’t there yet. Thirteen losing seasons, a hitters’ park and the AL East don’t help their cause.

There are some other starters – certainly not as top shelf as Lee – that will intrigue the Orioles, guys like Jake Westbrook and Carl Pavano. They aren’t aces, but they’d add experience to a young crew.

The question is how badly is that needed? Jeremy Guthrie did plenty of mentoring in 2010 and he may be better suited than any free agent to lead this rotation in 2011.

That said, there are some in the organization that believe Kevin Millwood’s presence took a lot of pressure off Guthrie and allowed him to concentrate on his game. And, in an interview with me in late September, Andy MacPhail admitted that he wouldn’t mind adding a similar presence in 2011 if the opportunity presents itself.

It’s possible he could try to find another high-priced veteran through a trade instead of giving a multi-year deal to a mediocre veteran.

I asked several Oriole pitchers what they thought of adding a veteran arm, and they responded how they should have: saying it’s not their place to make roster decisions. However, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz, in particular, talked about how much they enjoyed having Millwood around.

“He is a guy I could talk to about the mental side of the game and go to and ask him, ‘Hey, this is where I really struggle in the game, what do you do? How do you go about it? What do you do to get back in the groove?’” Matusz said about Millwood. “Here is a guy that I could really go to. So to have someone like that was really pretty awesome to have, a veteran guy like that who really knows what he is talking about, like Kevin, was pretty special.”

Millwood likely won’t return. He’ll probably go to a contender and fit nicely at the middle/back end of a rotation, maybe in the National League.

Said Tillman: “Having Milly around made it easier on all of us … Watching him work through his struggles, I think that taught us a lot. He has come a long way with all of us. It is good having those guys around, but I think watching all these young guys pitch every day, they all looked pretty good, too.”

And that’s the rub. Because if the Orioles acquire another veteran, then one of the younger guys, such as Tillman, will go back to Triple-A. And top prospect Zach Britton would stay there longer. And there would be no obvious spot to move a reliever into the rotation, something the Orioles are at least mulling.

Then again, having a surplus of big league starters can never be viewed as a problem. MacPhail says he likes going into a spring with a minimum of 7 pitchers penciled in for the rotation, because inevitably some get hurt or struggle.

So I want to know what you would do. Would you bank on four young arms with Guthrie? Or do you want one more veteran innings-eater to help take pressure off everyone, even if it is for one year?

Daily Think Special: Should the Orioles add a veteran starter to the 2011 rotation?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (48)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

One thing that has always struck me when I have covered the postseason is how the players in the playoffs talk about how tight their clubhouse is. It never fails.

And it always makes me wonder whether winning does cure everything. Because rarely do winning teams hate each other publicly – of course, there were some like the Bronx Zoo Yankees.

In the past decade, all I have covered in the regular season are losing Orioles teams. Some have been united despite the losses. Others, such as the 2005 Orioles, were as splintered as a maple bat on a Mariano Rivera cutter.

Most times, clubhouses are divided into various factions. Relievers tend to congregate, as does a rotation, and the Spanish speakers usually hang out together.

This season the Orioles seemed to mix a little more, with some oddball combinations developing (Felix Pie and Luke Scott couldn’t be more different). Still, there was your normal, behind-the-scenes griping that you’d get anywhere when 25 complex personalities are together for months at a time.

So I was interested in what rookie Jake Arrieta had to say about the situation at the end of the season. I was interviewing Arrieta for a season-ending pitching story and he brought up the clubhouse atmosphere. I was curious to get his take since his introduction to the Orioles’ clubhouse in the spring of 2009 wasn’t particularly smooth. Some veterans bristled at his “confident” demeanor and a critical blog that he wrote.

I was cleaning out files today and saw Arrieta’s quotes on the clubhouse and thought they were worth passing on (though they didn’t fit in a regular story).

It’s one guy’s opinion, others in the clubhouse may feel differently. But here’s what the rookie said:

“We are solidifying this team, not only on the field but I think the relationships that we have formed throughout the season is only going to help us going into next season. I feel like we are a close-knit family here. Everybody takes care of each other; everybody has got each other’s backs no matter what the situation is. And that’s good to have.

“You want to have that type of feeling in the clubhouse, knowing that when you take that field you’ve got eight other family members out there with you fighting to get a win. That’s a good feeling and it is something that comes with time. And we are starting to establish that.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is undergoing the first of two knee surgeries today in Texas, meaning that I highly doubt that any final decisions will be made on the coaching staff before tomorrow.

Perhaps, later this week is a more realistic date. As of late yesterday afternoon, Showalter had still yet to talk to any of his coaches since the Oct. 3 season finale.

Showalter continues to say that he wants to have his coaching staff in place sooner rather than later, but there are some "moving chairs" involved so you can't rush the process.

I'm not completely sure what that means, but I assume that Don Wakamatsu and Brian Butterfield, two candidates to join the staff, would want to gauge their chances for the numerous available managerial jobs before agreeing to take coaching positions in Baltimore. I would also assume that one of Showalter's former pitching coaches, Mark Connor, who is currently employed by the Texas Rangers, will want to wait for the Rangers' season to end before agreeing to take a position with another organization.

Again, I'm not saying that any or all of the three are definitive choices to join Showalter here, but it's safe to say that they're all being considered.

It's also safe to say that Showalter has some tough decisions on his hands.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

So, are you hurting for info about Orioles minor leaguers?

Rest easy, the Arizona Fall League, the elite prospect league sponsored by Major League Baseball, begins Tuesday.

MLB.com usually does a good job with updated information from the games.

The Orioles have nine prospects there -- all on the Scottsdale Scorpions, who also have players from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals.

Orioles prospects listed on the Scorpions roster are pitchers Oliver Drake, Pat Egan, Kam Mickolio and Wynn Pelzer, catcher Caleb Joseph, infielders Ryan Adams, Greg Miclat and Tyler Townsend and outfielder Xavier Avery.

Joseph and Townsend are listed as “taxi squad” players, meaning they’ll play only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The league has games six days each week, with the championship game scheduled for Nov. 20.

The Scorpions play Peoria at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday, with Ryan Verdugo of the Giants' farm system starting against Alex Cobb of the Tampa Bay Rays’ system.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

It’s official. I no longer have to apologize for my lack of prognostication prowess or uncanny knack of jinxing the Ravens.

For Prediction Friday, I said the Ravens would beat the Denver Broncos 31-17. And the final score? 31-17.

On the nose, people. How ya like me now?

OK, one day to gloat and I’ll be over it. I understand a drunk squirrel finds a Guinness every now and then.

I, of course, wasn’t the only one sniffing this one out. Ravenator, who I am starting to think should spend his/her weekends in Vegas, also had it 31-17 Ravens. Neither of our "player of the game" thoughts came to fruition, however, so we end in a tie. Regardless, an open tab this week for Ravenator, even though he was on Superdan’s coattails.

Others worthy of a drink chip: Gbanks (31-10). Andrew (34-13), Alex (27-17). Keith (30-17), Barry (30-20) and Jack (30-16).

Nice job all, and nice job to the Ravens, who at 4-1 have the best record in the AFC heading into a tough showdown at New England next week.

That will be a heck of a test, and we’ll probably know how good the Ravens are by Sunday mid-afternoon. Although beating the Jets and Steelers on the road should have given us a glimpse already.

I want to know if you think the Ravens are this good, if they really are the best team in the AFC (I know, the Jets have a chance to be 4-1 tonight, but the Ravens win that tiebreaker).

While you mull that, I’ll also have an eye on my day job. Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn’t made an official announcement as to what he is doing with his coaching staff yet.

It’s a tough story to cover, because you don’t want anyone to lose their jobs, especially the good men on the Orioles’ coaching staff.

I expect changes; we’re just waiting to find out what those changes are. Many of you are most interested in what Showalter does with his hitting and pitching coaches -- the glamour spots on a coaching staff (if there is such a thing).

The numbers don’t help the cause. The Orioles scored their least amount of runs for a season in 22 years. They finished bottom five in the AL in runs scored for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons under hitting coach Terry Crowley.

The Orioles had the second worst ERA in the AL this season and finished in the bottom two each of the three seasons under Rick Kranitz.

But Showalter has to make his decision based on what he watched in his two months at the helm. The young starters really took a jump forward from August on and the lineup looked completely different with a healthy Brian Roberts leading off. It’s also important to note that the current Orioles’ hitters and pitchers stand by Crowley and Kranitz, and they have a first-hand knowledge while the rest of us are just observers.

So these will be tough calls for Showalter. And he is juggling plenty of variables -- including who may be available as replacements -- so it’s difficult to say what is the right path until we know more specifics. Besides, it’s never right to call for someone to lose his job, no matter the circumstances.

Therefore, what I want from you is simply your impression of the job Crowley and Kranitz did in 2010, based on what you saw from the hitters and pitchers. Keep in mind the personnel they had to work with and the final result. You can grade them if you like.

Daily Think Special: Are the Ravens the best team in the AFC?

Bonus Think Special: What’s your impression of the job Terry Crowley and Rick Kranitz did in 2010?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (59)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

The Orioles will have until three days after the World Series to decide whether or not to exercise a $1.2 million club option on the contract of veteran reliever Mark Hendrickson. They likely won’t make an announcement until then, but it’s a mere formality that they’ll decline the option and pay the $200,000 buyout. There is still a chance that Hendrickson returns and is given an opportunity to compete for a bullpen role, but it will be at a reduced price.

It was mostly overshadowed by the Orioles’ doubleheader sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Oct.1 and the assurance that the club wouldn't lose 100 games, but Adam Jones’ failure to run out a groundball in the seventh inning of the nightcap certainly appeared to get manager Buck Showalter’s attention. To review: Jones came up with the bases loaded and one out in a 2-0 game. He hit a routine double-play ball right at Will Rhymes and then half-heartedly jogged to first base. It probably wouldn’t have been noticed as much had shortstop Ramon Santiago’s throw to first not been in the dirt and bounced out of the glove of first baseman Don Kelly. But with Jones not running hard, Kelly had time to pick up the ball and step on first for the inning-ending double play. Jones, who acknowledged his mistake, then was not in the lineup for Saturday’s game, though Showalter said that he was just giving him the night off after he played both games of the doubleheader. I respect how Showalter didn’t throw one of his players under the bus to the media, but I’m not buying it. And my suspicions were pretty much confirmed when I learned that Showalter had a closed door meeting with Jones for about 15 minutes that same day.

Not only is Showalter’s coaching staff awaiting word from the manager on whether they’ll return next year, the organization’s minor league managers and coaches are also on alert for the announcement as well. The makeup of the minor league coaching staffs, specifically the higher-level ones, are heavily dependent on what Showalter does at the Major League level. For example, if third base coach Gary Allenson doesn’t remain on the big league staff, he could return to Triple-A Norfolk as the Tides’ manager. That would inevitably cause more shuffling. Mike Bordick, Bobby Dickerson, Brian Graham and Mike Griffin are other Oriole minor league coaches who potentially could join Showalter’s staff, creating even more movement on the staffs of the affiliates.

In case you are wondering, former Oriole relievers Chris Ray and Danys Baez are not on the National League Divisional series rosters of their respective clubs. Ray went 3-0 with one save and a 4.13 ERA in 28 outings for the San Francisco Giants after he was acquired July 1 from the Texas Rangers for catcher Bengie Molina. Baez went 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 51 games this year for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

One of my assignments this week was to put together a list of potential Orioles’ free agent targets for 2011.

That’s been done. Here’s the story, and here is the always popular photo gallery that goes with it.

To compile my list, I spoke to a bunch of people within the organization about whom the club may target. That, of course, is different than who will eventually sign with the Orioles.

It takes two parties to make an agreement happen. We all know that.

Still, Cliff Lee and Adrian Beltre, for instance, are on the list I compiled. Those are the two free agents the Orioles likely covet the most since they’d fill the team’s biggest holes.

Realistically, no one expects Beltre or Lee to end up here. They’ll have a whole lot of choices and there will be a whole lot of money on the table. And, given their recent history and the division they are in, the Orioles don’t do well when there is serious competition for a free agent.

But there are some free agents within the Orioles’ grasp simply because there may not be a lot of competition, and the Orioles presumably have money to spend. And, ultimately, money is what most attracts free agents.

The first basemen class – albeit flawed – has some interesting names, ones the Orioles could land if they are willing to spend sufficient funds. Adam Dunn likely would want a four-year deal and it would take some cash to pry Paul Konerko away from Chicago (again).

My guess is that the Orioles will go hard after Victor Martinez and/or Derrek Lee. And if I had to pick one, I’d say Lee becomes an Oriole seven years after he almost did.

He can play defense, still has some pop in his bat and is well-respected in the game. And don’t forget, he was a longtime Cub, and that’s always a bonus here.

So Derrek Lee is my guess. Now I want you to give me one free-agent name that you think will end up as an Oriole in 2011. Not necessarily who you want, but who you think will sign with the Orioles this winter.

Daily Think Special: Name one free agent you think ends up as an Oriole. Explain why.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Some of you have emailed me about Orioles' long-time umpires attendant Ernie Tyler since our last update Wednesday when he underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor.

Not a whole lot to report except doctors are pleased with the improvements being made, according to his son Jimmy.

Tyler, 86, is sedated and will remain hospitalized for a week or more at the University of Maryland Medical Center, but the prognosis for a full recovery is good, his son said.

“He is finding his way out of the woods. He’s relaxing right now,” said Jimmy Tyler, the club’s home equipment manager. “He is doing great.”

Ernie Tyler has worked 51 consecutive Opening Days for the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

OK, who is ready for a shootout?

Did you ever think you’d hear that in a game involving the Ravens?

I expect a whole lot of offense – or at least attempted offense – in the Ravens’ game Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Kyle Orton has been throwing the ball again and again since the season began. He’s going to have to do it a whole lot more Sunday for the Broncos to pull this one out.

They won’t. I’m looking at my own jinx in the eyeballs and I am not scared. I am predicting the Ravens to win 31-17. Yes, I know what the Ravens have done in the past when I predict them to win. But I also know what the Ravens have done in the past when they play the Broncos in Baltimore. It ain’t pretty for Broncos’ fans.

I think Orton might get a couple passes caught in the end zone. But I think he’ll also have a few nabbed by the Ravens’ secondary. And I expect to see Air Flacco – three TDs at the minimum and I say they go to three different targets. So Flacco’s my player of the game.

Now, as it is every Friday, it’s your turn. Predict the score/outcome of Sunday’s Ravens-Broncos game. And throw in a hero of the day in there for tiebreaking purposes. And, remember, this is for amusement (and fake drink chips) only. I don’t have a small games of chance license in this dive.

Daily Think Special: Predict a score and player of the game for Ravens-Broncos

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

The Orioles have made no definitive decisions on Buck Showalter’s coaching staff for 2011, meaning an announcement may not come until next week.

“We’re still mulling some things over,” Showalter said Thursday afternoon. “No concrete decisions have been made.”

Showalter said there are several factors that are still being worked out before he can determine who he hires for next season. He wouldn’t offer specifics or a set timetable for a decision.

“It’s still the sooner the better,” he said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

When the first pitch of the Atlanta Braves-San Francisco Giants game occurs around 9:40 EST tonight, the monkey will officially leap off the back of Giants’ first baseman Aubrey Huff.

For a day, Huff Daddy, as he was jokingly referred to for three years in the Orioles clubhouse, is the second active biggest loser in baseball heading into tonight's game. Huff had played 1,479 games without appearing in a playoff game. He’s certainly aware of it. When his Detroit Tigers lost in a one-game tiebreaker last season, Huff joked with friends that it was obviously his presence that killed the Tigers’ playoff chances.

Huff was third on the list behind St. Louis outfielder Randy Winn (1,717 games) and Texas infielder Michael Young (1,508). But Young escaped infamy Wednesday when the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays.

Three of the top four should shed biggest loser status this postseason. No. 4, Philadelphia’s Mike Sweeney, is on the Phillies’ active roster and likely will get into a playoff game at least as a pinch-hitter.

If and when he does, the Orioles will then have three biggest losers in the active Top 10, though two may not be with the team in 2011.

With the departure of Young, Huff and Sweeney, Brian Roberts will move up to sixth with 1,194 games played without a playoff appearance. Corey Patterson (who wasn’t active when the Cubs made the playoffs) will be ninth with 1,097 and Ty Wigginton will be 10th with 1,060.

Thanks to Bill Arnold of Beyond the Box Score for helping me with the list.

Assuming Huff and Sweeney are out, the new Top 10 is: Randy Winn, 1,717; Adam Dunn, 1,448; Vernon Wells, 1,393; Frank Catalanotto, 1,265; Jack Wilson, 1,251; Brian Roberts, 1,194; Felipe Lopez, 1,137; Lyle Overbay, 1,138; Corey Patterson, 1,097; Ty Wigginton, 1,060.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Ernie Tyler, the longtime Orioles’ umpires’ attendant, is recovering at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Wednesday after surgery to remove a benign brain tumor.

Tyler’s son, Jimmy, said that the procedure lasted several hours and doctors told the family it appeared to go well.

“Everything seems to be fine,” said Jimmy Tyler, the club’s home equipment manager. “They see no problems, but we’ll wait until tomorrow for sure.”

Ernie Tyler, 86, was taken to the hospital after experiencing dizziness and slurred speech at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon.

A local legend, Tyler once worked 3,819 consecutive home games at Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, from Opening Day 1960 to July 27, 2007. His streak, which included 3,769 consecutive regular-season games, 40 post-season games and nine exhibitions, ended when he accepted an invitation from Cal Ripken Jr. to attend Ripken’s Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Oriole coaches haven't heard definitive word on whether they'll be invited back for next year, but that should come by Friday. Manager Buck Showalter is flying home to Texas today.

It's impossible to know for sure what will happen and I certainly don't expect to hear it before the existing coaching staff does. However, the sense is that hitting coach Terry Crowley will return for his 17th season on the coaching staff. Again, there have been no final decisions made, but that was the overwhelming feeling among Oriole players on Sunday, along with several other members of the organization.

I still expect Showalter to keep a couple of the coaches, and then to add a couple of new ones, but we should know for sure by the end of the week.

In other Orioles' news, reliever Jason Berken, who did not pitch after Aug. 12 because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder, has been cleared to start working out and running. However, he's still going to wait about another a month before beginning his rehabilitation program. Berken is still ahead of schedule and on pace to be a full go when spring training begins in February.

Second baseman Brian Roberts, who missed the final six games while experiencing headaches, had a CT scan performed and it came out clear. Roberts admitted Sunday that the headaches were likely caused by him hitting himself with a bat in frustration following a strikeout on Sept. 27.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

Former Orioles interim manager Juan Samuel is getting plenty of attention from teams with managerial vacancies.

Samuel, who guided the Orioles to a 17-34 record this season after he replaced the fired Dave Trembley, will likely interview for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers' manager jobs. Those became vacant when John Russell and Ken Macha were let go.

Neither interview has been officially set up, but Samuel has had discussions with both clubs about his interest in the jobs. There is also a possibility that he'll interview for the Toronto Blue Jays' managerial vacancy as he has a close relationship with several people from the organization, including former manager Cito Gaston, who has expressed hope that Samuel gets a managing opportunity somewhere.

Samuel has completed his review of the Orioles' Dominican Republic operations so he is a free agent of sorts. Even if he doesn't get a managerial job, he should have plenty of coaching options as the former veteran is one of the most respected baseball men in the game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Orioles have announced that four minor leaguers have elected free agency.

Infielder Scott Moore, first baseman Michael Aubrey and relievers Cla Meredith and Alberto Castillo are now free to sign elsewhere. They could always come back if they can’t find a better deal.

All four were taken off the 40-man roster in the last year. None was in the club’s primary plans for 2011.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Our annual postseason report card for the Orioles was in today’s paper and is currently up on the website in the form of a photo gallery. I’d be curious to hear what you guys think.

I’ve been doing these -- both at midseason and at the end of the season -- for several seasons now, and I’d have to say that this was one of the hardest just because of the glaring difference in the team’s play from April to July and from August to October. While the last two months are fresher in my mind, you can’t put more weight on them than the previous four. As tough as it was to give Brad Bergesen a C- with how well he pitched in his final 12 starts, the fact of the matter was that he didn’t get his ERA under 5 until Sept. 21, and he was twice demoted to Triple-A. That probably made him closer to a D+ than a C+.

A lot of people ask how I determine the marks, and how could the best all-around player on the team, Nick Markakis, get a worse grade than fellow outfielder Corey Patterson, or how seldom-used backup catcher Craig Tatum gets a better grade than starting backstop Matt Wieters. Basically, the answer is I grade according to my expectations for that player heading into the season. If the player performs pretty much the way I expected him to or according to his track record, then I usually give a C or C+ and work around that.

With that in mind, have at it.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

We’ve got a good thing going in the bar now. I pick against the hometown team, and they win. Real simple system there. The Ravens are 3-1 in 2010, and I am 1-3 in predicting their games.

The Ravens are pretty much bent on proving me wrong. Or I have no clue about the NFL. It’s one or the other. I’m going with the conspiracy theory.

Once again, I was too involved in the day job -- covering the Orioles’ season finale at Camden Yards -- to be able to watch the Ravens closely. But we did take a quick break to watch the final drive on TV and see Joe Flacco calmly lead the offense down a short field to a touchdown.

I was impressed. It certainly bought him some time from the Flacco-bashers out there.

No one in the bar correctly predicted 17-14 Ravens, but we had several people who were close. Ravenesque (16-14), CSB Jack (16-12) and Mark in DE (17-13) all get drink chips today.

And a Connolly favorite, Kevin In Iraq, gets the free bar tab for the week with his 17-13 prediction and choice of Willis McGahee as the Player of the Game. Flacco should probably win that, but Willis scored a TD, and Kevin was the only one of the four closest to pick a hero.

Those military types know how to follow rules (and effectively use open bar tabs).

In honor of great rule followers everywhere, we’re having two questions today. I’m curious to see how many of you answer both.

I want to know, with a quarter of the NFL season gone, whether you are content with the Ravens so far. You can’t argue with their 3-1 record or the play of their defense, for the most part. The offense, however, has not been what it was billed to be to start the season. Does that concern you or is that just nitpicking?

Switching gears, the Orioles ended 2010 with a 66-96 record. That’s two games better than last year, which is no cause for celebration -- unless you consider how bad they were before Buck Showalter took over (32-73).

I want to know how optimistic you are about the Orioles in 2011 given their 34-23 finish this year? Is it just a blip that can’t wipe away the negativity from 13 straight losing seasons? Or do you genuinely think it’s a precursor to a better -- maybe even competitive -- 2011?

Daily Think Special: Are you content with the Ravens’ performance at the quarter pole?

Bonus Think Special: How optimistic are you about the Orioles in 2011?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

For about four months, it looked inevitable that the Orioles would finish with the worst overall record in the league and thus draft first overall in 2011.

But with the team's strong finish under manager Buck Showalter, they'll now pick fourth. The Pittsburgh Pirates (57-105) will draft first overall, followed by the Seattle Mariners (61-101), Arizona Diamondbacks (65-97) and then the Orioles (66-96).

It's way too early to speculate whom the Orioles might pick, but the 2011 draft is reportedly pretty stocked with high-impact players.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

After six days of not playing and not talking to the media, Brian Roberts met with reporters in Buck Showalter’s office following Sunday’s game and said he has been having concussion-type symptoms which occurred after he hit himself in the helmet with a bat.

“I don’t know 100 percent sure, but it was Monday night. In frustration (after a strikeout), I whacked myself on the head with my bat in the ninth. I had my helmet on,” Roberts said. “It’s something I’ve done a million times, but I still can’t tell you for sure if that was it. But that’s the only thing that I can point to because that night and the next morning, I just didn’t feel good. So it’s been going on since then.”

Roberts expects to have a CT scan on Monday, which he hopes will shed light on exactly what is causing his lightheadedness and head pain.

“I just have some lack of balance and some headaches, and just stuff that hasn’t been a whole lot of fun,” Roberts said. “So unfortunately I haven’t been able to obviously get out there and play, but we’re still working on trying to get all the results and figure out what’s going on.

Roberts ended his season with a .278 average, four homers and 12 steals while totaling just 230 at-bats in 59 games. His year was marred with various injuries and ailments, including a herniated disk in his back that forced him to miss most of the first half.

“It’s been one for the memory banks, but not for the best memory bank, I guess,” Roberts said. “But there’s been some good things, and just because things don’t go exactly the way you want them to, it doesn’t mean that it’s all been a negative, a wash, because certainly since Buck’s gotten here, we’ve done some great things and I’ll be ready to go February 2011. It just hasn’t been the best 2010.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Luke Scott lined out against Detroit's Jose Valverde in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tigers a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon.

It halted the Orioles attempt at their first, five-game winning streak of the season.

Instead, they'll have to be content with a near sweep of the Tigers and an excellent finish to a once disastrous season.

The Orioles finished 2010 with a 66-96 record, and a 34-23 mark under manager Buck Showalter.

They won five of their last seven and 17 of their last 27.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

As expected, the Orioles officially set a Camden Yards’ season-attendance low for the third consecutive year.

The 2010 final attendance for 80 home dates (Friday’s doubleheader is counted as one admission) was 1,733,019. That's the lowest since the 1988 Orioles, who lost a franchise-record 107 games, drew 1,660,738 at Memorial Stadium.

For the third straight year the Orioles failed to hit 2 million after reaching or surpassing that mark for 19 consecutive seasons. The club began 2010 with a 2-16 start on its way to a 13th straight losing campaign.

“It’s somewhat disappointing, but certainly understandable,” said Greg Bader, the club’s director of communications. “The team got off to an extremely poor start, which greatly reduced advanced sales during the early months. We hope to improve on this year’s figure as we head into 2011 with optimism and momentum."

The Orioles’ record improved drastically after Showalter took over, but the attendance actually dipped. That’s likely a byproduct of a schedule with few draws – besides three games each with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox – in the final two months.

In 51 home games before Showalter took over on Aug. 2, the Orioles drew an average of 22,262. In the 29 dates after he was hired, the average attendance was 20,610.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I wrote a story in today's paper about President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail's thoughts as the club heads into another important offesason.

MacPhail briefly discussed his own contract situation, something I'm pretty sure that we'll hear more and more about in the months ahead. MacPhail’s deal expires after the 2011 season and he said that he has no plans to approach owner Peter Angelos and discuss an extension.

“I don’t think it’s fair to put him in that position. The deal was the deal and we’ll talk about it, as far as I’m concerned, when it’s over,” MacPhail said.

As usual, MacPhail was elusive when asked about his future plans, and whether he'd like to work for the club beyond 2011. I don't read anything into that other than MacPhail doesn't feel it necessary or prudent to have the discussions about his future play out publicly.

“There is nothing about this job that I really dislike other than the fact that our record isn’t where I’d like it to be," he said. "I love the city, I love the franchise, I like the players. We’ve got some challenges. We’ve tried to address them one at a time and make the franchise better. The ownership has been great. He has done everything that he said that he would do. It’s just a matter of whether we can put this together.”

There has been some speculation that with John Angelos stepping back from the organization somewhat this year, MacPhail could move into his Executive Vice President role, and the Orioles could hire another president of baseball operations. But I've been given no indication that will happen.

Peter Angelos and MacPhail still have a very good relationship, and they've been speaking regularly about the offseason. And this is just my opinion, but I don't feel that MacPhail wants to move into a business-type position at this stage.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Orioles long-time umpires attendant Ernie Tyler, who has worked 51 consecutive Opening Days in Baltimore, was rushed to the University of Maryland Medical Center this afternoon and later diagnosed with a brain tumor, according to his son, Jimmy Tyler.

Jimmy Tyler said that doctors believe the tumor is benign and can be surgically removed. Doctors hadn’t made a decision when the surgery would happen as of last night. Tyler, 86, passed cognitive tests.

“He knows everything from the day he was born,” said Jimmy Tyler, who is the home clubhouse manager at Camden Yards. “He told them everything. He’s in very good spirits.”

Tyler, a member of the Oriole Hall of Fame, worked 3,819 consecutive home games at Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, from Opening Day 1960 to July 27, 2007. His streak, which included 3,769 consecutive regular-season games, 40 post-season games and nine exhibitions, ended when he accepted an invitation from Cal Ripken Jr. to attend Ripken’s Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie grew increasingly tired of questions comparing his 2010 season to the miserable one he had last year, but being that he made his final start last night of 2010, we’ll look at it one last time:

Rec. ERA IP H HR BBs Ks BA against WHIP
2009 10-17 5.04 200 224 35 60 110 .281 1.42
2010 11-14 3.83 209 1/3 193 25 50 119 .243 1.16

And here are a couple of more numbers. Guthrie went 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break. In his 32 starts, he went six innings or more in 28 of them. He did not miss a start for the second straight season.

The team is expected to announce today that Luke Scott is the “Most Valuable Oriole” after a vote by the local media. Scott is very deserving of such recognition, but I’m quite certain Guthrie received plenty of votes, as he should have.

I'm not an "I told you so" kind of guy, but I remember blogging earlier this season in support of Guthrie after he was beaten by the New York Yankees May 8. The response wasn't very positive with some suggesting that the Orioles should dump Guthrie for everything from a box of baseballs to a mid-level prospect. I'm assuming people are glad they kept in.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Here's an impressive little statistic.

The Orioles have received final starts of the season from Kevin Millwood, Chris Tillman and now Jeremy Guthrie.

And what a swan song for the three.

Combined, the trio pitched 22 innings in those last three starts and allowed one colletive run. That's an ERA of 0.41.

Millwood pitched seven shutout innings on Wednesday. Tillman allowed one run in seven innings in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. And Jeremy Guthrie finished the nightcap by allowing no runs and two hits in eight strong innings.

Nice way to close 2010 for those three.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Chris Tillman’s 2010 big-league season doesn’t look impressive stats-wise.

He ended up 2-5 with a 5.87 ERA in 11 starts for the Orioles. He gave up 51 hits and walked 31 while striking out 31 in 53 2/3 innings.

But it is a start like Friday’s that makes the Orioles think they may have something special in the lanky 22-year-old right-hander.

He limited the Detroit Tigers – albeit a lineup without Miguel Cabrera or Magglio Ordonez – to three hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out a season-high seven batters. It was an excellent way to end his 2010.

“I think it is huge. That last start of the year is always a big boost to the offseason,” Tillman said. “Last year, I had that tough one going into the offseason and it kind of sat there with me the whole offseason. It kind of gave me an extra kick in the butt though. It’s a lot better to end the season on a good note.”

Now, says manager Buck Showalter, Tillman has to pitch like that consistently to be a big factor in 2011.

“It left a good taste in his mouth. Also (he) realized that he’s capable, but also remembering why he had some struggles here,” Showalter said. “The capability’s there. It’s just, up here, it’s a matter of consistency, too. You can’t have a different guy show up every other day.”

That’s what he will work on for 2011, Tillman said. That, and his cut-fastball, which was his out pitch on Friday.

“That’s what I worked on coming into this year, too, is being consistent,” Tillman said. “With that new pitch this year, it has come a long way and I think it showed it today. I think that was one thing I needed to work on and hopefully now the whole package is there and the consistency will be there next year.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Brian Roberts, who was scratched before Tuesday’s game with headaches, will not play in either end of Friday’s doubleheader.

That means he’ll miss at least four games with his most recent malady. Roberts has played just 59 games this season because of various ailments, including a large chunk of the season because of a herniated disk in his back.

“[He’s] about the same, not the improvement we had hoped to see,” Showalter said about Roberts. “A day-to-day thing with him.”

Roberts ran before batting practice under the watchful eye of head athletic trainer Richie Bancells, but he wasn’t at full strength.

“Right now, he’s got some symptoms from headaches. He saw the doctor [Thursday], our guy, and Richie took him out today for some exertion and stuff [Friday], trying to get a feel how he would handle it, and it didn’t go well enough for us to feel like he was a player in the first game,” Showalter said. “I just don’t see that improving enough all of the sudden between games to where he plays the second one. We’ll see where he is [Saturday]."

Roberts was not available for comment before Friday’s first game.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)