Baltimore Orioles

Tonight, Kevin Gausman made his Major League debut, Chris Davis crushed his MLB leading 15th homerun of the season, and all I want to talk about is Manny freaking Machado. We've all been watching this kid. And we all know he's good. Damn good. After a very solid debut season in 2012, Machado has been absolutely brilliant in the first quarter of the 2013 season. One thing that makes him so special is that he is an incredibly well rounded ball player. He certainly has that 5-tool skill set that every scout, manager, and fan dreams of. The part of Machado's game that I love watching the most is his defense. For a player that only began playing third a short while ago, he has transitioned magnificently. Nothing makes me giddy like watching Manny barehand a slow rolling ground ball and fire to first for the out. Nobody does it better. Statistically, Machado has been a stud at the hot corner. He leads all infielders with an 8.5 overall UZR. The next best UZR for an infielder is Elvis Andrus with a 6.3. The next best third basemen is even lower; Todd Frazier's 5.1 UZR. If we break down the components of UZR, we find another incredibly impressive stat. Machado's 7.5 RngR (range runs above average) bests all infielders by 3.2 runs (again, Andrus is second with 4.3 RngR). Among third basemen, Machado leads in this category by a ridiculous 4.4 runs (Todd Frazier, 3.1 RngR). Comparing Machado to all 3B, he ranks first in RZR (revised zone rating) with a .807. These are phenomenal numbers, especially for a kid who's just 20 years old, and only just getting his first taste of playing the big league hot corner. If you aren't sure what any of those stats are exactly, you can read up in the glossary section of FanGraphs. They aren't difficult to understand conceptually once you know what you're looking at. As Machado continues to get it done with the leather, in 2013 he has blossomed into one of the best young hitters in the game. His slash line through the first 47 games this season stands at a remarkable .330/.362/.527. He places in the top 5 among hitters under the age of 26 in wRAA (9.6), wOBA (.372), and wRC+ (131).* He also ranks fourth in baseball in total bases, with 107, just behind another notable rising star, Mike Trout, who has totaled 110 bases. * runs above average, weighted on-base average, and weighted runs created plus One key reason for Machado's success at the plate in 2013 is due to greatly improved plate discipline. Below is a chart of Machado's plate discipline in 2012 and 2013 (provided by FanGraphs). The first stat that jumps out is that Manny has cut down significantly on the percentage of pitches he chases outside of the strike zone (O-Swing%). In 2012, he chased 1/3 of pitches outside the zone, but in 2013 he has managed to cut that number to ¼, which is a good thing to see as from a hitter (unless you're like Pablo Sandoval). Moreover, when Machado does chase outside of the zone, he's making contact more often (O-Contact%). Overall, Machado is chasing less and hitting more in 2013, and that's done wonders for him through the first quarter of the season. Overall, I'm just excited to keep watching this kid play on a daily basis and do what he does best. Also, I found out in my research that Manny is engaged to Yonder Alonso's sister... so good for them. And now, a GIF. via sportsgif.com I can't make it move. It's 4am. Just click it. Tonight, Kevin Gausman made his Major League debut, Chris Davis crushed his MLB leading 15th homerun of the season, and all I want to talk about is Manny freaking Machado. We've all been watching this kid. And we all know he's good. Damn good. After a very solid debut season in 2012, Machado has been absolutely brilliant in the first quarter of the 2013 season. One thing that makes him so special is that he is an incredibly well rounded ball player. He certainly has that 5-tool skill set that every scout, manager, and fan dreams of.

Norfolk lost 4-3. Jair Jurrjens gave up 2 ER in 5.2 IP on 8 hits (1 HR) and 3 walks, striking out 5 with a GB/FB of 5/7. Mark Hendrickson had a clean sheet in 2.1 IP, striking out 4. Xavier Avery goes 0-5. LJ Hoes goes 2-5 with a K. Ryan Flaherty goes 0-4 with a walk, a K and an error. Bowie lost 11-5. Clay Schrader retired all five men he faced, 1 via K, with a GB/FB of 0/2. Henry Urrutia goes 2-3 with a double and a walk. Ty Kelly went 1-5. Frederick won 7-4. Tim Berry yielded 2 ER in 5.2 IP on 8 hits and a walk, striking out 2 with a GB/FB of 7/4. Nicky Delmonico DNP. Christian Walker went 0-5 with 4 Ks. Brenden Webb went 1-3 with a homer and a K, raising his average to .204. Delmarva won 10-4. Torsten Boss went 1-4 with a homer and a walk. Adrian Marin went 1-4 with a K and an error. Joel Hutter went 1-3 with 2 walks and a K. Rod Bernadina goes 0-3 with 2 walks and 2 Ks. Personally anointed pre-season sleeper prospect Juan Guzman gave up 2 ER in 5 IP on 3 hits (1 HR) and a walk, striking out 3 with a GB/FB of 6/3. Your minor league boxers.

Tonight was the debut of Kevin Gausman, a night we were all waiting for. The hopes were high and the powdered donuts were purchased. But someone forgot to tell the Blue Jays that tonight wasn't about them and they went and ruined everything. Well, they ruined it with a little help from Troy Patton, Pedro Strop, T.J. McFarland, and Gausman himself. The O's offense tried to make a game of it, scoring six runs thanks in part to three home runs and another three double night from Manny Machado, but it just wasn't enough to compensate for the total disaster that was tonight's pitching. Let's start with the reason we all tuned in: Kevin Gausman. There were definitely things about Gausman's night that were promising, and for those of us watching him pitch for the first time, it was nice to see what he had to offer. His fastball was in the upper 90s and even touched 99 a few times and his change up was pretty too. But he couldn't keep the ball down in the zone and had trouble throwing non-fastballs for strikes. Still, he racked up five strikeouts against two walks in five innings, and if not for a fastball that completely missed its mark in fifth inning, resulting in J.P. Arencibia destroying it for a two-run homer, he might have ended up with a much better line on the night. For a guy who had never pitched above double A, and who only had 46 AA innings to boot, it's not all that surprising. It's not what we were hoping for, but there you go. Now we have to wait and see what Gausman does in the future and how he responds. Gausman got through the first three innings without giving up a run, and just allowed one baserunner in each (two singles and walk). It took a lot of pitches for him to do so and a few balls were hit hard off of him, but there were times when he looked as we imagined. One that comes to mind was a three pitch strikeout of Emilio Bonifacio to end the second inning. Gausman just completely overmatched him with three fastballs. He also had a nice strikeout of Jose Baustista to start the fifth inning. The at bat included a change up at 82 miles per hour and a fastball at 99. That's just not fair. The Jays scored their first two runs in the fourth inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Adam Lind and Arencibia, and a sac fly from Bonifacio. The second two were on Arencibia's home run in the fifth with two outs. Gausman struck out Brett Lawrie to end the inning and his debut. The Orioles gave Gausman an early lead thanks to more awesomeness from Machado and Chris Davis. Being awesome is nothing new to those guys, of course. In the top of the third, Chris Dickerson and Nate McLouth were on second and first base and they executed a beautiful double steal. I like what I've seen from Dickerson so far. With two runners in scoring position, Machado lined his second double of the night to left field. The double gave the O's a 2-0 lead and they made it 3-0 the next inning when Davis hit his league leading 15th home run. Going into the sixth inning the Orioles were down by just one run, a deficit easy enough to overcome. But Gausman's replacement, Troy Patton, was terrible. Patton is exhibit A in how volatile relief pitchers can be. The success he had in 2012 has gone by the wayside. He got the first two hours, but then walked two batters. So what do you do when you have a pitcher who couldn't find the strikezone with a map? Why, you bring in another wild pitcher, of course. Pedro Strop replaced Patton and immediately walked Jose Bautista to load the bases. That set the stage for Edwin Encarnacion, who is the kind of guy who hits home runs. And he did just that, knocking a line drive off the left field foul pole for a grand slam. That gave the Jays an 8-3 lead and officially ruined Kevin Gausman Day. The Orioles tried to fight back. J.J. Hardy doubled then eventually came in to score on a sac fly to make the score 8-5, then in the top of the 8th inning Nick Markakis and Adam Jones hit back-to-back home runs to

My minor leagues spotlight this week comes in the form of Caleb Martin Joseph, first baseman for the Bowie Baysox. In his last ten games, Joseph has a .233 batting average, ten hits, five of them being home runs and eight RBIs. On the season he has a .278 batting average, ten homeruns and 36 RBIs. Joseph was selected by the Orioles in the seventh round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Libscomb University. In his junior year at Libscomb, Joseph had a .261 batting average, 17 home runs and a .615 slugging percentage. Joseph was also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team and was named MVP of the conference tournament that year. In 2010 and 2012 he was awarded MiLB.com Organization All-Star, and in 2011 he was awarded Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star. While he currently plays first base for the Baysox, Joseph’s original position was catcher. March 1, 2012; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Joseph Caleb (72) poses for a portrait during photo day at the spring training headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It is strange what an emotional difference a couple of days and a couple of victories can make – especially when those wins are over the Yankees. Just 48 hours ago, Orioles fans were in the emotional doldrums of a six-game losing streak; and now there is the euphoria of nine runs on six homers leading the Birds to a series win over the Yanks. Is everything now fixed? No … no more than the factual truth that not everything was broken two days ago. The theme of “the ups and downs of a 162-game season” is one often explored on this blog and other Orioles outlets. The Baltimore center of gravity for this is of course Buck Showalter. And as well, at the very heart of the successful leadership he brings to the club is this steady-as-she-goes navigational strategy. He really is the “skipper” of the ship. Apr 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) on the field before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports Though unable to have access to the clubhouse and see firsthand how Buck works with the players, it is safe to say that the guy we see in post-game interviews is likely the same fellow who sets the tone beyond the reach of the cameras. All of us have probably had the experience at some point in our lives of having to work in an environment with a Jekyll and Hyde sort of boss. You never know which of the several multiple personalities will be “out” that day or that moment. It makes for a difficult workplace. There is no shortage is the sport of baseball of successful fiery managers. In Baltimore, we need look no further than our own Earl Weaver – memorialized by the number “4” patch on the uniforms this year. Consider also such as Billy Martin, Tommy Lasorda, Bobby Cox, and Ozzie Guillen. The list could go on and on. Probably most of these guys could not manage this current flock of orange birds – Weaver as much as said so on several occasions. Though baseball differs greatly as a sport from, say, football or basketball, in terms of how a successful player needs to manage emotions and stay within himself much more, the current Orioles team is an extraordinary collection of mellow fellows. Think about it. Heading the Orioles’ all-mellow team are Nick Markakis, Jim Johnson, Matt Wieters, Miguel Gonzalez, Brian Matusz, Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, Nolan Reimold, and Jake Arrieta to name a few. To find anything resembling a raucous personality, you have to look to the dry wit of Tommy Hunter or the fun-loving personality of Adam Jones. Overall, it is a rather flat-line group, and it certainly seems to me that Showalter is the perfect guy to guide such a team. The passionate fan will at times find this to be a bit maddening – especially during losing slides such as we recently saw. There is then a knee-jerk reaction to suggest that someone needs to light a fire under this team. I’m not sure that will work with this group, as their fire is a steady pilot light within – far from plain view. However, a guy who might bring some new color to this rather bland landscape is tonight’s starter Kevin Gausman, who by all reports has some eccentricities and interesting quirks of personality. All of this is to say that Orioles fans would do well to be a bit more emotionally mellow like the team, balancing the highs and lows. It is not a posture that comes easily to fans (a term that is short for “fanatics”). But there is no doubt that the past two games with wins and quality starts have given the residents of Birdland cause for a corporate sigh of relief. And we can hope for that trend to continue tonight. But don’t expect Showalter to alter his show emotionally if it does, or does not.

Unfortunately for someone, a necessary step to be taken for the arrival of Gausmas is that a roster space must be cleared. With Kevin Gausman set to start tonight's game in Toronto, that means space has to be cleared on both the 25- and 40-man rosters. You could look at the roster and probably guess whose time would come up. Indeed, Jake Arrieta is the one to be optioned. He was extra bullpen help that was never needed, and was bandied about as a possible starter for tonight. But why would you have Arrieta start a game when you could have Gausman start a game? This is the question Dan Duquette and company considered, and the answer is Jake returns to Norfolk. Additionally, some guy was designated for assignment. That guy is Alex Burnett. When he was traded to the Orioles, I said that they acquired some guy. He is still just some guy. He doesn't matter. If he clears waivers, which he probably will, because he is Alex Burnett, then he may find himself back in Norfolk. In the meantime, uncertainty. Sorry, guy. Gausman, according to the Orioles press release, is slated to be the third member of the 2012 draft class to make his major league debut. 82nd overall pick LHP Paco Rodriguez has appeared for the Dodgers, and 297th overall LHP Michael Roth has appeared for the Angels. Rodriguez is a reliever, and Roth was mostly a reliever, making one start. We are now at approximately t-minus two hours.

After suffering back-to-back sweeps against San Diego and Tampa Bay, the O's got off to a slow start against the Yankees, dropping game 1 of the series on a Jim Johnson blown save. The BS marked his third straight after 35 consecutive converted. They recovered, however, behind solid outings from both Miguel Gonzalez and Jason Hammel, taking the next two games and heading north on a high note. The biggest news for this series is the first start for Kevin Gausman, the Orioles first round pick in last year's draft. 23 May, 7:07pm: Kevin Gausman @ Brandon Morrow Career Numbers Gausman vs. Jays Morrow vs. O's IP - 66.2 ERA - 4.05 FIP - 4.16 Slash Line (Past Teams) - .216/.295/.376 Slash Line (Current Players) - .248/.333/.481 Merry Gausmas! Obviously, this is the most heavily anticipated game of this series, so hopefully Gausman won't disappoint. There were some concerns that his third pitch, a slider, wasn't MLB-ready yet, so that's something to watch. Brandon Morrow is a guy I've always irrationally liked, maybe because he's always been a decent pitcher. He's had a rough go this season, posting his highest FIP since 2009, but so have most Blue Jays. Considering the past teams slash line, his ERA/FIP would seem a little high. Current players have had better success. Maybe hot: Adam Jones (12-33, 3 HR, 1.166 OPS), J.J. Hardy (.944 OPS, 18 PA) Maybe not: Matt Wieters (2-24, .569 OPS) 24 May, 7:07pm: Chris Tillman @ Sean Nolin Career Numbers Tillman vs. Jays Nolin vs. O's IP 37.0 - ERA 3.89 - FIP 5.84 - Slash Line (Past Teams) .214/.288/.420 - Slash Line (Current Players) .267/.333/.413 - Not to be outdone by the O's, the Blue Jays are expected to start their own AA phenom, Sean Nolin, in this game. He's pitched extremely well in his first two starts, winning them both and recording a 1.17/2.29 ERA/FIP. He's a lefty, meaning he'll probably pitch a one-hitter through about 7-8 innings. I'm not sure how hard he throws, but that could be the difference between a 1-hitter and a 4-hitter. Chris Tillman will make his 7th start against the Blue Jays. His FIP is very high, likely due to the fact he allows lots of homers and his K/BB ratio is low. The majority of his starts against the Blue Jays have come at Rogers Center, where he has allowed 7 HRs in 4 games. Stud: Jose Bautista (1.317 OPS, 15 PA) Dud: Adam Lind (.544 OPS, 5 K, 17 PA) 25 May, 1:07pm: Freddy Garcia @ R.A. Dickey Career Numbers Garcia vs. Jays Dickey vs. O's IP 104.2 39.1 ERA 5.86 3.43 FIP 11.34 2.88 Slash Line (Past Teams) .294/.367/.515 .222/.278/.299 Slash Line (Current Players) .254/.385/.549 .183/.269/.233 I actually feel a bit bad for Garcia on that last start. It looked like he was just tossing meatballs in the first few innings, but he came around and finished strong through 6 innings. He was pulled well below 100 pitches, but given his track record, that was probably a smart play. The O's, however, ended up losing the game. Now Garcia will make his next start against a team that he has not had any type of success against....all of this in a park where he has also had limited success. In his career, he's allowed a .908 OPS at Rogers Center. Side note: small sample size and all, but J.P. Arencibia is 4-5 against Garcia - all extra base hits. The Orioles will face knuckler R.A. Dickey for the second time as a member of the Blue Jays. Very, very small sample, but Dickey has been darn near perfect against current Oriole batters (only Chris Davis has more than 10 PA). Dickey hasn't been all that great so far this year, however, so maybe the O's will figure out the knuckleball (like Manny Machado did, going 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI in his first meeting). Stud: Choose one - Adam Lind (1.975 OPS, 10 PA) or Jose Bautista (1.600 OPS, 15 PA) Dud:

by Ray Kuhn Fantasy baseball success is all about maximizing value and timing. You want to grab players at the right point on their trajectory upward and then part ways when they begin to trend downward. Of course that is easier said than done. Every other owner in your league is also trying to do the same exact thing with a lot of the same players, making it that much more difficult. All that means is that you have to look that much harder to find value. In some cases it means keeping your eyes out for rising prospects and grabbing them perhaps a week or two on the early side. Then when you find success with your “flash in the pan” additions, making sure that you don’t get too greedy and try letting them over stay their welcome in your lineup. With that in mind, here are 3 players whose stock I think is rising this week and 3 whose stock I think is falling. 3 Rising: Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Houston Astros. If Singleton was not suspended for 50 games to start the season, he may have already reached the major leagues. The slugging first base prospect hit 21 home runs last season with a .284 average and 79 RBI at Double-A. He looked primed to land in Houston early in 2013, but the suspension (which is ending next week) set back his time table. For fantasy owners, the bright side to this is that the suspension caused Singleton to be lost the shuffle of top prospects poised to make an impact early in 2013. The Astros are obviously a team in flux and the point of this season is to get their prospects some playing time and experience. It seems that Singleton will be moving through the system quickly and he will be motivated to make up for lost time. It might be a few weeks, at a minimum, until you see some value from Singleton, but if you have the bench space he is certainly worth the addition. Kevin Gausman, SP, Baltimore Orioles. Ok, it is time. Gausman is here and I don’t think he will be going away anytime soon. The Orioles have had issues with their starting rotation that are both health and performance related. Gausman was the fourth overall pick just last season and he has done nothing but live up to his high expectations since. Now it is time to see how that talent will translate to the major leagues. He throws in the high 90s, but even more importantly he has only walked one batter per nine innings so far this season. That will be a better predictor of his future success than his velocity, and that is why the Orioles were comfortable calling him up. For the season Gausman has a 3.11 ERA while striking out 49 batters in 46.1 innings. He finished out his Double-A career (well at least for now) with a six inning outing that saw him strikeout 10 batters while allowing only one run on one walk and four hits. That outing likely had a lot to do with why the Orioles recalled him, and I don’t think they would have done so if they didn’t plan on keeping him in the rotation. Don’t wait for his first start to grab him. Jake Odorizzi, SP, Tampa Bay Rays. What a surprise, the Rays have a pretty good pitching prospect. Odorizzi came over this winter in the James Shields trade and made his debut with the Rays earlier this week. In five innings against the Blue Jays he struck out six batters while allowing three runs with five hits and one walk. Even better for his long term prospects is that his last three innings were scoreless after he settled down from a rough first start. Tampa has a need in the rotation even after David Price returns, so I would expect Odorizzi to stick. Even better for his short term prospects, manager Joe Maddon pushed Odorizzi back to Monday where he will face the Marlins as part of a two start week. Prior to being recalled, Odorizzi was having success at Triple-A with a 3.83 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 44.2 innings and a 4-0 record. It is looking like Odorizzi is next in a line of Tampa pitching prospects. 3 Down: James Loney, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays. Did anyone really think Loney was going to keep it up? It seems th

Tides Notes The Norfolk Tides are currently 31-15 and sit atop the South Division in the International League. Despite their reputation as a dumping ground for quad A filler, they are tied for fourth in the league for youngest average age (26.7) amongst position players (which is actually a hair below the average age of 26.9), though their pitching staff is nearly the oldest with an average age of 28.5. Who's Hot Russ Canzler (4C/DH): Even after cooling off a bit from the torrid pace he set in the opening days of the season, Canzler continues to bring the thunder. He leads the team in walks with 29 (in 197 PA) and brings a very solid slash line of .277/.386/.458 to the table. He also leads the team in strikeouts. L.J. Hoes (OF): Little Jerome continues to do his thing, which seems to be hitting doubles, taking walks and biding his time. While he didn't exactly have a poor April, Hoes has been hitting like it's his job in May (...wait a second) to the tune of .338/.449/.446. On the current roster, only Jonathan Schoop is younger than the 23 year old St. John's College High School grad. Hoes is one of the youngest on the advanced metrics leaderboard for the International League coming in with a .377 wOBA and 130 wRC+. Travis Ishikawa (1B/DH): Long known as an all glove, no hit type, Ishikawa has found the International League much to his liking. Ishikawa has SLG'd .842 in his last 10 games. I happened to witness his two home run performance (his second of the season, mind you) against Lehigh Valley last week and let me tell you: opposing pitchers are not getting cheated. He is crushing the ball. Trayvon Robinson (OF): While he may never take the place of Robert Andino in our hearts, he may yet be a useful piece in a stretch run. Though it seems (to me, anyways) like Robinson has been around forever, he's still only 25. The switch hitting outfielder can do a bit of everything: take a walk, swipe a bag and mash the occasional tater. Robinson had a rough April, but has slashed a damn fine .286/.412/.464 in May. He has not been charged with an error in 55 outfield chances. Who's Not Zach Britton (LHP): Get it together, man. Though, he has not allowed a home run in seven starts, Britton has walked 17 batters and struck out 20. Tsuyoshi Wada (LHP): It's only two starts. It's only two starts. Dr. K, indeed! Chris Jones (LHP): Who? Ah, yes...that nice fellow the Braves sent North in return for Luis Ayala. In his favor, Jones is a carbon-based life form that throws with his left hand. The flip side to that is that thus far the results seem to be wanting. In 13.2 innings at Norfolk, Jones has allowed 16 hits and 8 walks for an astonishing 1.76 WHIP. On the bright side, he hasn't allowed a home run and he's struck out 10. Watch List Mike Belfiore (LHP/RP): The former starter and Boston College alum is a work in progress in his second full year as a reliever taking his first crack at AAA. Belfiore has very similar peripherals against lefties and righties, except for the small fact that all of the home runs he has allowed have come from the left side. As if to demonstrate that he is unquestionably a reliever, Belfiore has only allowed runs in outings where he has been pushed beyond one inning of work (though he does have three extended shutout appearances, as well). Jonathan Schoop (2B/SS): Despite the discouraging news about Schoop's back, I want to leave this here because some folks had been sort of down on Schoop before he hit the DL. The 21 year old Curacao native had really come on strong in May (.348/.362/.500) after a slow start to the season. Could he take a few more walks? Absolutely, but the power, thankfully, seems to be there. Schoop had played exactly 17 games on the road (.304/.351/.478) and 17 games at home (.224/.308/.276) at the time of his injury and looks like he really gets eaten alive at Harbor Park. I have great hope for Jonathan Schoop! Worth a mention... Jake Pettit (LHP): A lefty that induces a fair

However, this isn't the first time the two brothers have played together. The first time officially playing together was when the two were attending high school at Weathford High in Texas. Zach was summoned up to Varsity during the playoffs although he didn't pitch or play. It was all worth it to see Buck hit a walk-off home run. After Zach departed Weathford High, he was drafted by the Orioles in 2006 and signed right out of high school although he had an offer to attend Texas A&M. Buck spoke highly of his baby brother's draft day, "We were all sitting around the computer kind of waiting to hear. He had a chance to go kind of high. We didn't know what to expect. He was the first one in our family and it was pretty cool." Buck followed suit when he was drafted in 2008 by Baltimore, joining his brother. Zach talked about his brother's draft day, "It was a surprise. I knew he was going to get drafted. He had a good senior year in college at the time. Joe Jordan told me that if your brother is available, I'm probably going to snag him. He had an idea that it could happen." Credit: Elina Ellis/Norfolk Tides The brothers often look to one another for advice. Zach told a story about when he was recovering from an injury where he picked up some bad habits. Buck told Zach, "Hey, that's not how you were before. He's so close to you in the off-season and in-season he can kind of give you more advice because he sees you all the time." Buck relayed a similar message, "All the time I don't know a whole lot about the pitching side of it, but I'll be there trying to give him confidence and trying to give him some encouragement and he does the same thing for me. It's more like holding each other accountable to make sure we're playing well." Zach also had this to say about Buck, "He was kind of always the smallest one and everyone overlooked him. He's gotten this far and one day you'll see him in the big leagues and I think it's going to be great with how hard he has worked to get to this point." Minus the pro ball status of the brothers, they also spend some of their down time playing video games and going out to eat. When they decide to duke it out on the sticks, they play NHL, NFL, and a little bit of baseball. Zach was quick to mention, "he beats me in just about anything" on their video gaming adventures. Growing up you often witness your sibling doing something unspeakable. Buck gave an inside scoop about his brother growing up calling Zach "a spaz." The older Britton also recalled when Zach ran into a light standard during practice and broke his collarbone, "He was kinda out of control." Baseball seems to run in the Britton brothers' blood. The two Baltimore prospects have an older sibling Clay who played right field and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers twice--once in 2003 and again in 2004. The oldest Britton decided not to sign and is now a police officer. While attending college, Buck majored in criminal justice. He chimed in about his major saying, "Going into college I had to pick something and law enforcement interests me. I don't know if it was growing up watching the James Bond movies, but doing that stuff has always intrigued me." When asked if he is considering a career in law enforcement after his baseball career ends, Buck said, "This is going to end at some point. Hopefully, I can spend some time in the big leagues. Until I was drafted law enforcement was the direction I was going." Buck speaks highly of his brother's playing style, "He has a power sinker being left-handed that's rare. When he's good, he has a chance to be really good. He has to fix some things, but when you have a power sinker like that you can be pretty special." Both the brothers were thrown a curve ball when asked if they could describe their brother in one word. Zach threw out energetic and gave his reasoning, "On the field he is a hard worker and is always going after everything. He plays as hard as he can and in the