big_sparxx

does arbitration make it less likely that the player will extend? I see most think it's a foregone conclusion. I'm not so sure. We better hope that these young guns live up to the hype. Hays would be the kind of player to come back to haunt us in the future.

Much of this is presumptuous that Anthony Santander doesn't get traded... which is very unlikely. With Holliday earmarked for 2b, and if AS is traded, the logical answer is to keep Cowser and move Westburg.

Like the Chris Davis contract. Once bitten...

You're making assumptions about ownership based on what? Is this the same ownership that paid $170m for Chris Davis? I'm using the basic logic that's in front of us. Elias came from Houston and was hired not on his ability to not spend money, but to build a franchise. You might have hired Mike Bordick if you wanted a company guy. I understand the frustration in your reply, but I have never viewed winning as a birthright, and whether or not there is any truth in the idea that the Angelos brothers are being cheap, you have not answered the questions I asked, and if you're struggling to see the future of the Orioles, I wonder how many Astros fans felt the exact same way after losing their 3rd straight 100+ loss season. Good luck to you. I choose to accept the fate that we have been historically bad dating back pre-2012 where we had 15 seasons of below .500 ball every year, and before that there wasn't much to write home about either. Again... not sure what you expect. I don't know what it takes to be a fan I guess. I live to be surprised by this organization, and can not be bothered about conspiracy theories and the like.

major league comparables question... If we look at Houston as the model, considering that's where Elias immediate frame of reference comes from, and that they were, for all intents and purposes in the same boat (4 seasons of 90+ losses in a row, 3 seasons of 100+ losses 2011 - 2014), they didn't actually turn the corner until 2015 (wildcard) and then didn't win a championship until 2017. The O's are VERY similar in that we have 3 straight 100+ loss seasons (with 2020 stuck in the middle) While it is extremely difficult to compare minor league progressions, we might assume that for the most part, Houston might have at one point looked very familiar in most aspects of an organization. So the question must be asked, why should we expect more? Why should we be any different? Add to that, we play in the Luxury tax hell of the AL East, why should we expect to be better, faster than the Astros? I think Elias has begun the project he was hired to do. To think he would leave, or be fired at any point in the coming years is highly delusional. His benchmarks (Houston) are there for all to see.

If owners think they're losing money in March and April...

typos suck...

I see this as the only way forward. Bring the season down to 100 games maybe. Start the season in May.

So how much money should a last place team spend? I'm not sure investing heavy at this point makes us contenders any time soon. The other question is, how does signing FAs stifle progress of up and coming talent. I really need to see what this team is gonna look like fully loaded. We can debate their readiness until the cows come home, but we haven't committed to this process for this length of time to all of a sudden jam it up by signing players who are not part of the long term agenda.

not entirely sure why people are beefing here. You might have had a case for the top 2 Vandy guys Leiter and Rocker... but anything below that was gonna be a stretch. If you're playing the slot game... which seems to be the norm nowadays, why are you moaning over guys who are projects? If you're looking for hope from mid round picks...

so let's get this straight then... it's cheating when you let the batter know what pitch is coming, and its cheating when the pitch is doctored.... why not just let it all go?

The reason for optimism is simple... this is the ONLY way we are working now. No big spending in the FA market, and the investment in developing as much lower level talent as possible. History has taught us one thing... that we're in it for the long haul, that there are no get rich quick schemes, and that while it'll probably take a lot longer than any of us imagined... we can live in hope while we are pontificating the vales of those that are in the system. You really can't ask for any more than that.

As I said in a previous thread. I think traditional starters are doomed. As Fangraphs notes the average innings per start has been getting lower and lower over the past several years. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/starting-pitcher-workloads-have-been-significantly-reduced-in-2020/ The nature of the game I believe is based on pitch counts now. Sure it's great to have guys who can throw 100 pitches over 7 or 8 innings, but I think there aren't that many guys who can do that any more. We're gonna move to 3 innings per pitcher and hopefully the effective guys won't get through the oppo lineup more than once.

Just imagine... if he hits 50 points higher he could be in the reckoning for "comeback player of the year" That would mean he'd be hitting above the mendoza line at around .215 Something to shoot for.

2 Words... Trey Mancini. Our season is a success the minute he takes the field.