Minor league season wrap-up, Part 2: On Monday, I took a look at Bowie, Delmarva and Aberdeen, three Oriole minor league teams that either qualified for the playoffs or just missed. In Part 2 of the minor league season recap, we’ll examine High-A Frederick and Triple-A Norfolk, teams that didn’t compete for...
Minor league season wrap-up, Part 1 Labor Day doesn’t just mean September callups. It also means the end of the minor league regular season. All five Oriole affiliates wrapped up their regular seasons Monday, with the system as a whole producing a mixed bag. Low-A Delmarva and Double-A Bowie are headed to...
SALISBURY-As Adley Rutschman stepped into the left-handed batter’s box for pregame batting practice, it took a few swings for everyone in the press box to start watching. It was more than 2 1/2 hours before the start of Thursday night’s game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, and Rutschman didn’t have his number 37...
BOWIE-Michael Baumann didn’t know something special was happening until about the fifth inning. The 6-foot-4 right-hander was on the mound for the Bowie Baysox, making just his fifth appearance for the Orioles’ Double-A team since being called up from High-A Frederick. By that point on July 16, Baumann hadn’t allowed a hit...
ABERDEEN-About 40 years ago, Randy Rutschman was in Maryland working for a private airline company. He coached his boss’s son’s baseball team, finding time to catch a game at Memorial Stadium and take the team to Washington D.C. for a day. That was the last time he was in the Baltimore area...
ABERDEEN-On a day when the Orioles are hoping this is the first step in a long and successful career in orange and black, Adley Rutschman is just looking forward to playing baseball. The No.1 overall pick has had to wait a little longer than he expected to make his minor league debut...
Nearly a year after he was the centerpiece of the Zack Britton trade, Dillon Tate has finally found his groove in the Orioles’ minor league system. While his 3.74 ERA entering Wednesday’s game doesn’t look too impressive on the surface, it has continued to drop since the 25-year-old right-hander transitioned away from...
BOWIE-At Double A, some players refer to their initial struggles at the level as the “Double-A wall.” The increase in competition is more drastic than when players move up in lower levels, so they sometimes struggle before finding their groove. But the jump hasn’t stopped Bowie Baysox pitcher Zac Lowther. After dominating...
It isn’t a fun time to be an Orioles fan right now. If you’re spending time on BaltimoreBaseball.com, you don’t need me to tell you that. The Orioles have the worst record (22-58) in the majors for the second straight season. With a 28-53 record, the Kansas City Royals are 5 1/2...
FREDERICK–The 2019 season hasn’t been a memorable one for the 29-40 Keys. But Tuesday night, Frederick was the epicenter for a celebration of minor league talent. Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium played host to the Carolina League All-Star Classic, and a number of Keys players contributed to the Northern Division All-Stars’...