Ask The Orioles

[Official Orioles]

The Orioles organization and Orioles Hangout are excited to start this thread for you, the fans. On this specific thread, the Orioles organization will be responding to several of your questions and comments on a weekly basis as best as we can. Please see our House Rules listed below before posting your questions or comments.

We look forward to a great season with you! Thanks for your continued support.

- The Orioles


HOUSE RULES:

Content that is defamatory or derogatory towards the Orioles management, players organization as a whole will not be tolerated. Any posting that is obscene,racist, bigoted or uses sexually explicit language or that is likely to defame or insult a individual or group, or that is abusive or hateful will be removed. Content that is spam, advertisements or any other solicitations is not permitted.

You may not suggest, condone or encourage illegal activity. Content divulging private information will be removed, this includes phone numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, or any other private information.

[srock]

The Orioles organization and Orioles Hangout are excited to start this thread for you, the fans. On this specific thread, the Orioles organization will be responding to several of your questions and comments on a weekly basis as best as we can. Please see our House Rules listed below before posting your questions or comments.

We look forward to a great season with you! Thanks for your continued support.

- The Orioles


HOUSE RULES:

Content that is defamatory or derogatory towards the Orioles management, players ororganization as a whole will not be tolerated. Any posting that is obscene,racist, bigoted or uses sexually explicit language or that is likely to defame or insult a individual or group, or that is abusive or hateful will be removed. Content that is spam, advertisements or any other solicitations is not permitted.

You may not suggest, condone or encourage illegal activity. Content divulging private information will be removed, this includes phone numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, or any other private information.

Do Orioles Hangout 'House Rules' also apply...per spelling...???

Couldn't resist.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I'm not sure if this is something you can comment on, but I'd be interested in knowing how the Orioles organization feels about the current schedule and playoff format. How do you feel about the unbalanced schedule, constant interleague play, 3 divisions per league, additional playoff team, etc?

[Ven6]

This is great to see. The OH certainly has its opinions and definitely doesn't always agree with the front office, but one thing is clear: we are passionate about the Baltimore Orioles. This thread represents the Orioles organization acknowledging that fact, and that is wonderful to see. Mom always said, you have to validate people. Well, maybe she didn't say it quite like that. Anyway, thank you for this opportunity.

This offseason, the optimism was perhaps at an all-time low because many believed the on-field product wasn't improved significantly. Conversely, I think the idea that DD was making significant changes in the organization was enthusiastically welcomed.

The question is this: what does DD's roadmap look like for the next 3 years? We know scouting and development are central to this plan. We also know he wants to win more than he loses starting this year. He has yet to truly map out a plan to get and keep the O's in contention. The farm system needs bolstering and we do have some tradeable ML assets--can we expect trades for prospects?

Follow up question--is there a potential avenue to gain a competitive advantage he sees that the O's haven't exploited yet?

[canonfaz]

Cool idea. Glad to see the Orioles using this site as a format to interact with the fans

[glorydays]

Does Mr. Angelos like eggplant calzones? J/K

I will kick things off with congratulating the organization on what they have built in Sarasota. I visited last spring and was proud to call it the O's spring home as I am sure the players and staff are as well.

My question is this: Mr. Angelos has said in the past that he is going to be available for the public and media to ask questions but yet he seems to be absent the past few years. Is it unreasonable to want and need to hear directly from the owner of the team?

And as a follow-up: What roles do the other owners play?

[Can_of_corn]

What is the total number of households that receive MASN?

[weams]

The Orioles organization and Orioles Hangout are excited to start this thread for you, the fans. On this specific thread, the Orioles organization will be responding to several of your questions and comments on a weekly basis as best as we can. Please see our House Rules listed below before posting your questions or comments.

We look forward to a great season with you! Thanks for your continued support.

- The Orioles


HOUSE RULES:

Content that is defamatory or derogatory towards the Orioles management, players ororganization as a whole will not be tolerated. Any posting that is obscene,racist, bigoted or uses sexually explicit language or that is likely to defame or insult a individual or group, or that is abusive or hateful will be removed. Content that is spam, advertisements or any other solicitations is not permitted.

You may not suggest, condone or encourage illegal activity. Content divulging private information will be removed, this includes phone numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, or any other private information.

Thank you for this opportunity. I am sure that we can all abide by your House Rules here. I have personally had a great spring with the Orioles so far and everyone has treated me well and enhanced my experience. Sarasota is the best thing that the team has done in more than a decade and I look forward to watching the progress that occurs under the new executive staff. Brady Anderson and Rick Peterson have been additions that have already shown their impact.

[canonfaz]

Are there any plans on upgrading the concession stands at Camden Yards?

I went to a few games last year and the lines were absolutely terrible. On opening day last year I waited in line for close to 45 minutes for a sandwich and a beer. I thought maybe it was just opening day woes, but later in the year I had the exact same experience. Paying $20 for a sandwich and a beer is bad enough, but waiting in ridiculously long lines makes it that much worse.

[grimed1]

Are the O's thinking of doing a four pack ticket package for the season?

[El Gordo]

Various defensive metrics show extreme home/Away splits for both Markakis and Jones. They are consistently plus defenders away and minus defenders at home. Do the O's have their own defensive metric system, and if so does it reflect these same splits? Is there any evidence of park factors at Camden Yards that would explain this?

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

Has the organization considered eliminating "premium games"? Why are the Orioles charging Orioles fans more money to attend a game which is largely filled with obnoxious fans (not all but many) from visiting teams and thus are less enjoyable. Is there any non-monetary explanation for this? Why hasn't more been done to ensure these tickets are enjoyed by Orioles fans first and not out of towners?

Thanks for taking the time to reply

[LookinUp]

I am very concerned with three of our younger players who are all at different stages of dealing with injuries; Matt Hobgood, Dan Klein and Zach Britton. In each case, it seems to me that the players either reported discomfort or saw declines in "stuff," or both. In the case of the first two, they went on to pitch until they seemingly worsened their injuries. In the case of Britton, he hasn't pitched as much, but we're still 6 months from his first reports of discomfort and the O's don't have a clear diagnosis. I am very concerned that, rather than taking the extra time and resources to very thoroughly investigate injuries when they're first reported, the O's have instead used initial inconclusive medical evidence as reason to clear the pitchers for a "rehab, pitch and see what happens" program. I'm very concerned that this uncertainty has exposed our pitchers to further injury. In fact, going back to Erbe and Spoone, I think this problem may have been more pervasive than I previously thought.

I also acknowledge that 1) my background is based on 5th hand information, 2) all pitchers experience soreness and distinguishing normal soreness from something else can be difficult, 3) my assumptions could be wrong and 4) my concerns could be unwarranted.

So, without commenting on our pre-2012 organization, and understanding that all medical situations are unique to the individual...

Is it fair to say that, organizationally, the O's are now making a concerted effort to communicate with pitchers who have shoulder pain in particular, and taking a very cautious approach toward diagnosis and continuation of baseball activities?

Also, is it fair to assume the O's have or are in the process of re-considering the full gambit of player acquisition/development (who to scout, throwing/strength programs, etc.) with the goal of building more physically stable ML pitchers in the future?

[NewMarketSean]

Has the organization considered eliminating "premium games"? Why are the Orioles charging Orioles fans more money to attend a game which is largely filled with obnoxious fans (not all but many) from visiting teams and thus are less enjoyable. Is there any non-monetary explanation for this? Why hasn't more been done to ensure these tickets are enjoyed by Orioles fans first and not out of towners?

Thanks for taking the time to reply

I'll piggyback on this...what about the walk-up charges for tickets on game day? Does the team realize this discourages fans from spontaneously going to games?

[Nigel Tufnel]

On a lighter note, any chance of booking Springsteen to play OPACY on the fall leg of his tour? Rumors have him playing Wrigley, Fenway, Nats park, etc.