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Sanfran327

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Sanfran327 last won the day on July 11 2008

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About Sanfran327

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  • Location
    Reston
  • Homepage
    http://www.trident-professional-solutions.com
  • Interests
    Sports in general, grilling, family, friends, my dog.
  • Occupation
    Entrepreneur/Writer
  • Favorite Current Oriole
    Matt Wieters
  • Favorite All Time Oriole
    Gotta go with Cal.

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  1. No kidding. But spending top dollar isn't a prerequisite.
  2. I don't necessarily think he's going to just open the flood gates financially, either. I think ME is too smart to do that, even with someone else's money. I think a combination of people like Elias and Rubenstein will always seek to assemble a best-value team. In my world, that does not mean cheapest. I think a lot of people see that phase and key in too much on the "value" part and think it's synonymous with "cheap". It's not. It simply means smart and responsible spending. We have so much young talent on this roster that nobody could keep it all. The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, and Braves would all have to make some very tough decisions at some point with this group. I'm glad we have such a long time to evaluate this, but when I say I think we're in great hands with Rubenstein, it's because I think he will listen to what ME recommends, and empower him to do it. Whatever that turns out to be. And again, I think it's the tandem of those two guys that makes me feel so confident, because I don't think ME will ever ask ownership to spend irresponsibly. Nobody has a crystal ball and nobody will nail every single contract extension of FA signing, but I think this group is going to have a pretty high success rate.
  3. Aside from the appreciation of watching a real #1 go to work (something we haven't had in decades), my thought about Burnes 2025+ / Elias / Rubenstein is that while I don't think ME is ever going to be of the Brian Cashman variety of GMs that just throw money at problems, he could prove to be the type that will spend big when he thinks the ROI will be there. 2024 could be the long, up-close look at Burnes that ME needs to tell Rubenstein that he's worth the investment if the money doesn't get too stupid. And it probably will, but this last offseason was a strange one for the top of the SP market. Let's say we sign him to 6 additional years and he spends 7 as an Oriole counting this year, if we manage to win 2 championships with him under contract, I think that's a great return. Basically, my thought is to sign him for the full run of the youngsters and have him be the anchor of the pitching staff the whole time. This dude is built to have a long career.
  4. I'm sure he's relieved to hear you say that. My biggest takeaway was that he's a real nerd's nerd, and that we are unquestionably in great hands.
  5. Easily the best birthday gift I could have ever gotten. I've said many times that the day the Angelos family sells the team would be second only to an ensuing World Series championship. This is such a good day and such a good feeling. 2023 couldn't have been a better springboard into this new regime. I feel like the possibilities are endless. We are extremely good already, and I have no reason to think we aren't on the verge of becoming significantly better. Here's a little clip from ESPN's pre-season prediction article: It's going to be a hell of a ride in 2024, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.
  6. But it was never Angelos. It's the CBA. As long as it's written the way it is, this will continue to happen. It's simply good business sense. Nobody should trade ~30 games for 162.
  7. I don't honestly know off hand. But as I recall, we routinely rolled out distinctively different lineups vs LHP and RHPs. We have a few switch hitters, so that helps, but for instance, Mullins, Henderson, and O'Hearn didn't seem to get a ton of ABs vs LHPs, and Mountcastle, Urias, and Westburg seemed to sit a lot vs RHPs. Is that a lot compared to most? Couldn't tell you. But my gut tells me that Hyde liked to play the percentages and shuffled the lineup based on the opposing SP. Everyone does that. Did we do it more than others? I don't know. But I know we did it better than everyone else. Or at least that's what 101 wins tells me. And I'm not suggesting that we stop doing it. Just that it seems to have strengths and weaknesses, and that it feels like it probably works a bit differently over a marathon regular season vs the sprint of a postseason series.
  8. Yes, small sample size, but your final point is the main one. Games are managed differently in the postseason. You generally only have 2 games in a row, so you can virtually empty the tank every night in the playoffs. Typically, the big playoff performers are hitters that don't have massive splits, pitchers that don't have massive splits (and starters that can go deep into games), and then the guys that just catch fire at the right time. Having a lineup heavily featuring platoon guys allows the opposing manager to do exactly what Bochy did to us last year: start a guy that will exploit the platoon weaknesses in your lineup for 2 turns through it, then flip to an opposite handed pitcher that will do the same thing to your B lineup for another 2 turns through it. Build a lead early, then slam the door with your three best relievers. Three games is certainly nothing definitive, but we saw what we saw. Again, Atlanta and LA didn't do much with their superstar lineups either. Plus our bats were cooling off all September anyway.
  9. He's definitely a guy who's bat could force his way into the ML lineup at another position. Since we have a crowded MI, I think seeing what he can do in the OF is a great idea. I think it's a fairly easy transition to move from IF to OF.
  10. I'm not either. No part of me thinks he can be anywhere as good as Mullins, but I don't think he'd be a liability there, either. But of the 3 guys I mentioned, he's the only one that has a shot at it, unfortunately. I purposefully did not mention Bradfield in this thread, and maybe I should have. I currently have major reservations about whether his bat will allow him to become an everyday player. If it does, that's wonderful. He just has a long way to go to get there.
  11. This better articulates my opinion of Hays. Good post. And good point made by Frobby as well, I guess Hays has been on the field more than I gave him credit for, but I still think that Santander has been our most consistent OFer over the last 3-4 years than anyone else. Not even really sure how that's debatable, but I'm sure someone will show me. Count me as one of the guys that would like to keep Santander around at the right price as a RF contingency and DH option. No doubt that Hays and Mullins have shown us how good they can be, I just wish it could be for longer stretches.
  12. Maybe this doesn't deserve its own thread - merge if needed. But the spring showings from Cowser and Stowers, however little faith you want to put in them (the results, not the players), has me thinking that our outfield prospects could be the difference between being good and great. We know our infield is set for a while. Lots of blue chippers all over the infield at all 5 positions. But the outfield doesn't get as much love, probably due to the lackluster stints that Cowser and Stowers had in Baltimore last year (and the year before for Stowers IIRC). No doubt our team strength is the infield, but if the outfield joins the party, that's going to be huge. Santander is the only consistent contributor at the moment, while Hays and Mullins struggle to stay on the field and contribute offensively when they're available. It's unlikely that all 3 pan out, but if we can go L/C/RF with Stowers, Cowser, and Kjerstad (who I view as more of a DH), we could be looking at a lineup with very few holes offensively or defensively. A pretty exciting thought to me.
  13. I think the 2023 Orioles were a perfect case study in how platooning is great in the regular season, but not so great in the postseason. Then again, the Braves and Dodgers had early postseason exits, and they probably had more superstar power than we did.
  14. I think we'd all feel more comfortable if we did, and I'm not sure what Lorenzen's asking price or projected contract is, but he seems to make a lot of sense for us. Even if (and I'm leaning towards that being a pretty big if) Means and Bradish come back fully healthy this year, that doesn't mean that Lorenzen is a wasted acquisition. Guys need rest, and guys miss starts all the time. I don't want to be part of a 6 man rotation, but I think the likelihood of facing that scenario at any point this year is pretty small.
  15. I think you gotta go with Wells to start the year. He had a nice 1st half last year, and he could hold it down until Means or Bradish are ready to return. Is he being stretched out in ST, or does it look like they're slotting him for the bullpen right out of the gate?
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