The Baltimore Orioles will probably be completely different in 2026, and never simply due to roster additions that already embody Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, with extra nearly sure to observe. They’ve employed a brand new supervisor (Craig Albernaz), changed just a few coaches, and accomplished some reshuffling on the government stage. In a sport the place remaining stagnant might be deleterious, the O’s are shifting ahead on the heels of a disappointing 2025 season.
A precipitous dip within the win column — 91 in 2024, simply 75 final yr — accentuated the necessity for adjustments, however that isn’t the one purpose. Based on Mike Elias, progress is an ongoing endeavor.
“We’re continually evolving, having to reply to different groups’ getting higher in areas,” Baltimore’s president of baseball operations advised me throughout final month’s GM Conferences. “We make adjustments yearly. We’re really present process fairly an overhaul on the main league stage proper now with our employees. We’ve accomplished some reformatting within the entrance workplace, though definitely to not the diploma we did once we got here in.”
Issues modified markedly after Elias arrived in November 2018 and started rebuilding the group. Analytics — an space by which the Orioles had been properly behind the occasions —- was in fact a significant focus. However whereas big strides have been made, there isn’t a end line to succeed in. Furthermore, an previous Satchel Paige adage applies: “Don’t look again. One thing could be gaining on you.”
“Even in 2019, a lot of groups nonetheless hadn’t absolutely reconfigured the way in which they do novice scouting, professional scouting, and primarily participant improvement, to mirror the technological surroundings,” Elias defined. “I really feel like, particularly throughout COVID — 2020, 2021, 2022 — a whole lot of them made a whole lot of adjustments. Now a overwhelming majority of groups are set as much as leverage the data that may be utilized to areas like participant improvement. At one time the Orioles perhaps loved a bit little bit of a bonus, however now a whole lot of groups are doing issues in comparable methods. We’re making an attempt to determine the best way to get forward in some areas.”
Getting forward doesn’t imply the whole abandonment of all long-established strategies. For the Yale College grad, what works works, be it new-school or new-school. That features features of participant analysis, with Elias approximating that the membership has as many, if no more, scouts as they did 5 years in the past.
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“You experiment with new info and know-how, however fairly often the lived expertise is extra direction-correct,” Elias mentioned. “Your experimentation can fail and lead you again to extra standard knowledge. It’s necessary to have a stability. You must verify your balances.
“Our entrance workplace and our new employees will work collectively to do higher in areas the place we weren’t doing pretty much as good a job as we may have,” added Elias. “I don’t need to go into element there, however we’ve obtained a brand new supervisor who’s coming from a really profitable group with some recent concepts. I’m very optimistic that we’re going to have a well-orchestrated operation on the main league stage.”
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Sticking with the Orioles, new supervisor Craig Albernaz was requested what he has discovered from watching video of the group’s video games from this previous season. His response centered on what isn’t learnable from afar.
“If you’re not within the dugout, you don’t know what’s being mentioned, what’s earlier than the sport, what’s being labored on,” said Albernaz, who was Cleveland’s bench coach in 2024, then promoted to affiliate supervisor for 2025. “You’re just about seeing how the fellows transfer, how they swing, their physique language, However so far as taking a whole lot of context out of simply watching video and looking out on the numbers, it’s extraordinarily troublesome. That’s why, for us as a employees, it’s form of a basis as we transfer ahead.”
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Blake Butera will probably be one other first yr supervisor in 2026, and I supplied each a query and a followup zinger throughout his media session in Orlando. In the case of in-game selections, to what extent does he see himself deviating from what knowledge and chance recommend?
“The data is so good proper now,” replied Butera, who was within the Tampa Bay group for a decade, most lately as director of participant improvement. “An enormous a part of it’s ensuring, as we construct our R&D and analytics departments, that we really feel actually good about how the data is coming collectively after which trusting these selections and that info.
“Coming from the Rays, [Kevin Cash] does an incredible job of that,” continued Butera. “That’s one thing that he and I’ve talked about for a very long time. A number of it’s ensuring that your employees understands how this info is coming collectively and why we’re going to behave a sure method, However there’s a intestine intuition to it as properly, for certain.”
Having a congenial relationship with Butera, I felt comfy in countering: “So, you wouldn’t have pulled Blake Snell?”
His response to my tongue-in-cheek rejoinder was snappy and concise:
“C’mon.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Derek Bell went 11 for 22 in opposition to Al Leiter.
Derek Jeter went 12 for 20 in opposition to Hideo Nomo.
Hideki Matsui went 12 for 22 in opposition to Derek Lowe.
B.J. Upton went 10 for 22 in opposition to Derek Holland.
Todd Benzinger went 11 for 16 in opposition to Derek Lilliquist.
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Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll met with members of the Minnesota media through the Winter Conferences — they have been gracious sufficient to permit me to affix in — and commerce discussions was among the many topics broached. My curiosity pertained to the method itself, particularly which people are making and receiving the inquiries that would doubtlessly result in transactions.
“There are so might individuals concerned,” mentioned Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball and enterprise operations (Zoll is the GM). “It may be those who report three or 4 rungs down from the 2 of us which might be connecting with any individual on one other group. [Director of Baseball Operations] Nick Beauchamp is in our group, and say we obtained an outreach from the Pink Sox on “That is somebody we would transfer” and it’s a backside of the roster dialog. That’s an instance — I’m not saying that particularly occurred — however then, OK, if we would like in, we should always ping again to say we now have curiosity.”
Boston had lately traded Vaughn Grissom to the Los Angeles Angels in alternate for a lower-level prospect, so I used him for example in asking how the Twins would (or maybe did) go about assessing his stage of desirability.
“We’d undergo our participant personnel course of,” Falvey replied. “The place would he match on our roster? What’s his choice standing? We undergo this complete guidelines. Then we would get again to them to listen to what the ask is.”
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The query I requested Kansas Metropolis supervisor Matt Quatraro was about identification. Up to now, the Royals have usually been generally known as a pace group and/or a pitching-and-defense group. What are they these days?
“Each of these issues,” answered Quatraro, who like Albernaz and Butera has a background that features working with the Rays. “Pitching, protection, pace, contact, play arduous, pressure the difficulty, situationally hit. I feel we would like that to be our identification. Now, it’s not all 13 place gamers having the identical ability set. We’re not on the lookout for the pace and base working out of Salvy [Salvador Perez] and Vinnie [Pasquantino] like we’re out of Maikel [Garcia]. However the contact, the competitiveness, the relentlessness… these are issues we’re on the lookout for.
“I don’t understand how far again you need to go, however the very first thing that involves thoughts is the Royals with Willie Wilson [668 career steals] and people guys,” added Quatraro, referring to the Nineteen Eighties squads that twice reached the World Collection, profitable as soon as and falling quick within the different. “However you additionally had guys like Steve Balboni that would hit homers and do different issues. I don’t suppose you ever had only one kind of participant prime to backside. You need a various approach to beat different groups.”
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A quiz:
Henry Aaron clearly has probably the most profession house runs (755) amongst gamers whose final title begins with the primary letter of the alphabet. Which letter “A” participant has hit the second-most house runs? (A touch: he ranks simply exterior the highest 10 for many hits by a letter “A.”
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NEWS NOTES
Paul Hoynes was honored with this yr’s BBWAA Profession Excellence Award, which is introduced yearly to a sportswriter “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” The longtime Cleveland Plain Vendor scribe has coated greater than 6,000 MLB video games over five-plus many years.
San Francisco Giants VP of Media Relations Matt Chisholm was named the recipient of the 2025 Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence. Chisholm has been with the NL West membership for the previous 18 seasons.
Eric Kubota is Baseball America’s 2025 Tony Gwynn Award winner. The longest-tenured scouting director in MLB, Kubota has been with the Athletics since 1984, and in his present position since 2002. He was interviewed right here at FanGraphs in February 2024.
Minor League Baseball introduced the number of longtime baseball government, supervisor, and coach Dick Scott because the seventeenth winner of the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award, and Cincinnati Reds Minor League Supervisor Pat Kelly because the recipient of the seventeenth annual Mike Coolbaugh Award.
Steve Hertz, a 3rd baseman who appeared in 5 video games for the Houston Colt .45s in 1964, died on December 4 at age 80. Born in Ohio at Wright Patterson Air Power Base, Hertz went hitless in 4 at-bats, though he did motor across the bases to attain a pair of runs. He was simply 19 years previous when he obtained his cup of espresso.
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The reply to the quiz is Nolan Arenado, with 353 house runs. In the event you guessed Dick Allen, he’s subsequent on the listing with 351.
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Jeff Kent was the lone participant voted into the Corridor of Fame by the modern baseball period committee, a choice that has drawn combined opinions from followers and pundits alike. That’s comprehensible. Who deserves a plaque in Cooperstown is inherently subjective.
The “If X IS within the Corridor, Y deserves to be within the Corridor” isn’t my level in mentioning Lou Whitaker right here. Fairly, I’m utilizing this area to current a query that got here to thoughts after Kent was introduced:
Would Whitaker have been elected had it been he, and never Kent, on the poll together with this yr’s seven different candidates?
Each have been second basemen, neither was related to PEDs, and so they obtained an analogous variety of awards and honors (together with 4 Silver Sluggers and 5 All-Star berths apiece). Every had his bona fides statistically. If you wish to issue “fame” into the equation, there isn’t a lot separating them there both.
May it have occurred? I informally queried a handful of individuals whose opinions I worth whereas on the Winter Conferences, with some opining that it was believable, whereas others have been skeptical. Both method, Whitaker deserves to be on a forthcoming period committee poll.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The KBO’s Lotte Giants have signed former MLB pitchers Jeremy Beasley and Elvin Rodríguez. Beasley has spent the final three years in NPB. Rodríguez noticed motion with each the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers this previous season.
Junior Lake is slashing .284/.368/.388 with two house runs in 155 plate appearances for the Dominican Winter League’s Leones del Escogido. The 35-year-old former Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder final noticed MLB motion in 2016. He performed within the Mexican League this previous summer time.
Case Matter has fanned 19 batters and allowed simply 5 hits and one run over 12-and-two-thirds innings for the Puerto Rican Winter League’s Cangrejeros de Santurce. The 23-year-old right-hander within the Texas Rangers system made six appearances this season for the Excessive-A Hub Metropolis Spartanburgers after getting back from damage.
Jagger Beck has fanned 20 batters and allowed simply 9 hits and 5 runs (but in addition 12 walks and 7 runs) over 18 innings for the Australian Baseball League’s Sydney Blue Sox. The 19-year-old right-hander from Yuma, California performed for the Houston Astros’ Florida Complicated League affiliate this summer time.
Yusei Ishizuka is 24-for-70 with three house runs and a .959 OPS for the ABL’s Adelaide Giants. The 19-year-old center infielder from Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan made his NPB debut with the Yomiuri Giants earlier this yr.
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A random obscure former participant(s) snapshot:
Ron Wright appeared in a single MLB sport, and it was each unforgettable and one thing he want to neglect. Serving as a DH for the Seattle Mariners on April 14, 2002, the Delta, Utah native got here to the plate 3 times and was answerable for six outs. In his first at-bat, he went down on strikes. In his second at-bat, he hit right into a triple play. In his third at-bat, he hit right into a double play.
Wright isn’t distinctive in having hit right into a triple play in his solely big-league sport. New York Giants southpaw Larry Hesterfer did so on September 5, 1901 — in his first time on the plate, no much less. He had a tough day total. Hesterfer pitched six innings and surrendered 15 runs.
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Jay Jaffe’s latest profile of Corridor of Fame candidate Dustin Pedroia had me trying again on the handful of interviews I’ve accomplished with the erstwhile Boston Pink Sox infielder, considered one of which ran right here at FanGraphs in November 2012. It centered on protection and included this alternate:
You’ve dedicated 50 errors in 9 skilled seasons. What does that imply to you?
“Is that quite a bit?”
Derek Jeter had over 50 in his second skilled season.
“Oh, good, I assume it’s not quite a bit.”
Pedroia had gained two Gold Gloves on the time of that dialog, and would go on to win two extra. I put a checkmark subsequent to his title on final yr’s Corridor of Fame poll and will probably be doing so once more.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
The Colorado Rockies are “reimagining” their pitching philosophy amid a training overhaul, and Thomas Harding wrote about it at MLB.com.
Who have been MLB’s most overachieving beginning pitchers in 2025? Mark Simon addressed that query at Sports activities Information Options.
An appeals courtroom within the Dominican Republic has ordered a brand new trial in Wander Franco’s sexual abuse case. Alex Andrejev has the story at The Athletic.
Additionally at The Athletic, Sahadev Sharma wrote about the Chicago Cubs’ selling Tyler Zombro, whom the Washington Nationals had hoped to interview, to vp of pitching.
5 have been honored through the Winter Conferences’ Scout of the Yr festivities. Jim Callis has the story at MLB.com.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Tampa Bay pitchers have mixed to throw three full video games over the previous 10 seasons, the fewest within the majors. Cleveland pitchers have mixed to throw 28 full video games over the previous 10 seasons, probably the most within the majors.
Gaylord Perry had 28 full video games for the Cleveland Indians in 1974, and 29 full video games in each 1972 and 1973.
Warren Spahn led NL pitchers in full video games yearly from 1957-1963, accumulating 145 throughout that seven-season stretch. The Milwaukee Braves southpaw did so in his age 36-42 seasons.
Robin Roberts logged 300 or extra innings and 20 or extra wins yearly from 1950-1955 The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander then threw 297-and-a-third innings and had 19 wins in 1956.
Kenley Jansen has completed 700 video games, the seventh-highest whole in MLB historical past. He wants 10 extra to maneuver previous Billy Wagner (703) and Rollie Fingers (709) on the all-time listing.
The Los Angeles Angels chosen 18-year-old infielder Jim Fregosi within the 1960 enlargement draft on in the present day’s date. Initially within the Boston Pink Sox group, Fregosi went on to make his MLB debut with the Angels in September 1961, then earned AL All-Star honors six occasions earlier than being traded to the New York Mets as a part of the five-player Nolan Ryan deal in December 1971.
The Brooklyn Dodgers signed 18-year southpaw Sandy Koufax as an novice free agent on in the present day’s date in 1954.
On in the present day’s date in 2007, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired 24-year-old infield prospect David Freese from the San Diego Padres in alternate for 37-year-old outfielder Jim Edmonds. The Padres proceeded to launch Edmonds the next Might. Freese went on to play four-plus seasons in St. Louis, making an All-Star group and capturing MVP honors in each the 2011 NLCS and 2011 World Collection.
Gamers born on in the present day’s date embody Dave Nilsson, who has probably the most video games performed (837), hits (789) and residential runs (105) by an Australian-born participant within the fashionable period. The Brisbane native notched these numbers with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992-1999, making one All-Star group alongside the way in which. Joe Quinn, who was born in Ipswich, Queensland, performed in additional video games and had extra hits whereas suiting up for a number of groups from 1884-1901.
Additionally born on in the present day’s date was Greg Goossen, a catcher/first baseman whose principally nondescript profession included a superb 1969 season with the enlargement Seattle Pilots. Acquired from the New York Mets in alternate for Jim Gosger previous to spring coaching, Goossen logged a .309 batting common, 10 house runs, and a 172 wRC+ over 157 plate appearances. Based on his SABR bio, he later turned a boxing coach and an actor, taking part in movie roles that included “Bartender at Rosatti’s” and “Jail Cell Lunatic.”