Orioles News - 11/19/07 - Champions! - Miggi Finally Moving?

Champions! A championship has been successfully defended for the 4th straight time in a row. Who? What? For who, it is the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. They are a team under the Baltimore Orioles. For what, it is the Arizona Fall League Championship, which has now been successfully defended by the Desert Dogs for their 4th title in as many years. The O's definitely have some real prospects on the Phoenix team. Congratulations to them on their big win. Here's to a championship in Baltimore, just for the O's next time.

Is Miggi finally moving? It seems to be likely. The Los Angeles Angels have pulled off a trade sending their Shortstop, Orlando Cabrera, to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland. This now leaves a vacancy at Shortstop. The Angels have gone after Miguel Tejada in the past, and they have offered some pretty good deals for Miggi before. The O's won't get a deal that even comes close to those they used to receive for Miggi, but they could still pick up a prospect. Everyone knows the O's could use a few... But, different story. Anyway, Miggi is a option for the Angels. If the Angels can't get 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera, they could go after Tejada. Since A-Rod and Mike Lowell are off the market, teams that need 3rd baseman could be forced to go with options they didn't want coming into the off season, like Tejada. Tejada has said he will play 3rd base, but only for a winning team. The O's definitely don't qualify in that category... - John T.

Orioles News - 11/13/07 - Champions?

A championship in Baltimore? For whom? It can't be the Orioles because the season is over and the Boston Red Sox already won the World Series. The NFL season isn't even at the playoffs. So who could win a championship? The Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League could become Champions. What does this have to do with Baltimore? The Desert Dogs are the Baltimore Orioles' team that some of the O's prospects play in during the off season. The Desert Dogs are alive for the League Championship on Saturday. They will face off against the Surprise Rafters. The key players for the Desert Dogs are pitcher Jake Arrieta and outfielder Nolan Reimold. Arrieta has thrown 15 innings and he hasn't allowed a run at all. Jake has also struck out more batters then men he let get on base. Amazing. Reimold is doing well too, but at the plate. Nolan is tied for the league league in home runs and he is 3rd in the league in RBI's. If these players can keep it up, in a few more years, look out... - John T.

Orioles News - 11/2/07 - Happy Anniversary! - Looking At Arrieta

Happy Anniversary! To whom? To the Baltimore Orioles of course! Um, what have the Orioles really done? On this date in 1970, the Baltimore Orioles won the world series. Happy Anniversary to all of the members on that team.

In the minor league Arizona Fall League, pitcher Jake Arrieta has done excellent. He has just made his pro debut, pitching for the Phoenix Desert Dogs. He has had eight appearances and in those eight, Jake has gone 10 shutout innings and struck out 8. Hard to believe he just made his pro debut. But, a few more players like that, and watch out... - John T.

Orioles News - 10/25/07 - How Are The Prospects Doing?

How are some of the Baltimore Orioles' prospects doing right now? In the Hawaii League, several players are doing and well and a few are doing not so well. The same can be said of the Arizona Fall League.

The good first.

First round draft choice Matt Wieters and former first round pick Brandon Snyder are doing great so far. Wieters is hitting .273 so far, along with a .379 on-base percentage. He has walked 9 times in his first 16 games. Nice numbers there. Snyder isn't playing a whole lot but when he plays, he puts up numbers. He is now hitting .370 with a .404 on-base percentage and a .565 slugging percentage. Great numbers for him, and I hope they can both keep it up.

So now that I've showed you some good players, you might be thinking, "Maybe there is hope." Well, after seeing these players, your mindset might change - for the worse.

Hayden Penn, a pitcher, has done poorly so far this season. He has a 13.50 ERA through his first three starts. In those starts, he has lasted 6 total innings. He has struck out 10 batters so far, but that means nothing if he keeps giving up large amounts of runs. Also, Jeff Fiorentino, an outfielder, has done badly. And I mean badly. He is hitting .091 on the year. He has whiffed 8 times so far too. Ouch. That's not what we need. - John T.