The Orioles announced their coaching staff for each of their seven Minor League affiliates on Thursday, with several new additions highlighted by Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson.

Johnson joins the organization after spending the last 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, including the 2010-2011 seasons as the Major League first base coach. Johnson has posted a 1,261-1,262 record in 18 seasons as a Minor League manager, and will work with pitching coach Mike Griffin – back for his fifth consecutive seasons in the organization — and hitting coach Denny Walling, who spent the past six seasons as a roving Minor League instructor. Mark Shires will be back for a 13th year as an athletic trainer in the Orioles’ system and his sixth year at Norfolk.

Gary Kendall will return for his second season as manager at Double-A Bowie and his 13th season in the organization. Deny Hocking will return for his second year as field coach  and Kennie Steenstra will serve as Bowie’s pitching coach for a third consecutive season. Aaron Scott, in his 10th season in the organization, will serve as Bowie’s athletic trainer for the second consecutive year.

Class-A Frederick will be managed by Orlando Gomez for the third consecutive year, with Gomez earning the 2011 Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award after leading the Keys to the Carolina League championship. Blane Beatty returns for his sixth season as pitching coach for the Keys and former major leaguer Jose Hernandez will serve as field coach for Frederick after serving as field coach for Delmarva in 2011 and the Gulf Coast Orioles in 2010. Pat Wesley begins his ninth full season as an athletic trainer in the Orioles’ organization and fourth with Frederick.

Ryan Minor, who enters his third year as manager, will be with Class-A Delmarva along with pitching coach Troy Mattes and field coach Einar Diaz. Athletic trainer Will Lawhorn is back for a second year in Delmarva and his fourth in the organization.

Gary Allenson, who managed Norfolk for the past five seasons, will manage short-season Aberdeen with former Triple-A hitting coach Brad Komminsk also now with the IronBirds. Former Oriole pitcher Alan Mills joins the organization as the pitching coach at Aberdeen, with Trek Schuler serving as the athletic trainer.

Ramon Sambo returns for his sixth season as a manager in the organization and his fifth season managing the Gulf Coast League Orioles. Larry Jaster, who is in his 16th year in the organization, returns as pitching coach and Milt May returns for his third season as a field coach for the Gulf Coast League club. Additionally, Elvis Morel will manage the Orioles’ entry in the Dominican Summer League and will be assisted by pitching coaches Robert Perez and Dionis Pascual and hitting coach Ramon Caraballo.

Brian Graham enters his fifth season as Coordinator of Instruction, and will work with new hires Rick Peterson (Director of Pitching Development) and Mike Boulanger (Minor League Hitting Coordinator) to ensure continuity throughout the system.

Mike Bordick will serve as a Special Assignment Instructor, while Bobby Dickerson (infield), Don Werner (catching), Butch Davis (outfield) and Eric Cormell (baserunning and speed training) will serve as roving instructors. Scott McGregor will spend his 11th year as a coach in the organization and first season as the Sarasota-based Rehabilitation Coordinator, with Cesar Devarez overseeing the rehab of position players in Sarasota

Dave Schmidt, in his 15th season in the organization, will serve as the Coordinator of Sarasota Operations for the Orioles, while Felipe Alou, Jr. returns for his fifth year as Director of the Orioles’ Dominican Academy.

For those interested in tickets/TV/radio times for Spring Training, read on.

*Individual tickets for all 16 of the Orioles’ spring training games at Ed Smith Stadium will go on sale this Saturday, January 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET.  Last season, the Orioles set an all-time Sarasota attendance record at Ed Smith Stadium with 115,506 fans over 16 games, including 10 sellouts.

Fans interested in season tickets, five game flex-plans or group tickets, or those wishing to receive additional spring training ticket information may call the Orioles spring training office at 941-893-6300.

Spring training tickets for Orioles home games at Ed Smith Stadium may be purchased here.

*MASN will televise six Orioles spring training games, with the O’s’ March 5 prime time Grapefruit League opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates in kicking off coverage.

MASN will broadcast five more games from Ed Smith Stadium : March 11 against the Boston Red Sox; March 18 against the New York Yankees; March 23 against the Red Sox; March 24 against the Washington Nationals; and April 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays. All afternoon games will be replayed on the same day in prime time on MASN HD.

In the broadcast booth, joining Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and play-by-play voices Gary Thorne and Jim Hunter, will be Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Mike Bordick, who will be making his MASN debut as a color analyst.

*The Orioles and 1090 AM WBAL Radio, the flagship station of the Orioles Radio Network, have announced that 16 Orioles spring training games will be broadcast in 2012. The schedule includes the spring opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates from Ed Smith Stadium on Monday, March 5 at 7:05 p.m., and nine additional home games. Six of the 16 broadcasts will feature 30-minute Pre-Game and Post-Game Shows.

WBAL Radio will also broadcast all 162 Orioles 2012 regular season games. Longtime Orioles Radio Network broadcasters Joe Angel and Fred Manfra will again team up to call the action.

The complete schedule of spring training games to be carried live on WBAL Radio is below.

* Monday, March 5 – Pittsburgh Pirates – 7:05 p.m.
* Tuesday, March 6 – at Boston Red Sox – 1:35 p.m.
* Thursday, March 8 – Atlanta Braves – 1:05 p.m.
* Saturday, March 10 – at Philadelphia Phillies – 1:05 p.m.
* Sunday, March 11* – Boston Red Sox – 1:05 p.m.
* Tuesday, March 13 – Tampa Bay Rays – 1:05 p.m.
* Saturday, March 17 – Boston Red Sox – 1:05 p.m.
* Sunday, March 18* – New York Yankees – 7:05 p.m.
* Tuesday, March 20 – Philadelphia Phillies – 1:05 p.m.
* Friday, March 23 – Boston Red Sox – 1:05 p.m.
* Saturday, March 24 – Washington Nationals – 1:05 p.m.
* Sunday, March 25* – at Philadelphia Phillies – 1:05 p.m.
* Wednesday, March 28* – at Toronto Blue Jays – 1:05 p.m.
* Thursday, March 29* – at New York Yankees – 7:05 p.m.
* Saturday, March 31 – at Pittsburgh Pirates – 1:05 p.m.
* Sunday, April 1* – Tampa Bay Rays – 1:05 p.m.

*- Includes Pre-Game and Post-Game Shows

Less than four weeks until Spring Training begins, the Orioles got their versatile designated hitter in Wilson Betemit, agreeing Tuesday on the terms of a a two-year contract with a 2014 vesting option with the former free-agent.

The 30-year-old Betemit is a switch-hitter who is particularly effective against right-handed pitching, — posting a career .817 OPS in that category—and comes with a history of high on-base percentage, a statistic both executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter place heavy emphasis on.

“Wilson has played for a number of teams, but he’s excelled in the American League and I just think there’s good value in his bat to help our team for more than  a year,” Duquette said of the multi-year signing, which –based on plate appearances in 2012 and ’13 – could stretch to the 2014 season. “He’ll play this year at 30 [years old], and the contract gives him incentive to perform at a high level.”

Betemit rebounded from tough 2009 season with the White Sox, spending the past two years with Kansas City and Detroit and hitting a combined .290 with a .838 OPS. He is primarily an infielder, but could play the outfield if needed and gives the O’s a flexible option at DH, an avenue that Showalter preferred after having Vladimir Guerrero fill the role last season.

While Betemit does offer bench flexibility, and another potential leadoff option if Brian Roberts (concussion) can’t stay healthy, Duquette said Tuesday his primary position will be DH.

“We like Wilson Betemit for his bat,” Duquette said. “He came up as a shortstop [with Atlanta]. His best position is batting.”

A position the Orioles feel the 30-year-old is still improving at. Originally signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic on July 28, 1996, Betemit was the youngest player in the Major Leagues when he made his debut at 19 during the 2001 season.

Over a nine-year career, Betemit owns a .269 average, .336 on-base percentage and .448  slugging percentage with 63 home runs and 243 RBI in 697 games with Atlanta, the Dodgers, the Yankees, the White Sox, Kansas City and Detroit.

“We thought there was good value for him to complement our club,” Duquette said. “From the left side against right handed itching he’s very valuable. It looked to me like the last couple years, Wilson is really learning how to hit and how to leverage his power.”

Betemit’s signing turns the Orioles immediate attention on upgrading the bullpen, and although Duquette didn’t mention specifics, the team is still interested in closer Fransico Cordero and –like most clubs – figures to add several more relievers to foster bullpen competition in camp.

To clear room for Betemit on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Rick VandenHurk was designated for assignment. VandenHurk, 26, pitched to an 8.00 ERA in four games for the Orioles and was 9-13 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 starts for Triple-A Norfolk in 2011.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with free agent Wilson Betemit, a one-year deal that gives the organization necessary infield/outfield depth as well as a versatile candidate at designated hitter.

The deal is not official and is still pending a physical, but the initial agreement was reached on Monday with contractual details still being hammered out. Betemit has rebounded from tough 2009 season in Chicago, spending the last two years with Kansas City and Detroit and hitting a combined.290 with a .838 OPS.  The 30-year-old Betemit is primarily an infielder, but could play the outfield if needed and gives the Orioles a flexible DH option, an avenue manager Buck Showalter prefers.

Betemit, who resides in the Dominican Republic, has a career .817 OPS against right-handed pitching and it will be interesting to see how he’s used in Baltimore. He offers another option for a leadoff hitter if second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion) is unable to play and could end up seeing a look at third base –where he spent the majority of last season – if Mark Reynolds can’t bounce back from a disappointing defensive year.  Betemit could also be used as the team’s primary DH and another bench option –along with Robert Andino – that can fill in almost anywhere.

Both Showalter and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette made clear at Saturday’s FanFest that the organization wasn’t done adding pieces, and it was a logical step –in a winter dominated by adding pitching depth — for the O’s to turn toward upgrading positionally before next month’s camp.  The Orioles are expected to continue to add arms before heading to Sarasota, Fla. with heavy interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero.

A few things while most of you nurse that Ravens hangover…

*The Orioles released 25-year-old outfielder Kyle Hudson, who is now a free agent. Hudson was designated for assignment when the Orioles signed lefty Wei-yin Chen.

*A few more Prince Fielder rumors today, with the Nationals reportedly coming close to offering Fielder a deal (per ESPN’s Jim Bowden on Twitter) and the Orioles still very interested (per MLB.com’s Jim Duquette’s Twitter).

Are the Orioles in on Prince? Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette didn’t do much to quiet speculation at Saturday’s Fanfest when asked where things stand.

“Are we going to get him? I don’t know,” Duquette said of Fielder, a Scott Boras client who is believed to be out of the O’s price range unless his asking price drops. “But if we don’t, we’ll look for someone just like him.”

I’ve thought all along the Orioles remained a serious longshot to get Fielder and maintain that the market would have to fall for him to choose to come to Baltimore.  But we saw last year how the Vladimir Guerrero rumor started, got laughed off and than the O’s swooped in and offered what no one else would.

So, what am I saying? You can’t ever rule anything out completely. Duquette has added pitching depth and it’s fair to say the club is allocating resources (or trying to) to upgrade positionally if possible. But they have yet to meet with Fielder  –which would mean things were serious — and there’s been no whispers of the idea of offering a deal with Spring Training just around the corner.

“We should be able to sign a few more players to supplement our roster, players we can at least take a look at in camp,” Duquette said Saturday of any moves on the horizon.  “We’ll continue to work on improving our roster. That never stops, really, but I think there’s a good opportunity to add a few more players here in the next couple of weeks.”

*According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Rays are interested in middle infielder Jeff Keppinger, who was non-tendered by the Giants this winter. I’ve always thought the Orioles would benefit from adding a guy like Keppinger as more insurance for Brian Roberts. Or you could sign him and see what you can get on the trade market for Robert Andino, who executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said has drawn considerable interest. I know the Orioles met with Keppinger’s camp in Dallas, but am not sure how much of that was due diligence versus actual interest.

Another interesting name still available as a potential flexible DH option is Wilson Betemit.

He has rebounded from a terrible season in Chicago by spending the last two years with Kansas City and Detroit, hitting a combined.290 with a .838 OPS. Betemit is primarily a corner infielder, but could play the outfield if needed. Is he a big, powerful DH? No. But he’s not a past his prime veteran (such as Johnny Damon or Manny Ramirez) , and the 30-year-old Betemit has a career .817 OPS against right-handed pitching.

*Speaking of the offseason and trade/free agent rumors, I’m working up an inbox for Orioles.com to run on Tuesday. Hit me with any Orioles’ related questions heading into camp at brittany.ghiroli@mlb.com. Please include your name/hometown. Thanks!

*The Diamondbacks claimed former Orioles backup catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from Houston today, according to ESPN’s Keith Law.

Here are a few videos from today’s FanFest…

*J.J. Hardy (who got engaged this offseason) shows Baltimore fans some love.

*Jake Arrieta shows his gratitude to Birdland.

*Nolan Reimold thanks Orioles fans.

As those of who you follow me on Twitter already heard, my laptop greeted me this morning with the blue screen of death. So, my apologies on getting up what I wanted to be an early post on the Orioles Fanfest. Here are some of the highlights, notable events and other random musings from the annual event…

*Brian Roberts was not present, as expected, but executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said he had spoken with Roberts who sent his regards to the fans in attendance. Roberts is on a workout program although –according to Duquette – the organization is going to have to show more patience on that front. Not exactly a rousing endorsement of where Roberts is at physically, but  –as I’ve said many times before – they really don’t have a choice at this point but to wait and see. Robert Andino is the primary contingency plan for Roberts with Matt Antonelli also capable of playing second.

*Duquette also said the club will continue to negotiate with their four unsettled arbitration cases in hopes of avoiding next month’s hearing. I asked about whether they would continue to explore long-term deals with any of the four –Jeremy Guthrie, Brad Bergesen, Adam Jones and Andino – and Duquette said they have to worry about what they are paying these guys next year first. Translation: any Jones extension talks have probably been tabled, although the centerfielder did refute any rumors that he would be against a long-term deal and would prefer to return to the West Coast.

“I like Baltimore,” Jones said.  “I’ve planted some roots here and I like working in the city. If I am fortunate enough to be here a long time, I can build trees from those roots. I’m from California, but that doesn’t mean anything about my career.”

As for any long-term plans, Jones said simply : “That’s up to them. The ball is in their court.”

For those wondering, Jones is under team control for two more years.

*Nick Marakakis expects to be limited in Spring Training until the first week of March with the Orioles starting right fielder –coming off abdominal surgery on Jan. 6 – focusing on being 100 percent come Opening Day.

*I wrote earlier this month about manager Buck Showalter’s plans for Mark Reynolds to play third base and Chris Davis to play first. (You can get a refresher on that here.) Showalter stuck by that statement today and Reynolds, to his credit, also stuck by his commitment to conditioning showing up on Saturday an estimated 15-20 pounds lighter.  Davis, who opted to not have sports hernia surgery and has recovered 100 percent from the injury, said he’s very happy with the move given that he’s more comfortable at first base anyways.

*Speaking of weight loss, Tommy Hunter is down to 254 lbs and made it known that he wanted his listed bio weight changed from 280. The outspoken Hunter, who always has a smile on his face, is also on Twitter now. You can follow him @TommyGoesBoom.

*Alfredo Simon, who was in a Dominican Republic jail at this time last season, is down about 10 pounds from the end of 2011 and said he’s preparing as a starter this winter. He’s been working out mostly in Florida and his early bullpens were impressive according to pitching coach Rick Adair. Simon is an interesting case to watch this spring, particularly with so many positions up for grabs.

*Brian Matusz had a good look about him today in talking about his commitment to offseason conditioning and getting back on track. Matusz has been working out with Brady Anderson, along with Hunter, Chris Tillman and Rick VandenHurk and one of the more interesting excercises involves doing handstands to strengthen each pitchers’ shoulders. Matusz said Anderson –recently named Duquette’s special assistant — can hold the position for a solid five minutes and is hands down the most impressive. Another unexpected good handstander? VandenHurk.

*Both Adair and Showalter commented on Jake Arrieta’s early bullpens, which is an encouraging sign for the right-hander coming off elbow surgery. You can read more about Arrieta’s progression and his goals in a story I did here.

Arrieta is throwing earlier than usual to see where he’s at, and one of the more interesting conversations I had today was with Adair, who noted that they were very limited in what Arrieta could do between starts last season. The bone spur that was removed was roughly the size of a golf ball and clearly bothered Arrieta far more than he let on publicly.

*Zach Britton is the opposite; he hasn’t thrown yet and was so over-prepared last season he burnt out down the stretch. Britton has said to me before, and reiterated on Saturday, that he was in midseason form last spring and this year wants to come into camp and build off that in hopes of pitching well the entire season.

*Nolan Reimold has a chance to win the everyday left field job, according to Showalter. While the thought was Reimold would platoon with Endy Chavez, seems now there’s a way he could play his way into a starting job.

It will be a very interesting year for Reimold, who is out of options (meaning he would have to pass through waivers to be sent to the Minors) and looks as if he will get ample opportunity this season to show the organization what he can do.

*Another interesting name to watch? Darren O’Day, who was picked up by the Orioles on waivers this winter. O’Day had hip surgery last April and rushed back, only to struggle mightily upon his return. One of those outings was against Baltimore, when Mark Reynolds clobbered a pair of homers. O’Day said him and Reynolds laughed about it Friday night and he’s glad to have him on his team now instead.

The 29-year-old O’Day –when healthy– has been very successful out of the bullpen, pitching to a 1.94 ERA in 64 appearances for Texas in 2009 and posting a 2.03 ERA in 72 games in ’10.  He could end up being a nice pick up off the scrap heap.

Nick Marakakis expects to be limited in Spring Training until the first week of March with the Orioles starting right fielder –coming off abdominal surgery on Jan. 6 – focusing on being 100 percent come Opening Day.

Markakis, speaking at the team’s FanFest on Saturday afternoon, said that next month’s camp coincides with the seven-week week mark of his rehab and he will be eased into baseball activities from there. The 28-year-old Markakis is currently doing a lot of aqua therapy to strengthen the lower core and recently incorporated light jogging into his workouts, which is a far cry from his typical offseason activity.

“This could be a good thing,” Markakis said of allowing his body time to heal. “I’ve never actually taken off a full offseason to rest. I talked to Aubrey [Huff] before I had my surgery, and he came off his best year after the surgery, and he was kind of on the same routine I’m on. He rested the whole off-season and he got back in the swing of things after he had his surgery in January. I’m not saying I’m expecting to go out there and have my best year, but we’ll see how things play out and we’ll go from there.”

Markakis suffered the injury — initially diagnosed as a deep bruise until a second MRI revealed further damage – diving for a ball down the right-field line and continued to play the rest of the season. It wasn’t until the Orioles final game that Markakis, who prides himself on never missing time, finally divulged the injury that sent sharp shooting pains throughout his lower abdomen region. Now pain-free, Markakis –one of baseball’s premier defensive outfielders — said Saturday he won’t stop diving for balls.

“It’s fixed now, so if it were to happen again, there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “I’m not going to alter the way I play out there.”

EDIT- As a few people have pointed out, Guthrie wasn’t on the original autograph list, so he there won’t be any further changes.

*Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie tweeted this morning that he will be unable to attend Saturday’s FanFest due to a “family commitment”. Guthrie joins second baseman Brian Roberts as the latest veteran who will be missing at the annual event.

*A reminder that the deadline to apply for the Orioles open PA announcer job is Jan. 26. The organization has recieved more than 300 entries to date.

*It’s been a slow offseason news-wise, but hearing that Jake Arrieta is on track to be ready for Spring Training has to be some relief for Orioles fans. Arrieta, who had a bone spur removed from his right elbow, has started throwing bullpen this week and said his primary goal is to make it deep into every game this season and post a 200-inning 2012.  It’s been written a million times before, but having Arrieta and some of the O’s other young arms, step up this season would go a long, long way toward the organization’s future success. The full story is up here.

*The Astros designated former Orioles backup catcher Craig Tatum for assignment yesterday.

*I’m told that the Orioles haven’t officially reached an agreement with right-hander Armando Galarraga, despite several reports that he signed a Minor League deal.  They are still talking to him and there’s a good chance a deal get’s done, but as of early Wednesday evening there’s no agreement in place.

*In case you missed it, O’s prospect Manny Machado was named the top shortstop prospect in the game. Read more on that here.

*Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta, coming off season-ending surgery to have a bone spur removed on his right elbow, threw to a a catcher for the first time on Monday and expects to be 100 percent with no restrictions for Spring Training. I’ll have a full story up on Arrieta, his rehab and his goal of reaching the 200-inning mark, up on Orioles.com later today.