now

His appearance and pitching reminds me a lot of Ubaldo... the good Dr. Jekyll Ubaldo, not the bad Mr. Hyde Ubaldo.

To make a small sample size larger?

When SG said CU I think he meant ChangeUp, not CUtter. Anyway I agree on all counts: more changeups, stupid to ban cutters (Bundy and Arrieta), and the other issue you refer to, obsessing over time to the plate.

And the body type is similar... overbuilt? Decent career but disappointing return on potential.

Jeffrey Hammonds says hi.

That's what I'm talking about. Makes an enjoyable ride before the younger IF Cavalry arrives.

Meanwhile the current IF crop is making it easy to wait for the young 'uns: Mateo .381 Martin .409 Urias .385 Gutierrez .360

Tony this is no knock on you but your take on Odor is revealing... basically that the guy can't hit but the O's like his left-handed bat. This kind of rationale is common but to me is nonsensical. On par with a crappy pitcher being somehow defended as an "innings eater," LOL.

Interesting to see MLB's latest O's top 30, with ETAs listed for the next couple of years... and combine it with this year's projected roster, so the immediate pipeline is in view: ETA: 2022a 2022b 2023 2024 LF Hays Diaz Rhodes CF Mullins Cowser RF Santander Stowers Kjerstad OF Stew./McK Jones Haskin Trimble 3B Gutierrez Henderson Mayo SS Mateo Ortiz Westburg 2B Urias Vavra Norby 1B Mountcastle IF Owings A. Hall Prieto DH Mancini C Chirinos Rutschman SP Means Rodriguez Rom SP Lyles Hall SP T. Wells Bradish SP Zimmerman Lowther SP J. Lopez Baumann RP Tate Smith RP C. Perez Bautista RP Sulser RP Scott RP Fry

Hey it's not about rooting for luck over talent. It's about rooting for newer talent that hasn't had a full opportunity yet vs. talent that has had ample opportunity and come up short. Or in different terms, at this point in the rebuild I'd rather try more high ceiling/low floor guys (like Diaz and Martin) than low ceiling/high floor types (like McKenna and Stewart).

Must admit, Martin at 27 is a surprise. Another stalled by injuries. It's last chance time for a lot of these guys, position players as well as pitchers. This year is make or break. IMO the focus this year should be all about maximizing those chances to evaluate for longer term at ML level, vs. marginal-win stuff like defensive replacements and L/R matchups.

Well it hasn't happened yet. I like underachievers and underdogs and younger players who still have promise, over mediocre vets and career AAAA guys. This side of contention, happiness comes in small portions like that.

Swap out McKenna and Odor for Diaz and Martin and I'm happy.

C. Perez looked very good (despite the faux-spats).

You're right, I missed that. Catching up, I appreciate the extra info you reveal there, which explains the optimism. But still, 5 starts? I hate to make the analogy, but it reminds me of Ubaldo's 5 starts in Sept. 2016: 3-1, 2.31, 0.829 WHIP. Anyway, sure, I'll play... not my $7 million, as they say.

I scanned his BB-ref stats for any glimmer of what the O's see in him besides "innings eater" (Russ Ortiz, anyone?) and note only one season (2019) with a positive ERA+ (106). That's pretty recent, so combined with last Sept. they must see some potential there. Plus, ye olde #1 pick, by Houston (2008) is another tattered feather in his cap. Honestly I never heard of him before the signing.

Question for Joc: What kind of payroll does it take to "compete" with those teams at the top spending 250-300m? Will increasing from 30m to 60m do it? How about adding 100m in outside talent? Does 130m "compete" with 270m? I guess he believes in the myth of "free opportunity," in an economy that siphons benefits to the 1%.

Inventory is there, but knowing how it will all sort out as they move up the ladder is still a big unknown (especially with pitchers, as the recent trials and errors have amply demonstrated). I think we're close but still gathering needed data (i.e., projectable results).

30+ MLB HRs at age 22, 23, 25? Salary already paid? What went wrong, and can the O's fix it? Who else has had a career like that to age 28? Check it out:

Okay, glad to know. So much for the unresearched "eye test" (or good old selective memory--I wanted him to be better!)

I'm pretty sure most of those terrible outings happened when he was pitching with that low-grade ankle injury; 2021 would be a fairer indicator of his success.

Chorinos, fine. But what is this about Martin Maldonado that Meoli reports this morning?

Excellent quick reference and clear layout. Thanks Tony!

I would wager elite contact skills will play anywhere.

Sorry but could someone explain simply how this "extra draft picks" thing works?