Thursday Bird Droppings

Orioles playing waiting game with unsigned draft picks - baltimoresun.com
"Jordan said he has had periodic conversations with the Orioles' top pick, Dylan Bundy, a right-hander out of Owasso High in Oklahoma, whom the club selected fourth overall. Jordan expects the dialogue to pick up ahead of the Aug. 15 signing deadline. However, Jordan did express frustration that the club has been unable to make any progress in negotiations with its second-round selection, Jason Esposito, a third baseman from Vanderbilt."

The Trades of Buck Showalter (Part I): Arizona - Camden Depot
"There has been some rumblings that maybe Buck Showalter may be the Orioles General Manager next year. I thought in light of that, it might be good to look at trades he made during his tenure with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers. At these two locations it has been said that he personally carried a lot of weight when dealing players and also in free agency."

Rangers acquire Nick Green from Orioles - Dallas Texas Rangers Blog - ESPN Dallas
"Phillips, 24, was designated for assignment on Thursday to make room for Scott Feldman to be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. So the club had 10 days to get him through waivers, trade him or release. So they at least get something for the lefty, who was at Triple-A Round Rock all season going 1-3 with a 4.43 ERA and three saves in 44 2/3 innings pitched (33 relief appearances). He hasn't made it to the big leagues yet, but was at major league spring training the last two seasons."

Johnson still a possibility for rotation - baltimoresun.com
"Showalter said he has discussed the possibility with Johnson, who started 127 games in the minors but only one in the majors – a spot start in 2006. He has established himself as one of the league’s better setup relievers, but with a wide arsenal he can throw for strikes, the lingering belief is he can be an effective starter."

Roberto Alomar career highlights | The Hardball Times
In case you missed it in yesterday's open thread, check out HoF inductee Roberto Alomar's career highlights here. Lots of good O's stuff.

Daniel Moroz: Understanding what stats mean is at the heart of diamond analysis - MASN
Welcome to stats, MASN: A primer.