In a season in which the Orioles have mightily struggled, I’ve reasonably found it difficult to pick out bright spots to write about, whether in a Hot Take Tuesday or a Suggested Change of the Week. At the same time, one of the brightest spots that I repeatedly missed has become abundantly clear to me – it just took a milestone for me to realize it. This weekend, Jonathan Villar became the first Oriole since Manny Machado in 2015 to join the 20/20 club, and all of a sudden it […]

Griesser’s Suggested Change of the Week With September call ups on the horizon, it’s safe to say the extra brutal dog days of the baseball season for a rebuilding team may be coming to an end. That’s not to say the last bit of the season won’t be painful – because it will – but to point out that watching younger players get a crack in the majors will become more and more possible moving forward. Still, we’re not quite there yet. Thus, this week’s suggested change is still rather […]

Griesser’s Suggested Change of the Week The trend over the last few installments of this column has been opportunity. I’m sure this will come as little surprise, but this week will be no different. For the Orioles, giving unproven players the chance to step up at the MLB level is something worth doing, especially at this time of the year. The team is firmly in the cellar, scrapping to get through the season, and focusing organizationally on rebuilding a farm system that has been dry for the better part of […]

Anyone who follows me on Twitter (@Kool_A1D_Jammer) knows that I’m a proud Stanser, or Hanser Alberto stan. Trust me, he’s one of my favorite Orioles since the rebuild began, I hope he sticks around for a while, at least in the MLB if not on the O’s. That being said, you might be surprised to know that my favorite player in the organization actually isn’t Alberto, and isn’t even on the big league squad. Instead, it’s a minor league arm that Dan Duquette acquired at last year’s deadline: Dean Kremer. […]

Griesser’s Suggested Change of the Week The Orioles highlight of this week, while a disappointing one, is undoubtedly the exchange between manager Brandon Hyde and first baseman Chris Davis on Wednesday night. Though it easily could have been nothing, having that sort of scuffle caught on camera in a 14-2 blowout loss to the Yankees is downright embarrassing. Chris Davis has to be held back from going after Orioles' manager Brandon Hyde #mlb pic.twitter.com/Kn6wEfNcZb — Sports Gifs & Videos (@Supreme_gifs) August 8, 2019 In the aftermath, most of the discussion […]

When you’re writing about a sub-.500 club with little to be excited about, it’s often difficult to find fiery ideas for your weekly Hot Take Tuesday segment. This past week, I was really going through the struggle – I honestly had no idea what I’d be writing about. That is, until I came across a fascinating tweet from the MLB Pipeline’s page that really got the gears turning. According to their newest top-100 prospect list, the Orioles have the 10th most “prospect points” of the entire league’s system, not a […]

Griesser’s Suggested Change of the Week In an unexpectedly quiet trade deadline, Mike Elias surprised me by not dealing one of either Jonathan Villar or Mychal Givens. Had he done so, I would have centered this Change of the Week around replacing either player. When the dust had officially settled, I figured I’d have to dig real deep to make any sort of recommendation to the O’s GM for the upcoming week. However, I think I do have a little change he could make to help this team in the […]

As I write this before the first pitch is thrown in the series opener between the Orioles and Padres on Monday night, the Birds have enjoyed a decent stretch of baseball. Since their last series with San Diego, in which the Friars secured a two-game sweep at Camden Yards, the O’s are 13-12, and in search of their first winning month since August of 2017. In the process of winning those games, they’ve actually forfeited their hold on the worst record in baseball, which for those closely following the rebuild, […]

In a lost season for the Orioles in 2019, the organization has certainly had some bright spots about which fans can be excited… John Means shocked the organization and fanbase by becoming the best starter on the club and making the American League All-Star team. Trey Mancini is rebounding from his rough 2018 campaign, having the best season of his career and is the leader of the youngest ballclub in baseball. Anthony Santander, a 2017 Rule 5 selection by former executive vice president and general manager Dan Duquette, is excelling […]

Griesser’s Suggested Change of the Week With the MLB Trade Deadline approaching, it’s no surprise that my Suggested Change of the Week will revolve around the departure of a player or two. I don’t really think I need to go into much more detail about that, but I’ll remind everyone that as one of the worst teams in the league, the Orioles have no need for players with current value, and should ship them off to bring in younger talents who could make the club better when it becomes relevant […]