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Friday, October 6, 2017

Columns:  Analyzing the pending free agents in the playoffs that the Orioles could target The Sun 10/6  Baltimore and John Denver’s ‘Country Boy’ forever linked The Sun 10/5  Hays, Wells named O's Prospects of the Year MLB.com 10/5  Flaherty on free agency: “I have a lot of loyalty to this team” MASNsports.com 10/6  The longball in early playoff games and league prospect rankings MASNsports.com 10/6  Tap-In Question: Is there any Oriole you absolutely wouldn’t trade for rotation help? BaltimoreBaseball.com 10/5

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-free-agents-playoffs-20171006- story.html

Analyzing the pending free agents in the playoffs that the Orioles could target

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun October 6, 2017

After three days of playoff baseball, it seems clear that every game won't include a mention of Orioles closer Zach Britton not pitching in last year's Wild Card game and it's safe for those in the Baltimore area to watch this fall.

Aside from rooting against the team's rivals, there could be a greater purpose to checking out this year's postseason action — to catch possible future Orioles who are pending free agents.

With a clear need to add starting pitching and a desire to upgrade their defense in the outfield that's becoming as regular a need as the rotation, here's a rundown of some of the top pending free agents whose teams are still in the playoffs.

Starting :

C.C Sabathia – The longtime Yankees ace could be making his last start in pinstripes on Friday, and should he decide for a final act after his monster contract in New York expires this offseason, Sabathia has plenty of qualifying traits. Namely, he has experience in the American League East, has shown an ability to mow down the Orioles in their first-hand looks (though not this year), and has the pedigree of a top starting . That his best years are far behind are a concern, as are the salary requirements for a pitcher who just made $25 million this season. But if he's willing to take a bit of a discount, and the Orioles are willing to take a big risk, he fits the bill.

Doug Fister – It's impossible for Doug Fister to cost less than the $1.25 million the Orioles wouldn't pony up to sign him this year as he sat on the market into May and ultimately signed with the . (They didn't add him to their major league roster because they opted to go with former Orioles farmhand Parker Bridwell. Wheels within wheels.) But Fister is in Boston's playoff rotation over former Cy Young winners Rick Porcello and David Price. Even with a 4.68 ERA, Fister now has the AL East experience the Orioles covet. Now they just have to hope he ends up in their price range.

Yu Darvish -- The most expensive of the pending free agents still going in the playoffs, potential suitors should get a long look at Darvish as the Dodgers make what's expected to be a long into October. He's ending a six-year, $56 million contract at age 31 and looks fully healthy this year. If he's expecting a similar deal in free agency, which could easily be his ask, the Orioles may not be involved.

Josh Tomlin and Masahiro Tanaka– For these two, options are going to determine where they pitch in 2018. Tanaka can opt out of his massive contract in New York and free agency again, but that would mean sacrificing $67 million guaranteed after a subpar year. The Indians hold a team option for Tomlin at just $3 million, which may be steep for a pitcher who had a 4.98 ERA, but he's valuable depth to either them or any other team in free agency.

Outfielders:

Cameron Maybin – After a career renaissance with the bat in Detroit last season, Maybin was a defensive asset for the Angels and then the this season. He was a highly rated defensive center fielder and was rated a shade above average in left field as well, all contributing to his strong season. That he has little experience in right field could make him a tough fit for the Orioles, who could use someone to spell rookie Austin Hays there.

Howie Kendrick – A veteran who has added the outfield to his extensive defensive repertoire in recent years, Kendrick could provide the steady bat the Orioles have sought, but like Maybin, he

could be redundant batting from the right side and wouldn't add as much defensive value as someone else might. He'll also command a significant salary, as he's made around $10 million for each of the last three years.

Jon Jay – Despite spending the last two years as a league-average hitter, Jay has been valuable for his defense and can provide cover at all three outfield positions. He's played the least right field of the three, but that's been where he's best-rated over the last few years. As a left-handed bat, he'd also fit the Orioles desire to get more versatile in that sense. However, he made $8 million to be a part-time player this year. It's unclear that the Orioles go that high for a reserve's salary.

Relievers:

With Zach Britton and Brad Brach in the last year of salary arbitration, plus Darren O'Day's contract adding another salary, there might not be much room for the Orioles to add a high- priced arm. That would make Cubs closer Wade Davis, the top free agent on the market, a luxury they can't afford. However, lefties Craig Breslow and Francisco Liriano could be veteran answers to the left-handed relief question they've been trying to answer for years. So too could old friend Brian Duensing, who has been rock-solid for the Cubs.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/retro-baltimore/bs-md-ci-john-denver-20171004- story.html?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Contentutm_content=59d6d59904d3010492 eb3d24utm_medium=trueAnthemutm_source=twitter

Baltimore and John Denver’s ‘Country Boy’ forever linked

By Jacques Kelly / The Baltimore Sun October 5, 2017

While it’s been 20 years since singer John Denver died in an experimental plane crash at Monterey Bay, Calif. — he died on Oct. 12, 1997 — his voice remains a part of a Baltimore tradition.

In 1983, Denver appeared on 33rd Street and belted out “Thank God I'm a Country Boy" on top of the Orioles dugout during Game 1 of the World Series at Memorial Stadium.

And on Sept. 20, 1997 — just three weeks before he died — Denver appeared in Baltimore for a benefit concert at the Baltimore Arena (now called Royal Farms Arena) and surprised baseball fans earlier in the day when he showed up at the Orioles game, dancing and mouthing along to “Country Boy” while atop the O’s dugout during the seventh-inning stretch.

Denver first recorded the song in 1975. According to a 1997 Sun story, the Orioles then put it on the sound system at Memorial Stadium.

"The whole thing started just by accident," said Bob Brown, the Orioles PR director from 1968- 1989. "Frank Cashen [then the O's general manager] said, 'I'm tired of all this old-timers music, with the organs. Let's play something a little more current, try to get the kids interested.' We experimented with a lot of seventh-inning-stretch songs. When we got a [strong] fan reaction from 'Country Boy,' we tried it again and again. And every time, we got the same reaction."

John Denver did not always own the seventh-inning stretch in Baltimore. The Sun reported that "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles and "Shout" by the Isley Brothers were played during the stretch in 1987.

In the middle of 1987, “Country Boy” came back, that is until Eli Jacobs bought the Orioles in 1988.

“Jacobs decreed that the Andrews Sisters' with Dan Dailey version of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ would be played during the stretch,” The Sun account said. The fans did not like hearing this 1949 recording. “Country Boy" emerged again, triumphant, when Peter Angelos bought the team in 1993.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/256437964/orioles-hays-wells-garner-prospect-honors/

Hays, Wells named O's Prospects of the Year

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com October 5, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have given fans reason for hope for the future in September and Austin Hays is one of the biggest reasons why. Hays, who was called up to Baltimore as part of roster expansion, was honored as the Orioles' MLB Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Year. Alex Wells, named Baltimore's Jim Player Minor League Pitcher of the Year last month, was also selected as Pipeline's Top Pitching Prospect.

Each team's Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year were chosen by the MLBPipeline.com staff. To receive consideration, players must have spent at least half the year in the Minors, appeared on the team's Top 30 Prospects list and played the entire year in the organization.

Candidates were taken from each club's Top 30 Prospects list, with a combination of performance and prospect status taken into account. The end result is an impressive list of 60 names to keep an eye on.

Hays, ranked as the O's No. 2 prospect, had a breakout season in the Minors that saw him post a .329/.365/.593 slash line between Bowie and Class A Advanced Frederick. In 128 games between the two levels, the 22-year-old produced 69 extra-base hits, including 32 home runs, second most in the Minors, and 95 RBIs while scoring 81 runs.

Hays has been a model of consistency this season, posting strikingly similar numbers at the plate while playing in exactly 64 games at each level. He began the season by slashing .328/.364/.592 with 16 home runs in the Florida State League, and then built on that performance with a .330/.367/.594 clip and 16 more homers at Bowie. The Orioles selected Hays in the third round of the 2016 Draft as a junior out of Jacksonville University.

Wells spent the season pitching for the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds. The 20-year-old, whom the O's signed out of Australia, posted a 2.38 ERA over 25 starts.

He issued just 10 walks, including none in his last 68 innings.

What's most impressive about Wells is that he carried a sub-1.00 WHIP for the entire season.

Wells pitches with an average fastball, operating in the upper 80s and scraping 90 mph, but the pitch plays up due to his ability to command it to both sides of the plate. His registers in the low 80s with good fading action, and he sells it with fastball-like arm action. Wells has also made strides with his , a 12-to-6 downer in the mid-70s, since turning pro, giving him a quality third pitch, and his whole arsenal plays up due to his above-average control.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/10/flaherty-on-free-agency-i-have-a-lot-of- loyalty-to-this-team.html

Flaherty on free agency: “I have a lot of loyalty to this team”

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com October 5, 2017

If anyone needs further proof that time passes quickly, consider that Orioles utility infielder Ryan Flaherty is entering free agency.

The same Ryan Flaherty who joined the Orioles as a Rule 5 pick at the 2011 Winter Meetings in Dallas. One month after they hired Dan Duquette as executive vice president of baseball operations.

The Orioles didn’t make a big splash at the meetings. They selected Flaherty and acquired left- hander Dana Eveland from the Dodgers for minor league outfielder Tyler Henson and pitcher Jarret Martin.

Henson and Martin never reached the majors. Henson hasn’t played in the minors since 2015 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies’ organization. Martin made 37 appearances this summer with Double-A Richmond in the Giants’ system and 18 with the independent York Revolution.

Eveland went 0-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 14 games (two starts) with the Orioles in 2012. He made 16 appearances with Triple-A Norfolk in 2015 while pitching for three organizations. Have left arm will travel.

The Orioles won’t erect a statue of Flaherty at Camden Yards, but they’re appreciative of his contributions since he arrived from the Cubs organization. He’s played every infield position, left field and right field. He also pitched an inning and was given the responsibility of serving as the emergency catcher.

A Swiss army knife that fans here always wanted to cut.

Trivia: Who was the starting third baseman for the Orioles in the 2014 playoffs? Answer: Flaherty, who handled the hot corner after Manny Machado underwent surgery on his right knee.

If Flaherty hadn’t been in the lineup for Game 2 of the Division Series, Delmon Young never would have pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning and delivered a three-run double.

(Does anyone remember that the rally began with Joba Chamberlain hitting Adam Jones with one out? Anyway, I digress ...)

Flaherty went 4-for-12 with a home run while the Royals were sweeping the Orioles in the Championship Series, but manager Buck Showalter wanted him around because of his glove. Showalter trusted Flaherty at any position. The kind of versatility that made him an ideal 25th man on a roster.

A shoulder/lat injury that cropped up in ruined Flaherty’s 2017 season. He was limited to 23 games, making only two starts after May 18. It also made Showalter more hesitant to use him at shortstop. Maybe you noticed that, after Tim Beckham reinjured his hamstring on Sept. 29, Flaherty played second base while Jonathan Schoop moved over to short.

“It’s been frustrating,” Flaherty said over the weekend. “To be away from the team for that long and be injured, it’s frustrating for sure. And part of being a utility guy is you want to be on a winning team. That’s when you have your most value. I don’t know. It was frustrating for sure.”

Flaherty was a non-tender candidate last year as his salary rose from $512,500 to $1.075 million and $1.500 million in his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The Orioles held onto him, the sides reaching agreement on a $1.8 million contract in January.

The Orioles are considering cheaper alternatives, though the market hasn’t been established. Flaherty is a career .215/.284/.355 hitter in 452 games, but again, his versatility will be the main selling point in free agency.

The time has arrived.

“It’s really flown by,” he said. “You watch (Anthony Santander and it seems like just the other day I was a Rule 5 guy. Just crazy how quick time goes.”

It’s led him to unfamiliar territory, his first foray into free agency. At least he won’t go it alone. He has agent Jeff Berry from CAA Sports.

“I haven’t really put much thought into it,” Flaherty said. “It’s kind of the same thing as every year. Every year you kind of wait and see what happens. I don’t know what’s going to happen or whatever, but I’ll just take it day by day in the offseason and see what comes about.”

As for the possibility that a new deal could be struck with the Orioles, Flaherty said, “I don’t know. It takes two to do that.”

“I have a lot of loyalty to this team,” he said. “It’s the first team that gave me an opportunity to play in the big leagues and it’s all I know at the major league level. And obviously the coaching staff, ownership, they have a lot of good people here. But it takes two, so we’ll see what happens.”

There isn’t an obvious replacement for Flaherty, but utility infielder will rank below the rotation on the priority list. Double-A Bowie’s Steve Wilkerson has created an early buzz and he’ll be further evaluated in the .

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/10/the-longball-in-early-playoff-games-and- league-prospect-rankings.html

The longball in early playoff games and league prospect rankings

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com October 6, 2017

We have heard it many times before that “good pitching beats good hitting.” We have also heard the narrative that home runs “don’t play well in the postseason.”

So far that has not been true. We are talking about a small sample size. In the wild-card games the four starting pitchers were Ervin Santana, Luis Severino, Jon Gray and Zach Greinke. They combined to pitch 7 1/3 innings allowing 20 hits and 15 runs and gave up five home runs. There were nine homers hit in the wild card games.

As the Houston Astros beat the 8-2 Thursday, Boston’s Chris Sale gave up three homers and seven runs over five innings. Houston hit four homers - three by Jose Altuve.

No doubt, though, eventually some of the top pitchers will find their form and it we will not see an October featuring slugfest after slugfest. It started to happen last night when Cleveland Indians’ Trevor Bauer pitched 6 2/3 scoreless against the . Bauer, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined to three-hit New York in Cleveland’s 4-0 win.

During the regular season, the top two homer-hitting teams with Houston at No. 1 and New York at No. 2 made the postseason. But no other of the top eight homer-hitting teams, including the Orioles at No. 5, made the playoffs.

Here is where other playoff teams ranked on the final team homers list - Cubs No. 9, Dodgers No. 11, Diamondbacks No. 12, Nationals No. 14, Indians No. 15, Twins No. 16, Rockies No. 21 and Red Sox No. 27.

League top 20s: Baseball America has been rolling out its league top 20 prospect rankings. These are listings of the ratings of the top 20 prospects in each league in the minors this season. The Orioles had eight players listed a total of nine times.

International League: Chance Sisco No. 20.

Eastern League: Austin Hays No. 3, Tanner Scott No. 14, DJ Stewart No. 16, Cedric Mullins No. 18.

Carolina League: Austin Hays No. 3, Ryan Mountcastle No. 17.

New-York Penn League: Cameron Bishop No. 16, Michael Baumann No. 18.

To qualify for a list a position player must have at least one plate appearance per team game. A starting pitcher must have one-third of an inning per team game and a reliever must have 20 relief appearances.

So Hays made two lists. In the Carolina League he ranked behind outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Victor Robles. In the Eastern League he rated behind infielder Rafael Devers and Robles. In both cases he is keeping good company with some of the top prospects in the sport.

These are prospects lists and not based solely on stats. Two O’s minor leaguers that were named league MVPs did not make the lists, including Frederick’s Ademar Rifaela in the Carolina League and Bowie’s Garabez Rosa in the Eastern League.

Also, O’s minor league Pitcher of the Year Alex Wells of -A Delmarva did not make the top 20 in the South Atlantic League. The 20-year left-hander from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Wells went 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA for the Shorebirds. Remarkably, he didn’t walk a

batter over his last 68 innings and walked just two over his last 98 1/3 innings. He also led the South Atlantic League in WHIP at 0.91 and finished tied for second in wins. Wells walked just 10 batters all year and fanned 113 in 140 innings. But with a fastball that tops out at 90 and 91, Wells will have a hard time getting noticed much on these lists. He is going to have to prove himself at each level as he moves up the minor league ladder.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/10/06/tap-question-oriole-absolutely-wouldnt-trade- rotation-help/

Tap-In Question: Is there any Oriole you absolutely wouldn’t trade for rotation help?

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com October 6, 2017

We had a pretty spirited conversation on the site Thursday about what the Orioles need to do in order to improve their pitching for 2018.

It was spirited enough that I want to carry it into the Tap Room this weekend.

It’s my belief that the best way – maybe the only way — for the Orioles to improve their rotation next year is to trade for a starting pitcher or two, since the free agent market for starters this winter is fairly shallow and, likely, expensive.

The problem, of course, is what do the Orioles have to trade that could bring the such a return. And if the answer isn’t Manny Machado – for those of you who can’t stomach the idea of a rebuild – then I’d suggest it is Brad Brach or Zach Britton. All three are free agents after 2018.

As painful as it might be to weaken the bullpen, Brach or Britton should at least fetch a couple young arms with the upside to help a rotation. No guarantees, of course, but that’s how it would be with dealing Machado, too (though the pedigree of return would be higher in any deal for the third baseman).

That discussion got me thinking.

Is there any player with the Orioles that I wouldn’t trade away this winter in a reasonable deal for starting pitching?

I think my answer is no.

Some may say second baseman Jonathan Schoop; he was the 2017 Most Valuable Oriole, turns 26 later this month and is under team control through 2019. But he made $3.5 million last year and will get a hefty raise this winter in arbitration.

So, he’s not cheap, and may not be a part of the extended future. I likely wouldn’t deal him, but I certainly would be open to an overwhelming offer.

Rookies such as Trey Mancini, Chance Sisco and Austin Hays are all intriguing, and all could be building blocks. But, again, my ears wouldn’t be closed about dealing any of them.

If there is one guy that is close to untouchable for me it’s right-hander Dylan Bundy. Simply because of his age (25 in November), team control (can’t be a free agent until after the 2021 season) and the dearth of quality big league starters currently on the Orioles’ 40-man roster.

In other words, for me to deal Bundy it would have to be for a young pitcher (or multiple ones) with even more team control and similar upside. And that just doesn’t seem likely.

But I’d never say never.

So, if push comes to seriously hard shove, I suppose, for me, no one on this Orioles’ roster is untouchable in a trade. How about for you?

Tap-In Question: Is there any current Oriole you absolutely wouldn’t trade for rotation help?