Tony-OH

This is really the key for me here as well. Things that bond a team together outside of baseball, whether that be religion, video games, and other interests is a good thing. I'm not longer in the clubhouse, but from every report these guys have bonded well and it's clear that Elias puts a heavy emphasis on guys being "good club house guys and great teammates."

2022 was really an outlier for Mateo defensively. He was a very inconsistent defender up until 2022 and then was an inconsistent defender in 2023. It's not overly surprising that he regressed closer to his norms.

Lots of ways this can play out like you posted above, but if I had to look into the "crystal ball" I could see this combination being the main one: 1B: Mayo 2B: Westburg SS: Holliday 3B: Henderson I think Ortiz if not traded can mix in at 2B/SS/3B and very well could make Westburg expendable in trade as the everyday 2B. Don't get me wrong, I personally think Ortiz is an everyday SS, but Holliday is a special player and I don't know if they are going to be willing to play him at 2B vs SS. Norby to me will be traded or moved to LF where he could end up being a 4th outfield type, especially if they can get him some CF experience. The good news is I would be comfortable with multiple players at multiple positions: Mayo: 1B/3B (though you will have to deal with the bad errors at times) Henderson:: 3B/SS Holliday: SS/2B Ortiz: 2B/SS/3B Westburg: 2B/3B

I've honestly never even heard of that.

Fabian got exposes a bit in AA so I wouldn't start counting him though I'm not discounting him yet either. Bradford has a long way to go and needs to prove he can hit at each level with a little pop before being an option. As for Mullins, I'm ok with him at arbitration money but yes, unless he's affordable, not sure I want to pay a ton for him due to his consistent bat, even if the defense is GG caliber at times.

This is how I feel about Mullins. We also don't know how much that second injury affected him even though he was running well in the outfield. He never quite got his timing back after that second IL stint. I'd like to have a right-handed hitting compliment to Mullins though I feel they may allow to compete for that role. If Hicks comes back for some reason, then I think this all a moot point as they will use him a backup there.

It seemed like it was popular and sold tickets. I would imagine its stays or at least starts up each May.

Maybe, but I still don't know whether Ciolek was making picks or was more of administrator. They say it was a promotion and his job looks to be basically the amateur scouting director for the Nationals. I don't know honestly, but my guess is the organization as a whole as some depth in this area.

This kid of confirms that Ciolek was more of an administrator than a typical "Scouting Director." I'm honestly not sure how involved he was in the selection process and feel Elias was definitely the guy who made the final calls on the top picks at the very least. I always thought his title "Director of Draft Operations" suggested he was more on the administrative side of preparing the information for the draft team, which includes Sig and of course Elias. I've always was under the opinion that Elias was the quasi scouting director in that he helped shaped the final board and philosophy.

Nice Highlight video:

Yep, we did a top prospect review over the winter together. I used to love doing spots with Terry when he had the evenings gig. I remember one time forgetting I was on at 8:30 with him one night, was three beers into my night at a local bar, and had to run outside and do the spot! I just kept telling myself, don't cuss! Another time I had to pull over on my motorcycle because I saw the call come in and did a spot in a parking lot on my bike! Good times!

I 100% said that about Bradish when I first saw him based on his stuff and delivery at the time. I've also said that he looks nothing like that guy now and that's a credit to him and the Orioles development. As for Bedard, and I have a hard time remembering what I had for lunch the day before , I may have suggested that Arthur Rhodes role would have been a great role for him, which it would have been, but I don't remember ever giving up on him bein a starter like I have with Hall. Bedard never had the command problems of Hall and he did have a usable changeup.

You have misremembered. I don't recall ever ever suggesting Erik Bedard should be a reliever. Bedard actually showed that he could be a very good starter in the minors. I may have said he would be an absolute stud as a reliever after his mediocre 2004 season, but I don't recall ever thinking of Bedard as anything other than a starter.

Well if you wanna hold your hat on Hall following the very unusual development path of a Hall of Fame pitcher who was an absolute freak of nature, feel free. I'm going to live in reality and use guys in the roles that will best allow the Orioles to win baseball games in 2024. Now do I think it's impossible? No. Then again I don't think it's impossible that Gunnar Henderson could hit 62 home runs next year. I do however find it very, very unlikely. The Orioles are no longer in a rebuild and we need to get out of the rebuild mode in our thinking. Hall has his role. He's already shown to be very good at it at the major league level. His upside is a very good closer.

Well if you want to prepare a guy who will not be a good starter for a contending team for a role he's not a good fit for, go right ahead. The Orioles have plenty of better options already on the roster and in the minors. On top of it all, he and Perez give the Orioles two left-handed weapons at the end of the bullpen. Why weaken a pen that already needs to add real talent?

Because I don't think the organization really think that and it's more about placating Hall. If they do really think that, then I will die on the hill that they are absolutely wrong and they will either cause another injury or waste spring training preparation time doing the wrong thing. In his 11 starts last year in Norfolk, he went 5 or more innings just three times, 6 just once. In his only 3 inning appearance with the Orioles last year it took him 70 pitches to get through 3 innings. I actually find it amazing that I have constantly bring this stuff up. On top of it all, we need an arm like his in the bullpen and when have plenty of starting candidates with more experience already on the roster and I expect the Orioles to add a starter again this offseason. HE IS NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD CONSISTENT MAJOR LEAGUE STARTER. I'll die on this hill no matter how many chances some of you thinks he should get.

It's been clear since his Bowie days that he needs to be in the pen. So you can waste time and preparation by trying to put a square peg into a round hole, and the Orioles may do that next spring just to placate Hall, but he should be expected and prepared to fill a part of the major league bullpen next year. In fact, his injury history is just another reason not to even think about putting a heavy workload onto him. You guys can hope and pray for a miracle, while I'll go with what his stats, health history, and command tell me what his best role should be.

Show me a guy with Hall's lack of innings or the ability to go deep in the game, even in the minors, who suddenly a light when off and he became a consistent starter able to get give 6 innings consistently. On top of it, everyone should go look at his statcast info. His slider is the only pitch he has with plus movement. His fastball is plus because of the velocity. But the number one issues is what it always has been. He takes too many pitches to get through innings. He's a reliever and "trying him one more time" is literally the definition of insanity. He's an effective major league reliever with the upside of being a back end guy in the pen. I could see him potentially get a chance to close at some point next year if he's pitching well and the Orioles don't go out and get a true closer (which they need) this offseason.

I agree with everything except stretching him out. He should be prepared to be used often and for up to two innings a stint. Stretching him out for a role that he's not suited for is a waste of spring training preparation time.

Yep, definitely could have added him in as a potential depth starter. He's got a better chance of being a starter than Hall does.

How many times does he need to fail as a starter before you guys accept that he's not a starter? It boggles my mind that I've built the case several times, yet time after time, some of you still think he needs to fail again. How many is too many? If the team was rebuilding maybe, but they're not, they're contenders and his best role at the major league level is as a reliever.

Yes, I'm very familiar with Terry. We're friends. But agree 100%, Terry is missed in this area.

It's good to want, but Hall has proven his best role is in the pen. I've showed many times why he's not a good fit for the rotation. At the end of the day, the Orioles will have following starting pitching candidates not counting trades or signings. 1. Bradish 2. Rodriguez 3. Means 4. Kramer 5. Wells 6. McDermott 7. Povich And I still think they add a veteran starter. This team needs reliever that can give multiple innings and that's what Hall can do.

Tim Barbalace is really, really good and has some great takes. They've been giving him more and more to do and that's a good thing, as he's a calming presence when JLC and Ken get screaming embarrassingly at each other. Not sure who thinks that's good radio but I immediately turn it off when they scream at each other. BRING BACK Terry Ford!!!!! He would actually pair well with Ken or Tim.

It's not that everything he says is wrong, but he's certainly over the top on most of his statements. I can't stand the screeching and immediately turn the station off when he starts on his rants. I just assume that's a thing young audiences like, because it's just not for me. I've agreed with some of his takes on both the Ravens and Orioles at times, and other time I disagree, but he seems like a guy that if he was in a bar acting the way he does on the radio, he'd get punched a lot. lol It just seems like a guy who thinks his opinion is the only opinion and if you disagree he thinks you are an idiot. It really was shocking when he did some MASN work. I'd be shocked if they brought him back next year after his "fire Hyde" comments. I mean, I was no fan of him using Baker in that second game either, but he also needed to eat up 7.1 innings thanks to Grayson's meltdown. Baker should have never have been on the roster in the first place, so he tried to steal an inning out of him down by three and it imploded on him. Certainly not a fireable offense, especially after the year this team had. But I think it's his schtick.