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Who will Orioles protect from Rule 5 draft? / MAILBAG

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

Question: This may be a “too early” question but what are your thoughts on who the Orioles will need to protect in the next Rule 5 draft? From: Kevin Gish

Answer: Kevin, I would guess that the Orioles will protect only one or two players. The most obvious addition would be right-handed pitcher Brandon Young, whom Mike Elias recently mentioned as being on their radar screen. Young is at Norfolk.

The Orioles could also consider Alex Pham, a right-hander currently at Bowie who’s struck out more than a batter per inning. A long-shot possibility is outfielder Reed Trimble, who was a second-round pick in 2021 and has recently been promoted to Bowie.

Question: When we see Brandon Hyde or Fredi González on the phone deciding whether to appeal an umpire’s decision, who exactly are they talking to? Is it a coach or someone else? Where are they located (press box, etc.) and do they travel with the team? And exactly how long do they have to make a decision? From: Brent Burkhardt

Answer: Brent, they’re talking to a club official who’s located in a room off the dugout at home and in varying locations on the road, and they do travel. If a manager is considering a replay they must hold their hand up to the umpires. They must decide whether to challenge within 15 seconds.

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Rich Dubroff

Rich Dubroff grew up in Brooklyn as a fan of New York teams, but after he moved to Baltimore, quickly adopted the Orioles and Colts. After nearly two decades as a freelancer assisting on Orioles coverage for several outlets, principally The Capital in Annapolis and The Carroll County Times, Dubroff began covering the team fulltime in 2011. He spent five years at Comcast SportsNet’s website and for the last two seasons, wrote for PressBoxonline.com, Dubroff lives in Baltimore with his wife of more than 30 years, Susan.

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