The F16HT of his Life!

Who is Trey Mancini? To me, he's the face of the Baltimore Orioles baseball franchise! Someone that has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is; a real student of the game. Mancini was not a high draft pick by any means; he was drafted in the 8th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft! Mancini made his MLB debut at the of 24 in 2016. Only getting in to 5 games that season, he made a great impression on the Orioles decision makers.

 Fast forward to 2017, the then 25-year old Mancini played 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting for the American League.

A knee injury suffered in 2018 contributed to a difficult season; Mancini himself discusses this in his post on The Players' Tribune.
 

"I went into a massive, three-month slump. My average fell from .284 to .216. I was sure I was getting sent down to Triple A at that point. I was just totally lost.
And then, right before our first game after the All-Star break, my older sister, Katie, sent me a text message that changed everything. She texted me a picture of me playing baseball when I was eight years old. And she said, “You didn’t come this far to only come this far.”"

 Trey Mancini keeps a picture of that message on his phone to this day.  Mancini went on to have a great all around season in 2019 for the Orioles, leading to career bests in most offensive categories! At that point, he had arrived in Charm City.

Then came the news that he had received on March 6; that there was a malignant tumor in his colon. The tumor was removed six days later, on March 12. Orioles star, Trey Mancini was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. No one, whoever you are, wherever you are, EVER wants to hear those words.


Trey is extremely thankful for the team doctors:

"And without the Orioles I never would have caught this before it may have been too late."

Mancini goes on to say,

 "Honestly, I love the Orioles. Our team trainers have been so on top of everything. I am so appreciative for them, and also for the Orioles’ front office and ownership. They have treated me like family. Brooks Robinson called me when I was in the hospital to let me know he was thinking of me and to ask if I needed anything. That was incredible — he’s just an absolute legend in Baltimore.

Really, the support I’ve gotten from everyone has just been unbelievable. It’s given me an appreciation for a lot of things that I’ve always had, but that were getting overlooked as I went about my day-to-day life. Going through something like this had really made me understand all my blessings.

Like the text chain that I’m on with my teammates. We actually have a big team group chat. It’s always been going, but it means even more to me now. I’ve been keeping in touch with them and updating them with everything going on. Those exchanges mean so much to me now. I love those guys."

During COVID-19 especially, having any type of surgery has to be done alone, so Trey's family cannot be there with him during this.  He still plans in staying in baseball shape to the best of his ability, and looks forward to being there in the dugout rooting on his Orioles teammates, when the season does get started.

The Orioles, and the rest of Major League Baseball will be missing one of baseball's great young talents in 2020, but all of Baltimore is here rooting you on and cannot wait to see you back at OPACY!

As your teammates have said, F16HT on Trey Mancini! We will be there waiting to roll out the orange carpet to welcome you back! Get well soon!

Santana Update

As reported by Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Johan Santana does in fact have an agreement in place with the Orioles, but has not "signed" to make it official as of yet. 

Kubatko goes on to say that if Santana cracks the major league squad at any point in 2014, there is a shot it might be as a member of the bullpen. 

With Santana not having his velocity where it was used to be; he should take whatever chance he can to continue his pitching career, even if that may mean being a reliever.  More on this story as it comes. 

Johan Santana Spotted at Orioles Camp: May Be Nearing Deal!

It is being reported that the Orioles are moving towards a deal with two-time Cy Young award winner, Johan Santana.  Santana has pitched for the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets throughout his career, spanning twelve years in the Major Leagues. 

Santana last pitched in 2012 with the Mets while an injury caused him to miss 2013.  Santana, while healthy, was the premier pitcher in the American League from 2003 - 2007 while with the Twins. Even with the Mets, Santana went 46-34 with a 3.18 ERA.  The biggest Mets memory may be that Santana pitched the first and still ONLY no-hitter in Mets franchise history.

At most, this signing provides depth for the Orioles at the minor league level if it becomes official.  Johan, at this point in his career, should be looking at a minor league deal with an invite to spring training with the Major League team.  His velocity was reported to be around the low 80s during his workout.  This signing could work out quite well for the Orioles if Santana can work his way back to where he used to be, or even close to it.

Orioles Sign Jurrjens

According to Jon Heyman, the Orioles have agreed to terms on a contract with former Braves pitcher, Jair Jurrjens.  The value of the deal is $1.5 million, with incentives to bring the total to $4 million.  The Orioles needed another pitcher to slide into the rotation in 2013.  Jurrjens has experienced some success at the major league level previously with Atlanta.  His career high in wins is 14, set back in 2009.  Recently, he has endured some injuries and was not brought back after the 2012 season in Atlanta.

This was an example of yet another low risk roster addition by Dan Duquette. Jurrjens can eat innings and showed previous potential to pitch effectively.  He is still ONLY 26 years old.  He should slot in as the possible fourth or fifth starter in the Orioles 2013 starting rotation.  This signing also most likely takes the Orioles out of the running to re-sign last season's postseason hero, Joe Saunders.

Showalter Extending His Stay in Baltimore

It is not a done deal yet, but it looks as though manager, Buck Showalter, will be signed to a contract extension some time in the near future.  It has been rumored that it will be for three years.  This is an excellent move for the Orioles. I think Buck fits the Orioles perfectly.  Ask anyone who has ever played for or against Buck, you get the same comment.  He is one of the most detail-oriented and best prepared managers in the game today.  For  a fairly young team; or at least young core, I'd rather have that, as opposed to some drill sergeant in the dugout.

All of that is before even mentioning that Showalter turned an abysmal team from 2011 into the Wild Card winning Orioles we all got to enjoy in 2012.  Baseball pundits say that part of that was luck, especially since it's widely known that Baltimore plays in arguably the most competitive division in baseball.  The powerhouse teams in this division make it that much harder to succeed, having to play each of them 18 times a year.  I think a great bit of our success in 2012 came from Showalter's magnificent use of the bullpen to hold all those one run leads.  He made all the right switches; trusting his players to deliver, which they did.  The Orioles roster had good players, but Buck did the best with what was considered mostly average players.  For that, he deserves all the credit in the world.  Each player put forth his best effort in contributing to what has now become a winning mentality in Baltimore.

The Orioles finished with the ONLY winning record and playoff appearance since the 1997 season in 2012.  The record switched from an embarrassing 69-93 in 2011 to the reverse.  The term "Orioles Magic" is occasionally thrown around in conversations today, and for the first time in a long time, I think we have it.....in Buck Showalter!  Kudos to Peter Angelos for making every effort to keep this intact.   

The Buck STAYS here....in Baltimore!

Orioles Offseason

As the Orioles see all the division rivals once again loading up like it's an arms race in the AL East, Dan Duquette and company have been quiet this offseason.  The biggest move(s) we have made include resigning Nate McLouth for $2 million and NOT bringing back former 1B/3B Mark Reynolds. The birds also added Adam Russell and signed Conor Jackson to a minor league deal, neither of which stole the headlines of the Baltimore Sun Sports section.

The Yankees added Kevin Youkilis while Boston added Koji, Victorino, and Dempster. Toronto made two blockbuster trades netting Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle, and R.A. Dickey. Even the Rays made their own trade saying goodbye to "Big Game" James Shields and Wade Davis and getting the Minor League Player of the Year, Will Myers. With every team in "win now" mode, it will be extremely difficult for the Orioles to replicate their 2012 success if they stand pat and make no moves.

Personally, there is one player that I think the Orioles would be complete idiots to not get.  He currently resides a short way down the beltway.  Former Nationals first baseman, Adam LaRoche is sitting out there in free agency.  The Nationals are not willing to go past 2 years in a contract offer for him, so they are currently at a stalemate.  LaRoche provides that middle of the order presence that the O's need while being a plus defensive first baseman.  I read that Duquette was hesitant at the thought of forfeiting a draft pick in order to sign LaRoche.  The way I see it, they have no first baseman on the current roster or in the minors that would get the job done.  Chris Davis, while great offensively, would not be my choice to start at the position come opening day.  I'd much rather him at the DH spot.  It's never great to give up a draft pick, but in this case, it is definitely worth the investment.  The Orioles HAVE the money, time to go spend it.  At worst we have a 3 year investment for $33-36 million for a player that I think would age well and fits Camden Yards perfectly.  All Duquette needs to do is guarantee that third year.  The hole that was left with Reynolds power numbers when he left needs to be filled.

That move, plus one more starter, will reverse my opinion of what has currently been a waste of an offseason.  While I don't implore the team to spend for the hell of spending, I think this would be a wise investment for the franchise.  I don't want to see the team fall back to non-contending like it's been for most of my life.  Signing LaRoche should keep them competitive now and in the next few years.  To me, a move like this is a no-brainer!

D-Train Comes Off The Track For The Final Time

Dontrelle Willis has officially retired.  The pitcher with the funky wind-up, otherwise known as D-Train closes the book on his career.  Dontrelle's best days came as a member of the Florida/Miami Marlins early on in the major leagues.  He had some great years for that franchise.  He has a 22-win season to his credit, as well as a ROY award, plus two All-Star selections.  He also was on the Marlins team that won the 2003 World Series.  Willis most recently pitched for the Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles, Norfolk.  It was a good career, spanning nine MLB seasons.  Best of luck to Dontrelle in his future endeavors.

Orioles Release Tejada and Moyer

In the span of three days, the Orioles released both Jamie Moyer and Miguel Tejada, both at the request of the players.  Roch Kubatko reported the Tejada release on his Twitter.  The team had announced the request and release of Moyer on Saturday.

Moyer was lighting it up in Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 1.69 ERA over three starts.  He had 16 strikeouts in 16 innings for the Orioles affiliate.

Miguel Tejada was not fairing quite as well in the minors.  Also playing for Triple-A Norfolk, Tejada had a slash line of .260/.327/.290.  He hit no home runs and drove in 18 runs in 35 games played.

Best of luck to the two of them as they look to continue their careers and make it back to the major leagues!

Orioles Bring Back Moyer

In a career that has spanned what seems like forever, Jamie Moyer has once again signed on with a major league franchise.  The Orioles, one of Moyer's former employers, decided to give the 49-year old pitcher another opportunity.  Moyer previously pitched for the team from 1993-95 and compiled a record of 25-27.  Before he inked a deal with Colorado this past offseason, the Orioles were the other team that Moyer had narrowed his choice down to.

The career of Jamie Moyer started in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs.  As of right now, Moyer has 269 career wins and has an outside shot at 300.  If he makes it, he may be the last 300 game-winner to be seen.  Due to the specialization of the bullpen, pitchers not going as deep into games, and five-man rotations, 300 victories looks unreachable nowadays.

According to Baseball-Reference, Moyer has finished top-10 in the Cy Young award voting three times in his career.  While it's clear that those days are behind him, I still believe Moyer can be a serviceable arm at the major league level.  His fastball may not blow hitters away, but he is a crafty pitcher.  As of now, he will start in Triple-A tomorrow.  Remember, he is coming off of Tommy John surgery, so there may be some good starts up ahead as he completely heals.

I think it's a good move by the Birds.  Definitely low-risk, but could potentially pay some dividends.  At the worst, he can tutor the young pitching staff.  Who better, then a pitcher who has been around 26 years?  I can't help but root for this guy.  He's a class act!

Orioles Roster Changes

Amidst the teams recent stuggles, the Orioles have made more adjustments to the major league roster.  First off, 3B/1B Mark Reynolds has been activated from the disabled list, replacing pitcher Stu Pomeranz, who suffered a torn oblique. Roch Kubatko also reported, Endy Chavez will rejoin the team and pitcher, Miguel Gonzalez has been summoned from Triple-A Norfolk to the big leagues.  As a result, young outfielder Xavier Avery and pitcher Tommy Hunter have been sent down to the minor leagues.  Both are going to the Orioles Triple-A affiliate, Norfolk.

Hunter had his worst outing of the year the last night, getting touched up for 6 runs (five earned) and 9 hits over just three innings.  With Zach Britton inching closer and closer to returning, Hunter's spot is definitely in jeopardy as the season progresses.  Xavier Avery had a good showing for a young player being thrust into the big leagues.  Avery still needs to learn to play LF since he is a natural CF.

Next injured players to keep your eyes on for returns are Brian Roberts, Zach Britton, and Nolan Reimold.  Hopefully Mark Reynolds can have a power surge to help out Adam Jones and Matt Wieters with the offensive support.  I only hope Buck Showalter puts him nowhere near starting at 3B.

Until then, let's hope the O's can snap out of this funk tonight against the Blue Jays as we have more AL East rival games upcoming.

Orioles Switch Up The Roster

After finishing off a three game sweep of the Boston Red Sox yesterday, the Orioles made some adjustments to their roster before the series with the AL Champion Rangers began.  Yesterday's starting pitcher, Tommy Hunter, along with Ronny Paulino, have both been demoted to Triple A.  Both moves were surprising, even given that Hunter did not fair well in Sunday's game.  He allowed five runs on eight  hits in 4 1/3 innings.  Paulino definitely hadn't been doing badly.  He was hitting .300 with three RBIs in limited duty.  Paulino made some sense only because the Orioles had called up Luis Exposito and I figured they would not go with three catchers for long.

While Hunter and Paulino were optioned, two relief pitchers were recalled to the team.  Jason Berken will replace Hunter's roster spot while Stu Pomeranz will take over for Paulino.  O's fans recognize Berken from past years.  He is currently pitching to a 1.23 ERA in Norfolk.  Pomeranz, is the brother of Rockies pitcher, Drew Pomeranz who was the centerpiece in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade from Cleveland.  Hopefully, they can make an impact and help the team while this brutal stretch in the schedule continues.

Tsuyoshi Wada Needs Tommy John Surgery

One of the more interesting offseason signings by Dan Duquette, pitcher, Tsuyoshi Wada is headed for Tommy John surgery.  Ken Rosenthal first reported the news on Twitter.  Wada has not made an appearance yet this year due to injury.  Wada, along with Wei-Yin Chen, were the major international signings for the Birds.  Chen has been great so far this year.  Before news broke of Tommy John surgery, if Wada were to have returned, it was being debated whether he was headed to the bullpen or to start.  Here are his stats from the Japanese League.  Wada, 31, signed a two-year contract worth $8.15 million, plus a club option for 2014.  Even with advances in Tommy John surgeries, Wada will still miss the rest of the 2012 season, but should be back ready to go next year!

Could Inge Be The Solution at Third?

The third base situation so far for the Orioles this year has been a revolving door.  Mark Reynolds was supposed to have a stronghold on the position, but with his anemic offense and horrible defense, the Birds have explored other options.  Recently, in-house candidates Wilson Betemit and Ryan Flaherty have been getting starts at the hot corner.  The team also traded Josh Bell recently.

That situation, coupled with the Nick Johnson/Chris Davis platoon struggling, has made fans wonder what the team will do.  Davis displayed his power tonight in the Orioles win over Toronto, but is far from the productive first baseman the Orioles want.  Both corner infield positions are still question marks in my mind.

News broke yesterday that third baseman, Brandon Inge was released by the Detroit Tigers.  Inge, one of the longest tenured Tigers, was off to a bad start in 2012.  He lost his starting job when Prince Fielder was signed, forcing Miguel Cabrera to move to third.  The Orioles, a team desperate in need of a third baseman who is more efficient defensively, should give Inge a look.

According to Orioles writer Roch Kubatko's tweet, there is at least discussion:

#orioles are still looking for ways to improve defense, and there's some interest in Inge. Can't completely dismiss him as possibility
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) April 26, 2012

I hope we move forward and continue looking into this signing.  If it unfolds, Inge starts at third, move Reynolds to first base or DH, and split time with Davis/Johnson at the other spot.  Another option would be to release Davis or Johnson and rotate Betemit as a DH/1B/3B option.  I think that his presence in the clubhouse as well as his versatility would make him a great asset to the team; one that is definitely worth investing in.

Dontrelle Willis' Grievance With Orioles

The situation between pitcher Dontrelle Willis and the Baltimore Orioles started out innocently enough.  The pitcher was signed to a minor league contract and was to report to Triple-A.  Willis' signing was looked at by Orioles brass as adding a left hander to pitch out of the bullpen and function as a lefty specialist.  Apparently, Willis and his agent had other ideas.

Reported on MLBTradeRumors, Willis was placed on the restricted list by the Orioles, which eliminates his option to sign with another team.  If he does, the Orioles can receive something in return.  The reason for this, according to the GM, Dan Duquette, was that Willis had left Norfolk (Triple-A affiliate) without permission.

In an article written by Jerry Crasnick on ESPN.com, it was stated that Willis' agent, Matt Sosnick, said the following:

"Willis received permission from Tripp Norton, Baltimore's director of baseball administration, before leaving the Norfolk Tides last Wednesday."

It all just comes back to a disagreement over how Willis would be used by the Orioles when he came up from the minors.   This has become quite a messy situation with both parties.  It seems that Willis just sees himself as a starter and wanted a chance to have that opportunity, even if that meant signing on with another franchise.  I am not here to assess right or wrong, but I see the best course of action at this point is for both parties to end the relationship.  It's a shame because I think Willis definitely would have extended his career being a lefty out of the pen.

I will keep you all posted if any other updates come out.

Orioles Sign Bill Hall!

The Orioles signed veteran infielder, Bill Hall to a contract. Hall serves as a utility infielder and has played for several organizations in his career.

Most recently, Hall was in the Yankees minor league system at Triple-A. He chose to become a free agent. He also has some outfield experience as well.

It was reported by Ken Rosenthal that Hall will report to Triple-A and take the spot of recently traded Josh Bell.

Hall is a good pick up because of his experience at many positions and his power potential. In Milwaukee in 2006 early in his career, Hall hit a career high 35 home runs, according to Baseball Reference.

Time will tell if Hall manages to crack the Orioles roster. For now, he is good depth in the minors.

Josh Bell Headed to Arizona

The fate has been decided for former Orioles third base prospect, Josh Bell.  Once labeled a great prospect, he was unable to live up to the hype surrounding him.  Orioles fans once saw Bell as the 3B of the future here in Baltimore, while Mark Reynolds was just a warm body bridging the gap to his arrival.

Last week, Luis Exposito was claimed off waivers from Boston and Bell's designation for assignment was the corresponding move to open the roster spot for him.  The trade of Bell came on Saturday, as he was shipped off to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later.  As far as I can remember, this is the first time that these two franchises did business together via trade.

Bell will be headed to the Triple-A affiliate of Arizona to try and find his stroke.  His power and average have dipped for three years straight now, while his strikeouts have risen.  While we do not know the identity of the player to be named later as of yet, you have to think he would be better than a hitter, (Bell) who did not even crack the .100 mark in average at Triple-A.  Best of luck to Bell with Arizona and I hope he can turn it around and make it to the major leagues.

Orioles Take Two Of Three From The White Sox, 5-3.

The Orioles and White Sox played a day game Thursday to close out the four game set in Chicago.  After a tough loss on Wednesday, the Orioles were looking to regain their winning ways and stay atop the AL East division.  Those wishes came true as the O's ended a brief one game slide, winning 5-3.

The home run ball came again, this time from center fielder, Adam Jones.  The three-run homer was Jones' 5th homerun of the 2012 campaign.  Nick Johnson and J. J. Hardy also added RBIs in the victory.  Buck Showalter decided to give Matt Wieters some rest, having Ronny Paulino make the start at catcher.  No one expects Wieters to start EVERY game, so the day off was welcomed.

On the pitching side of the ballgame, Jason Hammel got the victory, improving to 2-0 on the year.  It was an impressive performance for Hammel, striking out 10 over six innings of work.  Early returns on the Jeremy Guthrie trade suggest the Orioles got the better of the deal.  Hammel has been very good so far in the rotation and Matt Lindstrom has an ERA of 0.00 out of the bullpen.  Meanwhile, if we go out to Colorado, former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie has been quite disappointing.  His stats show that the move to the NL has been horrible so far for him.

Out of the bullpen, Jim Johnson notched his 6th save of the young season.  He had two strikeouts, for a pretty calm 9th inning.  Pedro Strop and Lindstrom also made performances in the game, each pitching a scoreless inning.  The Orioles improved to 8-5 so far in 2012.

The team now takes to the road to face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Brian Matusz will be making the start for the Orioles today, opposing Jerome Williams of LA.  The game starts at 10:05 pm so don't fall asleep too early.  Let's see if these winning ways continue for the Birds!

Orioles Take Second Game Against White Sox, 3-2

The Orioles improved to 7-4 with another win last night against the AL Central's White Sox.  Nolan Reimold continued his hot streak, hitting his 4th home run in as many days.  Another homer was added by J. J. Hardy.  Home runs accounted for all the O's scoring on Tuesday, but that was all that was needed as Wei-Yin Chen plus the Orioles bullpen held the Sox to two runs.  Chen recorded his first win in the majors, going five innings with two earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Jim Johnson came on to record his 5th save of the year, after a shaky 9th inning, where he walked two to get the bases loaded.  A ground ball was hit to Wilson Betemit at 3rd base to get the final out.  Last night's game also featured Mark Reynolds in the DH spot.  The error-prone Reynolds would benefit from some more time to just focus on hitting and not having to play on the defensive side of the ball.

The third game out of four in this series will be tonight at 8:10 pm.  The pitching matchup tonight is Tommy Hunter against former San Diego ace, Jake Peavy.

Orioles Designate Bell For Assignment

A piece of the Orioles future that hasn't panned out, will now have to await word on his new destination.  In a move to clear a roster spot for newly acquired Luis Exposito, the Birds designated 3B Josh Bell for assignment.  Bell has not produced like the Orioles hoped.  As his statistics show, he currently has a slash line of .094/.256/.250.  That comes out to three hits in thirty-two at bats for the 25 year old.  

Exposito is a catcher who has spent his entire career in the Boston Red Sox organization.  He has yet to debut in the majors, but has exhibited some power hitting ability.  While Exposito will not crack the big league roster, it is good to have depth in the minors.  The Orioles start Matt Wieters six out of every seven days, with Paulino handling backup duties.  Taylor Teagarden is also in the organization, currently on the shelf with an injury.  

The coming days will reveal what the Orioles plans are with Bell moving forward.  They can place him on waivers, trade him, or release him.  This just goes to show that in baseball, anything can happen.  A once can't miss prospect is on the verge of being out of a job.  Whichever course of action the Orioles choose to take, I hope it benefits both parties in the future.  

Orioles Comeback In GRAND Fashion Against The White Sox

The Orioles had a comeback win last night against the Chicago White Sox to propel them into sole possession of 1st place in the AL East!  With six runs in the top of the 10th inning, capped off by a Matt Wieters grand slam, the Orioles improved their record to 6-4 on the young season.  Wieters came to play last night, as the switch hitter blasted two home runs with five runs batted in.

It was also the second great start for  young ace, Jake Arrieta, who only gave up two runs while striking out seven.  Matt Lindstrom and Pedro Strop both came in and neither allowed any earned runs.  The Orioles are also coming off a good series in Toronto, where they took two out of three from the Blue Jays.  Nolan Reimold has caught fire at the right  time.  We are showing good power early on in the year, with a balanced offensive output.  Our pitching, Matusz aside, has been quite good as well, keeping us in ballgames.

It feels good to be an Orioles fan right now, especially when we are STILL above those pesky Yankees in the standings.  Hopefully, the Birds can keep this good run going.  Best of luck to them and keep supporting and watching our team!