Friday, December 23, 2016

World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966 American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969 American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996 Friday, December 23, 2016 Columns: Could Pedro Alvarez be the Orioles free agent most likely to return? The Sun 12/22 Duquette: “Still looking for opportunities to build the club” MASNsports.com 12/23 Notes on Gunkel’s splitter, Mancini’s power, Encarnacion’s new deal MASNsports.com 12/23 Is This The End For Nolan Reimold? PressBoxOnline.com 12/22 A tale of love, loss, adoption and Oriole legend Brooks Robinson BaltimoreBaseball.com 12/23 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-20161222-story.html Could Pedro Alvarez be the Orioles free agent most likely to return? By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun December 22, 2016 For all the talk about the Orioles attempting to retain Mark Trumbo, it might be Pedro Alvarez who is the free agent most likely to return to the club. Alvarez’s contributions to last year’s club can easily be overlooked, especially following his late signing in spring training and his struggles at the plate early in the season. But Alvarez hit 22 homers with 49 RBIs and a .249/.322/.504 hitting line in 376 plate appearances while almost exclusively serving as a left-handed hitting designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Take away Alvarez’s first 12 games in April – he appeared to be hindered early after signing late and took some adjustment to a new league and being a DH for the first time in his career – and Alvarez posted a respectable .267/.329/.550 line for the season. Because the Orioles want to get better defensively – particularly in the corner outfield spots – and want to have a more multidimensional roster, the level of their interest in bringing back Alvarez hinges on his ability to play the field. That really wasn’t expected of Alvarez last season, even though he made six starts at third base for Manny Machado and made four errors in nine chances. Alvarez’s agent, Scott Boras, said earlier this month at the Winter Meetings that Alvarez is experimenting with playing the outfield in an attempt to show he can be more than a designated hitter. The interesting part of that is the notion of Alvarez trying to convert to the outfield – he’s only played third and first in the majors -- began last year with the Orioles. The team tinkered with the idea of giving Alvarez some innings in the outfield in spring training, but there really weren’t any available. Hyun Soo Kim needed to play to make the adjustment from Korea and the club wanted to get a good look at Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard. Alvarez did see time defensively at first and third base during spring training. But even late in the season, the Orioles pondered giving Alvarez an opportunity in right field, but ultimately decided against it because he had never played there. Instead, once the club acquired veteran Michael Bourn late in the season, they started moving Mark Trumbo from right field into the DH spot on a more regular basis in an attempt to improve defensively. But that move took at bats away from Alvarez down the stretch. It’s obviously a big ‘if’ to think that Alvarez can re-invent himself as an outfielder, especially since he’s struggled defensively elsewhere. Boras wants to raise his client’s stock. And the Orioles need to invest in players who can contribute in the field this offseason. If the Orioles do re-sign Trumbo, Alvarez likely isn’t a fit, and retaining Alvarez might also affect whether the club can carry first baseman Trey Mancini, who the team has projected as a right-handed designated hitter. Sure, the two could platoon at DH, but it leaves the Orioles bench with a player who can’t really help defensively on a nightly basis. Add in the team’s two Rule 5 picks this year – outfielders Aneury Tavarez and Anthony Santander – and the Orioles’ bench picture gets even more muddled. Having said that, Alvarez would seem to have the arm strength to handle the outfield. Whether he can develop the range is the bigger question. But in his one season with the Orioles, Alvarez showed the desire to get better, often taking grounders at third base with infield coach Bobby Dickerson well before batting practice. And there’s no doubt that the Orioles recognized Alvarez’s value as a power hitter, veteran presence and teammate. They also have taken notice that Alvarez handled lefties better than he has in the past, hitting .243 last season against left- handers (albeit in a small sample size) compared to his career .205 mark. Alvarez has been linked to a few clubs this offseason, including the Boston Red Sox, with whom he could slot nicely as a successor to the retired David Ortiz as a DH. But it’s more likely that most teams will take a wait-and-see approach with the slugger to see how the outfield experiment is going. And there’s no question the Orioles will be paying close attention to Alvarez’s market, and the longer he remains a free agent, the most likely a reunion seems possible. http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/12/duquette-were-still-looking-for- opportunties-to-build-the-club.html Duquette: “Still looking for opportunities to build the club” By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com December 23, 2016 The Orioles maintained interest in free agent outfielder Ben Revere this winter, engaging again in talks with his representative. However, there doesn’t appear to be a financial fit and Revere is expected to sign with another team - perhaps as early as today. The Nationals non-tendered Revere after he batted .217/.260/.300 in 103 games, but he hit .306/.342/.377 in 2015 with the Phillies and Blue Jays. A strained oblique in April pretty much ruined his final season in D.C. Revere, 28, bats from the left side and can play all three outfield positions. He would have been a nice fit in right field and atop the order. Meanwhile, executive vice president Dan Duquette continues his efforts to plug the hole in right field. That’s just one remaining order of business. A decision must be made regarding designated hitter and another reliever could be added to the bullpen. “We’re still looking for opportunities to build the club,” Duquette said. “We’re not done. We like some of the things that we did. Adding a catcher and the two young (Rule 5) outfielders. But we’re still trying to build our ballclub.” Business tends to slow for everyone between Christmas and New Year’s, and Duquette indicated that he isn’t particularly close to making another move. “I don’t have anything that’s imminent,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of things that are percolating, if you will, but we’re not ready to pour the cup of coffee.” Duquette remains open to signing a free agent or making a trade. Whatever comes first. “We’re looking at all of them,” he said. “We’re looking at trades, signings, international signings. There are still some players on the market that could help the club.” The Orioles still seem more likely to add a reliever than a starter. Brad Brach was a popular target at the Winter Meetings and nothing has changed since the Orioles left National Harbor. “We have some pretty good depth to our rotation and there’s a lot of interest in our relief pitchers on the trade market,” Duquette said. Negotiations have stalled with Mark Trumbo’s agent. I’m told again that talks have quieted, but they could pick up again at a later date. The Orioles aren’t closing that door. The Orioles also are focused on reaching agreements on new contracts with their arbitration- eligible players. There’s in-house business to do, as well. “We are preparing our offers to try to sign some players that are arbitration eligibles and in the process of preparing our offers, we also prepare the cases in the event that we’re not able to negotiate a contract,” Duquette said. “So we’re in the process of doing both of those things right now.” There’s nothing new to report on the assistant hitting coach, with Duquette saying, “We have some more work to do on that.” I sought further confirmation that Lenny Harris and Howie Clark are two candidates and Duquette replied, “Those are some good names.” Duquette said the hiring of a minor league pitching coordinator is still “in process.” “We’re still working on that,” he said. John Wasdin is expected to replace Rick Peterson, who held the title of director of pitching development for the past five seasons. However, Wasdin would be named minor league pitching coordinator. “It would probably be a coordinators position,” Duquette said. “It probably wouldn’t be a director’s position.” http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/12/notes-on-gunkels-splitter-mancinis-power- encarnacions-new-deal.html Notes on Gunkel’s splitter, Mancini’s power, Encarnacion’s new deal By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com December 23, 2016 It was a suggestion from his Double-A pitching coach that came after the 2015 season and before opening day in 2016. For right-hander Joe Gunkel, it was advice that he put to good use. A pitcher that was added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster in November, Gunkel has always been minus a blazing fastball.

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