Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are cruising into the holidays

Good morning, Birdland!

It is quite possible that the Orioles offseason moves are nearly done. The 40-man roster is full and we already know that the club isn’t going to wade too far into the free agent waters.

That, of course, does not mean that every hole in the lineup has been filled. The team still needs more starting pitching. The shortstop position is empty, unless Richie Martin plays in the bigs again. And both Trey Mancini and Mychal Givens remain Orioles despite some trade interest in the past.

The Orioles will make more signings before the team heads down to Sarasota in less than two months. But those signings are likely to be of the minor league variety, players looking for a chance to impress in the spring.

A trade of Mancini or Givens by then seems less likely. Neither one appears to be worth a whole lot on the market, and if that is the case it makes more sense for the Orioles to simply hold onto them and see if something changes.

Links

Machado, Jones headline top O’s of 2010s - Orioles.com
What will a list like this look like by the end of the year 2029? We can’t really say. That hope is that guys like Adley Rutschman, Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall will be featured prominently, but given where the Orioles are in their rebuild it is quite likely that the list will be littered with names we have never even heard of yet.

Bailey on Rule 5 selection: “It was pretty surreal” - School of Roch
There seems to be substantially less hype surrounding the Orioles picks in this year’s Rule 5 draft compared to 2019. Perhaps that’s a good thing. The team is unlikely to find a future star in this process, but has a decent chance to find depth. They certainly need that on the pitching front.

O’s draft choice Kyle Stowers hopes to build on first pro season - Baltimore Baseball
Stowers is a player for which 2020 could be a big year. The Competitive Balance pick from a year ago is currently slotted as the O’s 12th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and is likely ready for his first crack at full-season pro ball.

Another Former Oriole Joins The San Diego Padres - Birds Watcher
As much as the O’s need pitching, they decided that they do not need to bring back Jimmy Yacabonis. Meanwhile, the Padres are piecing together a ton of former Orioles on the west coast. Who will they sign next?

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Current Orioles hurler Asher Wojciechowski is 31 years old. The righty is in the midst of his second stint with the organization, but so far has tossed 82.1 total innings for the O’s, all coming in 2019. The long-haired veteran is set up to be a regular member of the rotation next season.

Taylor Teagarden, the former O’s catcher, is 36 years old. Between 2012 and ‘13, the backstop appeared in 45 games, hitting .162/.203/.308 with four home runs and 37 OPS+.

Longtime reliever LaTroy Hawkins is turning 47 years old. Hawkins spent 21 years in the big leagues, including 60 games with the Orioles during the 2006 season.

Andy Van Slyke is 59. He is best remembered as a Cardinals and Pirates slugger, but did get into 17 games for the Orioles in 1995.

Former Orioles pitcher and pitching coach Roger McDowell turns 59. The 12-year MLB vet finished off his big league career with a 4.25 ERA over 59.1 innings as an O’s hurler in 1996.

Finally, it is the 72nd birthday of Elliott Maddox. He posted a .262/.357/.383 batting line in 49 games in 1977.

1977 - The O’s lose pitcher Ross Grimsley to a free agent contract with the Montreal Expos.

1995 - David Cone spurns the Orioles in favor of a three-year deal with the New York Yankees.

1995 - Future Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar joins the Orioles via free agency.