Sports
New O’s, Who Dis?
Meet the fresh faces of the 2019 Orioles organization.
Mike Elias
General Manager
Via: Houston Astros Good to know: Elias grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, going to Orioles games as a young boy. Buzzword: Scouting Quote giving us hope: “In its history and its DNA, this organization was once considered the smartest, most forward- thinking, most progres- sive team in baseball. The fact that that was the case here before means it’s possible for that to be the case here again.”
Brandon Hyde
Manager
Via: Chicago Cubs Good to know: Hyde was a base coach for the 2016 World Series champion Cubs. You can Google plenty of photos of him celebrating during Game 7. Buzzword: Collaboration Quote giving us hope: “Brooks Robinson’s sitting here. I’m in my new office, and there’s pictures of Earl Weaver and Cal Ripken Sr. To be around history and be involved in a city like Baltimore is a dream come true.”
Sig Mejdal
Assistant General Manager
Via: Houston Astros Good to know: A former NASA engineer who studied the sleep patterns of astronauts, Mejdal also worked as the chief quantitative analyst for a fantasy baseball team. Buzzword: Analytics Quote giving us hope: “What you see as an exceptional slider, or a wonderful fastball, can be quantified. Instead of say- ing, ‘He just has good stuff,’ we’re able to describe [it] to three decimal points.”
Koby Perez
Director of International Scouting
Via: Cleveland Indians Good to know: Perez spent more than a decade scouring the Caribbean for players. (The Orioles did not sign any of last year’s top 30 international prospects.) Buzzword: Talent Quote giving us hope: “Mike [Elias] has made me aware that he’s there for us in this department to show face in the Dominican Republic and make trips down there as necessary.”
John Vidalin
COO
Via: Miami Heat Good to know: He’s got kindness in spades. Not only was he born and raised in Alberta, Canada, but he previously served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club and YMCA. Buzzword: Fan-first Quote giving us hope: “The Orioles annually rank at the very top of our industry in delivering customer experi- ence and family memories to their fans. I am eager to . . . continue and expand upon that fan-first vision.”
Tim Cossins
Catching Instructor
Via: Chicago Cubs Good to know: Cossins’ 19-year- old son, Aiden, served as a volunteer firefighter during the October 2017 Northern California wild- fires. Buzzword: Mentor Quote giving us hope: “I’ve seen a lot of video,” Cossins told reporters at FanFest. “This group of catchers, I’ve been doing it long enough to know that they’re going to work. I dig what I’m seeing a lot.”
Branden Kline
Pitcher
Via: Bowie Baysox Good to know: Though Kline spent the last three seasons deal- ing with an elbow injury, his velocity on the mound is right back where it started. Buzzword: Changeup Quote giving us hope: “So, it took about halfway through the season last year for me to get that feeling back, and then from there, it was like, ‘OK, now it’s time to go have some fun. Let’s compete, and let’s improve.’”
DJ Stewart
Outfielder
Via: Bowie Baysox Good to know: Stewart was drafted out of high school by the Yankees but chose to play college baseball at Florida State University. We like him already! Buzzwords: Power Quote giving us hope: “We’re going out there to win. You never want to lose, so we’re not going to have that in our head. We want to win, every single game.”
Cedric Mullins
Outfielder
Via: Baltimore Orioles Good to know: While Mullins is technically not new new, this is his first full season with the O’s, and we are excited to see what he’ll do consider- ing he started out with a record-breaking debut. Buzzword: Speed Quote giving us hope: “I’m very optimistic. We’re going to be a very scrappy team, a team that’s able to produce runs and put some wins on the board.”
Sara Perlman
Broadcaster
Via: MASN Good to know: Perlman has covered base- ball, soccer, football, and even cage fighting. This year, she’ll take on a new role as a sideline reporter. Buzzword: Accessible Quote giving us hope: “You’re talking about starting from the ground up, and that started with Mike Elias from the Astros, an analytics-heavy organization. This is a full tear down and rebuild, which is how you’ve got to do it.”