The Philadelphia Phillies are banking on young Scott Kingery.A prized prospect who has never played in the majors, Kingery reached a six-year deal with the Phillies on Sunday that takes him through the 2023 season.The contract includes three team options running through 2026. Multiple media reports said Kingery was guaranteed more than $23 million.The 23-year-old Kingery is batting .392 in 20 spring training games and is tied for the Grapefruit League lead with 20 hits.Kingery hit a combined .304 with 26 home runs and 29 steals as a second baseman for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Double-A Reading last year. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 draft from the University of Arizona.Kingery is regarded as the best second-base prospect in baseball. The Phillies currently have Cesar Hernandez as their starting second baseman, so Kingery has also seen time at third base this spring and worked in the outfield.Coming off a 66-96 record and last-place finish in the NL East, the Phillies have been... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — This spring training has been a glorious one for Manny Machado. The new Baltimore Orioles shortstop has made a seamless transition from third base to his new position and is hitting .373 with three home runs and 16 RBIs."I go out there and I play," Machado said. "It's my natural position. I've always been able to do it. It's just a matter of getting the repetitions. Every day that goes by, I feel better and better. I'm just looking forward to this year. It's going to be special, and I'm going to do a lot of special things over there."Machado is a pending free agent, and is likely to be one of the most attractive ones available next offseason. He's had fun playing with second baseman Jonathan Schoop, and is trying to appreciate this year because he knows what may lie ahead."Me and Jon go way back. We're just excited to be right back up the middle and playing together," Machado said. "This could be possibly the last year that we are, and it just takes us back to the... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Eight days before opening day, Jake Arrieta made his first appearance for the Philadelphia Phillies."I had a ton of nervous energy," Arrieta said Thursday after allowing two runs that included Miguel Cabrera's solo homer during a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.Arrieta struck out two and walked none, throwing 31 pitches over two innings. He gave up three hits."Very anxious to get out there," the 32-year-old right-hander said. "I was in here at 8, and I couldn't stop moving. But now that's over, I can kind of take a deep breath and remember what it feels like to be in a game situation. Umpires, crowd, and it felt great."Arrieta and the Phillies finalized a $75 million, three-year contract on March 12, a deal that could be worth up to $135 million over five seasons.Detroit starter Matthew Boyd and Philadelphia relievers Parker Frazier and Pedro Beato were ejected along with Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler and bench coach Rob Thomson as three batters were hit by pitches.ELSEWHERE... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Caleb Joseph has gone from being a punchline in 2016 to being the Baltimore Orioles No. 1 catcher — at least for now.Joseph went through the entire season in 2016 — during which he had 132 at-bats — without a single RBI.He rebounded last season, driving in 28 runs, and has swung a hot bat this spring.Entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota, Joseph was batting a cool .444 (8-for-18) with a home run and 5 RBIs, and at least for now, Joseph is the Orioles' starting catcher."It's spring training. That sums it up," Joseph said. "There's been springs when you didn't get any hits. There's been springs where you've gotten a ton of hits. I wish it mattered."The 31-year-old catcher endured years of minor league ball — including five seasons at Double-A Bowie, where he set an unwanted franchise record for most games played.Joseph finally made it to the big leagues in 2014, and after sitting behind Matt Wieters and Welington Castillo, he's inherited — or earned — Baltimore's catching... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Caleb Joseph has gone from being a punchline in 2016 to being the Baltimore Orioles No. 1 catcher — at least for now.Joseph went through the entire season in 2016 — during which he had 132 at-bats — without a single RBI.He rebounded last season, driving in 28 runs, and has swung a hot bat this spring.Entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota, Joseph was batting a cool .444 (8-for-18) with a home run and 5 RBIs, and at least for now, Joseph is the Orioles' starting catcher."It's spring training. That sums it up," Joseph said. "There's been springs when you didn't get any hits. There's been springs where you've gotten a ton of hits. I wish it mattered."The 31-year-old catcher endured years of minor league ball — including five seasons at Double-A Bowie, where he set an unwanted franchise record for most games played.Joseph finally made it to the big leagues in 2014, and after sitting behind Matt Wieters and Welington Castillo, he's inherited — or earned — Baltimore's catching... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time in the next few weeks when the Baltimore Orioles finally add a proven veteran to their stunningly thin starting rotation."There are some pitchers available, and I'm confident we'll be able to sign some between now and when we open (the regular season)," executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said recently.Until then, manager Buck Showalter can only hope to find some quality arms among a massive array of hurlers ready to show their stuff at spring training in Sarasota, Florida."We've got 35 pitchers coming to camp, more than any in the history of the Orioles," Showalter noted. "We're staying focused on the people who are here right now, trying to see if certain people can go to another level. We've got plenty of resources to do more than compete."That's the company line, although it's hard to perceive the Orioles as a contender in the AL East coming off a last-place finish and with a rotation that currently lists only Dylan Bundy... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Boston Red SoxManager: Alex Cora (first season).2017: 93-69, first place, lost to Houston in ALDS.Training Town: Fort Myers, Florida.Park: JetBlue Park.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: Manager Alex Cora.He's Outta Here: Manager John Farrell, RHP Doug Fister, INF Eduardo Nunez, OF Chris Young, RHP Addison Reed, OF Rajai Davis, LHP Henry Owens, LHP Fernando Abad, RHP Blaine Boyer.Going campin': The Red Sox won 93 games for the second straight season and claimed the franchise's first back-to-back AL East titles. But Farrell was fired after they failed to advance in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. They are virtually the same team as last year; boss Dave Dombrowski said he was looking for a bat with power and still might add one of the free agents remaining on the market, including... [More]

Sisco was promoted to Double-A Bowie on Friday, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports.

The Orioles love Sisco's bat, but the jury is still out on whether he can be a solid defensive catcher at the big league level. Still, all fantasy owners care about is Sisco qualifying at catcher, and he should be competent enough to do that, at least for a few years. Look for him to pick back up at Double-A in 2016, with the chance for a mid-season promotion to the big leagues.

Sisco is slashing .306/.383/.413 with three home runs and eight steals in 287 plate appearances with High-A Frederick.

Sisco may have the best hit tool among minor league catchers, but he doesn't have much power and it is tough to say whether he will be able to stick behind the plate. The hit tool should carry him to the majors in some capacity, but his fantasy value will hinge greatly on whether he makes enough strides defensively to stick at catcher.

Sisco his slashing .245/.302/.347 with one home run in 53 plate appearances with High-A Frederick.

It has been almost two weeks since Sisco was activated from the minor league DL after missing time with an oblique injury, and he has raised his batting average from .190 to .245 over that span. He should still be considered one of the best hitters in the Carolina League, and it would not be surprising to see him get on a tear at some point this summer and force a promotion to Double-A.

Sisco (oblique, finger) has started to swing a bat and hit off a tee, MASN Sports reports.

Sisco is not yet able to participate in extended spring training games. He should be about a couple of weeks away from returning to High-A, where he has played in just eight games this season.