Baltimore Orioles: Keeping it in the family and letting one go

The Baltimore Orioles have been busy now that Spring Training has officially started.

Not only have the Baltimore Orioles added two starting pitchers, but they’ve also been busy filling up the minor leagues with a pair of brothers.

And, they’ve even DFA’d a player from the 40-man roster.

Who’s out?

To make room for Chris Tillman the team has let outfielder Jaycob Brugman go. The Orioles signed Brugman in November in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. To complete the deal, the Orioles eventually sent Jake Bray to Oakland. Bray is a 25-year-old pitcher who hasn’t yet made it out of Single-A ball.

The Orioles signed Brugman because he hits from the left and is an outfielder. He hit .266/.346/.343 in 249 at-bats with the A’s in 2017. You can read more about this former O’s outfielder here.

Who’s in?

In many situations, minor league signings tend to go unnoticed. Unless a team signs a recognizable name or a little bit of nepotism occurs. Yes, the O’s recently signed a pair of outfielders with significant MLB experience to minor league contracts. Colby Rasmus and Alex Presley are recognizable names that now have minor-league contracts in the Orioles system. But, the O’s didn’t stop there.

Who’s related?

More from Orioles Prospects

• Baltimore Orioles: Could Grayson Rodriguez Start on Opening Day?
• Orioles Fans, We Want To Hear Your Offseason Trade Ideas
• Orioles Add Five to 40-Man Roster as Rule 5 Protection
• Baltimore Orioles Prospect Heston Kjerstad named AFL MVP
• Orioles Offseason News, Rumors, 2023 Payroll, and More

The O’s signed a pair of little brothers. One is related to Jonathan Schoop. The other to Caleb Joseph. According to Eduardo A. Encina with The Baltimore Sun, the O’s added Sharlon Schoop and Corban Joseph to their minor league system. The pair will begin practicing in Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota. If you live in the area and enjoy watching live baseball, that park is home to free professional games during the season between February and October. Learn more here.

Sharlon Schoop has actually played in the minor league system for 12 years. Three of those years have been with the Orioles on the Double-A and Triple-A teams. Schoop plays all over the infield, with the majority of his time at second and shortstop. In his 12 seasons in the minor leagues, he has a slash of .245/.312/.342.

Corban Joseph is new to the Orioles organization. He has two MLB games under his belt when he joined the New York Yankees in 2013. Otherwise, his 10 years in professional baseball has been spent in the minors. He spent the majority of his career in the Yankees farm system. But he has also played for the Orioles and most recently the Washington Nationals minor league teams. Like Sharlon Schoop, he is an infielder, but he usually mans second base. Joseph’s career slash is .281/.354/.416.

Next: The O's need to win now

These two are firmly entrenched in the minor league system, so don’t expect Jonathan to be giving up his position anytime soon. It is also safe to say that Caleb will not be making bang-bang throw-em-out plays with this brother, too.