Law: Uehara not "best fit" for O's

[TCAlumni9700]

Do the guys at ESPN ever give up trashing us? Are we supposed to go into 2009 with no one at all?

Link - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/...name=law_keith

[Mackus]

Well, he's not the best fit, and Camden Yards isn't the best fit for his style either.

But, he should do well enough, which is all he needs to do for $10M guaranteed over 2 years.

[PaulBako]

He is wrong. Does he even know about the other pitchers we have other than Guthrie? does he know about the team's walk issue?

This was a great signing for us.

[TCAlumni9700]

Well, he's not the best fit, and Camden Yards isn't the best fit for his style either.

But, he should do well enough, which is all he needs to do for $10M guaranteed over 2 years.

Understood. But they don't mention us at all, until we do something they don't like. Ridiculous.

[tennOsfan]

That has got to be the dumbest of all the dumb things I've seen from ESPN.

He's not a "good fit" because he has to face the Red Sox and Yankees? Well, who the heck is? "He'll have to be ultra-precise." No sh**. Anyone else in our rotation would need to be precise too, and we've had a heck of a time trying to find five of those guys at a time.

And he disses Uehara as a bad fit because Camden Yards yields so many home runs. Can Keith Law's ignorance be any more obvious?

Who does Law think would be a better fit for the terms of this contract?

[Lucky Jim]

He is wrong. Does he even know about the other pitchers we have other than Guthrie? does he know about the team's walk issue?

This was a great signing for us.

It's a fair analysis. Of course, anyone we were looking to sign who's not, essentially, Kevin Brown circa 1995 would be a bad signing: we need guys with good K-rates and high GB rates, ideally.

On the other hand, the alternatives would all suffer the same obstacles, and Uehara is, at least, a professional, with good command.

Maybe at Petco, he's a 3.70 ERA guy and here he's at 4.50 or so. We still win at the cost. With the added benefit of market entry.

I think Law isn't criticizing the signing, rather than just saying that it's not an ideal profile fit.

[Stotle]

Eh, I think Law is giving a take on most offseason moves. I'd like a little more "thinking" with regards to contract value and strike-throwing, but I don't think there is anything anti-Orioles about the piece.

[Stotle]

It's a fair analysis. Of course, anyone we were looking to sign who's not, essentially, Kevin Brown circa 1995 would be a bad signing: we need guys with good K-rates and high GB rates, ideally.

On the other hand, the alternatives would all suffer the same obstacles, and Uehara is, at least, a professional, with good command.

Maybe at Petco, he's a 3.70 ERA guy and here he's at 4.50 or so. We still win at the cost. With the added benefit of market entry.

I think Law isn't criticizing the signing, rather than just saying that it's not an ideal profile fit.

Yeah, what Jim said.

[UMDTerrapins]

The only time the national media pays any attention to the Orioles is to criticize us. I think one of the resolutions the Orioles should make is that only local and international media are allowed in the locker room during the playoffs and World Series. Of course, we have to get there first........ But that would be pretty sweet.

[Lucky Jim]

That has got to be the dumbest of all the dumb things I've seen from ESPN.

He's not a "good fit" because he has to face the Red Sox and Yankees? Well, who the heck is? "He'll have to be ultra-precise." No sh**. Anyone else in our rotation would need to be precise too, and we've had a heck of a time trying to find five of those guys at a time.

And he disses Uehara as a bad fit because Camden Yards yields so many home runs. Can Keith Law's ignorance be any more obvious?

Who does Law think would be a better fit for the terms of this contract?

This is a legitimate worry. While Camden played somewhat neutral (or more pitcher-friendly than the stereotype) for a while, it's always welcomed, rather than suppressed HRs. This has only been exacerbated recently, whether by the additoin of the hotel, or otherwise.

Look at his HR rates in Japan. They're likely to go up. As long as he doesn't allow too many baserunners, so be it.

You don't take flyball pitchers with upper 80s stuff who live around the plate and think "Camden Yards is ideal."

What exactly is your problem with this perfectly reasonable assessment?

[ChaosLex]

That has got to be the dumbest of all the dumb things I've seen from ESPN.

I don't know. Buster Olney probably takes the cake for saying we had no business even inquiring about Tex, only to pick up as one of the "losers" in the Teixeira sweepstakes.

[nadecir]

Uehara may be best suited for the pen. There is some question about whether he can be effective for more than a few innings, and whether he can stay away from injuries as a starter. Here is an earlier article from ESPN from November about him:

Uehara, his longtime Central League rival, is a different puzzle altogether. He has a good fastball and a superb splitter and throws a decent slider that used to be very good. The Giants ace will get major league hitters out, provided he maintains his focus.

Uehara, who has a career 112-61 record with a 3.01 ERA and is a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award (for Japan's best starting pitcher), drifted through the 2008 season in unpredictable spasms.

He set the Giants' save record (32) in 2007, when leg injuries curtailed his fitness. He returned to the rotation for the 2008 season but was sent to the minors after stinking up five straight starts.

Although no injury was reported, he remained on the farm team until the end of June. Put back in the bullpen, he was ineffective until he was surprisingly named to Japan's Olympic squad.

His turnaround was instantaneous. After half a season of falling behind hitters and walking them or getting hit hard, Uehara began locating his fastball. The walks stopped, the strikeouts increased and it was business as usual.

Uehara rejoined the rotation after some solid games in Beijing and was good enough to help the Giants complete a historic comeback in the pennant race.
"He's really solid for two innings," Brown said.

But the ease with which Uehara suddenly switched on his effectiveness makes one wonder why Uehara couldn't solve his riddle before he was named to the Olympic team.

One explanation is that he might have been playing hurt early in the year with the groin and leg problems that have dogged him in recent seasons. Although Uehara ran track in high school (because his school didn't have a baseball team), he has developed a reputation as a player who doesn't like to run and whose conditioning is suspect.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotsto...e=MLBHeadlines

[tennOsfan]

This is a legitimate worry. Look at his HR rates in Japan. They're likely to go up. As long as he doesn't allow too many baserunners, so be it.

You don't take flyball pitchers with upper 80s stuff who live around the plate and think "Camden Yards is ideal."

What exactly is your problem with this perfectly reasonable assessment?

That there have been plenty of empirical presentations on OH showing how it's a myth that Camden Yards yields so many home runs. It's likely an average-type of park in that respect.

[Lucky Jim]

That there have been plenty of empirical presentations on OH showing how it's a myth that Camden Yards yields so many home runs. It's likely an average-type of park in that respect.

You're simply wrong here. It suppresses doubles and triples. It's homer-friendly. Until recently, it shaded to pitcher friendly. This has recently changed.

Is three years long enough? Or do we need to go deeper? Sorry it's scrambled...but sorted by HR Park Factor.

1 Camden Yards (Baltimore, Maryland) 1.051 1.359 1.044 0.989 0.566 0.948 
2 U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago, Illinois) 1.122 1.353 0.974 0.907 0.564 1.087 
3 Coors Field (Denver, Colorado) 1.126 1.299 1.098 1.048 1.387 0.919 
4 Great American (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1.069 1.230 1.010 1.017 1.038 1.013 
5 Rangers Ballpark (Arlington, Texas) 1.142 1.229 1.070 1.042 2.227 1.030 
6 Comerica Park (Detroit, Michigan) 1.077 1.188 1.074 0.972 1.114 0.877 
7 Wrigley Field (Chicago, Illinois) 1.068 1.163 1.032 0.975 0.658 0.939 
8 Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas) 1.036 1.155 1.012 1.102 0.908 1.002 
9 Shea Stadium (Flushing, New York) 0.946 1.081 0.926 0.935 0.500 1.088 
10 Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona) 1.135 1.068 1.072 1.242 1.406 0.955

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/...or&season=2008

Rk Park Name Runs HR H 2B 3B BB 
1 Wrigley Field (Chicago, Illinois) 2.283 2.099 2.254 2.797 1.867 2.163 
2 Angel Stadium (Anaheim, California) 1.808 1.639 1.992 2.646 0.957 1.935 
3 Great American (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1.095 1.351 0.971 1.051 0.815 1.036 
4 Camden Yards (Baltimore, Maryland) 1.109 1.228 1.096 0.963 1.350 0.993 
5 Coors Field (Denver, Colorado) 1.293 1.228 1.350 1.680 1.740 1.009 
6 U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago, Illinois) 1.084 1.220 1.034 0.985 0.474 0.968 
7 Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York) 0.987 1.181 1.020 0.988 0.688 0.862 
8 Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario) 0.944 1.161 0.907 1.055 1.182 0.942 
9 Comerica Park (Detroit, Michigan) 1.051 1.140 1.004 0.969 1.595 1.055 
10 Miller Park (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 1.011 1.119 0.944 1.049 0.500 1.104 

Rk Park Name Runs HR H 2B 3B BB 
1 Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, California) 1.888 2.107 1.969 1.893 0.857 2.202 
2 Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona) 1.141 1.343 1.101 1.096 1.636 1.084 
3 U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago, Illinois) 1.054 1.307 1.009 0.912 0.645 1.120 
4 Great American (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1.153 1.275 1.026 0.929 0.400 1.065 
5 Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario) 1.067 1.272 1.031 1.016 2.000 0.954 
6 Wrigley Field (Chicago, Illinois) 1.075 1.212 1.011 1.080 1.364 0.898 
7 Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 1.063 1.201 1.007 1.029 0.653 0.955 
8 Camden Yards (Baltimore, Maryland) 0.985 1.184 1.030 0.876 0.600 0.914 
9 Comerica Park (Detroit, Michigan) 1.246 1.180 1.265 1.151 1.289 1.245 
10 Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas) 1.034 1.171 0.989 1.007 1.292 0.965 

[El Gordo]

That has got to be the dumbest of all the dumb things I've seen from ESPN.

He's not a "good fit" because he has to face the Red Sox and Yankees? Well, who the heck is? "He'll have to be ultra-precise." No sh**. Anyone else in our rotation would need to be precise too, and we've had a heck of a time trying to find five of those guys at a time.

And he disses Uehara as a bad fit because Camden Yards yields so many home runs. Can Keith Law's ignorance be any more obvious?

Who does Law think would be a better fit for the terms of this contract?

Obviously, we should have gone after CC.