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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Columns:  Swift-climbing Orioles lefty prospect opening eyes around The Sun 2/17  Orioles continue negotiations with Yovani Gallardo, both sides optimistic about deal The Sun 2/16  O's boast powerful lineup with Davis' return MLB.com 2/16  Commenting on the camp competitions MASNsports.com 2/17  A look at some inaccurate PECOTA projections for the Orioles, plus other notes MASNsports.com 2/17  : Top 10 prospects ESPN.com 2/16  Orioles could use as experiment CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/16  So a winner at the WKC Dog Show was named CBSsports.com 2/16

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-tanner-scott-20160216-story.html

Swift-climbing Orioles lefty prospect Tanner Scott opening eyes around baseball

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun February 17, 2016

A season that began with Tanner Scott unassigned out of spring training and ended with the baseball world buzzing about his high-90s fastball from the left side in the prospect-laden wasn't too big of a leap for the Orioles pitching prospect.

His at Howard Junior College (Texas) is sure of it, because he witnessed the first time when too much, too soon might have overwhelmed Scott.

Scott arrived in the small Texas town of Big Spring with a 90-mph fastball and a pitching motion that left him cripplingly sore after every game. He ended his one season there, thanks to the development of a cleaner delivery, throwing pain-free and hitting 98 mph in the seventh inning of a playoff game.

"I thought he handled it well," Howard coach Britt Smith said. "He was the same guy throwing 98, 99 as he was when he got here, personality-wise and off the field. I don't think he ever changed who he was. That's important."

For Scott, who could get fast-tracked to the major league bullpen and whose stock rose further than perhaps any in the Orioles' low minors last year, that big jump in 2014 at Howard mirrored his jump in 2015.

By including him on the January minicamp roster, where the major league coaches get to know young they might use during the season, Scott could be in line for another big leap. Judging by how he handled his first two, he'll know how to handle it.

Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace said last month that he noticed right away how the ball came out of the 6-foot-2 lefty's hand, just as Smith did after he watched Scott play catch for the first time.

"I came back and told my assistant, 'If we can get him cleaned up before he blows out, we're going to have something,'" Smith said.

Scott was all arm before that, part of the reason he dealt with debilitating soreness after he pitched. His arm effort threw off the rest of his timing, and his command suffered — he walked 47 in 37 1/3 innings at Notre Dame College (Ohio) in 2013. His arm action limited him to a loopy breaking ball.

"He was always trying to muscle the baseball and do things that way," Smith said. "We got his delivery a little more efficient. He got a little more on line, he got a little more consistent in his timing and the velocity really jumped."

Scott jumped into the mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, complemented it with a hard slider and developing changeup. With improved control, "by the end of the year, his last six or seven outings, he was as good as anyone in the country in my opinion," Smith said.

The Orioles signed him away from a commitment to Texas Tech with a $650,000 bonus as a sixth-round draft pick in 2014, but control issues followed him. He struck out a batter per inning in the Gulf Coast League that year, but walked 20 in 23 innings and finished the season with a 6.26 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.

In 2015, Scott was held back in Sarasota, Fla., in extended spring training until the Short-A Aberdeen IronBirds began their season. He wasn't long for the New York-Penn League.

He held opponents to a .211 batting average in 21 1/3 innings, with 31 and a 1.31 WHIP before a promotion to Low-A Delmarva. There, Scott posted a similarly high rate — 29 in 21 innings — and showed enough promise that he was a late assignee to the Arizona Fall League.

Scott threw nine innings in eight appearances for the Peoria Javelinas, striking out 10, walking five and allowing two earned runs on six hits. He was one of four pitchers named to the league's All-Prospect team.

"It's unusual [they sent me], but I'm glad they gave me the opportunity to go out there and show what I'm made of," Scott said. "The hitters were definitely better than the Aberdeen and Delmarva level, so you really have to know how to pitch to them."

He did more than show the Orioles. His electric arm gained buzz in the scouting community, and websites that follow minor league player development touted him as a future late-inning reliever.

The buzz led friends back in Ohio to constantly update Scott on what analysts and scouts were saying about him. He said it's "hard not to" notice the attention, and it at times got "bizarre."

"I just try to stay within myself and keep doing me instead of listening to the outside world telling me that and getting a big head," Scott said. "I want to keep my head small."

Often, teams will develop even sure-fire relievers as starting pitchers for as long as they can, getting them plenty of innings to develop their arsenal. Scott, who made two spot starts with Delmarva last season, doesn't mind working as a reliever who goes multiple innings for the time being.

"I'm a hard-throwing lefty," Scott said. "That's what I've got going. That's always a plus out of the bullpen."

Smith said he believes it's Scott's fastest way to Baltimore, noting the changing philosophy in baseball that took teams from drafting starters to saying, "Hey, we can get this guy in the major league bullpen in two years, and probably have him for four before we even have to think about a contract."

"You look at how the game's changed in the last five, six years," Smith said. "This year, the playoff season, there's not a single guy who comes out of the bullpen throwing less than 95."

Wallace watched closely as the young left-hander threw a side session from the bullpen mound in Sarasota at the January pitching minicamp.

He recognized what he was seeing in Scott's talents. But as a veteran major league coach who has seen his share of prospect comets burn out before they contributed to the major league team, noted just how far Scott has left to come.

"There's so much more to it," Wallace said. "Long toss, mound, spring training, lights on, real season — what happens? You've learned over the years that you can get real excited, but you've got to kind of corral that a little bit because reality will set in later on and you hope it's good. But you never know."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-thoughts-and-observations-on- gallardo-and-more-20160216-story.html

Orioles continue negotiations with Yovani Gallardo, both sides optimistic about deal

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun February 16, 2016

The Orioles continued negotiations with free-agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo on Monday, according to an industry source, with parties remaining optimistic that a deal could be finalized over the next few days.

A deal is still not done, however, and it’s looking more definitive that if Gallardo is introduced as an Oriole, it will be at the team’s spring training complex in Sarasota and not at Camden Yards. The deal would still be pending a team physical.

We saw the Orioles’ deals with and Darren O’Day take a few additional days before being completed, and both of those players were known commodities. So expect the finalization of any Gallardo deal to take a few more days, if not more, after the sides come to terms should an agreement be reached.

I’m continuing to hear that any pursuit of free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler hinges on getting a deal done with Gallardo, even though there are those in the Orioles organization who believe it’s more important to sign Fowler because if you’re surrendering a draft pick, you’re doing it for an everyday player.

We’ll see in the upcoming days and weeks if the Orioles pull another spring training free-agent coup like they did in February 2014 when they signed right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez and outfielder/ Nelson Cruz, who were both tied to draft-pick compensation.

Crowded mound

The Orioles will have a crowded locker room when pitchers and catchers report to the complex Thursday. There are currently 30 pitchers on the big league roster, the most the Orioles have had in several years. Last year’s roster had only 25 pitchers.

Only seven of those pitchers are nonroster invitees.

So getting veteran arms the innings needed to prepare for the season, as well as taking a look at pitchers competing for roster spots and other developing arms, will be a challenge. Manager also likes to bring in some pitchers from minor league camp to throw late innings so they get a taste of big league camp, but he might not be able to do that as much this spring.

There are only so many Grapefruit Leagueinnings to go around. And while the Orioles can create innings with “B” games and sending veteran pitchers to minor league games, innings start to disappear quickly in spring training as starters get stretched out.

Over the past few years, Showalter has sent veteran starters – like right-handersChris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez – to minor league camp late in the spring to log innings, especially when they’d be on turn to face a division opponent (which is often) or a team the Orioles might face early in the regular season.

But in the case of Tillman and Gonzalez, who are both looking to rebound from rocky 2015 campaigns, would it be better for them to get work in Grapefruit League games as the spring winds down? Trust that Showalter already has that all planned out.

Low expectations

The preseason predictions are continuing to roll out and as usual, the Orioles aren’t receiving many props.

In case you missed it, USA Today projected win totals for every team in 2016 in a story released Monday and the newspaper gave the Orioles 77 wins and predicted a last-place finish in the American League East as the only team in the division to finish below .500.

In other words, they’re right where Showalter wants them.

The newspaper said the Orioles have “potential regression all over the roster” and received “the max out of their best player” with Manny Machado’s 35-homer season.

It’s interesting to see USA Today criticize the club’s offense, but any criticism of the Orioles has to start with the pitching, and the fact that barring a deal with Gallardo, they’ve done little to upgrade a rotation that posted a 4.53 ERA, second worst in the AL. The newspaper did mention Gonzalez’s batted-ball ERA struggles, but he obviously wasn’t the rotation’s only issue.

I think there’s another level to be seen from Machado. It’s difficult to fathom that he’s still only 23 because he has been a part of the club’s established veteran core. Sliding him to the middle of the order could boost his offensive production even more. But in order to do that, there needs to be a leadoff candidate better than Machado, and Machado was pretty darn good.

Someone like, ahem, Dexter Fowler.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/164599996/chris-davis-return-gives-orioles-power-lineup

O's boast powerful lineup with Davis' return

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 16th, 2016

BALTIMORE -- When the Orioles re-signed Chris Davis last month, they solidified most of their lineup, giving Baltimore an intimidating middle of the order, coupled with a strong bullpen.

The O's will go into camp with several questions: Who will man the corner-outfield spots? How will the rotation fare? Will they finally reach an agreement with free-agent righty Yovani Gallardo? But there are a lot of spots filled and an enviable amount of offensive talent that should scare the rest of the American League East.

In continuing with MLB.com's preview series, with pitchers and catchers reporting in just two days, here's a look at some early -- very early -- predictions about the batting order and starting rotation.

2015 record 81-81, third in the AL East

Projected batting order (stats for 2015)

1. 3B Manny Machado: .286 BA, .359 OBP, .502 SLG, 35 HR, 86 RBI

2. LF Hyun Soo Kim: .326 BA, .438 OBP, .541 SLG, 28 HR, 121 RBI in KBO

3. CF Adam Jones: .269 BA, .308 OBP, .474 SLG, 27 HR, 82 RBI

4. 1B Chris Davis: .262 BA, .361 OBP, .562 SLG, 47 HR, 117 RBI

5. DH Mark Trumbo: .262 BA, .310 OBP, .449 SLG, 22 HR, 64 RBI

6. C : .267 BA, .319 OBP, .422 SLG, 8 HR, 25 RBI

7. 2B : .279 BA, .306 OBP, .482 SLG, 15 HR, 39 RBI

8. SS J.J. Hardy: .219 BA, .253 OBP, .311 SLG, 8 HR, 37 RBI

9. RF Dariel Alvarez: .275 BA, .305 OBP, .424 SLG, 16 HR, 72 RBI (Triple-A stats)

Projected rotation (stats for '15)

1. Chris Tillman, 11-11, 4.99 ERA 2. , 4-7, 4.25 ERA 3. Ubaldo Jimenez, 12-10, 4.11 ERA 4. Miguel Gonzalez, 9-12, 4.91 ERA 5. Vance Worley, 4-6, 4.02 ERA

Projected bullpen (stats for '15) : Zach Britton, 36 saves, 1.92 ERA Setup man: Darren O'Day, 1.52 ERA

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/commenting-on-the-camp- competitions.html

Commenting on the camp competitions

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 17, 2016

I'd like to challenge readers here to pick their favorite camp competition, but it's hard to do without having a set roster.

I'm still putting Yovani Gallardo in the rotation until told otherwise. I won't bore you with another non-update update. Sides still talking, working out a few details, press conference would be held in Sarasota, etc.

OK, I just bored you with another non-update update.

Gallardo would join Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman. The only question is where to slot them. Manager Buck Showalter has a few ideas, but decisions won't be made before the Grapefruit League games.

"I haven't gotten that deep with it, because there's so many things that can happen and you're doing a lot of false work. Or I call it false hustle," Showalter said last week.

"You don't really know until you get down there and know exactly who you're going to have to pick from. If someone held a gun to my head, it would be pretty easy for me to rattle off how we would line them up, but I'm looking at April, I'm looking at the season, I'm trying to match up guys, who they pitch well against home and away. There are a lot of factors that go into it.

"Chris Tillman here, Chris Tillman there. Whether it's Miguel or whether it's Jimenez or Gausman or whoever. I think you've got to wait and kind of let that play out, because there are a lot of factors that you better take into consideration that give you a better chance to win in April."

The competition in right field closes if the Orioles sign Dexter Fowler and surrender their compensatory draft pick, the one obtained after left-hander Wei-Yin Chen signed with the Marlins. The outfield would be set with Fowler, Adam Jones and Hyun Soo Kim. , who's out of options and signed for $1.3 million, would be the favorite to back up at all three positions.

The Orioles wouldn't necessarily need to carry a fifth outfielder with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo on the roster. However, they selected Joey Rickard in the Rule 5 draft and plan on taking a long look at him.

L.J. Hoes, Dariel Alvarez and Henry Urrutia could be squeezed out of the picture unless the Orioles return Rickard to the Rays. Hoes was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Alvarez is staying on the 40-man roster. Urrutia doesn't have the same security, but batting from the left side does increase his value.

Ryan Flaherty can play the outfield in an emergency. He's is expected to break camp with the team as a super utility player despite having a minor league option. The Orioles value his ability to back up at every infield position, and this skill is especially important at second base, since Manny Machado can slide over to shortstop if J.J. Hardy is injured or needs a day off.

The infield consists of Machado, Hardy, Davis and Jonathan Schoop. The Orioles keep insisting that Davis is the primary first baseman, eliminating speculation that he could shift to right field on a regular basis. It's just not happening.

The needle on the drama meter isn't banging into the red when the discussion turns to catching. Matt Wieters is the starter. is the backup. Continue to breathe normally.

This is an important camp for -A catcher , who's trying to shed the label of poor defender. The Orioles know he can . They need the rest of his game to catch up, so to speak.

Sisco will benefit from working with bench coach John Russell and catching instructor Don Werner.

Six of the seven bullpen jobs appear to be filled with Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Brad Brach, , and . Givens has options, but he earned a spot based on his work at Bowie and with the Orioles.

Givens averaged 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings in his 35 appearances with the Baysox and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in his 22 appearances with the Orioles. That's a valuable weapon to have with runners on base.

Games can be lost in the middle innings, too. Givens doesn't have to be slotted in the seventh or later.

I've heard that teams are inquiring about Brach, who's out of options. He's also extremely valuable to the Orioles.

Brach registered a 2.72 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 62 games last season, and he had a 1.92 ERA in his last 42 appearances. Brach also averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings, with his 89 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings leading Orioles relievers. However, he also allowed 17 of 29 inherited runners to score.

T.J. McFarland could make the team as a left-hander backing up the five right-handed starters. You know how much Showalter values him.

Chaz Roe and Vance Worley are out of options. Worley will be shoved into the bullpen competition if/when Gallardo signs. He also will be a trade candidate.

Showalter warned against overlooking Jason Garcia, but the former Rule 5 pick is more likely to face Eastern League competition.

Odrisamer Despaigne has a difficult name to pronounce and three minor league options. I'm penciling him into Norfolk's rotation unless the Gallardo talks fall apart.

Joseph and Flaherty should comprise half of the bench. Reimold joins them if Fowler signs. Otherwise, Reimold could be part of a platoon, with a few left-handed bats remaining on the free agent market.

The pool of bench candidates runs fairly deep when you check the above-mentioned names and also factor in Jimmy Paredes and Efren Navarro.

Again, so much depends on what the Orioles do in right field. The picture will become much clearer under the sunny skies of Sarasota.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/a-look-at-some-inaccurate-pecota- projections-for-the-orioles-plus-other-notes.html

A look at some inaccurate PECOTA projections for the Orioles, plus other notes

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 17, 2016

When released its latest PECOTA projections for the 2016 season, it basically predicted a strong race in the American League East this year - but not one that will include the Orioles.

PECOTA, which stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, is Baseball Prospectus' proprietary system that projects player performance based on comparison with historical player seasons. There are three elements to PECOTA:

* Major league equivalencies, to allow the use minor league stats to project how a player will perform in the majors

* Baseline forecasts, which use weighted averages and regression to the mean to produce an estimate of a player's true talent level

* A career path adjustment, which incorporates information about how comparable players' stats changed over time.

PECOTA produced these AL East projection for wins in 2016:

91 - Tampa Bay 88 - Boston 86 - Toronto 85 - New York 72 – Orioles

Before anyone gets too bent out of shape over this, PECOTA has missed big often in recent years on the Orioles. The projection for 2012 was 71 wins, and that team won 93. In 2013, it was 75, and that team won 85. In 2014, it was 75, and those division champs won 96 games. They finally got close last year, projecting 78 wins for a team that won 81.

So over the last four years starting in 2012, the average PECOTA win projection has been 74.8 and the actual average win total has been 88.8. That is a pretty big whiff.

PECOTA has also missed big on the , projecting the 2014 AL champs to win 79 games (they won 89) and projecting the 2015 World Series winner to win 72 games (they won 95). But PECOTA might be stubborn, predicting the 2016 Royals to win just 76 games.

These projections call for the Orioles to have the worst record in the AL in 2016 and Kansas City to have the fourth-worst record. Let's just say if those two prove true, we all should throw a dinner for the masterminds behind such projections as soon as possible next offseason.

* If the Orioles do wind up signing both pitcher Yovani Gallardo and outfielder Dexter Fowler, they could be doing so at a big savings. At least in terms of one prediction.

MLBTradeRumors.com, which has proven to be rather accurate in predicting most free agent deals ahead of time, ranked Fowler as the No. 16 free agent (fifth among outfielders) heading into this offseason. A contract for four years and $60 million was estimated.

Gallardo was ranked as the No. 20 free agent (11th among pitchers) at the start of free agency. He was projected to get a deal for four years and $52 million.

If the O's add Gallardo for around three years and $40 million and Fowler at two years and $25 million, that would be a nice savings based on the earlier projections. The two players who were predicted to get a combined $112 million would be signing for $65 million.

Besides the biggest factor - they fill team needs - that is another key factor why the O's have such interest. They would be giving up two draft picks, but also would retain four picks between the 50th and 95th selections, which are currently Nos. 54, 69, 76 and 91. When the O's lost two draft picks before the 2014 season to sign free agents Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez, they didn't select until the 90th pick in the draft that June.

* ESPN's Keith Law released his individual team top 10 prospects lists yesterday. He ranks catcher Chance Sisco No. 1 among all O's prospects and also ranked him No. 81 in his top 100. Pitcher was ranked as the O's No. 2 and prospect No. 100 overall.

Law ranks pitcher third, followed by infielder Jomar Reyes, pitcher Chris Lee, outfielder DJ Stewart, pitcher Gray Fenter, infielder , pitcher Tanner Scottand catcher .

Baseball America rated Sisco No. 8 among all the catching prospects in baseball. Baseball America ranked its top 100 right-handed pitchers and Dylan Bundy was No. 31, Harvey No. 32 and Mychal Givens No. 80.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post/_/id/4719/baltimore-orioles-top-10- prospects-2

Baltimore Orioles: Top 10 prospects

By Keith Law / ESPN.com February 16, 2016

Organization ranking: 27 I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects of 2016. Below, I've ranked at least the top 10 Orioles prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note beyond the top 10. I also discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2016, prospects whose stock has taken a big hit in the past year and a sleeper prospect (or two) I think can jump into the main Top 100 list for 2017.

A few quick notes: 1) Just as in my other prospect files, I use the 20 to 80 grading scale when scouting these prospects; and 2) If the prospect is in the Top 100, clicking on his ranking will take you to the page his scouting profile is on.

Top 10 prospects (Top 100 rank in parentheses)

1. Chance Sisco, C (81) 2. Hunter Harvey, RHP (100) 3. David Hess, RHP 4. Jomar Reyes, 3B 5. Christopher Lee, LHP 6. D.J. Stewart, LF 7. Gray Fenter, RHP 8. Ryan Mountcastle, SS 9. Tanner Scott, LHP 10. Jonah Heim, C

Overview

This system has been badly weakened by injuries, a couple of ill-advised trades, and the club's continued refusal to do much of anything on the international market, with only two July 2 guys in their top 20.

Hess is a four-pitch guy who doesn't have a true swing-and-miss offering but sits mid-90s, bumping 96, with a chance to be a mid-rotation guy if any of the three offspeed pitches improves. Reyes was the club's only big splash in the international amateur market under Dan Duquette and still has huge power upside, although he's had injury problems and needs to work on his conditioning. He's got good feel to hit for a young kid who's primarily known for power. Lee was 89-95 in his last start of 2015 with good feel for a changuep and a hard slider, nearly a cutter, but it's a one-piece arm action and a slight cut off in his landing that really inhibits his command.

Stewart, the team's first pick in the 2015 draft, has a good approach and all-fields power, but he's a heavier player who's probably going to end up at first base, and his crouch at the plate makes it hard for him to get to the high fastball. Fenter is a six-foot right-hander who'll hold 95 mph; he had trouble throwing strikes last spring in high school, but showed much better control after signing and showed good spin on the breaking ball.

Mountcastle, another part of the 2015 draft class with Fenter and Stewart, is a good athlete with raw power but no clear position -- he's definitely not a shortstop and doesn't have the arm for third. Scott has hit 101 mph with a wipeout slider, but his control is still below-average -- although that's a darn sight better than the 30 control he showed in 2014. Heim missed the entire summer with a broken foot, but is the best defensive catcher in the system and could make a big leap in 2014 if healthy.

Ofelky Peralta (11) couldn't throw strikes in 2014 but was much improved in the GCL in 2015, up to 98 regularly with a decent breaking ball; he's still a long way off but is trending in the right direction. (12) had a huge stat line for double-A Bowie last year, but it's a long swing with a lot of chasing out of the zone, and he's a first baseman with average power at best. Mychal Givens (13) should be death to right-handed hitters with his low slot and mid-90s fastball, although I don't see a weapon for him to get lefties out. Ryan McKenna (15), Baltimore's fourth-round pick in 2015 out of high school in New Hampshire, is a potential five- tool player, a center fielder now who could move to the infield, but who lacks experience against better-quality pitching.

Garrett Cleavinger (15), the team's third-round pick in 2015, has the weapons to start but a reliever's delivery, up to 94 with a chance to move quickly as a left-on-left guy. Cuban right- hander Lazaro Leyva (16) worked as a starter and reliever last summer but is a clear bullpen guy who needs a sharper breaking ball. Josh Hart (17) is still just 21 and young enough to repeat high-A, but he's a slap hitter who's never shown much feel for hitting or base running and now has two home runs in nearly 1,000 pro at-bats.

2016 impact

Givens should spend the year in Baltimore's bullpen. Hess, Lee or Wright could all surface this year as emergency starters or bullpen pieces. Scott could show up at any time with that fastball once he throws enough strikes.

The fallen

Dylan Bundy may be done as a starter, with just 63 in the past three seasons due to Tommy John surgery and repeated shoulder woes due to calcification in the back of the shoulder joint. He was shut down at the end of May, tried to pitch in the AFL, and was shut down again after two appearances. Badly overworked in high school, Bundy may have to move to the bullpen to have any shot at major-league value, and even that is uncertain.

Sleeper

Reyes was my sleeper for this system last year, but his season was cut short by multiple injuries, including a broken hamate bone that he had repaired in October. Still just 19 and probably returning to the Sally League, he's the system's best chance for a big move into the top 100 next year.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-could-use-spring-training-experiment

Orioles could use spring training as experiment

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 16, 2016

Spring training is the time for experimentation. Relief pitchers are stretched out, and position players are used in different positions.

Jimmy Paredes, who was challenged in the infield last season, may get to try his hand in right field, particularly if the Orioles don’t add another outfielder.

Manager Buck Showalter likes players who are versatile. Ryan Flaherty, who can play the corner outfield spots as well as the four infield spots, is valued.

If Paredes can combine his hot hitting of last spring training with some competent outfield play, he could again force his way on the ballclub or make himself an attractive trade commodity.

Not all position experiments are successful. There was a brief and forgettable try at first base by Nolan Reimold a few years ago.

But four years ago, Showalter saved the season by engineering Manny Machado’s move from shortstop to third base. Machado worked with then minor league infield coordinator Bobby Dickerson at Bowie, and the secret sessions paid off when Showalter decided that Wilson Betemit would no longer do at third base.

Now that Chris Davis has re-signed for seven more years, the Orioles have two minor league first basemen of interest who may be stuck.

One is Christian Walker, who’s played a handful of games in the majors in 2014 and 2015, and the other is Trey Mancini, who led the Eastern League in hitting last season.

Both will start the season in the minors, and if the Los Angeles Angels are unable to find a place for Ji-Man Choi, he could find his way to Norfolk, too.

Choi was signed to a minor league contract in November, but was surprisingly grabbed by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft.

If the Orioles are interested in him, Choi can return to the organization if he doesn’t make the Angels.

Neither Walker nor Mancini has ever played a position other than first base as a professional. Both are right handed hitters.

For the moment, there doesn’t look like there’s a place for them.

Mancini has never played at Triple-A, so he’ll go there. Walker played last season and some of 2014 with the Tides.

When camp opens in two days, Showalter will be asked about using Mancini and Walker in the outfield.

Even if that intrigues him, spring training may not be the time for that. The Orioles know that Mancini and Walker aren’t going to make their team, and if they’re going to experiment with position changes, it’s better to do it in Norfolk than Sarasota.

Besides, there are many other outfielders who need reps.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25485717/so-a-winner-at-the-wkc-dog-show- was-named-manny-machado

So a winner at the WKC Dog Show was named Manny Machado

By Dayn Perry / CBSsports.com February 16, 2016

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is ongoing at this writing, and hounds abound, as you would expect. Regarding those ranks of hounds, Orioles warrior-poet Adam Jones has something to say.

He's not wrong. He's correct, even.

Manny Machado The Dog, as it turns out, won Best of Breed at the WKC Show on Monday night.

Manny Machado: excellent baseball player, friend to man and dog, also actual man and dog.