The Orioles’ recent drafts played a significant role in their turnaround. A key figure in those selections is leaving the organization.

Brad Ciolek, Baltimore’s director of draft operations, is joining the Washington Nationals as their senior director of amateur scouting, a source with direct knowledge of the agreement confirmed. Ciolek has been with the Orioles for more than a decade and has overseen their past five drafts — each of those under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.

A rare holdover from the previous front office, Ciolek served as Baltimore’s interim scouting director for the 2019 draft, in which the Orioles had the No. 1 overall pick. They used it on catcher Adley Rutschman and took infielder Gunnar Henderson with their second-round selection. Those two players ranked first and second among Orioles in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement as the club won 101 games and the American League East this season.

The 2019 draft also produced major leaguers Kyle Stowers and Joey Ortiz, with fifth-round pick Darell Hernaiz traded to the Oakland Athletics to acquire left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin. Baltimore’s top two choices in 2020, No. 2 pick Heston Kjerstad and No. 30 pick Jordan Westburg, and 2021 No. 5 pick Colton Cowser all reached the majors in 2023; Ciolek spent those two drafts as Baltimore’s supervisor of domestic scouting operations.

Jackson Holliday, the first overall selection in 2022, ranks unanimously as baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect. That draft was Ciolek’s first in the directing role. Of the top 30 prospects in the Orioles’ top-ranked farm system, 20 were products of Ciolek’s drafts, based on Baseball America’s rankings.

After the initial turnover surrounding Elias’ November 2018 hiring, the Orioles have enjoyed relative consistency across the top of their baseball operations department. Assistant general manager of analytics Sig Mejdal and director of senior director of international scouting Koby Perez were among Elias’ first hires after he joined Baltimore. Ciolek, director of pro scouting Mike Snyder, director of minor league operations Kent Qualls and director of baseball systems Di Zou were already in the organization at that time. Director of player development Matt Blood and assistant general manager of baseball operations Eve Rosenbaum were brought in ahead of the 2020 season.

Brendan Fournie, hired as Baltimore’s director of baseball strategy in late 2021, is the only member of the baseball operations department with a director or assistant general manager title who was hired within the past three years. That could change if the Orioles make an external addition to replace Ciolek.

The Athletic first reported Ciolek was joining the Nationals. 106.7 The Fan first reported his position with Washington.

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Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde both expected to hold their end-of-season news conferences under different circumstances, but, as Elias noted, “sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.”

On the heels of the Orioles’ sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series, Baltimore’s general manager and skipper both spoke with the media Thursday morning to wrap up the 2023 season and look ahead to 2024.

Here are 10 takeaways from what they said.

Elias and Hyde are back for 2024 and ‘100% in’

Elias and Orioles Chairman and CEO John Angelos have both declined to answer specifics about how long the general manager or Hyde are signed for.

Elias once again declined to provide such details, noting he doesn’t believe it’s “beneficial” for the organization to do so. However, when asked specifically if he and Hyde would be returning for 2024, Elias laughed and said, “We’re back next season. I’ll give you that.”

“Me and Brandon, we are 100% in on this,” Elias said. “We are giving our hearts and souls and minds and quite a bit of experience to this, and I hope that lasts forever.”

The Orioles have many questions to answer this offseason — from the lease to arbitration-eligible players to free agents. But who is leading the front office and team aren’t among them.

Elias doesn’t want to talk about roster specifics

The season just ended for Elias, too, and he doesn’t know what the offseason looks like. And even if he does, he still wasn’t answering specific questions about the Orioles’ roster.

“I’m going to be kind of boring today with specific positional roster questions,” he said when asked if the Orioles need a front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. “This is very fresh. We just got off a plane. I’ll have probably a lot more to say later.”

Elias, entering his sixth offseason as the Orioles’ top executive, was still asked about whether the organization views Tyler Wells and DL Hall as starters or relievers, the club’s 16 arbitration-eligible players and other roster-related questions.

“I’m going to plead the fifth again and not talk about specifics with the roster or the offseason,” he said when asked about Wells and Hall.

The ALDS sweep was formative, but it was one small sample

Elias opened his news conference by putting the blame for the ALDS sweep on himself.

“Any shortcomings that anyone perceives with the 2023 campaign should be directed towards me,” he said.

But how will he evaluate the failure that was the three-game playoff series with the massive success that was his team’s 162-game regular season?

“I think that we want to overweight our failures when we go and self-reflect over the winter and try to push ourselves to get better,” he said. “That said, if we’re evaluating players or things like that, I don’t want to get caught up in what they did in a three-game sample. We’re going to weigh it heavily as an organization, but in terms of, like, finite events on the field, there’s much larger samples to draw from.”

Hyde was asked the same question about how he views the playoffs versus the regular season.

“In the world of analytics — there’s big samples and there’s small samples — they tend to long at the big sample,” Hyde said with a smile. “So, three games is kind of a small sample. It’s also a first experience for a lot of those guys and we’re going to evaluate everything going forward, we just got our teeth kicked in, so we’re still wearing it.”

Hyde is ‘still pissed’ about playoff loss

Like his players Tuesday, Hyde on Thursday was both sad at how the season ended but hopeful for the future. He twice said he was “still pissed” about how his club’s magical season ended.

“I’ll watch,” Hyde said when asked if he’ll watch the remainder of the MLB postseason. “I’m gonna watch a little differently this year, I’m gonna watch a little irritated, to be honest with you. Still irritated, still frustrated, still pissed.”

He was later asked about potentially being named the AL Manager of the Year in November, an award he will likely win after leading the Orioles to 101 wins after the club lost 110 two years ago. But Hyde isn’t concerned about November awards and wishes his team was still playing.

“That’s nice,” he said. “I’m still pissed, to be honest with you.”

Hyde, Elias discuss 5-day layoff

The way the MLB postseason has gone has led to plenty of discourse about whether the current format is fair for the sport’s best teams.

Of the four teams that received byes in the wild-card round, two were swept in the ALDS (Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers), one has its backs against the wall (Atlanta Braves) and one advanced to the AL Championship Series (Houston Astros). With the struggles of those teams, especially the 100-win Dodgers and 101-win Orioles, some have questioned whether the five-day layoff is too long and actually served as a disadvantage.

Elias called the discussion “interesting” but said he didn’t want to use that as an “excuse.”

“I do not believe that was the difference between us winning or getting swept in the ALDS the way we did,” he said. “I don’t have a big opinion about it.”

Added Hyde: “Well, I don’t think it helps. Let’s put it that way. … I don’t know what they’re going to do about that. I think it’s a long time.”

Jackson Holliday could make Orioles’ 2024 opening day roster

Underneath the Orioles’ 101-win season is the top-ranked farm system in the sport. Jackson Holliday, who Baseball America ranks as baseball’s top prospect, climbed from Low-A Delmarva to Triple-A Norfolk in his first full professional season at just 19 years old.

Next season, he’ll no longer be a teenager, and perhaps he’ll stop being a minor leaguer, too.

“He didn’t have a full season anywhere because he moved so fast, but he hasn’t been in Triple-A terribly long but he did pretty well,” Elias said. “I think when you’re 19 and then you’re 20, it’s one year, but that’s a lot of aging and physical development. I can’t wait to see what he looks like in spring training. Look forward to having him there, he’s going to have a chance to make the team.”

John Means’ elbow is OK

Starting pitcher John Means’ elbow, which flared up during his simulated game before the ALDS, is “in good shape,” Elias said, and the left-hander will be a “full-go” in spring training.

Whether Means started one of Baltimore’s games in Texas or came out of the bullpen, not having the veteran did take a reliable arm out of the Orioles’ pitching staff for the series.

“It’s unfortunate, but it happened and it didn’t allow us to have one of our starters go in the bullpen,” Hyde said.

Team uncertain on closer for 2024

Félix Bautista, who underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction on Monday, will soon begin his rehab at the team’s complex in Sarasota, Florida, Elias said. The right-hander is expected to miss the entire 2024 season and be ready for 2025 spring training.

The Orioles got by without him over the campaign’s final six weeks, but replacing him for an entire season won’t be easy.

“That is a massive hole,” Elias said. “We’re going to bring all of our brain power towards answering that question.”

Baltimore might be an attractive destination for free agents

Elias wouldn’t commit to a higher payroll for 2024, but he did say he hopes the Orioles’ success in 2023 leads to more free agents seeing Baltimore as a place to win.

“It’s something that’s really important for me to have a good environment for players,” he said. “We talk constantly about how best to do that. I think it showed this year. I think our clubhouse was wonderful, a lot of people to credit for that, but we want this to be a great place to play.”

The Orioles entered 2023 with a $60.9 million payroll that ranked 29th of 30 MLB teams, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Elias has yet to sign a free agent to a multiyear contract during his tenure.

“Everybody from last year was very interested because of the talent we have on our team and what we’re going to look like going forward,” Hyde said. “I think it’s going to be the same way this year, where people are going to see that they enjoy playing here, this is a fun team to be on and we’re going to win.”

The 2023 season was still a success

Despite their disappointment at how it ended, both Hyde and Elias acknowledged the Orioles’ unprecedented 101-win season was still worthy of praise.

“The way it ended was awful, it sucked, and we’re wearing that still, but it was a really successful season,” Hyde said. “Overcoming so many odds and obstacles that are against us and so many people thinking that we weren’t going to be playoff team and all of a sudden we win 101 games and win the American League East, that says a lot about a lot of people in the organization, a lot of guys in that clubhouse, so I’m really proud of that.

“Unfortunately in the postseason, we just didn’t play our best and ran into a little bit of a buzz saw, but I’m going to have great memories of this team.”

Elias has frequently spoken about the rich baseball tradition in Baltimore, and he hopes the team’s fans are proud of what the 2023 team accomplished.

“I hope that the city of Baltimore remembers this group for kind of reminding the world that this is Baltimore and we do baseball here,” he said.

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Four Chicago baseball players have been named finalists for the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove defensive awards. Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox is a finalist in center field, while the Cubs are represented by Nico Hoerner at second base, Dansby Swanson at shortstop and Ian Happ in left field.

Happ, the 2022 National League winner in left field, will defend his title against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ David Peralta and the Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Rosario. Happ played 154 games in left field for the Cubs this season and had a .989 fielding percentage.

Swanson is the defending NL Gold Glove winner at shortstop, playing last season for the Braves. In his first season with the Cubs, he had a .981 fielding percentage in 147 games at short. His 2.7 defensive wins above replacement in 2023 was fourth in the majors among all positions. Swanson is up against the New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor and the Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar.

Hoerner had a .988 fielding percentage in 135 games at second base for the Cubs this season. His competition for the Gold Glove is the San Diego Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryson Stott.

Robert is up for the AL Gold Glove in center field against the Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier. Robert, who won the center field Gold Glove in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, appeared in 143 games for the White Sox this season.

Anthony Rizzo, who won four Gold Gloves at first base for the Cubs, is a finalist this year with the New York Yankees. Zach McKinstry, traded in 2022 from the Cubs to the Detroit Tigers, got the nod in a utility role.

Former White Sox infielder Marcus Semien is a finalist at second base for the Texas Rangers.

Chicago native Alek Thomas, who attended Mount Carmel, is a finalist in center field for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Gold Glove finalists are determined by a combination of 75% voting among managers and coaches and 25% use of a proprietary metric known as the SABR Defensive Index (SDI).

The Gold Glove winners will be announced at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 on ESPN. Once the winners are announced, a combination of fan voting and SDI will determine the Platinum Glove winner from each league. Those winners will be revealed at the Gold Glove award ceremony on Nov. 10.

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Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Tennessee Titans defensive end Jeffery Simmons got into a fight following Baltimore’s win Sunday in London.

The incident, which took place as players were leaving the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, was sparked by Simmons diving at Zay Flowers’ legs as the rookie wide receiver was being tackled by two other Titans defenders following a second-quarter catch. That led to Beckham jogging over to the pile and confronting the two-time All-Pro before Simmons shoved Beckham to the ground, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Things were chippy throughout the game, according to Beckham.

“There was a lot of talk,” Beckham said after practice Wednesday in Owings Mills. “I seen he was chasing down the play, he’s tired, I watched him look at the play then look at Zay’s legs and try and dive on them.

“I just didn’t like that. I’m protective. This is my guy. This is my little bro. Love him to death. I’m always gonna have his back, period. If that leads me into trouble then it is what it is.”

The details of the fight were first revealed during Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s podcast earlier Wednesday.

“I saw Jeffery Simmons, and he’s just looking like this [stretching neck, making a face]. Helmet on. I’m like, ‘Oh, he must got family on our team or something,’” Humphrey said on the podcast. “So I’m trying to take off my jersey and pads, so I’m thinking he wants to show me love, like he respects my game. So I [approached him] and he wasn’t.

“As my back’s turned to him, our guy goes ‘Rodney! Rodney!’ Roddy’s our security’s name. I’m like, any time you start yelling for security, freaking out, I turn around, Odell and Jeffery are like fighting!

“I’m pretty sure Odell’s grabbing his face mask. They had to get separated and everything. I don’t know how this has not hit the media.”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that he was unaware of the fight.

“First I’ve heard of it,” he said.

This was not the first incident between Simmons and the Ravens.

In 2020, Ravens offensive lineman Marshal Yanda accused Simmons, then a rookie, of spitting in his face during Baltimore’s loss to the Titans.

“I just want to put him on notice, in the media. I’ve never done this in my career,” Yanda said after the game. “There’s a right way and a wrong way to play football, and that guy did not do it the right way today. So the refs and everybody in the NFL need to put him on notice. Like I said, I’ve never been spit in my face, and I literally got spit right in my face by No. 98.”

Yanda also said Simmons “was saying some stuff today that was just ridiculous conduct for the NFL.”

Beckham said he has already moved on from the fight and that the team is focused on Sunday’s opponent, the 5-1 Detroit Lions.

“I’ve got almost a 2-year-old [son]. I got other [stuff] I’m worried about,” Beckham said. “It’s nothing.

“People understand what my name holds, the weight. They try and do things to come up off that. I got to the point where I realized that and you just can’t let people capitalize. There’s nothing really to talk about. This will be water under the bridge.”

It has been a slow start to the season for Beckham, who has nine catches for 113 yards in four games and has yet to score a touchdown after signing a one-year, $15 million deal in free agency. He also missed two games with an ankle injury.

Still, the 30-year-old former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection has put the incident behind him.

“It was dead when we won,” he said. “Sent ’em on the way home. We had a great flight home. We come in here and we watch the film, we’re worried about Detroit. We’re not worried about them. See them in the playoffs, maybe. That’s it. Other than that, we’re worried about Detroit.”

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