Category Archives: Baltimore Orioles News

Baltimore Orioles keeping the beer cold after all these years

Today is the Baltimore Orioles’ lone off day during Grapefruit League play. At first I was a little surprised that it was this early on, however the schedule’s a bit different this year in that spring training ends on a Sunday and Opening Day’s on Thursday. So the players will have some time off right before the season starts.

So with no game to cover I wanted to get to the business of a column that I write in some form every spring training. Nobody honors the past quite like the Orioles, and a big part of that past resides in the broadcast booth. Do the words ain’t the beer cold?!, or Go to war, Ms. Agnes! mean anything to you?!

Chuck Thompson called Orioles games on both TV and radio from the 1950’s until finally retiring for good after the 2000 season. Thompson retired from full time duty in 1983, however came out of retirement a few years later to work games part-time on the radio. Speaking for myself, that’s how I remember him and how I was introduced to his work.

Simply put, nobody was as good as Chuck behind the mic – NOBODY. He had that smooth delivery which brought along with it thoughts of hometown, summertime, vacation, and good times. His call of games could lend to the belief that one was sitting on the front porch sipping lemonade while following the game, or perhaps laying on a beach in Ocean City – down-y oshun!

Chuck Thompson came of age in the baseball broadcasting business when the concept of the hometown announcer was a huge idea. Back then precious few games were televised, and people followed the team on radio if they couldn’t get to the game or if the team was out of town. Thompson acted as a liason of sorts between the team and the fans. This is still an important aspect in the jobs of the men who cover baseball today, however in an age of mass media and online columns (including this one!) people find different ways to follow teams.

When you use the term the voice of the Orioles people of a certain age immediately think of the great Chuck Thompson. He was to Baltimore what Vin Scully was to Los Angeles. And Mel Allen to New York, Ernie Harwell to Detroit, Jack Buck to St. Louis, Jack Brickhouse/Harry Caray to Chicago, or Harry Kalas to Philadelphia. All of those men were of similar age and broadcasting characteristic. And all of them seemingly came to represent the cities and teams that they served.

Speaking for myself, I loved Chuck Thompson’s aforementioned catch-phrases. Everyone did. However I think the thing I remember the most about him as how he always seemed to emphasize the second O in OriOles. It’s little things as such that endeared broadcasters to their hometowns. Chuck Thompson walks in lockstep with Orioles fans of a certain age. He represents not only Orioles baseball, but summertime. And he’ll nary be forgotten, even as the years go on.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman injured in Birds’ latest loss

The fact that the Baltimore Orioles fell to Detroit 8-6 yesterday should be of no interest to fans. If anything, the bats showed some promise. However the condition of starter Kevin Gausman should be more concerning. He left the game after pitching 1.1 innings after a freak play. Gausman’s line: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Gausman left the game after colliding with a member of the Tigers who was too far out of the on-deck circle while backing up home plate after an RBI-single. Gausman remained on the turf for several minutes. He would later leave Ed Smith Stadium on a cart, but would later return to sit in the dugout.

It appears that Gausman is going to be okay, although it’s unclear whether or not he’ll miss time. However that’s exactly the type of thing that the Orioles need to avoid. Things could go south quickly if their presumed starters have to miss time – even in spring training.

It’s worth mentioning that Gausman was slated to go two innings when he came out for the injury. So he himself could have potentially limited the damage in the game as opposed to five runs scoring in the inning. Gausman was the first to mention however that he could have been sharper in the outing overall. However he did notice that he had some pitches working for him (quote courtesy of Brittany Ghirolli, MLB.com):

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Chance when I came out of the game, but that’s one thing I wanted to ask him. He was calling [the sinker] a lot. Usually when a catcher is calling something, it means you kinda got it that day. He was calling my sinker a lot and calling my slider. Those are the two pitches I’m working on, especially this spring.

The Orioles will travel to Port Charlotte this afternoon to take on the Tampa Rays. Hunter Harvey will make his much-anticipated spring debut for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Preferential treatment?

Kevin Gausman will make his spring debut for the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium this afternoon. My personal prediction is that Gausman will end of being the Orioles’ Opening Day starter, but time will tell. Nevertheless, it all starts for him today.

The Orioles are a team who’s physicals have been scrutinized severely over the years. Everyone remembers the situation with Grant Balfour, and a few others. The team was also dragged through the mud in these cases, because people just assumed it was the Orioles being a tough customer. However with that said, with the investment that teams make in players it’s not difficult to understand why they’d want everything to check out on a physical.

However Boston signed J.D. Martinez last week. The signing isn’t being announced until today. The rumor is that the BoSox saw something on the physical that they didn’t like. That has never been stated, however over the weekend apparently the contract was re-worked to better protect both sides.

Did Boston scrutinize Martinez’s physical in the same manner that the Orioles do with free agents? I’m not saying that they would be wrong to do so – in fact, I’m saying that they’re right to do it. However the fact is that the story isn’t getting the publicity that the Orioles got for doing this. Why is that? Is there a bias?

There may well be, however the other side of the coin is that the Orioles were up front about the fact that they backed out because of the physical’s results. Boston is saying it’s a non-factor. Of course the Orioles weren’t helped in the Balfour case by the fact that the player got in the media and criticized the Orioles’ physical himself. And in that case, the player went onto pitch for Tampa and was out of baseball due to injuries a year later. So maybe closely looking at the results isn’t such a bad thing.

Baltimore Orioles sign Colby Rasmus to a minor league deal

The Baltimore Orioles have had their eyes on Colby Rasmus for the past couple of years. And as of yesterday they finally got him. Rasmus, who had previously considered retirement, agreed to a minor league contract (with an invite to spring training).

Make no mistake about the fact that Rasmus will be on the major league roster. The fact that he signed a minor league contract is just a footnote in terms of the team playing roster games. Across nine big league seasons, Rasmus is a career .242 hitter, with an OBP of .311. I would expect Rasmus to platoon in the outfield, where he’s comfortable at all three positions.

Rasmus of course was injured for much of last year with Tampa, where he had some hip issues. He also had some personal problems, but apparently all of that has now cleared up. Despite his issues last year, Rasmus has averaged 25 homers per season for his career.

I suspect that part of what drew the Orioles to him was the fact that he’s a left-handed bat. I wouldn’t classify him as a “big bat,” but he’ll give the lineup a bit of stability in terms of balancing right and left. And that was a big issue last year.

Is this a good signing for the O’s? That’s tough to say. They wanted Rasmus three years ago, but couldn’t land him. Now that he was thinking of retiring, they got him on a no-risk minor league contract. Many Orioles fans will argue that nobody wanted him any longer – except the Orioles. One way or the other, Rasmus is now part of the organization. And again, it’s a no-risk contract given the fact that it’s a minor league deal.

The Orioles will hold an intrasquad scrimmage this afternoon at 12:30 PM at Ed Smith Stadium. They kind of have a grueling schedule (as far as schedules in spring training go) the first weekend of Grapefruit League play. Of course the opener is tomorrow at 1 PM, however on Saturday the O’s have their first split squad day of the year. They’ll play at Philadelphia at 1 PM in Clearwater, and then at home at 6 PM in Sarasota against Minnesota. Sunday afternoon they head down to Fort Myers to play Boston. That’s four games in 48 hours! (Obviously two different “teams” will play in the two games on Saturday.)

I would expect Rasmus to see some action in some of these road games. Let me state right now that I think many of the outfield reps come the regular season should go to guys like Austin Hays, because that’s the future. But a lot of that will be contingent on how guys look in spring training. Both offensively and defensively.

Baltimore Orioles: Who starts on Friday? (updated)

With the spring opener now only two short days away, the Baltimore Orioles are turning their attention to the Tampa Rays. Let’s be frank; wins and losses don’t matter at this point. I’m going to say that again for clarity; wins and losses don’t matter at this point. But you play like you practice, so the Orioles owe it to themselves to play hard in these spring games.

So here’s an interesting question: who gets the [Grapefruit League] Opening Day start on Friday? This isn’t the regular season, so it really doesn’t matter. Some might put the newly re-signed Chris Tillman forth as a possible starter. However while he’s the longest tenured Oriole on the pitching staff, I’m not sure he’s been in camp long enough.

I would go with Kevin Gausman as a starter on Friday. Mind you, whomever starts won’t be in the game but for perhaps two or three innings. There have been years where the first turn through the rotation has only seen guys throw one inning. This isn’t the regular season where there’s even a rotation (despite the fact that I used that term a moment ago). It’s just about getting your work in at this point and having a strong spring.

In fact, these games are all but scripted in terms of who pitches and when. Buck Showalter will have a schedule for each game as to who’s pitching that day, how many innings, which innings, etc. And barring an emergency or an incredibly poor performance, most managers will stick to that schedule regardless of what happens in the game. That’s just how it works.

So regardless of whomever gets the starting nod on Friday, it’s not something into which I would read too much. I’m going with Gausman because while I also think he’ll be the Opening Day starter, they’re going to want to get him as much work as possible. This season, and thus this spring, is very important for him – as well as for Dylan Bundy.

Update: I’d like to thank reader CBoemmeljr for the information that Mike Wright will be starting on Friday against Tampa.

 

Baltimore Orioles re-sign Chris Tillman

The Baltimore Orioles yesterday announced another free agent pitcher signing – technically. RHP Chris Tillman is returning to the O’s, after signing a one-year major league contract. Tillman took his physical yesterday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

The contract guarantees Tillman $3 million in base salary in 2018. Through other bonus’ and incentives, he could earn up to an additional $7 million. Ultimately this is a good move for the Orioles because it comes cheap, and both sides appear confident that he can have a comeback-type of year.

It also adds one more name to the rotation. And I’ve said from the beginning that Tillman would end up back in Baltimore. This move should come as no surprise to anyone. So as I said, this is technically a free agent signing. But in reality it’s a continuation of Tillman’s stint with the O’s.

That brings the O’s to four starters in camp. And I think you can probably get away with finding one starter as the Grapefruit League schedule progresses. Two or three to fill out the roster might have been a challenge. But odds are someone will find their way into the rotation by standing out in spring training. For the record however, the O’s only need four starters through the first week of the season.

Baltimore Orioles: Presidential first pitches for President’s Day

Today the Baltimore Orioles will hold their first team workout with the full squad. Grapefruit League play of course will begin on Friday in Sarasota as the O’s take on Tampa. But today is also a Federal Holiday: President’s Day.

So as a baseball writer and a lifelong civics and history buff, I write this column every year – combining the two. Any game in which the President of the United States throws out the first pitch is special. Usually this happens on Opening Day or in the World Series. It can also happen in the All-Star game – or any other game for that matter.

The tradition began in 1910 with President William Howard Taft throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day for the Washington Senators. The 100th anniversary of this event was commemorated in 2010 when President Barrack Obama threw out the first pitch on Opening Day at Nationals Park in Washington DC. In between those two bookends, every President has done the honors at least once.

And if you think about it, that’s quite an accomplishment given that Washington didn’t have baseball for so long. Of all of the gentlemen who have done it, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did the honors more than any other. And that makes sense given the fact that he was President for longer than any man in history. He was also in a wheelchair for most of his adult life, adding to the fact that it’s impressive he did it every year. But that in and of itself is no excuse for his first pitch hitting a Washington Post camera on Opening Day, 1940. C’mon Mr. President, command the ball – don’t throw it!

After baseball left our nation’s capital, Baltimore was able to host the “Presidential Opener” a few times. Not only that, but President Jimmy Carter’s lone first pitch as President came in the World Series in 1979 at Memorial Stadium. President Ronald Reagan came to town on Opening Day in 1984 and 1986, as did President George H.W. Bush in 1989. (Reagan also threw out the first ball in a World Series game at Memorial Stadium in 1983.)

President Bush returned to Baltimore on Opening Day 1992, however that came at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The inaugural game at the ballpark, in fact. I remember it very well; the President, a former Yale first baseman, threw the ball off the plate and in the dirt. He would later say that was exactly what he wanted to do – slider low and inside to a right-handed hitter. I always thought that was a pretty quick comeback on his part.

President Bill Clinton came to Baltimore twice to open the season with the first pitch, in 1993 and 1996. And President George W. Bush became the first sitting President to toss out the first ball in Washington DC when baseball returned in the form of the Nationals. His successor, President Obama, gave a great quote about our national pasttime in 2016 in Cuba attending the historic Tampa Rays vs. Cuba game (quote courtesy of Michael Memoli, Los Angeles Times):

There is something about baseball that is so fundamentally woven into our culture. And in some ways, at a time in our lives where everything’s a mile a minute and kids are on their phones all the time and there’s just this constant stream of information, there’s nothing like going to a ballpark and just everything slowing down a little bit.

The rhythm of the game gives you a sense of appreciation about all the blessings we have. It’s still a family game in a way that is really hard to match.

He couldn’t be more right. And a great part of that is due to the relationship that baseball has with America’s Chief Executives. No other sport can brag of Presidential participation like baseball can. Hockey games will sometimes mirror this tradition by having a ceremonial drop of the puck, but let’s be real – it’s a baseball thing. And it’s mainly a thing because the President of the United States is involved.

Which brings us to the current time period. I know that Baltimoreans and people in countless other places would love for the President to come and do the honors in their city. It’s a non-partisan tradition that celebrates America’s pasttime, and America herself. But let’s not kid ourselves, it really belongs in one city and one city only. So to President Donald Trump or anyone in the Trump Administration who’s willing to listen, in closing I say one thing. The President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington D.C. every year.

Party affiliation and politics aside, that needs to start happening again. Yes, that means that the Washington Nationals should always open at home, and the sitting President should be there to do the honors. If he wants to do it in other cities on other days over the course of the year, fine. But I’ll say it again: The President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington D.C. every year!

Baltimore Orioles: Important spring training for the infield

For the first time in awhile, there are some questions facing the Baltimore Orioles’ infield going into a baseball season. And not all of them concern on-field matters. Some do, and we’ll start there. We knew that the Orioles would probably have a new shortstop in 2018; we just didn’t think it was going to be Manny Machado.

I don’t think fans should worry too much in terms of the quality of play. While Machado hasn’t played shortstop consistently in over five years, it’s his natural position. It’s why the Orioles drafted him – make no mistake about that. However the Grapefruit League schedule is going to be really key to getting Machado ready for the season, as it’ll give him a chance to face live bullets…in games that don’t count. The switch sounds simple enough, but the throw to first is different, the angles are all different, and the double-play duties are different.

Which brings up to the hot corner; Tim Beckham has vociferously said that he’ll be fine at third base. But it’s not a position at which he’s spent significant time. Now I know the emphasis that Buck Showalter puts on defense; they wouldn’t have made this move if they didn’t think Beckham could handle it. And with the way that he embraced Baltimore, the Orioles, the fans, etc. when he was traded here, you can’t help but give the guy a shot.

The elephant in the room obviously is also Machado’s contract situation. Namely, it expires after the season. He’s expected to hit free agency, however the Orioles apparently have been in close contact of late with his agent about an extension. For what it’s worth, he’s saying all the right things (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Obviously, this is the only organization I’ve ever played for and the only organization I know, so I could definitely stay here, play for this organization, play for the crowd, play for the fans. This is all I know. It’s a great organization that I’ve always played for and gave me an opportunity to come up here and play in the big leagues, but at the same time, there are some things that are out of my jurisdiction, out of my hands. What I can do is go out there and give them the best season I can and see what happens.

The Orioles also have to deal with the Jonathan Schoop situation, which came out of Orioles’ FanFest a few weeks ago. To be specific, Schoop opted not to show up – at the last minute. Later we found out that it was due to his salary situation (regarding arbitration) not being resolved, and at the time he said that his agent advised him against attending.

You might say that the fans are ultimately the ones who suffer when business and baseball intersect. It wasn’t a popular decision with the fans, and manager Buck Showalter and GM Dan Duquette both voiced frustration with Schoop as well. However to his credit, Schoop is trying to make amends (quote courtesy of Brittany Ghiroli, mlb.com):

Every fan, I’m going to sign for them and give them something back. I’m glad it’s over and I can focus on baseball now so I can focus on being out there and helping the team win.

Personally I think that Schoop may want to reevaluate who represents him if he was advised against going to an event as innocent as FanFest. And one that means so much to the Baltimore community at that. (I said at the time that if Tim Beckham – a guy mind you who had just been traded to the Orioles the previous summer – could show up and be excited for the fans on his birthday, there was no reason why Schoop needed to miss FanFest. Regardless of what his agent said.) However my hope is that fans quickly forget about that and view it as a blip on the radar once the Grapefruit League season starts next Friday. Once Schoop smacks a ball out of Ed Smith Stadium or turns a double-play with Machado, all should hopefully be well.

Similar to the year when Toronto tried to pick off Dan Duquette as their GM, there have been a lot of distractions this off season. And for all of the wrong reasons. However the Orioles hope that come Friday when games begin, all of that melts away. Needless to say, the upcoming slate of spring games are important to a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

Baltimore Orioles have been burned by boldness

Many fans question why the Baltimore Orioles are so timid on the free agent market. Especially with pitchers. Fans see other teams making big splashes, and in essence taking big risks. And often times they pay off.

But the Orioles aren’t big on dishing out contracts like other teams do – for pitchers, that is. That’s not to say that they’ve never done it. Ubaldo Jimenez‘s contract just came off the books starting this year. And while the Jimenez contract was an anomaly in that it was a large contract dished out to a free agent pitcher, it was also one that most national pundits lauded. Many people, myself included, felt that the Orioles made a good move in getting Jimenez…

…and contrary to what fans think, it wasn’t a total disaster. People shouldn’t forget that there were a few big games down the stretch (such as the 2014 AL East-clinching game) that Jimenez started and in which he came up big. When the bright lights were on, he tended to show up big. But the overall story of his tenure in Baltimore is lackluster.

And that’s one of the reasons why the O’s aren’t willing to go after the likes of a Jake Arrieta, because they don’t want to commit a lot of money and years to a guy who may or may not produce. Now that’s not to say that finding starting pitchers in the Rule 5 draft is the way to go either, but one can’t totally blame them for being timid when it comes to signing free agent pitchers.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Andrew Cashner a good signing?

The Baltimore Orioles wowed their fans with their most exciting day of the off season yesterday when they announced they had signed Andrew Cashner. Okay, perhaps there was a hint of sarcasm there. However the fact is that Cashner will be on the Orioles for at least the next two years, possibly three. The two years guarantee him $16 million.

So…what does or should the fan base think of this? I’ve heard mixed reviews, although nobody’s out there saying this is the greatest or worst ever signing. I think that the best way to classify it is as just “a signing.”

Cashner posted a 3.40 ERA last year with Texas, which was down from 5.25 the year before with San Diego and Miami combined. He also only gave up 15 homers last year, playing his home games in Texas where the ball flies – similar to at Camden Yards. In fact, some of his career’s lower ERA’s have come with hitter’s park’s being his home field.

Detractors of course would point out that throughout his seven years in the majors, Cashner’s only had one winning season. He was 10-9 in 2013 with San Diego. This is far from a marquee signing, however consider the alternative. Ubaldo Jimenez posted a 6.81 ERA for the Orioles last year, and 5.44 the year before. So if Cashner lives up to last season’s numbers, that should be a good thing for the Orioles.

Financially, $16 million over two years isn’t that much. The contract could pay him up to $41 million with bonuses and if he ends up staying a third year. Many fans will say that the Orioles will be forever betrothed to contracts like these to players as such. However keep in mind that they took a risk with Jimenez – and were burned big time. The same is true with others as well.

So again, this is “a signing.” I don’t see Cashner winning a Cy Young, but I think he’ll at least be solid. Time will tell. As I’ve said before, the upcoming Florida Grapefruit League season is going to be a big one for the Orioles this year.