This is a counterpoint article to my colleague Rob Shileds’ piece earlier today, Let the Kids Play. It was former Oriole World Champion General Manager and Baltimorean Frank Cashen who said, “We in management are united by our problems and divided by our solutions.” One of the architects of the original Oriole Way was just as correct decades ago as he is today. Modern Orioles Nation can agree that the losing that defines our recent history is horrible. But O’s fans feel rather divided about the progress of the rebuild […]

The early returns are in and things are looking up throughout the Orioles minor league system. While the big league club is showing their ceiling, it looks like the levels below them are demonstrating limitless potential. Double plays made and plate appearances in which batters see a lot of pitches are certainly a welcome change, but the pitching has been in some ways absolutely off the charts. D.L. Hall controlled the zone in start number one and he didn’t have his best stuff. Grayson Rodriguez had five Ks in four […]

Get to Know a Guy: Chris Burgess Why should you keep your eye on O’s minor league catcher Chris Burgess this year? Here’s why… In the summer of 2019, while recuperating from a serious bike accident, there wasn’t much I was allowed to do. However, living within walking distance of Ed Smith Stadium, I was able to make it there and keep my spirits up by watching my boys play ball.  Inside those walls was one of the most intriguing and exciting baseball teams I’ve ever seen, the GCL Champion (man […]

 See Part 1 here. Dan Hammer I am really intrigued by his athleticism and leg strength when I think about his future. Very strong and powerful lower body athlete with little on-mound experience so far. Only 35 pro innings means we don’t have much to go on although he performed very well in his small sample size. Good heat and he uses a slider and change up to keep hitters off balance. Watching him go through calisthenics and all the pitching exercises and he absolutely tests the pliability of the […]

As the Orioles system transitions into one of the best in the league, there are lots of individual performances to examine closely. Some players are new to the Orange and Black. Lots of others have begun their climb up the farm but now have new coaches or instructors to impress. Some are in the early stages of their development and it’s not clear what direction they’re heading as players. 2021 will answer all or most of these questions and will be a welcome continuance of a rebuilding effort that fans […]

As the minor league season nears, there are many exciting players I’m looking forward to finally seeing once again. As a crazed O’s minor league observer, I’m eager to get my fix but more than that, I want Orioles fans to see some players who have little or no pro experience. To share some anticipation and maybe initiate some thoughts from other minors-starved Bird fans I thought I’d share some of my own here. I feel strongly that a case can be made for each and every player in the […]

It’s 2012 in Frederick Maryland and I just traded in my non-camera phone for one that takes pictures and videos so I can film Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy at his Keys debut. The first pictures in my current phone are from that start so many years ago, but now there are new ones. That rebuild of about a decade ago didn’t last so there’s a new movement going forward. Looking full circle, Bundy turned into a fine pitcher but his value to this current recycle is in trade. In […]