Baltimore Orioles

Vi Ripken, the mother of Baltimore Orioles legend and MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., died Friday, according to ESPN. She was 82. 

The Orioles released the following statement:

The Orioles mourn the passing of Vi Ripken, beloved matriarch of the Ripken family. We send our condolences to Cal, Billy, Ryan, and their entire family during this incredibly difficult time. pic.twitter.com/b8B699K2Br

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 1, 2021

"We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Vi Ripken," the NFL's Baltimore Ravens said in a statement of their own. "The Ripkens are engrained in the fabric of the greater Baltimore community, and Vi played a significant role in helping establish their family's strong legacy. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her children and grandchildren during this sorrowful time."

Ripken Jr. spent his entire 21-year career with the Orioles, setting an MLB record with 2,632 consecutive games played without missing a contest, topping Lou Gehrig's previous record (2,130 straight games). It was a record Vi Ripken was proud of, though one she downplayed a bit when asked. 

Cal Ripken Sr. spent 36 years with the Orioles, serving as a player, manager, coach, scout and working in the organization's farm system. And their son Billy Ripken spent 12 years in Major League Baseball and seven seasons with the Orioles (1987-92, 1996). 

That made Vi Ripken the de facto matriarch of the Orioles organization. 

Sad news. Vi Ripken was, in a sense, matriarch of Orioles baseball. Glue of that unique baseball family. Had the opportunity to interview her several times. She was so proud of all of her children. And a great quote, too. Very upfront. Thoughts go to Cal, Bill & all the Ripkens. https://t.co/UcLZS1dySE

— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) March 1, 2021

Sending best wishes to the @RipkenBaseball family after the passing of Vi Ripken. Had the pleasure to speak with her on several occasions and always thoroughly enjoyed it. Vibrant personality so beloved and a true baseball matriarch

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 28, 2021

My condolences to Cal and Bill Ripken and the entire Ripken family on the passing of Vi. Like her boys, she was a one of a kind treasure, a wonderful woman. As tough as it is for her children right now, I suspect Cal Sr is thrilled to have his Vi back by his side. Godspeed Vi,

— Gerry Sandusky (@GerrySandusky) March 1, 2021

She was a regular fixture at Orioles and Aberdeen IronBirds minor league games, even after her husband and sons were no longer affiliated with the organization, per Oxenden.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini had a malignant tumor removed from his colon last year and underwent treatment for Stage 3 colon cancer, costing him the entirety of the 2020 season.    

On Sunday, he returned to the team's starting lineup and received a standing ovation during his first at-bat, which resulted in a single to center field:

https://twitter.com/JoeTrezz/status/1366093367319416843

.@TreyMancini got a hit in his first at bat back from colon cancer.

You love to see it. #BiggerThanBaseball pic.twitter.com/An6pmDhMtW

— MLB (@MLB) February 28, 2021

According to Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun, Mancini will play every other day during spring training, primarily as a first baseman though potentially as an outfielder or designated hitter as well.

"I've talked to him every single day, see how he's feeling every day," manager Brandon Hyde told reporters. "We're just going to continue to communicate. I'll have him in there every other day for a while, whether it be at first base or DH, and we'll see how he feels. Crank up the playing time, if he feels well, the last couple weeks."

Matt Harvey will have an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues this season after reportedly agreeing Saturday to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Harvey will join the Orioles on a minor league contract.

Since being a dominant starting pitcher in his first three seasons with the New York Mets, Harvey has struggled.

The closest he has come to looking like a decent starter was with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. The right-hander had a 4.50 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 128 innings over 24 starts.

Since the start of the 2019, Harvey has been one of the worst pitchers in Major League Baseball. He posted a 7.82 ERA with 19 homers allowed in 71.1 innings with the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals.

Harvey's minus-0.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement over the past two seasons ranks 308th out of 313 pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched.

The Orioles are an ideal landing spot for Harvey because there's no pressure on the franchise. It's still in the early stages of rebuilding and isn't trying to compete for a playoff spot.

Baltimore starters ranked 23rd in ERA (5.09) and 25th in innings (267) last season.

Harvey will likely compete for a spot in the rotation during spring training. If the 31-year-old can put together a strong showing, the Orioles would likely include him on their 26-man roster to start the season.

Felix Hernandez agreed to a minor league deal worth $1 million with the Baltimore Orioles, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

While Hernandez didn't lay out a plan to exit after the 2019 season, it carried a level of finality for the 34-year-old right-hander since he was in the final year of his contract with the Seattle Mariners.

As the regular season was drawing to a close, he indicated he was hopeful of returning for another year but acknowledged the interest from MLB teams would have to be there. He signed a $1 million deal as a non-roster invitee for the Atlanta Braves, but he opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hernandez made 15 appearances for the Mariners in his swan song with the franchise. He finished 1-8 with a 6.40 ERA and a 6.00 FIP, per FanGraphs. It was the fifth straight season in which his FIP climbed from the year before (5.18 in 2018).

With King Felix a shadow of his old self, the writing was on the wall. But that didn't make the end any easier to absorb. An emotional Hernandez received a standing ovation at T-Mobile Park in his final start on Sept. 26, 2019.

He clearly believes he has something left in the tank, and joining the Orioles should present him with a good opportunity to pitch his way into an MLB rotation again.

Baltimore has gone four seasons without making the playoffs, and the team shipped one of its more experienced starters, Alex Cobb, to the Los Angeles Angels.

If Hernandez works out, then the Orioles could have themselves a solid trade asset. If this is effectively the end of the road for him, then the organization won't be out much.

Trey Mancini missed all of the 2020 season after being diagnosed with colon cancer, but the Baltimore Orioles star is planning to play next season.

Mancini told reporters Wednesday there was no tumor DNA in his most recent blood work, and he's been working out five days per week with some light hitting to be ready for spring training.

Mancini announced in the Players' Tribune that he began chemotherapy April 13 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer:

"My treatment will take six months — every two weeks for six months. If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me.

"But I want everybody to know that I'm O.K. I know reading everything and seeing that I had a malignant tumor removed from my colon, it's a lot to absorb — believe me, I know. I'm not really big on social media, but I posted a video on Instagram after my surgery because I wanted people to see that I looked like myself and I was in good spirits."

During an April 29 interview on MASN Sports, Mancini said there was "no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball."

Sara Perlman, Mancini's girlfriend, posted a picture on Twitter of the 28-year-old leaving the hospital Sept. 21 after his final round of chemotherapy.

Mancini had the best season of his career in 2019. He posted a .291/.364/.535 slash line and finished 11th in the American League with 35 home runs.

The Orioles went 25-35 and finished fourth in the AL East without Mancini in 2020. MLB has announced that spring training games for next season will begin Feb. 27 with the regular season set to begin April 1.

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias is reportedly under investigation for pension fraud.

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported Elias is being investigated for allegedly designating pitching instructor Chris Holt as one of four Orioles coaches to be placed on the pension plan despite him not being with the major league club. MLB and the MLB Players Association allow only four coaches from each club to be designated for the pension plan, which gives them medical benefits, life insurance and a licensing check.

The Orioles had eight coaches listed for 2020. The other three coaches designated for the plan are considered "legitimate," but Holt's status has been called into question because he allegedly did not work with the Orioles the entire season.

"All I can tell you, is that to my knowledge we've never had a case like this," Steve Rogers, a special assistant in the players association, told Madden.

Holt has been in the Orioles organization since 2018, when both he and Elias came over from the Houston Astros.

A lawyer who spoke to Madden said that Elias could be in for "significant" discipline if it's found he knowingly violated MLB's pension rules. By adding people to the plan fraudulently, Elias would have been directly taking money away from people who earned the pension and benefits under MLB rules.

Six months after being diagnosed with colon cancer, Baltimore Orioles star Trey Mancini has completed his chemotherapy. 

Sara Perlman, Mancini's girlfriend, tweeted a picture of her significant other leaving the facility where he received his last treatment Monday:

TREY DID IT!!!! He competed chemotherapy!!! What a six months it has been. I’ve never been more proud & joyful ☀️ this is the best day ever!!!! Thank you for all the love and support. We are SOOOO grateful!!!!💗💗💗 @TreyMancini pic.twitter.com/dM7amk92GH

— Sara Perlman Mancini (@saraperlman) September 21, 2020

In April, Mancini wrote on The Players' Tribune that he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer on March 6, had the tumor removed six days later and began chemotherapy on April 13:

"But I want everybody to know that I'm O.K. I know reading everything and seeing that I had a malignant tumor removed from my colon, it's a lot to absorb—believe me, I know. I'm not really big on social media, but I posted a video on Instagram after my surgery because I wanted people to see that I looked like myself and I was in good spirits.

"And I have no doubt that, even when I'm doing chemo, I can work out and do some things. So, whenever the time comes for me to come back to baseball, I'll be ready. But I just want to make sure that I am physically fine before I go out there and start trying to perform again at a major league level."

Mancini hasn't played with the Orioles this season as he's undergone treatment. The 28-year-old broke out last year with a .291/.364/.535 slash line, 35 homers and 97 RBI in 154 games. 

In this #F16HT together. So proud of you, @TreyMancini! pic.twitter.com/Lg8M91SHkT

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 21, 2020

The Orioles selected Mancini in the eighth round out of Notre Dame in 2013. He spent four seasons in the minors before getting called up at the end of the 2016 season. 

Mancini finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox in 2017.

With less than two weeks remaining before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season, the Baltimore Orioles have reportedly been in contact with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig. 

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Orioles are interested in signing Puig and have made "at least one" contract offer to the former All-Star.

Puig is the biggest name remaining on the free-agent market, but teams were unable to sign players for three months because of MLB's transaction freeze during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The transaction freeze officially came to an end at 12 p.m. ET on June 26, at which point Puig's name began to come up for teams seeking help in the outfield. 

Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ and The Athletic reported on June 23 that the San Francisco Giants are "expecting to be players" in the market for Puig. 

The Orioles need all the roster help they can get after going 101-223 in the past two seasons combined. They also need a starting right fielder with Trey Mancini unlikely to play in 2020 after announcing in April he was undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. 

Puig began last year with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to Cleveland on July 31. The 29-year-old hit .267/.327/.458 with 24 homers, 84 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 149 games between the two teams. 

The Baltimore Orioles turned heads with the No. 2 pick of the 2020 MLB draft, selecting outfielder Heston Kjerstad.

With the 2nd overall pick of the 2020 #MLBDraft, the #Orioles select @RazorbackBSB OF Heston Kjerstad, No. 10 on our Top 200 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/DYMRCCjiaZ

Watch live: https://t.co/cmm19LFrdg pic.twitter.com/iHOuRhDPpz

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 10, 2020

The Arkansas product was considered the No. 10 overall player by MLB.com.

According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, the Orioles had reportedly been discussing underslot deals in Round 1 to provide the team with more options in later rounds.

After No. 1 overall player Spencer Torkelson went first overall to the Detroit Tigers, outfielder Austin Martin, pitcher Asa Lacy and infielder Nick Gonzales were considered other top options for Baltimore.

JJ Cooper of Baseball America broke down the strategy for the Orioles:

Orioles taking Heston Kjerstad means expect to see them take a top-15/20 talent with their supp. 1st or 2nd round pick. Clearly underslot here means they have even more massive financial advantage with their later picks.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 10, 2020

Despite it being an unexpected pick, Kjerstad could be a quality prospect for this team:

Boy Heston Kjerstad at No. 2 overall is a neat pick. We didn’t quite see it coming, but really his power tool is up there with Tork’s, and he’s a corner outfielder. Looking back at the build-up to this, I’m not sure why Kjerstad didn’t get more run as a top-3 kind of pick.

— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) June 10, 2020

The left-hander only played 16 games in 2020 but hit an incredible .448 with six home runs and 20 RBI. Though this was a small sample size, he has dominated at the plate throughout his college career with a .345 batting average, 35 home runs and 32 doubles in 145 games.

He also played a key role in leading the Razorbacks to the College World Series in each of the last two years.

"He's going to play in the big leagues a long time," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said, per Richard Justice of MLB.com.

Kjerstad joins an organization that needs an infusion of talent. Baltimore has 223 losses over the past two seasons.

MLB draft day is finally here! MLB becomes the third major league sport to undergo a virtual draft since the coronavirus pandemic shut down live sporting events in March.

Tonight's draft coverage kicks off with a preview show on MLB Network at 5 p.m. ET. The draft will consist of only five rounds—as opposed to the normal 40. As a result, only 160 players will hear their name called this year.

However, there is an option for players who go undrafted:

The 2020 Major League Baseball draft will be five rounds, sources tell @kileymcd and me. All players who go undrafted would be eligible to sign for a maximum of $20,000. While there was a proposal to the union for a 10-round draft, the sides didn’t come to an agreement.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 8, 2020

The Detroit Tigers will begin the 2020 draft with the first overall pick—their second No. 1 pick in three years. It seems likely they'll be using it to select Spencer Torkelson, a slugging first baseman out of Arizona State.

If Torkelson is picked, he'll be only the second true first baseman to go first overall since Adrian Gonzalez in 2000.

Another storyline to pay attention to is the college arms—the strength of this year's draft, with at least 15 collegiate pitchers being thrown out as possibilities for the first round. This is in stark contrast to last year's class that severely lacked strong college arms. There are also plenty of powerful college bats, so the top of the draft may be college-heavy.

There are still impressive high school arms, with the trio of Mick Abel, Jared Kelley and Nick Bitsko expected to be first-round picks. However, the shortened draft may impact high school talent the most.

Obviously, the virtual nature of this year's unique draft will be a major point of interest for viewers. It will be interesting to see how teams have adapted to a virtual draft and if their preparation was any different.

Here's all the information you need to know to watch this year's MLB draft and a closer look at a few teams to watch.

      

2020 MLB Draft Information

Wednesday, June 10

Time: 7 p.m. ET (Coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET on MLB Network)

Rounds: Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A (Picks 1-37)

TV: ESPN or MLB Network

Livestream: MLB.com

       

Thursday, June 11

Time: 5 p.m. ET (Coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on MLB Network)

Rounds: Rounds 2-5 (Picks 38-160)

TV: ESPN2 and MLB Network

Livestream: MLB.com

      

Teams to Watch

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles will be an interesting team to follow this year for multiple reasons. As the second overall pick in the draft, they are guaranteed top talent—with Austin Martin's name being linked with the team in several mock drafts.

The Vanderbilt third baseman is considered the best pure hitter in the draft, and his consistency and bat control make him a dangerous threat at the plate. He's also a versatile defender with experience at multiple positions.

Other scenarios for Baltimore would be to take a similar talent in Nick Gonzalez or draft the best pitcher in the class, Asa Lacy. 

After picking No. 2 overall, they will have the chance again as soon as the 30th pick in the Competitive Balance Round A. Their competitive balance pick is much higher than Detroit's—who won't pick again until No. 62—which gives them a larger total bonus pool. 

Baltimore has the most money to spend on signing bonuses of any team in this year's draft, with $13,894,300 in its bonus pool. This gives them the potential to nab much-needed talent, and they can spend as much as $7,789,900 on their first selection.

Pretty clear Orioles will try hard to "recruit" players to sign for 20-K after draft. Said Mike Elias "we think this is a terrific place to sign. We're on the cutting edge of development. This is a rebuild focused on a homegrown pipeline."

— Steve Melewski (@Steveonbaseball) June 8, 2020

Houston Astros

On the other end of the spectrum lies the Houston Astros, with the least amount of money in its bonus pool of all the teams in the draft

As punishment for their electronic sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season, the Astros were stripped of their first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. Their first pick of the 2021 draft is not until No. 72, which they got as compensation after Gerrit Cole declined their offer and signed with the Yankees. Sixteen teams will make at least three picks before the Astros' turn.

"We're focused on maximizing organizational talent, and from that perspective of having controllable, elite talent in the organization, I think we stack up against everybody," Astros GM James Click said, according to MLB.com.

Houston has a pool of just $2,202,600 to spend, with the ability to spend $870,700 on their first selection.

"It's obviously a challenge to have, by far, the smallest draft pool and that comes with the picks that we have," Click added. "But there are some teams out there that have almost seven times as much money to spend as we do in the draft. It does create some interesting give and take. It creates some challenges."

The Astros may just look to pick the best available player left at pick 72 and worry about where he fits into their system later.

     

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the most picks (7) in this year's shortened draft. 

They have a bonus pool of $7,901,000 to spend on all seven picks, including $3,132,300 available to them for their first selection. The Cards' first pick of the draft comes at No. 21. After that, they pick again at No. 54, again at No. 63 in the Competitive Balance Round B and soon after that at No. 70 as compensation for Marcell Ozuna signing with the Braves.

These three selections in the span of 16 picks will give them the ability to snatch top talent at multiple different positions they may need. MLB's Cardinals beat writer, Anne Rodgers, noted that their "epicenter of need" is at middle infield, as St. Louis has little depth at second. 

After limited draft, Cardinals can sign undrafted players for a max of only $20K each. That, plus MiLB contraction, could result in a smaller group of fresh faces for St. Louis this year, Mozeliak acknowledged. Team wants the guys it does bring in to have real opportunity.

— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) June 9, 2020

While the Cardinals may have started to close the gap in left-handed pitching talent, they can always use more pitchers with high potential or upside to fill their farm system.

Many different players have been linked to St. Louis, most notably South Carolina right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, Oklahoma righty Cade Cavalli, Mississippi State second baseman Justin Foscue and Mount Carmel HS shortstop Ed Howard.