Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Showdown of Suckdom: 2010 Orioles vs 1988 Orioles
In the past, oh, 13 seasons of losing Baltimore baseball (and a few in the early 90's too), I have always been able to comfort myself, ever so slightly, with this thought: "Hey, I lived through 1988, I'll live through this too."
Now, I have to come to grips with reality...2010 is the new 1988. I have lived through two seasons that are equally horrific. I never thought I would see an Oriole season as terrible as '88 in my lifetime...but here we are. It may even be worse!
But as a distraction, I decided to see how these teams would stack up against each other, position by position, as the debate over which is the worst Oriole team in history begins.
Catcher: Matt Wieters vs. Mickey Tettleton
Sorry Matty, not thick enough yet (87 OPS+). In the battle of switch-hitting catchers, Fruit Loops provided significant offense (113 OPS+) from behind the plate even if the defense was suspect.
Edge: '88 Orioles
First Base: Ty Wigginton vs Eddie Murray
Wigginton has been surprisingly solid for the O's this year (111 wRC+) but although Murray would never hit 30 homers again after the '87 season, '88 was still a pretty good season for Steady Eddie (140 wRC+).
Edge: '88 Orioles
Second Base: Julio Lugo/Brian Roberts vs Billy Ripken
Ripken has a really poor year at the plate and, from all accounts, was not so great in the field that year either. Even the paltry output from Lugo and a hobbled Roberts are a significant upgrade.
Advantage: '10 Orioles
Shortstop: Cesar Izturis vs. Cal Ripken, Jr.
Ripken was nearing the height of his fielding powers and turned in a nice season at the plate. (132 wRC+) Izuris has been worse with the bat than usual (and that's saying something) and hasn't even been very good in the field.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
Third Base: Miguel Tejada\Josh Bell vs. Rene Gonsalez\Rick Schu
If Tejada had stayed, he would win here because Gonzalez was so wretched. But Tejada is gone and Bell figures to struggle mightily over last two months of the season. Rick Schu, acquired in a mid-season trade from the Tigers, actually hit pretty well and played defense that was superior to Tejada certainly and probably better than Bell.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
Rightfield: Nick Markakis vs. Joe Orsulak
This is closer than you might think but Markakis' bat (122 wRC+) is in another class compared to Orsulak. (113 wRC+).
Advantage: '10 Orioles
Centerfield: Adam Jones vs. Fred Lynn\Brady Anderson
Jones (98 OPS+) has come around with the bat but has had his challenges in the field. Lynn was having a fine year before he was dealt to Detroit (122 OPS+) and young Brady Anderson took over and struggled mightily at the plate. (OPS+ 43) Lynn was solid in the field and Anderson was superior which makes this one awfully close to call. At this point, it's a push, with Jones probably overtaking the pair at year's end.
Advantage: Push
Leftfield: Corey Patterson\Felix Pie vs. Ken Gerhart\Pete Stanicek
Against all odds, Patterson has been at least a league-average hitter this season (98 OPS+, wRC+ 107), has stolen 18 bases at an 86% success rate and, while he has not played his requisite fine defense, I think he has played better than his -4.4 UZR/150 shows. He's been a bright spot.
It would have been interesting to see what Pie could have done if not for his injury early this season. His hot start has been erased by his struggles since his return from the DL as he is not even replacement level this season (-0..6 WAR).
However, the combo of Gerhart and Stanicek posted wRC+ numbers of 75 and 88 respectively during the '88 season and neither were particularly adept with the glove. They abdicate the leftfield competition to Patterson and Pie.
Advantage: '10 Orioles
Designated Hitter: Luke Scott vs. Larry Sheets
Larry Sheets had just come off his career year in 1987, one of the greatest slugging seasons in Oriole history. Alas, that was not to continue as his ISO fell from .247 to .113 and his OPS+ dropped from 143 to a meager 83.
Luke Scott, on the other hand, continues his better-than-solid career with a monster .282/.348/.556 line and is by far the best hitter for Baltimore this season.
Advantage: '10 Orioles
Backup Catcher: Craig Tatum vs. Terry Kennedy
Craig Tatum came better than advertised...even if he finds himself back in Norfolk right now.
Terry Kennedy still had a couple good years left in him...but '88 wasn't one of them as his paltry OPS+ of 61 shows. By all accounts, he did not have a good year defensively either.
Advantage: '10 Orioles
Utility: Garret Atkins/Scott Moore vs. Jim Traber/Keith Hughes
Who would think that any combo involving Jim Traber would win in any comparison? I won't go into the gory details but Atkins was really, really bad, folks.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
SP: Jeremy Guthrie vs. Mike Boddicker
Guthrie has continued to battle this season, turning in league average numbers that are welcome in this season where the rest of the rotation has been a disaster.
Boddicker didn't have a great season for the Orioles in '88 (he saved that for the Red Sox after he was traded) but his peripherals show that his 101 ERA+ is greater than Guthrie's.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
SP: Kevin Millwood vs. Mike Morgan
Even though Morgan imploded as a starter early and was relegated to the bullpen, he is still providing more value than Millwood...and Millwood is headed in the wrong direction.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
SP: Brian Matusz vs. Jeff Ballard
Too depressing to detail, Jeff Ballard had a better "first full season" in the majors than Brian Matusz is having right now. You heard that right, Jeff Ballard > Brian Matusz. (sigh...)
Advantage: '88 Orioles
SP: Brad Bergesen vs. Jose Bautista
23-year-old Bautista was not great but was solid with a ERA+ of 93 over 171.2 innings in 1988. Brad Bergesen has posted an ERA+ of 64. Advantage Bautista.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
SP: Jake Arrieta vs. Jay Tibbs
Arrieta and Tibbs are similar levels of suckdom. Arrieta wins the ERA+ but he has also walked more than he has struck out. Different but equally bad for these guys.
Advantage: Push
RP: Alfredo Simon vs. Tom Niedenfurer
Niedenfurer was a journeyman reliever with a decent career and turned in a very respectable ERA+ of 112 with 18 saves. Simon has been average (ERA+ 103) and has exceeded expectations but the nod goes to Niedenfurer.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
RP: Jason Berken vs. Mark Williamson
Berken has been oustanding in middle relief with an ERA+ of 155. Williamson didn't strike batters out much, was wild and posted an ERA+ of 80.
Advantage: '10 Orioles
RP: Matt Albers vs. Dave Schmidt
Albers has edged his ERA+ up to 99 but the peripherals are pretty terrible. Schmidt's peripherals were better and he manged to put up an ERA+ of 115.
Advantage: '88 Orioles
RP: Mark Hendrickson vs. Mark Thurmond
In this battle of the lefties, Hendrickson has actually pitched better than his ERA this season. The peripherals are good but he has been hit unlucky. Thurmond had bad strikeout and walk rates but had better results overall. Tempted to give this to Hendrickson but in reality, it's another tie.
Advantage: Push
Final Un-scientific Results:
'88 Orioles - 11
'10 Orioles - 6
Push - 3
It's not even close. We are probably looking at the worst Oriole team since the franchise moved to Baltimore. Regardless of record (and the Orioles are on a pace to equal the '88 loss total, I can't make a very compelling argument that this version of the Orioles is better than the 1988 verison.
You're witnessing something historic Oriole fans. You are living through 2010.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Norfolk Shuffle
Saw this in the Baltimore Sun's Orioles Insider blog from Jeff Zrebiec this morning:
It was pretty obvious watching Josh Bell the past two games that the young third baseman is really pressing in an effort to make a good impression. He was tentative defensively and too anxious offensively, and he’s clearly putting a lot of pressure on himself. After Sunday’s game, in which he hit into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth, Bell sat in front of his locker with his head down. Bell has made a really good impression in the clubhouse because he listens and observes, keeps largely to himself and goes about his business. The veterans have noticed. Now, hopefully they can get him to relax and not play every night like it’s a tryout and he needs to prove his status as the everyday third baseman.
Gee, I wonder why Bell might feel like every game is a tryout?
You may as well paint Hwy. 17 orange and black with all the movement between Baltimore and Norfolk with young players this season. Bell has made the trip 5 times in a little over a month all by himself. Brad Bergesen has made 4 trips. Chris Tillman has made 6.
My gut has told me that yanking these guys back and forth due to performance has to be messing with their confidence a bit. Bell's mindset certainly supports that theory. I mean, if you can't start for the Orioles, how good are you really? It's got to be messing with these guys' heads, even if they are just reacting to what happens to their teammates.
You could make the argument that Bell wasn't totally ready for the callup. (Although, on a team as brutally bad as Baltimore, the argument could be made that you aren't worried about "wasting:" AB's on a kid who may struggle initially...it's not going to matter in the standings.) But Tillman? He's done everything he needs to in AAA. The O's sent the kid down to work on a pitch at the beginning of the season. Fine. But he's been jerked around ever since. At some point, you have to let the guy take his lumps and try to get better. Again, it's not as if Baltimore will be frittering away a playoff run with Tillman on the mound.
The lack of development from the prospects at the Major League level has been very disturbing. Hopefully, with Buck Showalter at the helm, the kids will be given instruction and patience instead of quick hooks, shifting roles and Greyhound ticket to Harbor Park.
Friday, July 30, 2010
New Faces, New Places
Lots going on in Birdland over the last 24 hours. First and foremost, is the hiring of new manager Buck Showalter. Showalter was probably choice 1a for me; I liked Eric Wedge a lot but evidently Andy MacPhail and I were the only ones. Reportedly, Peter Angelos liked Showalter a lot and the lengthy negotiation with him was in part to define Buck's role and how he would work with MacPhail.
It's probably a good thing for Showalter to take over before the end of this miserable season. Showalter and his staffs have a pretty good track record of talent evaluation and development and the more time Buck has to evaluate the big league roster and the September call-ups, the better.
Shortly after the Showalter announcement, the Orioles traded 3B Miguel Tejada to the Padres for a pitching prospect. Tejada was considered (correctly) expendable with Josh Bell sitting in Norfolk and garnered the team a fair, but not great, pitching prospect in Wynn Pelzer. Pelzer projects as a reliever but that's decent value for old man Tejada.
By the way, can the current regime come to an end soon enough? From the Baltimore Sun, Brian Matusz talks about the quick hook he received in Thursday's game:
"I was little bit shocked because it was so soon, and my first few innings I was so effective,” Matusz said. “Things were going so well. I still felt pretty good at that point. I was a little upset. Obviously nobody likes coming out of the game, especially when you have good stuff and that’s how I felt. Juan obviously felt that it was a game that we had, we had the lead at the time, and I wasn’t capable of finishing the job, so that was the move he decided to make and obviously I wanted to stay in there and keep going. But if I don’t like it I need to stop walking guys and pitch better.”
Hi there. Out of character for me but I'm about to curse...
Matusz is being just about as diplomatic as he can here but he's absolutely correct. Sure, if he didn't walk those guys, this problem takes care of itself. But Samuel (and Showalter) need to leave these kids in the game for experience, struggles be damned. Wins and losses mean fuck all for 2010. Samuel is managing for a win over the Royals at the expense of valuable innings for a potential future ace? What a cock. I have no doubt that this has at least a little to do with the Showalter announcement and the fact that Samuel is out for himself for these last four games.
From Samuel:
Samuel said after the game that Matusz has become a “major concern,” though he still expects the lefty to make his next start.
“My mindset with these guys is I just didn’t want to put them in position where they could lose the ball game and you end up overexposing these guys,” Samuel said. “We’ve seen it so many times where some young guys come up and they can’t find the plate. Like I said, if I can remove these guys earlier than late, I’m going to do it just so I can protect them. He was throwing the ball so good. We just think he lost focus there for one minute and we didn’t want to leave him out there any longer.”
Major concern? Douchebag, you are not going to be the manager by the time Matusz starts again. It's no longer your concern at all.
And then you show your ignorance by worrying about Matusz "losing" the game. You are managing the worst team in baseball. Matusz is smart enough to realize that even moral victories count at this point. He didn't want to come out. He didn't care if he "lost". He wanted to battle through it. That kid is ten times smarter than you and your slavish reliance on meaningless stats like pitcher "wins" and "losses". Especially on a team that is 30+ games out of first! You prick. You were protecting no one.
Tuesday can't come soon enough...
Friday, July 23, 2010
Around The Oriole Blog-O-Sphere: Meltdown Edition
Go get 'em, Wiggy!
*****
Dan at Camden Crazies makes me feel a bit better about Brian Matusz:
The 1.49 WHIP is high but most of that is all the hits he’s allowed (1.11 hits per inning pitched), and that’s based on a .332 Batting Average On Balls In Play that isn’t likely to continue at that level and has less to do with Matusz’s pitching than his defense and poor luck. Additionally, I’m not sure how a 123:54 strike-out to walk ratio is “clearly indicative of a problem”. At 2.27, it’s better than league average (~2.07), and his individual K and BB rates are also better than average.
And while he's at it, Dan give Stan "The Fan" Charles a good fisking and I can always get behind that.
*****
Tony Pente's article at Oriole Hangout is up and pretty much sums up the failures of the Angelos regime over the past couple of decades.
I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. It all seemed like covered ground and it was kind of advertised as having new revelations. It was all lightly fleshed out items of whisperings I have heard before. But it is well written and makes for a one-stop shop for all things Angelos.
*****
Eutaw Street Hooligans express Oriole fandom in terms of Bill Withers.
*****
Camden Depot looks at the "mortgaged future" of 1996 and fisks and refutes some guy writing in Cumberland. Go crawdaddy.
Quick quote I wholeheartedly agree with:
I am certain it is true that this is a mind blowingly silly statement (especially after the writer already said the system was ignored for at least a decade prior to the deals in '96, which is very true).
Word.
*****
Roar from 34 gives us the latest installment of Solo Shots, a series examining Oriole players who hit exactly one home run during their career, with a closer look at Bob Hale.
*****
The Loss Column knows that it is all about next year for the Orioles but wonders if 2011 will be a make ir break year for the MacPhail regime.
*****
Patrick Smith at Bugs & Cranks takes a swipe at ESPN's Mike Greenberg for taking a swipe at the Baltimore Orioles.
*****
Finally, rumor has it that the Orioles are fielding calls regarding OF Corey Patterson. Obviously, you move Patterson for anything that might resemble a viable future bullpen arm and count your blessings that you were able to sell high.
The Most Laissez-Faire Chase of a Fan on the Field in Baseball History
This is really a brilliant strategy by the police and OPACY security. It's like when I throw the ball to my dog during fetch and she will not bring it back to me because the game she wants to play is nit fetch but the game of "watch my 2-legged chubby friend chase me around the yard". But if I don't participate, eventually she gets bored with the idea and comes back to me anyway. That's basically what they let this kid do.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
5 Biggest Disappointments for the 2010 Baltimore Orioles
The problems with the Orioles in 2010 have been multifold. But some of the season's disappointments have been greater than the others and contributed more to this disappointing season than the others. After some examination, here are the depressing top 5.
5. Brian Roberts' Injury
Although many of us bloggers raised red flags when the Orioles signed Brian Roberts to a 4-year, $40 million extension last season (some of us, before the fact), I don't think any of us expected age and/or injury to start catching up to Roberts so fast.
Roberts being sidelined early in the season with a variety of back problems hobbled the Orioles' struggling offense even more as a brutal rotation of leadoff hitters tried desperately to fill in. Oriole leadoff hitters have combines for a .302 OBP and .645 OPS.
Roberts could return as early as this weekend but fans have to wonder about his durability and effectiveness as he plays through the 3.5 years left on his contract.
4. Adam Jones' Glove
Adam Jones has had his struggles at the plate this season but has come around of late and, I feel, he'll be just fine in the long run at the plate. Despite his Gold Glove last season, Jones is not showing a great glove in center. He plays shallow and repeatedly let's balls go over his head. He takes bad routes on balls. He sometimes misplays the routine.
Jones, in terms of UZR, is the 3rd worst fielding centerfielder in baseball. UZR does not always tell the whole story, especially for partial seasons, but last season he has the third worst UZR/150 among regular centerfielders as well.
The most frustrating thing about this is that Jones has all the tools: great speed, great leaping ability, an arm that rivals that of Nick Markakis. But he just hasn't put it together in the field this season.
3. Nolan Reimold
After a breakout year in which he forced himself onto the Baltimore roster way ahead of schedule, Nolan Reimold fell off a cliff. Hitting .279/.365/.466 over 104 games during his rookie campaign, Reimold attracted serious Rookie of the Year consideration before having to have surgery on his Achilles tendon toward the end of the season.
I don't believe that Reimold was completely healthy to start the season as he hit an anemic .205/.302/.337 with Baltimore before a May 12th demotion. But being back in Norfolk has not helped matters as he has only .212/.303/.335 since his return and shows no sign of coming around. Reimold has been playing some first base for the Tides and, perhaps, if he is fully healthy in 2011, he could still fulfill some of that promise while filling a need for Baltimore. But that looks like a real longshot at this point.
2. Brian Matusz
Continuing the theme of disappointing young talent, Brian Matusz has yet to become the staff ace that he was predicted to be when he was promoted to Baltimore late last season. Sure, he was a bit rushed to the majors and, sure, I expected him to struggle a bit at the beginning of the season. But as the most polished member of "the Calvary", I thought Matusz would have started showing some life by now. He hasn't.
Matusz's changeup, his best pitch, gets hit pretty hard. His strikeouts are down and walks are up, neither to a great degree but they aren't moving in the right direction. Granted, his FIP and xFIP are significantly better than his 5.21 ERA. But while Tillman, Arrieta and Bergesen were kind of expected to scuffle through this season, Matusz was expected to be a respectable pitcher by now. He's not and he needs help to get there.
1. Matt Wieters
The most highly touted catching prospect since Joe Mauer, one of the most praised minor league bats of all time, one of the few prospects that basically had no criticism from any scout or analyst about his offensive game, Matt Wieters has been a anemic bat in the Oriole lineup. After a torrid September, many were predicting a breakout season for Wieters (including me). Predictions called for average, power and great control of the strike zone. It hasn't happened.
Only Jason Kendall, Yadier Molina and Russell Martin have lower ISO's among catchers. Ditto for average. Only A.J. Pierzynski has a lower OBP.
Were all the scouts wrong? I don't think so (or at least, I hope not). But Wieters' struggles are the latest indictment of Terry Crowley's work with young hitters. Jones hasn't advanced much. Wieters has struggled. Reimold floundered. It seems that hitters develop in spite of Crowley rather than because of him.
Wieters needs help to get his head back on straight. A new coaching staff could do wonders for that.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Attack, Chris Tillman, Attack!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Programming Note...Again
I am still having major issues with my internet service at home making regular updates on the blog difficult. Bear with me, hoping to have this issue resolved with my internet provider this week...
Friday, July 16, 2010
Fearless Predictions Revisited
Before the second half kicks off, I thought it was a good time to revisit preseason predictions. It ain't pretty but here it goes.
* Garrett Atkins won't be a regular with this team by June 15th. Somebody has to come to their senses.
Atkins was barely with the team until June 15th and certainly wasn't a regular by then. Atkins played just two games for Baltimore after June 15th and was then released.
* Nick Markakis...breakout! Enos Slaughter for the new millennium. I'm recycling this from last season.
I'm giving up on this. Markakis will probably never be a guy who hits .320 AND 25 home runs. Probably a high average, high on base guy who strokes a ton of doubles. A nice player but not the star I keep predicting. He's had a nice rebound from 2009 but not a leap forward.
* Brian Matusz....breakout! Don't be surprised if Matusz is having Tim Lincecum-type success (without the gawdy strikeout totals...but damn good ones) by the second half of the season.
I still kind of believe this one. I think Matusz gets much better in the second half.
* Matt Wieters...breakout! I'm going with the Keith Law prediction of "well over .300 with 20-25 homers" for his sophomore season.
Wieters actually has taken a step back and has been the most disappointing young player on the Orioles this season. Over his last 15 games, Wieters had hit a hot streak posting a .354/.448/.521 line but now finds himself on the DL with a strained hamstring. I still believe in him for the long run but I thought he'd be something of an impact bat by now.
* Adam Jones....no breakout! It would be hard to call this a breakout since he was pretty good last year but I expect that this is the year Jones starts to show people that Adrian Gonzalez is not necessary because the Orioles already have a bat as good in centerfield. Look for an average around .300 with something approaching 25 homers.
After a horrid April, Jones is starting to approach those numbers. He's hitting .276 with 14 home runs. I'd like to see a little more patience at the plate but he seems to have made the adjustments needed to keep on hitting.
* 80 wins. That's my guess. And with a little luck...you never know.
Bwahahahaha!
* Ben McDonald becomes a surprise hit on MASN.
Not so much. He's fine but I've been much more impressed with Eddie Murray in the booth.
* Kevin Millwood 2010 = Rick Sutcliffe 1992
He started that way. He'll have to regain some of his mojo to be league average in the second half...something I am doubtful of.
* Felix Pie forces something this summer...a trade, a position change....something.
Pie forced a serious injury on himself and not much else. Nolan Reimold appears to have a future at first base now but that is due as much to his bad defense in the outfield this season as the prospect of Pie manning leftfield. Still time for Pie to cement his position though.
Snapshots: Bowen Field, Bluefield, WV
On our way back from a family vacation, I talked my wife into a stopover in Bluefield, WV so I could catch a game at this historic stadium. Unfortunately, rain earlier in the day had caused a rain out. (They have a tarp...but it appeared to not have been placed on the field before the rain. Water was pooled all around the first base area. Not sure why that was or if the tarp would have helped anyway...)
The rain out was a real letdown but as I am want, I managed to get into the stadium anyway to snap off a few pictures of this field that is rich in Oriole history. The Bluefield Orioles have been Baltimore's team in the Appalchian League since 1958. Memorial Stadium is gone; Bowen Field is the oldest link to the team's early history. Boog Powell, Cal Ripken, Jr., Eddie Murray and many other Orioles have begun their professional careers on Bowen Field.
Here's the pictures. Next time, I'm hoping for an actual game...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Programming Note
My access to the internet is sporadic at best this week...I hope to have this issue resolved by tomorrow. Expect regular posting to resume by tomorrow afternoon...I hope.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
All Star Break Catch Up
I'm back from vacation and a lot has been going on. Time for a quick catch up...
Sweep!
O's swept the Rangers in Texas before the All Star break. How'd they do it? With a little help from the offense. For the series:
Adam Jones: .313/.353/.563
Markakis: .316/.316/.632
Patterson: .368/.400/.684
Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta kicked a little ass but the much-maligned Orioles bullpen pitched 15.2 innings in the series without surrendering an earned run. That's the biggest reason they swept and a trend I just can't see continuing.
International News
The Orioles are reportedly ready to sign Dominican 3B Vector Heloz. According toBaseball America:
The Orioles have signed 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Hector Veloz for $300,000, according to his trainer, Victor Baez.
The bonus is a franchise record for an amateur player signed out of the Dominican Republic and is believed to be a franchise record for all of Latin America...
At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Veloz, who is from Santiago, stands out for his plus raw power from the right side, though he has been inconsistent hitting in games. He also shows an above-average arm and solid hands at third base.
The deal is not official yet, as Veloz still has to clear his age and identity check and pass a drug test, which in his case could get interesting. Veloz has also already tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol when he took a drug test in mid-May as part of Major League Baseball's new registration program for 40 of the top Dominican prospects in this year's international signing class.
This is a good news/bad news situation. This guy has already tested positive for steroids at the age of 16. However, that test probably dropped his price a bit and he is among one of the 40 best players in the DR. And this shows a willingness to spend on Latin American talent that the Orioles have not showed before.
However, he was not considered one of the top 33 talents by Baseball America. It a positive step but they need to do more here during this signing season.
The DL
Guys seem to be getting healthy...
Except for Kevin Millwood. Millwood is on the DL and Brad Bergesen looks to be the man to take his place. Probably better in the long run to keep trotting Bergesen (and for that matter, Matusz, Tillman and Arrieta) out every five days anyway.
LF Felix Pie is finally back from his torn muscles. Although he strained his quad over the weekend so maybe he doesn't belong on this list.
DH Luke Scott is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow.
RP Mike Gonzalez is continuing a rehab assignment in Aberdeen.
2B Brian Roberts is playing in the GCL, his first significant work since the first week of the season. Roberts returning would be a big boost to this lineup...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Getting all these guys back healthy would be a big boost to the team. At this point, I kind of don't want the Orioles to lose the #1 overall pick in 2011 but it might be more beneficial in the long run for this team to have some success in the second half.
Miscellaneous
Markakis has reached base in 17 straight games.
The undead carcass of Julio Lugo is OPSing .871 for July.
Since May 1st, Adam Jones is hitting .298/.328/.480 with 11 home runs.
Since May 1st, Ty Wigginton has hit .236/.317/.380.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4th Tradition
And now...an Independence Day tradition at Dempsey's Army...Rick Monday saves the flag!
Happy Independence Day everybody.
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's July 2nd...Time for the Orioles to Sign Some Talent
It's the start of the Latin American signing season and it's time for the Orioles to make some noise. They have spent the last two seasons accumulating bodies (enough to have two full teams in the DSL this summer) and now they need to add some top tier talent. There were whispers back in May that the Orioles were set to make some noise this signing season but there has been little heard from them recently.
I don't know much about the top prospects, only what I read in Baseball America. Here's the list of the top 33 players in Latin America eligible for signing.
Which guy do I like? The guy with the most power, of course. From Baseball America:
Elvis Sanchez, 3B
Sanchez, who is from La Romana, is one of the best power hitters in Latin America. After traveling to the United States in October for the World Wood Bat Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Sanchez has worked out for teams in the U.S. this spring and made an impression in front of a hoard of scouts at the La Academia complex on June 15 by hitting a home run into the wind over the left-center field fence. He has plus to plus-plus raw power that comes from his strength and bat speed, though his stroke can get long and he has a tendency to try to muscle-up the ball with his swing....
Here's some video:
Elvis Sanchez from Kiley McDaniel on Vimeo.
Of course, ultimately I don't care who they sign. But they should get in here and sign at least one of these top 33 guys. But they have been linked to no one. Also from Baseball America:
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles haven't had much success funneling international talent to Baltimore, and their farm system is lacking in Latin American talent. There are signals they're increasing their international presence, and the club was high on Dominican shortstop Miguel Sano last year but couldn't get him signed. Baltimore could make a surprise move for a top player this year, but in a down year it might wait until a much better 2011 class to make a strike.
While it's true that it is considered a bit of a down year, couldn't that be a chance for the Orioles to get in here and pick up a bargain? A few teams aren't doing anything in Latin America this year. There should be less competition for the top guys this season.
Of course, the revelation that several of the top prospects in Latin America have tested positive for steroids may reduce the available pool. Scouting in Latin America is a dicey business that is difficult to navigate...
Roster Moves and Random Thoughts
OK, is everyone satisfied now? Luke Scott is hustling out of the box. Do you believe it now? And now he's hurt himself. Next time, I'll take the trot for the double.
Sure, I'm kidding. But the fact that Scott pulled a hamstring during a home run trot pretty much sums up the season, doesn't it? After a horrific April, Scott put up a line of .306/.376/.590 with 10 home runs over June and July. He was looking like a nice trading chip for the Orioles, now he'll be out for at least 2 weeks.
It was assumed by many that Felix Pie would be brought back from his rehab assignment a little early to take Scott's roster spot but instead they called up Norfolk 3B Josh Bell. The top hitting prospect in the minors, Bell is only hitting .265/.310/.453 in AAA but has been hitting better of late, hitting .269/.337/.495 in June. Expect Bell to struggle mightily; he strikes out a ton and doesn't walk much.
Bell may not be long for Baltimore though as Felix Pie is close to returning to action. With only three outfielders and a ton of infielders, Bell will probably get his taste and get sent down...barring a trade.
Pie will push Corey Patterson to the bench which is as it should be. But I have to say that Patterson, in his short time as a leadoff man...has kind of done a decent job. As a leadoff hitter, Corey has hit .295/.345/.423 with 12 stolen bases (vs. 2 time caught). That's decent. No, it can't possibly last but I have to tip my hat to him.
By the way, Matt Wieters is getting worse. His OPS by month in 2010 goes like this: .686, .663, .606. We need a new manager to perform triage on Wieters...stat!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
WNST: Math is Hard
OK, so I guess I was the WNST "Oriole Apologist of the Day" on Monday. Let's see what Glenn Clark had to say about it:
Congratulations to our “Apologist of the Morning”, as selected by “The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester. “Heath” from Dempsey’s Army is no stranger to the AOTM-but this morning he received the award for citing Fangraphs in opining that Juan Samuel was wrong for trying to have Matt Wieters bunt last week. I don’t often credit Drew for being funny, but labeling a group of people as “Fangraph-sexuals” was pretty damn humorous.
Normally, I wouldn't mention this at all but I had to address a couple of things.
I use stats in a lot of my posts. This is not a purely analytic baseball but I am literate in advanced baseball stats and use them when warranted. I try not to overwhelm with every new stat that comes down the pike but I will incorporate newer stats that I feel are relevant. For example, I am starting to work in wOBA into the mix while still using OPS and "slash lines" as points of reference.
Thus, you're going to find stats on many of my posts on this site. They are not scary. And if you are interested in learning more about them, they are readily available from BaseballReference.com, MinorLeagueSplits.com, MiLB.com and, yes, FanGraphs.com. And I think that while stats do not tell the whole story, they tell you a lot and, these days, they tell you more than they ever have before.
I did not hear Drew's show so I have to address Glenn's summation; Fangraphs.com is the leading source for advanced baseball statistics anywhere. I write a blog about a baseball team. I am never going to apologize for using the best sources of baseball knowledge when formulating my posts. I am also not going to bother defending "sabermetrics" and their validity in baseball analysis. That would be redundant. And if Drew wants to make unfunny, thinly-veiled homophobic references to try to discredit "sabermetrics" or readers of FanGraphs.com, well, that's pretty much par for the course.
But the supreme irony is this; on the same morning I was reportedly mocked for utilizing a site that provides advanced baseball statistics, Drew had Joe Sheehan on to talk baseball. You know, the Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus! A guy whose columns on BP routinely contained references to EqA, VOPR, EQR, SNLVAR and PECOTA projections, stats far less known to baseball fans because you can't access them without a subscription! Really? The very same morning you paint me as a flouncy stat dweeb you have one of the founders of Baseball Prospectus on your show?
So Drew either has no self-awareness whatsoever or is disingenuous beyond words. I'll go with the latter. (Drew/Glenn: "Latter" means the last thing I said...)
But while we're at it, I wanted to address a couple things from this...
On the Oriole blogs:
I read them all - casually - just about every day, and I’m amazed at how transparent most of them are these days. They’re nothing more than a cheerleading forum. Rah, rah, rah. And on the outside chance something happens that deserves an unquestionable volley of criticism, most of the bloggers throw the word “but” in there about 15 times. ”I’ll point out the wrong…but I have to follow it up with something else that takes the team off the hook a little bit.”
Right. God forbid you write ONE piece where you actually take the team to task for something and then leave it at that.
Well, that shows that you DON"T really read the blogs on a regular basis. There are plenty of critical posts on a lot of the Oriole blogs. Especially on Camden Chat, the one Drew claims to read the most. Now, perhaps they are not 100% negative ALL the time (some other media outlet has cornered the market on that), but there is a fair amount of criticism in the Oriole blogosphere but it contains two things absent at WNST; nuance and a sense of perspective. Oh, and no froth from the mouth. It's no wonder they don't understand it.
Back to my blog yesterday that I wrote at WNST.net concerning Free The Birds.
Here, for your review, is the front page of Camden Chat from Tuesday, May 11. You’ll notice 16 different topics or stories under “Bird Droppings”. Heck, there’s even info in there about John Smoltz trying to qualify for the U.S. Open golf championship. That’s interesting...
What DON’T you notice?
Yep. My blog from Monday about Free The Birds is nowhere to be found...
However…Tuesday rolls around and the powers-that-be (and frankly, I don’t know who makes the front-page decisions and never asked Stacey) list 16 different stories about the baseball team but none of them were worthy of being replaced by my piece on Free The Birds.
And that’s what you get when you deal with bloggers. Afraid to let “the other side” have their say. Because if you do that - some folks who read the piece might even think, “hmmm…that’s a valid point or two.”
WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! They didn't like to my post! Wah, wah wah...
Honestly? You can't possibly be that thin-skinned.
I write several posts a week. If I'm lucky, I may get a link from Camden Chat once every couple of weeks. But that's OK. Why? Because if my post is worth linking to, by definition, someone will link to it. I'm not sure how or why anyone would feel slighted if Camden Chat or any of the other blogs linked to them or not. It's hardly personal.
But WNST made it personal when they accused Stacey and crew of excluding them because they didn't want Drew ("the other side") to have his say. It's infantile and insulting.
I don't know why Stacy no longer appears on WNST but I would imagine it has less to do with their viewpoints and more to do with the fact that they are colossal babies.
When the guy at WNST.net who “doesn’t like the team” writes a piece and beats them up for their stupid tickets and media relations policies, that doesn’t get linked or posted at Camden Chat or ANY OTHER SITE IN TOWN (of course).
Again, Drew obviously doesn't regularly read the blogs. WNST is and has been linked to by several blogs. Even with all the barbs I've thrown at WNST and Nestor over the years, I have linked to his stories and opinions that I actually agree with.
So I guess I have nothing else to say except that I wear their scorn as a badge of honor.
OK, resume party....
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
How Berken and Hernandez Emerged From the Crucible
Last season, the Oriole rotation was so suspect that you had to expect that some young pitchers were going to be thrown to the wolves. And they were. One was 25-year-old Jason Berken, a right handed pitcher with a total of 5 AAA starts under his belt and another was 24-year-old David Hernandez (who only had 11 starts in Norfolk), another righty. Neither was on any top prospect lists. There were no expectations.
Hernandez posted a 5.42 ERA (6.61 FIP, 5.60 xFIP) over 101.1 innings and Berken posted a 6.54 ERA (5.34 FIP, 5.10 xFIP) over 119.2 innings. It wasn't pretty and it appeared that the Orioles were fine with using these two "non-prospects" as cannon fodder.
Berken and Hernandez will always be linked in my mind. They were called up around the same time, they both were rushed, they both struggled mightily...and they both showed a lot of guts in the process. These guys got absolutely shelled in 2009 but they never seemed to get discouraged. There were no slumped shoulders or Daniel Cabrera-style implosions when things went badly. They stuck to the plan, kept working and did the best they could.
Neither were locks to make the team out of spring training but they both made the team; Berken in the bullpen and Hernandez in the rotation. Hernandez struggled again as a starter but has joined Berken in the pen to form a nice 1-2 late inning combo.
Berken has a 1.66 ERA (3.09 FIP, 3.93 xFIP) over 43.1 innings. His strikeout rate is up, his walk and home run rate is down. Hernandez has a 2.11 ERA over 12.1 innings since moving to the pen and his strikeout rate has doubled. They look to be big pieces of the Oriole bullpen in the years to come.
We certainly know they have the makeup to handle the assignment.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Time to Bring Back the Throwbacks
How cool were the 1970 throwback uniforms this weekend? Here's some pics from the Sun:
We've got to get these back in a regular rotation, don't we?
More throwback photos over here at BaltimoreSun.com.
Garrett Atkins DFA'd
It's official...Atkins did NOT survive the weekend and will likely be released in 10 days.
Andy MacPhail is right in one respect...there really is no horrible 1-year deal. No matter how much it costs, it's off the books and allows other free agents to be signed by the next season.
But the Atkins deal...it didn't look good from the beginning. You could have seen this outcome, to quote Artie Lange, coming up 5th Avenue in a cab. Atkins had never had great numbers away from Coors Field, his numbers had been in decline for four straight seasons and there were other bats available for, likely, less money. After the signing, I just kind of kept my fingers crossed that the scouts had seen something that they thought was fixable.
You should know my feelings on this for now...I wanted to fill the hole at first base from within with either Luke Scott or Nolan Reimold moving over there and/or letting some of the guys at AAA (Scott Moore, Rhyne Hughes, Michael Aubrey, Brandon Snyder) as the season moved on. If there's a silver lining, one of those guys will now get a shot as Wigginton has moved over to first and Moore seems to be in line to get the bulk of the starts at second base.
Ultimately, Atkins sucking had little affect on the standings; there is little doubt that the way 2010 has gone that the Orioles would still be the worst team in the American League. But at least we can move on and let other guys, including Jake Fox, take a shot.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Random Thoughts About the Week...
Rick Dempsey to be Interviewed for Oriole Manager
This is kind of sad to me. Andy MacPhail does not take Rick seriously for this position. And arguably, he shouldn't. Dempsey hasn't managed in years. But he wants it so bad, he'll put up with this indignity and try to convince the Oriole brass otherwise.
Brad Bergesen and Koji Uehara To Return, Garrett Atkins Likely Roster Casualty
The fragile Uehara is coming back...but for how long is uncertain. He's pretty good when he's on the mound and he will help the bullpen but obviously we can't count on him being healthy.
Bergey...I don't know. I just wish they'd leave him in one spot and let him work things out in Baltimore.
Years ago, Henry Rollins put forth an idea for a performance art piece called "Edie Brickell Still Lives" where he would sit in a chair on a stage covered with cinder blocks, nails and razor wire, a PA announcer would say "Edie Brickell still lives!" at which point, Rollins would hurl himself onto the stage, beating his body against all the bricks and nails and razors until he collapsed into a bloody, sweaty heap on the stage. Then the PA announcer would shout, "But she still lives!", which would cause Rollins to pick himself up off the stage and do it all over again.
Call this piece "Garret Atkins Retains a Roster Spot" and I could do it myself.
Nick Markakis Meets With Peter Angelos
I think Nick has finally figured that he is chained to this team for another 4 and a half years...he'd better do something!
I love that Nick seems to be taking a more active leadership role on the team, even if it is motivated by self-interest. It's clear that he expected better this season and can't bear the thought of the Orioles flailing about for the next fours seasons until he becomes a free agent.
Matt Wieters Bunt!
Juan Samuel does NOT want to stay with the organization. Period.
According to Fangraphs.com, that botched bunt cost the Orioles .114 of WPA...more than any non-run scoring play the Marlins managed. Juan Samuel may as well have been playing for the other team.
Matt Angle is an On Base Machine
All Matt Angle does is get on base and steal second....THAT"S ALL HE DOES!!!
I didn't include Angle in my high-minors review earlier this week but he deserves a mention. The Orioles haven't done him any favors. After playing last season at high-A Frederick, he started the season on the DL, got a total of 14 games in Bowie and was then rushed up to Norfolk due to organizational need.
Angle has held his own, relatively speaking. He's only hitting .264/.338/.282 in Norfolk...but forget the OPS. You heard me, forget the OPS.
Angle does not hit for power and he may never do so...but his career OBP in the minors is .386, his career walk rate is 12.2% and he has stolen 124 bases at an 80.5% clip. There is room for a guy like that as a leadoff hitter in the majors.
As we have seen, having guys with lousy on base skills can sap a struggling offense. A guy like Angle should be seen as a real prospect if he can improve on his numbers in Norfolk. Don't let the fact that he was thrown into the deep end of the pool fool you.
Friday, June 25, 2010
It Could Be Worse: Nick Markakis
After a couple seasons of calling for a breakout season for Nick Markakis, it appears that the upswing in his offensive numbers may never happen. I was never one to think that Nick's line drive swing would develop into 30 home run power but I thought he would hit .300 with 20-25 homers and a great on base percentage and that his OPS would hover around .900 for his peak years.
Alas, it appears that Nick will not become "Enos Slaughter of the New Millennium" as I had hoped. But that doesn't mean that there's not a lot to like.
As of this morning .300/.390/.426. That good for a .360 wOBA which is good for a top 30 wOBA in the AL, even with the diminished power. And although his fielding is not what it once was, it's way better (so far) than it was last year.
There is concern about Markakis' diminished power but he leads the AL in doubles and a few of those are going to start going over the fence. ZIPS agrees and projects .297/.372/.464 with 10 homers and 25 doubles for the rest of the season.
There is not much to like about this season but Nick Markakis is still a reason to go to the park.
And while he looks to be more Brian Roberts than Ellis Burks at the plate, he's still a nice player to have on your team.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
O's Acquire Jake Fox
According to The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec, the Orioles have acquired UT Jake Fox from the Oakland Athletics for a minor league pitcher.
Considering the fact that the pitcher they give up is expected to be no one of consequence, this is a good move all around. edit: Looks like the pitcher will be Norfolk P Ross Wolf. That's totally fine.
Fox can come in and play first right away. He's not a good fielder...but then again neither is Garrett Atkins. Atkins should see the writing on the wall at this point and he is not likely to be on the roster past this weekend. Fox brings an added dimension as he can play C, 3B or the corner outfield positions in a pinch.
Fox only hit .214/.264/.327 for the A's but played sporadically for Oakland, rarely starting 2 games in a row. He did hit .259/.311/.468 for the Cubs last season.and he was a tad unlucky in Oakland. You would have to think he'll perform better with regular playing time...which he should get in Baltimore where there are no better alternatives. ZIPS projects his to hit .248/.309/.425 with a wOBA of .324 and an ISO of .177 the rest of the way. That's not great but it's a big improvement over what we have now.
And you never know....Fox only has 350 PAs in the majors. He just might get better.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Checking In With the Farm Clubs - High Minors
Not as much to look at in the upper levels as there was in the lower levels...but here they are.
Joel Guzman - 1B/3B/OF
Guzman is a former top prospect in the Dodger organization who flamed out and has bounced around for the last three years. However, the 25-year-old Guzman is hitting .272/.336/.535 with 17 homers for Bowie this season.
Eddie Gamboa - RP
I like Eddie. He rose fast last season and has continued to turn in good work in Bowie. He's striking out a batter an inning and while the walk rate is not great, the K/BB ratio is still 2.5 to 1. He's just another reason I think the bullpen can be rebuilt from within.
Jim Hoey - RP
Hoey seems to have worked himself back from injury problems to and is striking out batters like crazy (11.5 K/9). I guess I'll believe it if he starts doing it at AAA again.
Norfolk Tides
Josh Bell - 3B
Bell has been maligned for a couple reasons this season. First, he can't hit lefties and people are demanding that he abandon switch hitting. (I've never really understood that argument. How do we know he can hit lefties better batting lefthanded than righthanded?) Second, he has not hit overall like he was expected to after his promotion to AAA.
The L/R splits are troubling. However, his bat is probably not as bad as it looks right now. First, his offensive numbers have improved each month of the season:
Slash Line BB K HR Apr .238/.256/.405 2 21 3 May .282/.325/.455 7 29 3 June .275/.367/.451 7 12 2
After a horrific April, he has focused on being more selective at the plate and it has paid off. Taking away April, his K/BB ratio is 3 to 1, not terrific but it's respectable and trending the right way.
Furthermore, according to Minor League Splits, if you normalize his numbers for park factor and luck, his .265/.312/.437 line becomes .294/.338/.494.
He's trending well and hitting better than his numbers show. He won't be pushing Miguel Tejada out of town this season liked many had hoped but he's having a productive season for a 23-year-old in AAA.
Brandon Snyder - 1B
Some better trends for Snyder as well, although in a different manner than Bell.
After putting up an OPS's of .615 and .659 in April and May respectively, Snyder is posting a line of .327/.389/.531 in June. He still isn't walking enough but this follows Snyder's development through the minors thus far. He tends to have a long learning curve when he moves up a level but when he gets it, he catches fire. It has taken him 5 months at AAA to come around but this may be the turning point that lands Snyder in the majors in 2011.
I don't think Snyder will ever be a great first baseman but he will be serviceable enough that we won't have to sign the like of Garrett Atkins again. (Not that we needed to in the first place...)
Tim Bascom - SP
Bascom is the starting pitcher who is closest to Baltimore now that Jake Arrieta was promoted. His stuff is marginal and he's a flyball pitcher but he has improved through each level, especially with his control as his walk rate is a minuscule 1.4 BB/9 in Bowie and Norfolk combined. He paints the corners and will have to hope his control and stuff are good enough to work the edges in the majors...but it could work.
Dennis Sarfate - RP
Just a quick note about Sarfate...
Yeah, he's got his velocity back and he's striking out 11.79 per 9 innings. But his walk rate is 5.32 K/9 and that's not going to play at the next level. Get it under control Dennis.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Story of Scott Moore (or Why Can't These Guys Get At Bats?)
A while back, I wrote a post about how Andy MacPhail has acquired minor league corner infielders and lauding him for producing Rhyne Hughes out of that mix.
Now, Hughes is back in Norfolk but another guy, Scott Moore is here.
The quick background on Moore:
Moore was a 1st Round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2002 and was eventually dealt to the Cubs. The Orioles acquired him from the Cubs for SP Steve Trachsel in 2007. Moore played in Baltimore that season posting a .622 OPS over 17 games.
It looked like Moore would get a shot to play in Baltimore in 2008 but it was not to be. Injuries limited him to 78 games in Norfolk and he only got 9 at bats in Baltimore. 2009 followed with still more injuries.
So in 2010, with the Orioles desperate for bodies, they called Moore up from Norfolk and started letting him play...a little. Moore started out 0-9 over his first 7 games but then the O's started giving him more regular playing time.From June 2nd to June 13th, he went 9 for 24 while posting a .375/.423/.542 line. Then, inexplicably, he hasn't gotten a start since. (OK, not completely inexplicably...he rolled an ankle before Wednesday's game.)
Why would a team that is so desperate for offense leave a guy with a hot bat on the bench? Why would the O's take a 26-year-old player, a former 1st round draft pick, a guy who can play all over the infield, and leave him in the dugout while the corpses of Garrett Atkins and Julio Lugo drag their undead carcasses to the plate night after night? Are the vets going to get better? Do they really give the team a better shot to win in 2010? What about 2011? The season is long lost. Why?
I'm not saying Moore will be a good player...but could he be average? Absolutely. Could he be a late bloomer ala Jayson Werth? Perhaps. But we'll never know while he's on the bench.
Aside from that, couldn't this team still use Rhyne Hughes? Hughes is wearing out lefty pitchers in AAA and his overall MLE numbers would give him a .710 OPS. Again, not great but he's still only 26. He just might get a little better. He's arguably already a better option than Atkins.
The Orioles have two of the worst position players in baseball getting regular at bats. Atkins is OPSing .575 and Lugo is OPSing .495. There is nothing to lose by jettisoning these guys and giving a younger player a shot.
The one upshot to losing like this is that there is no longer anything to lose. You can try anything at this point. Why not make a bold move? (Hell, giving Moore and Hughes more ABs wouldn't even be considered bold at this point...just for this organization.)
Give the younger guys a chance to play regularly; they'll improve the team this season and you'll find out if you have any diamonds in the rough. In 2010, anything else is ludicrous.
Markakis To Team: Let's Get a Clue
Nick Markakis has had it with the Oriole offense. And for a change, he says so to The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zreibec:
"We still have a lot of holes, and, unfortunately, we have had a lot of injuries. But one guy, one big bat, is not going to make that much of a difference. You can stick a guy hitting 50 homers in this lineup right now, and he really is not going to do anything until we all get on the same page. We all need to have better approaches at the plate....
...from top to bottom, you need guys getting on base. You need guys in there who have a plan, who have a clue and who know how to execute that plan and get on base. We don't need every guy in this lineup trying to hit home runs. We're paid to get on base and figure out how to score and drive in runs."
Earl Weaver would've kissed this guy on the mouth.
In the 14 team AL, the Orioles are 13th in on base percentage, 13th in slugging and 13th in OPS. What was to be a relative strength of this team has become its biggest disappointment.
It's nice to see Nick say something publicly...but I wonder how much difference it will make. He also states that none of this is Terry Crowley's fault...but if a lack of a clear approach at the plate isn't the responsibility of the hitting coach, whose is it?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Around the Oriole Blog-O-Sphere: Future Watch Edition
Baltimore Sports Report has a video interview with Orioles 2B prospect LJ Hoes.
Camden Crazies looks at the merits of Jake Fox and concludes that he would be a significant upgrade from Garrett Atkins. I agree.
Dean Hybl of BaseballReflections.com ponders if Brad Bergesen could be the next Jim Palmer. Not likely but Dean does remind us of the circuitous route many players take to success.
Weaver's Tantrum takes a look at the company the 2010 Orioles are keeping: the 1988 Orioles and the 1962 Mets.
Roar from 34 wonders if the "Baltimore" on the front of the road jerseys has been replaced with another term. (All you jerks who whined and bitched about getting "Baltimore" back on the jerseys can stick it. It hasn't mattered one iota in how the team is perceived. I'm looking at you WNST.)
Oriole Insider reports that the team has contacted Buck Showalter regarding their managerial vacancy.
Eutaw Street Hooligans call for a reality check among O's fans and they are correct...just not sure a guy who blogs about this team can take their advice.
A bit of Spring Training News:
Circuit Judge Bob Bennett ruled Wednesday that construction can continue at Ed Smith Stadium, dealing the first courtroom defeat to two citizens groups trying to stop a taxpayer-financed renovation of the ballpark....
"Outstanding," Orioles attorney Alan Rifkin whispered in court as the judge ruled.
Can we add this to the Oriole win column?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The Tao of Backman
Need a cure to your Oriole blues? Looking for some inner peace? Need to be reminded why you love baseball to begin with?
Wally Backman has your cure.
Tip of the hat to The Loss Column for posting a video showing Wally Backman getting thrown out of a game while managing the independent league South Georgia Peanuts. It led me to all these videos, excerpts from a TV show called "Playing for Peanuts". If you just want to see the ejection, it's toward the bottom of the post. But all of these put a smile on my face.
Assume that all of this is NSFW.
A 3-DVD set of "Playing for Peanuts" can be purchased at PlayingForPeanuts.com.
When Does Rick Kranitz Start Feeling the Heat?
Just a quick thought...
Lots has been written about the failures of Oriole hitting coach Terry Crowley over the past few years.
But why is the Oriole pitching coach seemingly immune from such criticism?
The Oriole pitching staff has an ERA of 5.33, the worst in the American League. This is not new. Baltimore also had the worst AL ERA in 2009 and the second worst ERA in 2008. Kranitz has presided over the pitching staff for all three seasons.
Want to look at the advanced stats? They are and have been dead last in the league in FIP and xFIP over the past three seasons as well.
It's not as if Kranitz has had absolutely nothing to work with. There have been some young arms come to Baltimore that are highly regarded. Thus far, none of them look ready to take the next step. Chris Tillman looked completely lost last night. Ditto with (at times) Brian Matusz.
And over the past three seasons, Kranitz has failed to assemble any semblance of a bullpen. That's what good pitching coaches do...they take marginal pitchers and/or kids from AAA and teach them how to pitch for an inning or two. There are guys in this system with the stuff to be good relievers...but for some reason they never seem to develop.
So...either lots of independent scouts and analysts were dead wrong about a lot of Oriole talent or the organization is doing a poor job of developing that talent for the major league level. I think Kranitz has to take some heat for that.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Top 5 Oriole Interleague Stars - The Hitters
As the Orioles are in the midst of interleague play yet again, I thought I'd take a look at the Oriole hitters who had taken advantage of the National League. God knows we could use some of these guys now.
Here's the top 5:
5. Aubrey Huff
AVG OBP SLG HR OPS Huff .326 .394 .526 7 .920
Perhaps this was the indicator that Aubrey Huff would bounce back a bit once he went to the NL this offseason.
4. Albert Belle
AVG OBP SLG HR OPS Belle .326 .396 .525 7 .921
It's crazy how close Huff and Belle's interleague numbers are. But they were both raking.
3. Cal Ripken, Jr.
AVG OBP SLG HR OPS Ripken .330 .380 .558 14 .938
Of course, Cal is here. Even more amazing than those numbers is the fact he did it at a time when the NL was probably the better league.
2. Larry Bigbie
AVG OBP SLG HR OPS
Bigbie .360 .446 .523 3 .969
There always has to be a surprise on a list like this and Bigbie qualifies. This is over 101 plate appearances where he walked 14 times. It's still a drag this guy didn't make it.
1. Harold Baines
AVG OBP SLG HR OPS
Baines .355 .424 .553 3 .976
Just another reason to love Harold Baines. No Oriole was more effective against the Senior Circuit.
Bergey Back to Bush Leagues
So there was this press release:
ORIOLES OPTION RHP BRAD BERGESEN TO TRIPLE-A NORFOLK
The Orioles have announced that RHP BRAD BERGESEN has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Bergesen was 3-4 with a 6.50 ERA (54.0IP, 39ER) in 12 games (10 starts) for the Orioles this season.
A corresponding move will be announced tomorrow.
Well, I hate to say I told you so but...I told you so.
...why would Bergesen go to Norfolk for a single start and come back to Baltimore? One solid start against AAA hitters is not enough for me to regain confidence. If you're going to use his option under the premise that he needed to work on his sinker and control, I sincerely doubt that he put everything together in one start. At least three would be my preference.
These are the kinds of things that bother me about this team. The losing sucks and the young players' struggles are concerning but ultimately these things can happen with a team in rebuilding mode. It doesn't always happen on schedule.
But wasting an option on a guy for one AAA start? It just doesn't make sense. Now you've used two options on a guy who may eventually be useful to the big league club. Who really thought that Bergey was all straightened out after one start?
Maybe they think Bergesen is no longer a big league pitcher. Maybe. But they did this with Matt Albers too and now he has no options left, probably the only reason he's still on the big league roster. For some reason, the Orioles seem afraid that someone will claim Albers if they try to get him to Norfolk. But they no longer have the luxury of Albers going to AAA to work out his control, a new pitch or something of that ilk.
If this is how cavalier they are about player options, what else are they not paying close attention to?
And that's when I get nervous.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Oriole Arms: The Next Wave
With the debut of Jake Arrieta tonight, the most recent wave of top young arms are all in Baltimore. Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz and Arrieta lead the way and, to a lesser extent, Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez are now in Baltimore to stay.
But there's still more reason to be optimistic about the Orioles rotation of the future. There are still quality arms in the minor leagues and they should be coming to Baltimore as soon as 2011-2013.
Here are some highlights:
Zach Britton - 3rd Rd, 2006
IP K BB HR ERA WHIP Britton AA 67.0 49 23 4 2.96 1.29The 22-year-old lefty is probably the top prospect left in the minors and could be in Baltimore as soon as 2011. He has picked up where he left off in 2009 for Frederick by inducing groundballs at a 65.7% rate in AA Bowie. His K rate has dropped but then so has the walk rate. A lefty sinkerballer in orange and black? We could use him against the Yankees right now.
Tim Bascom - 4th Rd, 2007
IP K BB HR ERA WHIP Bascom - AA 63.0 41 10 6 3.43 1.28
While Arrieta makes his MLB debut, Bascom makes his AAA debut for Norfolk tonight. The 25-year-old righty is kind of a flyball pitcher but the split is not extreme. He has improved his control a lot this season and I suppose that will be the factor that decides how successful he will be going forward. Bascom could force his way to Baltimore in mid-summer 2011.
Cole McCurry - 43rd Rd, 2007
Nathan Nery - 18th Rd, 2006
Richard Zagone - 6th Rd, 2008
IP K BB HR ERA WHIP McCurry - A+ 48.2 48 18 6 3.51 1.29 Nery - A+ 66.1 38 12 8 3.53 1.14 Zagone - A+ 64.1 45 20 4 3.36 1.27
There are an interesting trio of lefties having success in Frederick this season. They are all between 23 and 24 years old, none were high draft picks and none were considered top prospects coming in to this season.
McCurry has the best stuff as he is striking out nearly a batter per inning. Both Nery and Zagone get by with inducing grounders and (especially Nery) limiting the free passes.
At least one of these guys should be up in Bowie pretty soon and you have to think that one of these three emerges as a serious prospect by year's end.
Ryan Berry - 9th Rd, 2009
IP K BB HR ERA WHIP Berry - A/A+ 65.1 57 17 6 3.17 1.27
Berry was on his way to being a first round selection in 2009 when he hurt his shoulder during his senior season at Rice. Berry has dominated the lower levels and looks to move quickly through the organization. Still just 21, I wouldn't be surprised if he's pitching in Bowie by season's end and be in Baltimore by 2013.
