Thursday, January 8, 2015
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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 2012, 1996 Thursday, January 8, 2015 Columns: Who is your Oriole to watch in 2015? The Sun 1/8 Young signing expected today MASNsports.com 1/8 If Mussina gets the call to the Hall, will he go in as an Oriole? MASNsports.com 1/8 For Baltimore sports fans, these are the good old days CSN Baltimore 1/8 Drake hoping for positive impression next week CSN Baltimore 1/7 Wright's place in Orioles bullpen to be determined CSN Baltimore 1/7 What’s next for the Orioles’ Chris Davis, Manny Machado? USA Today 1/7 Could Colby Rasmus Be The Next Nelson Cruz For The Orioles? PressBoxOnline.com 1/8 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-who-is-your-oriole-to-watch-in-2015- good-or-bad-20150107-story.html Who is your Oriole to watch in 2015? By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun January 8, 2015 So, the bar was buzzing Wednesday night with the Maryland’s men basketball team on the big screen. And, of course, the anticipation of Saturday’s Ravens playoff game was in the air. You could cut it with a bottle opener. But, let’s face it: Connolly’s is a baseball joint. Even in January. We know who we are. As part of our New Year’s coverage, Sun reporters were asked to write about the "athlete to watch” on their beat in 2015. For me, it was an easy answer. I don’t think there is any Oriole who has more to gain or lose this season than first baseman Chris Davis. Baseball is a team game – one player doesn’t control the fate of the team -- but how Davis does will go a long way in determining the Orioles’ success. Will he be the Davis that hit 53 home runs and finished third in the American League MVP race like in 2013? Or will he be the 2014 Davis that batted under .200 in a disastrous season that ended with a failed drug test for amphetamines? If his production is even in the middle of those two years it would be a big boost to the Orioles offense. So Davis is my Oriole to keep a close eye on for 2015. But, in talking to others, there are plenty of options, plenty of key players heading into important seasons for their careers. There’s right-hander Kevin Gausman, who is expected to be in the rotation all year and could become the club’s first homegrown ace since Mike Mussina. That’s who my baseball colleague, Ed Encina, chose as his 2015 player to watch. There’s also starter Ubaldo Jimenez – who signed a lucrativee deal last winter and struggled most of the season. There’s catcher Matt Wieters, who like Davis, is a pending free agent and needs to show he is healthy and productive before breaking the bank somewhere. There’s Zach Britton, who emerged as a quality closer in 2014. The Orioles desperately need him to do it again. There’s Manny Machado, who will be attempting to play a full season after knee injuries and subsequent surgeries ended his previous two years. You can make a case for Steve Pearce and Jonathan Schoop and Chris Tillman. And, obviously, Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy and Wei-Yin Chen are important components of the club, though they’ve been fairly steady over the past few years. You kind of know what you are getting there. I want to know your pick. Which Oriole will you be watching particularly closely in 2015? Daily Think Special: Who is your Oriole to watch in 2015 – good or bad? http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/01/young-signing-expected-today.html Young signing expected today By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com January 8, 2015 The Orioles are expected later today to announce the signing of outfielder Delmon Young to a one-year contract. Young agreed to terms Dec. 24 on a deal that guarantees him $2.25 million and includes a possible $750,000 in incentives. Who comes off the 40-man roster to make room? Stay tuned. Here's the roster again. Give me your prediction: Pitchers Tim Berry Brad Brach Zach Britton Dylan Bundy Wei-Yin Chen Oliver Drake Eddie Gamboa Jason Garcia Kevin Gausman Miguel Gonzalez Tommy Hunter Ubaldo Jimenez Brian Matusz T.J. McFarland Bud Norris Darren O'Day Chris Tillman Logan Verrett Ryan Webb Tyler Wilson Mike Wright Wesley Wright Catchers Steve Clevenger Caleb Joseph Ryan Lavarnway Mike Ohlman Matt Wieters Infielders Ryan Flaherty J.J. Hardy Manny Machado Rey Navarro Jimmy Paredes Jonathan Schoop Christian Walker Outfielders Alejandro De Aza Alex Hassan Adam Jones David Lough Steve Pearce Henry Urrutia For what it's worth, manager Buck Showalter invited Hassan, Ohlman, Gamboa, Drake and Rule 5 pitchers Garcia and Verrett to the minicamp. Hassan apparently is recovering from an injury and the Orioles want to check on him in Sarasota. The Orioles will be back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex next month for the start of spring training. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 18. Positions players are due on Feb. 23, with the first full-squad workout the following day. Veteran left-hander Johan Santana reportedly will pitch next week for Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League. Executive vice president Dan Duquette told me in November that he was open to re-signing Santana and the club would watch him throw. They signed Santana to a minor league deal in March and were prepared to call him up in June before he tore his left Achilles. Santana's surgically repaired shoulder is fine. He's just got to show teams that he's recovered from the Achilles injury. The question for the Orioles is whether they'd have room for him. They could use a veteran starter for Triple-A Norfolk as insurance in case of injury, but they already have six starters for five spots in their rotation. Shameless plug alert: I'm in studio today for "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on MASN. http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/01/if-mussina-gets-the-call-to-the-hall-will- he-go-in-as-an-oriole.html If Mussina gets the call to the Hall, will he go in as an Oriole? By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com January 8, 2015 Former Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina has some work to do in his bid to make the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. In his first year of eligibility in 2014, Mussina was named on 20.3 percent of the ballots with 14 players getting a higher percentage. On Tuesday, Mussina was named on 24.6 percent of the ballots with 13 players getting more votes. A player needs to be named on 75 percent to make the Hall. If Mussina does someday make it - and I do think he has a good chance eventually - then we'll find out if he goes in as an Oriole or a Yankee. He played 18 seasons in the majors, 10 as an Oriole. Mussina went 147-81 with a 3.53 ERA as an Oriole. He actually posted better pitching stats with the Orioles than the Yankees, despite playing on five losing teams in Baltimore and six first- place clubs in New York. His ERA (3.53 to 3.88), win percentage (.645 to .631) and WHIP (1.18 to 1.21) were all better with Baltimore. When a player is elected, the six-member Hall of Fame senior staff makes the decision on which cap a player wears on his plaque when inducted, not the player. The Hall's spokesman, Brad Horne, explained the process to me when Mussina was elected to the O's Hall of Fame in 2012. "For anyone that is elected, the decision of which logo appears on his Hall of Fame plaque is the decision of the museum and not the player," Horne said. "Our role, as a historical institution, is to preserve the integrity of the team that is most representative from an individual's career. "If someone's career is split between two or three franchises, numbers alone do not necessarily tell the story of where the greatest impact was made. The process is, once an individual is elected, and only at that time, does the Hall of Fame begin the process of which team is represented on the plaque. The individual is elected in January, but not inducted until July. "The senior staff of the Hall makes that determination. The numbers are a big factor, but also intangibles come into play, as well things like awards and postseason. Sometimes, the process is resolved in a matter of hours. Sometimes it can take a couple of months before we are ready to announce the decision." If Mussina gets in the Hall, do you think he goes in as an Oriole? Buck draws a crowd: The Orioles Single-A Delmarva affiliate announced that its 14th annual Hot Stove Banquet featuring O's manager Buck Showalter is sold out. A record attendance is expected at the event which will be held at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Who might breakout?: Will the Orioles have a breakout player in 2015 - that is one who takes his game to a level not seen before in his career? In 2013, Chris Davis filled that role.