Gibbons activated by Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles activated outfielder Jay Gibbons from the 15-day disabled list in time for Monday's 6-4 win at Toronto.

Jay Gibbons was injured May 26 when he smashed into the right-field wall. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Gibbons, who had missed 15 games, was pencilled in as the designated hitter and went 2-for-5 at the plate with one run scored and three strikeouts.
Gibbons, 29, injured his back, left hip and right knee as he dove for a fly ball off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero and crashed into the right-field wall during the eighth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on May 26.
Guerrero rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run that scored Orlando Cabrera ahead of him.
Gibbons is averaging .271 with 10 home runs, 29 runs batted in and 22 runs scored in 47 games this season, his sixth with the Orioles.
Gibbons is a career .262 hitter with 112 HRs, 360 RBIs and 308 runs in 652 MLB games since debuting for Baltimore on April 6, 2001.

Baltimore Orioles Select Pitcher Jason Mills in MLB Draft

Fairfax, Va (June 8, 2006)--George Mason pitcher Jason Mills is one of three Patriots drafted in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on June 6 and 7. The Baltimore Orioles selected the right-hander in the 48th round yesterday. The Washington Nationals selected Robby Jacobsen and J.J. Pannell in the 22nd and 50th round respectively during the two-day 50-round draft.
Mills was injured early in the season, appearing in only two games this season in relief. He earned one save and had a 9.00 ERA.
The Hatfield, Pa. native had a tremendous junior season, leading the Patriots with 23 appearances and six saves. He moved into second place on the school's career saves list with 10. The 6-foot-4 Mills was a perfect 4-0 with a 3.25 ERA. The Patriots recorded a 15-0 record when he entered with the game tied or Mason leading.
Mills sophomore season stood out as well, leading the team in appearances with 22 and saves with 4. He posted a 4-3 record, including 1-1 as a starter, with a 4.41 ERA.

Jordan calls the shots on draft day for the Orioles

The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, which begins Tuesday, does not match the glitz of those held by the NFL and the NBA.
But the stakes are just as high.
“We spend a lot of time and money on this,” said Joe Jordan, the director of scouting for the Orioles. “We started working on the 2006 draft within a week of last year’s draft.”
What guidance or direction does owner Peter Angelos give to Jordan?
Jordan, from Oklahoma, said this is what Angelos told him after he was hired in November 2004: “You are the scouting director. Take who you want. I will support you.”
Added Jordan: “He gave me full reign. That’s the same thing we are working on now.”
The Kansas City Royals have the first overall pick when the draft begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, via a conference call in New York. The draft concludes Wednesday.
The Orioles have the ninth-overall pick. Their next pick is at 32.
Jordan said he has met more than 100 prospects in person. One of them is Jeremy Jeffress, 18, a high school pitcher from South Boston, Va. Jeffress has a fastball that has been clocked around 100 mph this spring.
Will Jeffress, from rural southern Virginia, be available when the Orioles have the ninth overall pick?
“I think there is a chance he won’t be,” Jordan said.
When does Jeffress think he will get picked? “Hopefully the top 10. I am ready to get started,” said the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, whose favorite pitcher is Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins.
Orioles director of minor league operations Dave Stockstill said he and Jordan are in constant contact with one another when it comes to the draft.
“We communicate daily,” Stockstill said. “I have seen some of the players who we are interested in drafting work out, but I don’t tell (Jordan) who to draft. My role is to let Joe know where our holes are within the system so we can draft accordingly.”