TheOtherRipken

Other than some defensive upgrades what gives you optimism for improvement? With Bleier perhaps being heathy, but what do you see on Castro and Givens? They seem to be more inconsistent year over year.

Schoop and Chron, certainly not world beaters but for sure an improvement on what they were putting out there.

The worst of the worst for sure. The Tigers made at least a few moves to try to improve, O’s really didn’t. Worst bullpen and an offense where Villar is now subtracted. The only chance we have to improve is some young guys going crazy, and I don’t see it. I also don’t see a repeat season for Hanser Alberto at that level of production. I think we are the team to “beat” to #1 pick and its pretty clear thats what Elias set up the team to achieve.

I do believe the punishment for the organization is fair, and voted as such on the poll, but the players got off entirely which makes no sense. How can the league punish individual players for PEDs but not this?

I remember when the line wrapped around the stadium over an hour before the game to get a Crush Davis jersey. I can’t blame him for trying to recapture his legacy, but also can’t forget the last two seasons where Geronimo Gil would have been more productive at 1st.

Using your powers, how will he do this year?

I heard that they hired Luke, in part, to improve in OH rankings.

Fair, that was a really weird draft in that almost none of the players from pick 12 where we started until 44 were that great so there were not a lot of “wish we would have drafted X” at least not in that area of the draft. However Roberts, Carl Crawford, Lackey in the second.

1999 we had 6 picks in the top 40 or so and none worked out, there is a subtext in your post that I agree with - the Os cannot mess up this draft.

I get worried when all arguments in favor of the O’s getting better are something between “law of averages” and “could we really be worse than last year?”

Glass half empty - how could the bullpen be better?

B but if this season the farm system doesn’t look much better I would skip down to a D. With all of the investments in infrastructure I would expect a major step forward this year.

You seriously rock, thanks!

I like both your optimism and the content of your posts, really happy to have you here. I have read your GCL posts so I know you like a few different guys, but who really stands out at the low minors as prospects with a really solid chance of being major league contributors?

Good to think about the future too, when Chris is your age in his 40s, the Os will still be paying his contract