January 25th, 2021
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The Orioles today announced the club’s 2021 broadcast team, including on-air talent for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and the Orioles Radio Network.
The versatile Orioles talent lineup features returning veterans and rising stars, who will continue to appear in multiple roles across MASN and Orioles Radio Network programming:
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GEOFF ARNOLD returns for his second season with the Orioles broadcast team. He will primarily serve as a play-by-play announcer for the Orioles Radio Network, in addition to making select appearances on MASN.
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KEVIN BROWN returns to the booth for his third season as an Orioles broadcaster, joining MASN telecasts for play-by-play duties in 2021. He will also continue calling games on the Orioles Radio Network.
“MASN will continue, as we have for the last 15 years, to broadcast more than 300 baseball games and 600 30-minute pre- and post-game shows,” John McGuinness said in a release, the senior vice president of marketing and general sales manager of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. “The network’s investment in live streaming expands our ability to deliver premium content and provide deeper engagement opportunities for fans and marketers alike.”
The Athletic reported last week that MASN was moving away from pregame and postgame shows while also cutting on-air staff for both the Nationals and Orioles. MASN announced the Orioles’ broadcast team Monday, confirming the exits of several broadcasters, including Gary Thorne and Jim Hunter.
Originally posted on MLB Trade Rumors | By Mark Polishuk | Last updated 1/23/21
The Marlins have had some trade discussions with the Orioles about outfielder Anthony Santander, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The depth of these talks isn’t known, Kubatko notes, as it could have been due diligence on the Marlins’ part rather than a sign that Santander could be heading to Miami or anywhere.
Santander enjoyed something of a breakout performance during the abbreviated 2020 season, hitting .261/.315/.575 with 11 home runs over 165 plate appearances before an oblique injury ended his season on September 4. A look at the advanced metrics reveals some interesting details, as Santander didn’t make much hard contact or take many walks, but he also didn’t get much batted-ball luck in the form of a .248 BABIP.
January 24, 2021
Mitch Keller has only thrown 69-and-a-third big-league innings, and he’s already had a remarkable career. The baseball gods are a big reason why. In his 2019 rookie season, the now-24-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had a 7.13 ERA to go with a 3.19 FIP, and this past season he had a 2.91 ERA to go with a 6.75 FIP.
Hello, BABIP.
In an almost-inexplicable quirk of fate, Keller followed up a .475 BABIP the highest one-season mark in MLB history with a .104 BABIP in 2020. No pitcher who threw 20-or-more innings in last year’s pandemic-truncated campaign had a smaller percentage of balls put in play against him fall safely to the turf. This happened with an average exit velocity of 88.5 mph, which was higher than the 87.6 he’d allowed in 2019.