How Much Credit Does Dan Duquette Deserve?

[Bradysburns]

Check out the performance of these "spare parts" Duquette brought in this offseason.

- (MacPhail) Chris Davis: .944 OPS, everyday first baseman with decent defense
- Ronny Paulino: .310 BA, handling Chen nicely, surprising deft behind the plate
- Wilson Betemit: .797 OPS, versatile, several clutch hits
- Luis Ayala: 0.00 ERA, 14 IP
- Wei-Yin Chen: 2-0, 2.76 ERA
- Jason Hammel: 4-1, 2.09 ERA
- (MacPhail) Tommy Hunter: 2-1, 4.26 ERA
- Matt Lindstrom: 11 IP, 0.00 ERA
- Darren O'Day: 2-0, .68 ERA

I think there's more to this than "luck." Duquette seems to have the ability to see things in certain players that others don't.

I'm also very curious to see what he does this offseason, and next. For the first time in over a decade, I'm not just optimistic in the future - I'm confident. And I give Duquette a lot of the credit for that.

How much credit do you think he deserves for our fast start?

[Tank]

Well MacPhail gets credit for Davis but yeah, trust your scouts I guess. Hope he continues to find these guys.

[weams]

Check out the performance of these "spare parts" Duquette brought in this offseason.

- Chris Davis: .944 OPS, everyday first baseman with decent defense
- Ronny Paulino: .310 BA, handling Chen nicely, surprising deft behind the plate
- Wilson Betemit: .797 OPS, versatile, several clutch hits
- Luis Ayala: 0.00 ERA, 14 IP
- Wei-Yin Chen: 2-0, 2.76 ERA
- Jason Hammel: 4-1, 2.09 ERA
- Tommy Hunter: 2-1, 4.26 ERA
- Matt Lindstrom: 11 IP, 0.00 ERA
- Darren O'Day: 2-0, .68 ERA

I think there's more to this than "luck." Duquette seems to have the ability to see things in certain players that others don't.

I'm also very curious to see what he does this offseason, and next. For the first time in over a decade, I'm not just optimistic in the future - I'm confident. And I give Duquette a lot of the credit for that.

How much credit do you think he deserves for our fast start?

I am a big fan of what has occured but... Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis were MacPhail trades acquisitions for Koji. I think O'Day was a Buck call before we had a GM.

[Stotle]

TBD. Hammel and Chen are potentially very solid pick-ups. Hunter is MacPhail's. The rest, too early to make too much out of performance.

[SammyBirdland]

The funny thing for me is that the team is performing like I had expected them to going into 2011.

[The Rick]

The funny thing for me is that the team is performing like I had expected them to going into 2011.

It's amazing what a year can do for young players. Especially a year of that.

[OrioleMagic]

Duquette deserves credit for being on the same page with his manager, and the manager with the coaches and players. I don't know how long this will last, but something is clicking right now. I think Showalter deserves the most credit, but if any is to be given, it can be spread around between players and coaches.

I'm feeling good right now, but we've done this before only to have an epic collapse. I think we are a deeper team than we have ever been and that I give Duquette some credit for.

Feels good to be an Oriole fan right now.

[JohnnyK27]

Well Arrieta has turned the corner in his development. Matusz seems to have escaped a year long swoon. Wieters looks more and more like the guy TE O's drafted. Jones is improving and showing improved patience at the plate. Markakis could be headed for his est power year in quite a few years. Reimold looks all world at the plate and would be a blessing if he could stay healthy. I believe McPhail gets credit for Strop and Johnson is really settling as closer. No one could've predicted all of these things to go right. End of day bth guys deserve credit but DD is now in charge of a first place team.

[OFFNY]

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I liked MacPhail a lot, and wanted him to stay. But I like Duquette a lot, too. I give a lot of credit to MacPhail, but also some credit to Duquette as well. If we have indeed turned a corner and are starting a run of multiple consecutive winning seasons and a return to glory for our franchise, I really hope that we can occasionally invite Andy back to the park/announcer's booth, etc., and perhaps Peter and Duquette can give him some compliments and credit for his contributions.

[The Rick]

Well Arrieta has turned the corner in his development. Matusz seems to have escaped a year long swoon. Wieters looks more and more like the guy TE O's drafted. Jones is improving and showing improved patience at the plate. Markakis could be headed for his est power year in quite a few years. Reimold looks all world at the plate and would be a blessing if he could stay healthy. I believe McPhail gets credit for Strop and Johnson is really settling as closer. No one could've predicted all of these things to go right. End of day bth guys deserve credit but DD is now in charge of a first place team.

You had me until you said Jones is improving and showing improved patience at the plate. He's on pace for 30 BB's this year, which is pretty much the same as last year. His P/PA and LD% have increased an insignificant amount. He's on pace for 42 homers, but I expect that pace to slow down. Adam Jones is who he is, and I've accepted that.

[CA-ORIOLE]

In addition to the items listed in the OP and many of the structural things Duquette has done, I think you have to give him credit for not making the moves that AM would have likely made signing marginal/expensive mid-tier FA's and BP arms. I was against the Ayala and Betemit signings, but they appear to be a stroke of genius. They have both been very impressive. Betemit not in the field obviously.

[OFFNY]

You had me until you said Jones is improving and showing improved patience at the plate. He's on pace for 30 BB's this year, which is pretty much the same as last year. His P/PA and LD% have increased an insignificant amount. He's on pace for 42 homers, but I expect that pace to slow down. Adam Jones is who he is, and I've accepted that.

I think that Adam may have showed a modest improvement in patience at the plate, even though it isn't necessarily showing up in his BB statistics. Remember, Mark Reynolds is probably one of the most patient strikeout kings that we've seen, in that he has a tendency to at least make the pitcher work by throwing more pitches when he does strike out. I haven't done any research on Adam's pitch-count comparison or anything, but it just seems to me when watching the games that he is generally laying off some really bad pitches a tad more than he was doing so in 2009 and 2010.

[Oldorioles]

I like the OP and it's an interesting question but weams is right you have to take Davis, Hunter, and O'Day off that list. DD had nothing to do with acquiring those three.

[Malike]

Dan Duquette deserves Baltimore's finest meats and cheeses!

[The Rick]

I think that Adam may have showed a modest improvement in patience at the plate, even though it isn't necessarily showing up in his BB statistics. Remember, Mark Reynolds is probably one of the most patient strikeout kings that we've seen, in that he has a tendency to at least make the pitcher work by throwing more pitches when he does strike out. I haven't done any research on Adam's pitch-count comparison or anything, but it just seems to me when watching the games that he is generally laying off some really bad pitches a tad more than he was doing so in 2009 and 2010.

I referenced it in my post, but didn't give the number because it was pretty much in line with what he's done it he past. But his pitches per plate appearance this year is 3.72, up from 3.60 last year. His career average is 3.68.