Tony-OH

You do realize they are evaluating the stuff, not so much the stats over the "fewer than 20 innings" of work, right? I'd imagine if his stuff looked real good 80% of the time and he was just getting beat by a bad pitch or two, he'd be in the rotation. The guy I saw twice this spring looked like a shell of the guy I saw pre injury last year. Besides the pure velocity, he did not look like anything special and I wouldn't want him starting his big league career while he 's scuffling to find his command and breaking balls. I think Elias expected Rodriguez to win a spot in the rotation based off what he saw pre-injury and expecting him to look like that guy after a full offseason. That's not the guy he was. Now, the fact that they can keep him down for at least three starts and potentially gain another year of control is now something I think they will do. They would be silly to not take that extra year of control now that they've optioned him. At the end of the day, Rodriguez pitched his way off the team by being the only starter unable to complete one 5 inning stint due to his lack of command and feel for his breaking balls. We now have to hope he goes down and finds both and that he's up here in the rotation by the end of April ready to be the pitcher we've seen him be pre-injury.

Remember, a pitcher could have still thrown over again, but if they didn't get him he would be awarded 2nd base. As for the Frazier steal, somebody should have yelled "Step off" because Frazier took over a good second or two before the pitcher delivered the ball. It appeared to me that several Boston relievers just weren't prepared well for the new rules.

And they have to limit their mid inning pitches for their own upcoming giveaways, events, etc. I saw yesterday a few times where instead of giving a replay of a close play they went off to talk about some giveaway or plugging their "sky boxes". It really become quite annoying but I think this was more on the MASN director. Maybe if they actually did 5-7 broadcasts this spring they would have this worked out by now.

I'm a little surprised Nolan Hoffman did not make the AAA bullpen after his spring with the Orioles. Wonder if he struggled when he went back to minor league camp.

These "power rankings" are a fun way to track prospects throughout the year. They are not "official" prospect rankings that are completed at the end of the year after a full evaluations. To be eligible for the list, a player must play at least one game on an active roster. Players starting off in extended spring training or in the DSL are not eligible until they play a game in June. (Updated as of Sep 5th) These are the final 2023 Power rankings. RK Name POS Prev U/D Team INJ 1 Jackson Holliday SS 1 Nor (AAA) 2 Coby Mayo 3B/RF 2 Nor (AAA) 3 Samuel Basallo C 3 ABN (A+) 4 Colton Cowser OF 4 Nor (AAA) 5 Heston Kjerstad 1B 5 Nor (AAA) 6 Joey Ortiz SS 6 Nor (AAA) 7 Enrique Bradfield Jr. CF 7 ABN (A+) 8 Dylan Beavers OF 9 Up BOW (AA) 9 Creed Willems C 8 Down ABN (A+) 10 Chayse McDermott RHP 14 Up Nor (AAA) 11 D.L. Hall LHP 15 Up BAL 12 Mac Horvath 2B/3B 12 ABN (A+) 13 Cade Povich LHP 10 Down BOW (AA) 14 Max Wagner 3B 11 Down ABN (A+) 15 Seth Johnson RHP 13 Down ABN (A+) 16 Jud Fabian OF 16 BOW (AA) 17 Braylin Tavera CF 17 FCL O's 18 Connor Norby 2B 18 Nor (AAA) 19 Jackson Baumeister RHP 19 FCL O's 20 Luis DeLeon LHP 20 DEL (A) 21 Keifer Lord RHP 21 FCL O's 22 Luis Almeyda CF 22 DSL O's 23 Trace Bright RHP 23 ABN (A+) 24 Carlos Tavera RHP 24 BOW (AA) 25 Levi Wells RHP 25 FCL O's 26 Brandon Young RHP 26 BOW (AA) 27 Leandro Arias SS 27 FCL O's 28 Joshua Liranzo 3B 28 DSL O's 29 Carter Baumler RHP 29 DEL (A) 30 Hudson Haskin OF 30 Nor (AAA) INJ 31 Justin Armbruester RHP 31 Nor (AAA) 32 Jean Pinto RHP 32 BOW (AA) 33 Aron Estrada 2B 33 FCL O's 34 Garrett Stallings RHP 34 Nor (AAA) 35 Jake Cunningham OF UR DEL (A) 36 Frederick Bencosme INF 35 ABN (A+) 37 Thomas Sosa OF 36 FCL O's 38 Matthew Etzel OF UR ABN (A+) 39 John Rhodes OF 37 BOW (AA) 40 Tavian Josenberger OR UR DEL (A) Bubble Players INF FCL Alex Pham RHP 38 BOW (AA) Kyle Brnovich RHP 39 BOW (AA) Maverick Handley C 40 Nor (AAA) Silas Ardoin C BOW (AA) Yaqui Rivera RHP ABN (A+) Jared Beck LHP DEL (A) Juan Nunez RHP ABN (A+) Luis Guevara INF DSL O's Aneudis Mordán C/1B FCL O's Billy Cook OF BOW (AA) Deivy Cruz LHP DEL (A) Francisco Morao LHP DSL O's Jesús Palacios RHP DSL O's Juan De Los Santos RHP DEL (A) Adriander Mejia C DSL O's

This is the thing some people forget. What would Stowers have done yesterday? Who knows? Does Urias/Westburg make that diving play that bounced off Frazier's glove when the ball stayed down a bit in a weird hop? Who knows the answer. At the end of the day, one game good or bad should not change anyone's opinion on the signing. Now, if he has a great year and Westburg struggles at AAA for some reason, then it's going to look like a good signing. But if Westburg tears it up in AAA, regardless of what Frazier does, it was an unneeded $8 million signing. At this point though, he's on the team so I will root for him to do well. I can still hate the singing but enjoy the player if he does well. Saying that, we all need to see what his stats look like in Mid-May before anyone starts claiming "victory" on their opinions of the signing.

I can only talk for me personally, but I have zero issues with Frazier the person. In fact, I respect anyone who was able to get an $8 million contract after the last year and half of stats that he put up and his current skill set. Saying that, as I've said since the very beginning, I hated the signing but I will root for him to prove me wrong. He had a nice debut yesterday in a game where hits were a plenty for the Orioles. One game or even a month of games is not going to prove anyone right or wrong, though I know there would be a segment of fans who would obnoxiously pound their chests and claim they were right after one game either way. He had some nice PAs yesterday. I'll continue to hope he does so.

Right, and all he did was give the Orioles their best run of success since the early 80s until Angelos took his power away because he had the gull to entertain an offer for a higher position and more money!

I rewatched this a few times and it was a very short hop. It was not an easy pick per se. Sure, you can argue he could have had it, but it wasn't an easy one. ' That was on Mateo.

I was going to mention the Yoshida hit off Akin that went off his glove, but that ball was hit pretty hard and he did lay out. It took a weird hop and stayed down but once a guy goes horizontal it's hard to call it a misplay. https://www.mlb.com/video/masatak-yoshida-s-rbi-single?q=GamePk %3D [718782] AND PitchSpeed %3D {{ 36%2C 105 }} AND PlayerId %3D%3D [807799] Order By Timestamp DESC&cp=MIXED&p=0

Pretty spot on assessment here!

He was not swinging at bad pitches and walked twice so he actually had a .400 OBP for the game.

Poor plays in the opener: Santander misplayed at least three balls costing several runs. Mateo short hopped an easy, game ending DP throw On same play, Mountcastle was unable to pick the Mateo throw Mullins mistimed a jump in center costing a triple and a run eventually Here are the Santander and Mullins follies: https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/of-follies?partnerId=web_multimedia-search_video-share

Hope everyone has there anxiety pills this year. That was almost one of the worse losses I can remember. Thankfully they pulled it out, but wow. Total brain fart by Mateo on the throw. Not even sure how a professional major league shortstop throws that ball away. Yeah, errors are part of the game, but that was just a pucker factor choke throw.

Well there was 99!

With the late start, you have to wonder if he's going through the late spring training dead arm period.

Yikes, Bautista overthrowing to get to 96-97.

They now are classifying that pitch as the curveball. Which it did look more like a curveball then slider with no horizontal movement.

Let's get those two back.

Nice depth on that last slider by Gillaspie. It really did look like a split-finger (Like Palmer said), but he doesn't throw one.

Best comment of the day so far!

Well, one of our concerns has reared it's ugly head. The bullpen is going to be sketchy as hell. You never know which guy is going to just crap the bed. Today's it was Baker, though he wasn't helped out at all by Santander looking like it's his first game ever in LF.

Santander putting on a clown show in LF.

Lol.. Holt goes out there and Baker hits the next guy. Whatever he said, didn't work! lol

Well assuming Baker can get out of this innings. So far the only out he's gotten is on a pitch count violation.