Orioles Organization

SARASOTA, Fla. -- One of the best stories in the Orioles organization last year got a little better on Monday. Old Mill graduate Josh Hader appeared in his first minor league spring training game Monday at Twin Lakes Park, throwing two scoreless innings. And because it was an off day on the major league level, executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter were there to watch. Think about that. You are an 18-year-old kid, and on your first outing of the year, months after being drafted, the brass from your childhood team is watching you.   “I saw them.

The Baltimore Orioles announced yesterday that former second baseman Rich Dauer has rejoined the organization as a roving minor-league instructor.Dauer, who played 10 years in the Orioles organization, will tour the minor-league system working with the club's infield prospects on defensive techniques.He ended his playing career with the Orioles in 1985, eventually getting back in uniform as the third-base coach for the Cleveland Indians' Class AAA club at Colorado Springs. He returned to the major leagues as the Indians third-base coach in 1990 and remained with the Tribe until the club purged its coaching staff after the 1991 season.

Last Thursday, ceremonies at the State House in Annapolis honored Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell and his players.Saturday, there will be more honors at Camden Yards for the Eagles. Mitchell will throw out the first pitch before the Orioles meet the Texas Rangers at 1: 35 p.m., and the team will be honored before the game.Coppin State upset South Carolina in the NCAA basketball tournament before falling to Texas in the second round, 82-81. The Eagles are the first team from Baltimore to win a men's Division I NCAA tournament game.

It's easy to see why so many people in the Orioles' organization, especially director of scouting Joe Jordan, were so excited about landing pitcher Timothy Bascom in the fourth round of last month's amateur draft. Bascom held Hickory to one run over seven inning yesterday in Single-A Delmarva's 4-3, 11-inning loss. He allowed four hits and struck out three. In five starts, Bascom has surrendered only six earned runs and 19 hits in 30 1/3 innings. The Orioles didn't have selections in the second or third rounds, so Bascom represented their second pick in the draft.

The Orioles are seeking a new public address announcer for games at Camden Yards. David McGowan is leaving the position after 14 seasons to pursue a career change. “I feel so fortunate to have played even a small role in helping Orioles fans enjoy major league baseball in the best ballpark in the country. It has truly been a privilege getting to serve the fans of Baltimore and to work for the Orioles organization.” The new PA announcer will deliver all public address greetings, player introductions and other game-day announcements.

I am disappointed to see that the Orioles have selected April 6th as the opening for their home season. The revelry and celebration that accompanies the home opener contrasts to the solemn nature of Good Friday and the reflection of Passover, which begins that evening. The Orioles have unfortunately attached great significance to playing a game on April 6th, as it will be exactly 20 years from the first game played at Camden Yards. I find undue importance be given to playing a game on this exact date.

Manny Machado, the Orioles organization's top position-player prospect, hit for the cycle Saturday for Double-A Bowie in an 8-7 win over Trenton. Machado, ranked the 11 th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America, completed the feat with a game-winning, two-run homer to left in the eighth inning. The 20-year-old Machado was 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored on the night. His third-inning double scored Rhyne Hughes from second. Machado, the third overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft out of Miami Brito Private, is hitting .262 with 26 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 57 RBIs this season.

Dennis Martinez, Indians pitcherWhat the former Oriole misses about not playing in Baltimore:1. Crab soup. "That's something I always look forward to when I come back. There's nothing like it."2. The fans. "The people here were really wise about the game."3. The Orioles' organization. "They were one of the best in how they treated me."4. My friends in Baltimore. "They were like relatives to me here. It was tough leaving them."5. Memorial Stadium. "That's the place where I grew up. I have a lot of great memories of that stadium."

The Orioles may be able to keep Rick Peterson after all. The Boston Red Sox have chosen Juan Nieves, who had been the White Sox's bullpen coach, to be their new pitching coach. Peterson, the Orioles' organization's director of pitching development, interviewed Saturday for the Boston position and had been reported to be the favorite. Peterson and new Red Sox manager John Farrell have had a relationship for more than two decades. The Orioles would like to retain Peterson, who was named the Cal Ripken Sr. Development Award winner this year for his work with minor league and rehabbing pitchers.

Don Buford will return as the manager of the Orioles Double-A team, which is moving from Hagerstown to Bowie for the 1993 season. Last season, his first as a manager, the Hagerstown Suns finished seventh in the Eastern League with a 59-80 record.Buford, who played on three American League championship teams in his five years with the Orioles (1968-72), began coaching in 1978. He was a coach with the Orioles in 1988 and spent the next three seasons as the team's director of field operations before becoming Suns manager in 1992.