Baseball Musings: Changes, Baltimore Orioles

[SammyBirdland]

I thought this article had a nice summary of our offseason moves so far.

Matt Antonelli gets on base.
Wilson Betemit can hit for power.
Endy Chavez is above average defensively.
Wei-Yin Chen owned a high K/BB in Japan.
Dana Eveland keeps he ball in the park.
Jason Hammel has good control.
Matt Lindstrom owns great walk and home run numbers.
Jai Miller showed some pop in his bat in the minors, although some of that came in the old PCL.
Darren O?Day has great control.
37 of Taylor Teagarden?s 77 hits have gone for extra bases.
Tsuyoshi Wada showed an excellent K/BB in Japan.

So what Dan Duquette did with his limited resources is bring in players who do something well. Buck Showalter?s history shows that the manager is very good at putting players in situations where they can succeed. It?s much more work to manage a team like this, and I doubt it will be a great team. With enough players put in the right spots, however, the Orioles might turn in a .500 season. I like these moves.

http://baseballmusings.com/?p=78823

[Frobby]

Interesting perspective. He's right that it will be important how Buck uses these guys.

[oriole]

The only part I disagree with is Buck Showalter being able to put players in situations where they can succeed. How do you explain Vlad, Lee, and Gregg of last season? All were terrible choices for their respective usage in the lineup or situation.

[NewMarketSean]

Hammel's BB/9 was increased last year and his K/9 was down.

[Icterus galbula]

Since when is Lindstroms career 3.4 BB/9 considered a good number? Some of these are stretches.

[MrOrange82]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

[EddieMurrayfan]

The only part I disagree with is Buck Showalter being able to put players in situations where they can succeed. How do you explain Vlad, Lee, and Gregg of last season? All were terrible choices for their respective usage in the lineup or situation.

I guess the real issue here is where else he could have put them that would have helped them succeed.

[Fan4Life]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

Well first you have to answer the question "is the talent on this team (2011) truly a 69 win ball club?"

If your answer is yes, then you are correct that .500 is a pipe dream. (where did the metaphor come from?)
However if you think the talent on this team is more a 75-ish win team, then we have a shot at 82 wins.

[MrOrange82]

Well first you have to answer the question "is the talent on this team (2011) truly a 69 win ball club?"

If your answer is yes, then you are correct that .500 is a pipe dream. (where did the metaphor come from?)
However if you think the talent on this team is more a 75-ish win team, then we have a shot at 82 wins.

Well, the O's haven't won more than 70 games since 2005 (a year in which they notched a robust 74 wins), so...yes, unfortunately, I think the O's were and are a 69ish win team. They have neither the firepower nor the starting pitching to finish with more than a low-70's win total in 2012.

And no...not just basing that appraisal on history. I think we've seen enough (if we're being honest) to know what we have in Markakis and Jones. I think most realize that Reynolds is what he is, and that we were rather lucky to get 129 games and 30 HR from Hardy last year. Wieters might have room for offensive improvement, but I don't think we're looking at a leap to the .300/30/100 demon we thought we had a few years ago (he turns 26 in May). Some people are saying "well, what if Reimold hits 25, and Davis matches him?" To that I say..."well, what if flying, invisible pigs patrol Camden's OF and prevent opposing teams from hitting homeruns?" (of course...I'm more inclined to believe in the possibility of a Reimold resurgence than I am the resurgence of the entirety of the team's starting staff).

I just feel like we go through these "if they play to their potential" exercises every year, and every year we're reminded that the collective potential of the team's players isn't that great. Relative to the competition in the AL East, the Orioles' current roster simply isn't good at baseball.

[NewMarketSean]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

I guess there's a positive way to look at anything. This guy took it to the max. The moves we made might be good for a team that won 95 games last year with a young team but we won 68.

[TheBee]

The only part I disagree with is Buck Showalter being able to put players in situations where they can succeed. How do you explain Vlad, Lee, and Gregg of last season? All were terrible choices for their respective usage in the lineup or situation.

I have to admit to being disappointed in how Buck handled Gregg in a such a predictable, obliging, and undeserved fashion through a few particularly frustrating stretches of the season. I will agree with the writer that Buck's ability to put players in situations where they can be successful will be of paramount performance, but that's the mark of any good leader, really.

[JohnnyK27]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

I don't think this team will reach 70 wins.

[DrungoHazewood]

I guess the real issue here is where else he could have put them that would have helped them succeed.

Oh, I don't know... maybe not using the flyball pitcher with the astronomical walk rate in the highest leverage situations? Or batting the guy with the .600-and-something OPS most of the year cleanup for six months? Who is in the game is more important than where you put them, but the where isn't completely irrelevant.

Well first you have to answer the question "is the talent on this team (2011) truly a 69 win ball club?"

If your answer is yes, then you are correct that .500 is a pipe dream. (where did the metaphor come from?)
However if you think the talent on this team is more a 75-ish win team, then we have a shot at 82 wins.

If every team had the true talent of a .500 club there would be teams that won 90 and teams that won 70 every single year. It's commonplace for a team to win or lose 10 or 15 games more than their "true talent".

[waroriole]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

Pepsi points huh........sounds like someone read the case with the Pepsi points and the fighter jet

[.500_OR_BETTER]

I will bet anyone/everyone on OH eleventy billion Pepsi Points that the O's don't get within 5 games of .500 in 2012.

The writer's credentials seem legit...I'm just shocked how anyone can think that what the O's did this offseason was not simply "OK, given the circumstances" (i.e., Angelos and a lack of great FA options), but "likeable."

There's nothing likeable about this team's current lot.

Tempting.....Was that enough points to buy the fighter jet or whatever they were offering?