The Wandering Disciple

Orioles minor league pitcher Stefan Crichton brings the heat during a summer Gulf Coast League game at Ed Smith Stadium in 2017. Crichton is currently a reliever for the Arizona Diamonbacks. He was drafted by the Orioles in 2013 draft from TCU. He spent a few years in the Orioles farm system before making his major league debut on April 17, 2017 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles eventually traded Crichton to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 where he remains today. (Photo: July 17, 2017)

Orioles minor leaguer Bryndan Arredondo gets hit by a pitch during an afternoon Gulf Coast League game in 2017. There is a saying in youth baseball "Hit or be hit", well at this level of professional baseball I wouldn't want to be hit by a fastball or any pitch for that matter. The Gulf Coast League is an entry level league in professional baseball with teams consisting of newly drafted players and international signees playing their first season in the states. The batter here Arredondo was the Orioles 23rd round draft pick in the 2017 draft, playing in just his second professional game. (Photo: June 29, 2017)

Sarasota, Florida: The home team came out swinging as the GCL Orioles defeated the GCL Rays 9-0 on Friday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles broke the scoreless tie in the third inning. A two run double by Carlos Baez gave them a 2-0 lead. The Orioles extended their lead an inning later with a five run fourth inning. Two runs came on an RBI single by Robbie Thorburn and three more came via a double by Willy Yahn to extend the lead to 7-0. The Orioles picked up another pair of runs in the sixth inning. An RBI single by JC Escarra and an RBI single by Yahn gave the Orioles the 9-0 win. Click on the photo above to view my Orioles/Rays photo gallery .

Sarasota, Florida: The Gulf Coast League season kicked off this week and the Orioles and Twin met for a four game series to start the campaign. Thursday afternoon's game was played at Ed Smith Stadium and those in attendance were treated to a pitcher duel that saw the Twins pick up a 1-0 win. The only run of the afternoon game in the top of the first inning. Akil Baddoo doubled to left and later scored on a ground ball by Alex Robles to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. From that point on, pitching and defense highlighted the afternoon. Pedro Garcia tossed 6 2/3 shut-out innings to pick up the win. Vadim Balan closed out the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings to secure the win for the Twins. Click on the photo above to view my Orioles/Twins photo gallery .

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Rays offense came to life on Friday afternoon as they defeated the GCL Orioles 16-5 at Ed Smith Stadium. The Rays used four four-run innings to cruise to victory. The Rays took the lead in the second inning. An RBI double by Kevin Santiago, a sac fly by Alexander Alvarez and a two-run homer by Jose Tonton gave the Rays a 4-0 lead. The Orioles answered by scoring three runs in the bottom of the second. An RBI double by Garrett Copeland, a sac fly by Branden Becker and an RBI double by Jean Carillo made it 4-3. But the Rays extended their lead by scoring four more runs in the third. An RBI double by Jonathon Arrrowood, a two run double by Juan Carlos Arias and an RBI single by Santiago increased the lead to 8-3. The Rays continued to push across more runs with back to back four run frames in the fifth and sixth. In the fifth it was three run triple by Tonton and an RBI single by Vidal Brujan to make it 12-3. Then in the sixth it was a solo home...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles continue to struggle against the divison leading GCL Red Sox as they lost their third straight game against the Red Sox by the score of 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Despite an early lead and outhitting their opponent, the Orioles bullpen collapsed in the late innings to suffer the loss. The Orioles looked to have the upper hand as they jumped out to an early four run lead in the opening frame. An RBI single by Carlos Diaz followed by a two run homer by Seamus Curran and a solo shot by Ronald Soto put the O’s in front 4-0. The Red Sox score their first run of the afternoon in the third inning. Lorenzo Cedrola was hit by a pitch and later scored on a sac fly by Stanley Espinal to make it 4-1. The Red Sox cut the lead in half by scoring in the fifth inning. Chad Hardy opened the frame with a single to left. Hardy stole second and later scored on a ground ball by Rafael Oliveras to make it 4-2. But the Red Sox showed why...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles and GCL Red Sox opened up the month of August with a four game series with game one in Sarasota on Monday afternoon. The Orioles jumped out to an early lead but it wasn’t enough as the Red Sox picked up the win 9-2. The Orioles grabbed the lead in the first inning. Jake Ring led off the bottom of the first with a walk. Ring stole second and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox tied the game in the third inning when Chad Hardy connected for his first professional home run to tie the game 1-1. The Red Sox manufactured a run in the fourth to take the lead. Stanley Espinal was hit by a pitch deep in the count to lead off the frame. He moved into scoring position following a single by Imeldo Diaz. A sac bunt move both runners closer to home. Espinal would then score on a sac fly by Yomar Valentin to put the Red Sox in front 2-1. The Red Sox would put up three runs in the sixth and four more in the seve...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles hosted the GCL Twins for some Monday afternoon baseball under sunny skies as Ed Smith Stadium. The 2016 season just got underway on Friday and has already featured some amazing baseball as the young minor leaguers make their first step in their journey to the show. The Orioles jumped out to an early lead by scoring in the second inning. Seamus Curran led off the inning with an infield single. He later scored on an RBI single by Irving Ortega to make it 1-0. The Orioles added three more runs in the seventh inning. Gui Yuan Xu drove home a run and Daniel Franco knocked home two more to make it 4-0. The Orioles pitching staff combined for 9 innings of scoreless ball while compiling 15 strikeouts to win the game and improve to 3-0 on the season. Click the photo above to view my Orioles/Twins photo gallery or enjoy the slideshow below.  

Sarasota, Florida: As the 2015 season winds down, the GCL Orioles hosted the league leading GCL Red Sox for an afternoon game at Ed Smith Stadium. The Red Sox took the lead in the first inning. Andy Perez delivered an RBI single to score Jerry Downs and give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox added to their lead in the fourth. Yoan Aybar scored on an error to increase the lead to 2-0. But with the stellar pitching from the Red Sox, those two runs were all that was needed as the Red Sox shut-out the Orioles 2-0. Click on the photo above to view my Orioles/Red Sox photo gallery .

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles overcame an early deficit to defeat the GCL Twins 5-3 in Gulf Coast League action at Ed Smith Stadium. The Twins took the lead in the first inning on a two run single by Blake Schmit to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. The Orioles cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first. An RBI single by Jason Heinrich scored Kirvin Mosequit to make it 2-1. The Orioles tied the game in the fourth on a solo homer by Gerrion Grim. The Orioles took the lead in the fifth as Frank Crinella scored on a wild pitch to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. The Orioles added a run to their lead an inning later. Carlos Diaz doubled home Stuart Levy to make it 4-2. The Twins inched closer by scoring in the seventh. A sac fly by Ariel Montesino scored Roberto Gonzalez to pull within a run of the lead. But the Orioles picked up an insurance run in the eighth as Heinrich scored on wild pitch to give the Orioles the 5-3 margin of victory. David Richardson was the winni...

Sarasota, Florida: After exchanging the lead several times in a closely contested see-saw battle, it was the GCL Rays who would hold on for a 4-3 win in Friday’s afternoon contest at Ed Smith Stadium. The Rays capitalized on a pair of errors to take an early lead in the first inning. Joseph Astacio reached on a fielding error to give the Rays their first baserunner of the afternoon. He later scored on another fielding error to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Kirvin Moesquit singled to right with two outs to get the rally started. He stole second and advanced to third on the throwdown. Ryan Mountcastle drove him home with an RBI single to tie the game. The game didn’t stayed tied long as the Rays struck for a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to regain the lead. Gilbert Marrero drew a walk to open up the frame. He moved into scoring position following a double by Ryan Caldwell. Then both baserunners would score on...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Twins and GCL Orioles dueled for twelve innings before the visiting Twins squeezed out a 2-1 win over the Orioles. The Twins broke the scoreless tie by scoring in the second inning. Robert Molina delivered a line drive single to center to give the Twins a baserunner with two outs. Molina later scored on an error to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. The Orioles tied the game in the fifth inning. Carlos Diaz led off the inning with a single to right. He moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Diaz then advanced to third following a single by Stuart Levy. Gerrion Grim would drive home Diaz with a line drive to center to tie the game. The game would stay tied until the top of the twelfth inning. Kolton Kendrick drew a two-out walk to put the go-ahead run on the bases. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then was removed from the game and replaced with Jorge Andrade as a pinch runner. After an intentional walk put Molina on the bases, a series...

Sarasota Florida: The GCL Orioles squeezed by the division leading GCL Red Sox by the score of 1-0 at Ed Smith Stadium. The lone run of the game came in the second inning. Orioles top draft pick Ryan Mountcastle drove home Alejandro Juvier with an RBI single to center to give them a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox threatened several times during the game, putting runners in scoring position several times, but the Orioles kept them of the board as they won 1-0. Click on the photo to view photos from the Orioles/Red Sox game .

GCL Orioles coach Sammie Starr congratulates Ryan Mountcastle as he rounds third after crushing a home run during a Gulf Coast League game at Ed Smith Stadium. (Photo: July 24, 2015)

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Rays and GCL Orioles squared off on a soggy Friday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Both teams battled back and forth before the game was suspended in the sixth inning due to weather. The Rays jumped out to an early lead by scoring in the first inning. Joseph Atacio singled to left to get things started. He later scored on an RBI single by Rafelin Lorenzo to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. The Orioles bounced back to take the lead in the second inning. A two run single by Jaylen Ferguson scored Branden Becker and Seamus Curran to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. The Orioles increased their lead in the third inning. Ryan Mountcastle went deep to left to lead off the inning, his second homer of the season which gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead. The Rays tied the game in the top of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, the Rays got two base runners following Jaime Ayende getting hit by a pitch and Oscar Rojas drawing a walk. What appeared to be an inning endi...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles held back a late game comeback by the first place GCL Red Sox, defeating the Sox 7-5 at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth. An RBI single by Ryan McKenna and a two run double by Ryan Mountcastle gave the O’s a 3-0 lead. The Orioles added a run in the fifth. Frank Crinella reached on an infield single. He moved to third following a passed ball and a wild pitch. Crinella later scored on a double play to make it 4-0.  The Red Sox got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a solo home run by Chris Madera, his first professional homer. The Orioles distanced themselves following a three run sixth. An RBI single by Mountcastle, picked up the first run of the inning. The second came on a steal of home by Mountcastle. The third and final run of the frame came on a grounder by Chris Shaw to increase the lead to 7-1. The Red Sox made thing interesting in the eighth, striking for four runs. A fielde...

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Orioles hosted the GCL Twins on the big field at Ed Smith Stadium on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The home team rallied late to take a 6-3 win. The Twins jumped out to an early lead during a long second inning. A single to right by Robert Molina combined with a fielding error scored two runs to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. The Orioles battled back to tie the game in the bottom of the third. A two run double by Gerrion Grim tied the game at two all. The Orioles took their first lead of the afternoon in the seventh. Frank Crinella opened the inning with a triple to center. Then Carlos Diaz cleared the bases with a homer to right to give the Orioles a 4-2 lead. The Twins got a run back in the eighth inning. Roberto Gonzalez scored on a ground ball by Jorge Andrade to pull within a run of the lead. The Orioles added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Three straight singles loaded the bases from Crinella who double home two runs ...

Port Charlotte, Florida: After overcoming an early three run deficit, the GCL Rays surrendered a run in the late innings to lose to the GCL Orioles 4-3 on Saturday at Charlotte Sports Park. The Orioles took advantage of the rehabbing Roberto Gomez by going deep for a two run homer. Daniel Franco reached on an error to lead off the game. But he wouldn’t remained their long as Ademar Rifaela took the first offering from Gomez over the right field wall to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. The Orioles added to their lead in the third inning. Guillermo Salas doubled to right and then scored on a single by TJ Olesczuk to make it 3-0. But the Rays answered the call in the fourth inning. The rally started by loading the bases. A walk to Cade Gotta followed by back to back singles by Isias Alcantar and David Rodriguez loaded the bases with no outs. A single by Bill Pujols aided by a fielding error scored Gotta and Alcantar. The tying run later came on an RBI single by Jamie Mitchell to score...

Tampa Bay Ray's minor leaguer Thomas Milone runs out a ground ball in a Gulf Coast League game between the Gulf Coast Rays and the Gulf Coast Orioles.  The Gulf Coast League is Rookie level minor league baseball that is played at spring training sites throughout Florida during June through August.  The rosters are comprised of entry level minor league players in the first couple years of their professional career. (Photo: July 5, 2013)

Sarasota, Florida: With the 2013 season nearing completion, the GCL Rays made their final trip of the season to Ed Smith Stadium for their a game against the GCL Orioles. After a hard fought contest under the Floridian sun, the Rays left town with a 5-1 win. The Rays took an early lead in the first inning. Riley Unroe scored on a sac fly by Alexander Simon to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. The Rays added to their lead in the third inning. Simon drove home Kean Wong on an RBI triple. Simon then scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 3-0. The Orioles picked up their lone run of the afternoon in the bottom of the seventh inning. Andrickson Zorillo drove home Randolph Gassaway to bring the score to 3-1. The Rays pushed across a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Simon and another in the ninth on wild pitch to give the Rays a 5-1 win.  Freddy Alvarez picked up the win for the Rays and Ruben Paredes the save. Ron Schreurs was the losing pitcher for the Orioles. ...