BRobinsonfan

Is it too soon to start the Angelos appreciation thread?

Everyone knows Elaine from Seinfeld was a big Oriole fan so why not Homer Horns? https://tenor.com/sp82.gif

Or how about the 2024 "Nice Homer, Hun" voiced in a Baltimore accent by our very own Melanie Newman over the PA system?

Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you the 2024 "Homer Horn."

Whew! I was worried about our infield depth!

I agree. It is tough to judge a player's arm by assists alone. That's why I was surprised to see so many people, including Tony I believe, suggest Nick Markakis. Nick had a lot of assists but was regularly faulted on this board back when he was playing for us for not having a particularly strong arm. Maybe it's semantics, but I thought by the qualifiers you included in your original question, you were looking for something more than just who threw hard. The sources I cited earlier do talk about Blair's total defensive ability, but I think they also mention that he had an “above average” to “strong arm.” Maybe he just made it look easy? To be sure, there are examples of outfielders with more “memorable” arms. I just don't remember anyone more memorable that played for us than Paul Blair. I don't think this thread has coalesced around anyone in particular. Also, in the assists stats I offered earlier, I put assists per total chances. It's actually assists per innings played. I'm sorry for the error. Here's another excellent article about Blair's prowess in the outfield by The Hardball Times: https://tht.fangraphs.com/tht-live/remembering-the-wizardry-of-paul-blair/

Having a "cannon" wasn't the question. This was Frobby's question: “To be clear, I'm not just talking about the strongest arm. Strength is a factor, but accuracy, consistency, and a quick release should all be factored in.” You seem to be focused on who had the strongest arm. That's fine; that's not the question Frobby asked. Blair averaged one assist for every 127.45 chances Here are some others that have been mentioned: Sammy Sosa has one assist every 132.62 chances Frank Robinson has one assist every 136.24 chances Adam Jones has one assist every 149.50 chances Nick Markakis has one assist every 150.85 chances

"His range was extraordinary — he twice led the American League in putouts — and his arm was strong and accurate; over 17 seasons, he threw out 104 runners from center field. He won eight Gold Glove awards, given annually to the three best outfielders in each league, including seven in a row from 1969 to 1975. Based on range factor — defined as putouts plus assists per nine innings — Blair was over the course of his career superior as a center fielder to both Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr." https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/sports/baseball/paul-blair-center-fielder-for-champions-dies-at-69.html#:~:text=His range was extraordinary — he,row from 1969 to 1975.

What? No love for Paul Blair? Palmer always felt he was worth 2 runs a game. Played shallow and got a tremendous jump on the ball. Had double-digit assists in 11 out of 17 years. "Blair was an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, winning seven straight from 1969 – 1975. Known for his great fielding ability, Blair owned a .988 fielding percentage over the course of his nearly two-decade-long career. Playing primarily in center field, Blair averaged less than five errors a season. In three different seasons, Blair finished in the top five in outfield assists, logging 13 assists in 1967, 14 in 1969, and 14 in 1973. Blair had a great arm and was able to throw runners out at any base. He recorded 34 assists at second base, 28 at third base, and 24 at home plate in his career. For reference, Orioles center fielders combined for just three outfield assists in 2019." https://birdswatcher.com/2019/11/21/baltimore-orioles-throwback-thursday-paul-blair/

That walk rate is pretty dreadful at 5.3 BBs per 9 innings over 244 minor league innings.

My daughter's step brother is profoundly autistic. Matt is completely non-verbal and very isolated. Since his father passed away he's been living with my oldest daughter. The two of them developed a special bond together, and since he's moved in with her, he's really blossomed. He's still non-verbal but he communicates some in writing. It breaks my heart to think anyone would be so depraved as to take emotional and financial advantage of someone in Matt's situation. I hope this guy gets what's coming to him.

This is where I'm at. I hate the idea of seeing one of our highly regarded young (under control) prospects blossom into a superstar somewhere else. I'm so conditioned about the veteran pitchers we acquire not working out that I'm reluctant to gamble. I'm glad it's Elias' decision and not mine.

With a OBP between .397 and .438 over 3 minor league seasons and one major league campaign, there's a lot to like in Evan Carter.

As I previously mentioned the Mets had the highest payroll and they finished 4th - 12 games below .500. The Yankees had the second highest payroll and they also finished 4th with an 82 – 80 record. The San Diego Padres had the third highest payroll and they also finished with an 82 – 80 record for a third place finish. It's clear the big payrolls aren't always a guarantee of success.

You know who's upset? The New York Mets who had the largest payroll in baseball last year and finished 4th in the National League East, winning just 75 games.

Missing bats is important, but missing barrels is important too.

A bad WHIP "for the majority of his career?" 2018 - 1.24 2019 - 1.67 2020 - 1.11 2021 - 1.24 2022 - 1.15 2023 - 1.12 Other than 2019, what are you talking about???

To me, both Valdez and Cease are legitimate TOR starters, and as such, I'd be thrilled to have either one of them… for the right price. And that's what it really comes down to. If we're prepared to make a serious run for a WS championship now, either one would be a great addition. I guess I'd be prepared to give up a little bit more for Cease, but I don't want to dramatically overpay for a 30 year old pitcher, even if he's a front line starter.

Not trying to be obtuse here, but according to Baseball Savant he has a chase % of 50, a whiff% of 56 and K% of 60. All average or above. How are you measuring “missing bats?” I do agree that he's not Clemens in his prime and at 30 years of age he's most likely to begin slipping.

What constitutes “missing enough bats” for a starter? He averaged 9.1 KO's per game, he had a better WHIP, ERA+ and FIP than Cease did last year, gave up fewer hits per 9 (7.5 vs. 8.7) than Cease.

So you would be indifferent to "Peter Angelos Memorial Stadium?" I know what I'm getting you for Xmas!

I lost a lot of posts to those resets… those were some of my most productive posting years too! It's like Ted Williams and the Korean War, I can't help but wonder where my post totals/reputation score would be if it hadn't been for those resets.

Holy heck I just looked and my official sign-up date was September 22, 2003, so I've got you beat by about 2 ½ months! You've been a little more active about posting than I have though! Happy OH Anniversary Frobby. Many more!

You make some fair points, but I would still say he outperformed my expectations for the following reasons. He was coming off a year in which he posted a 5.05 ERA with a 79 ERA+. He turned 35 in 2023 and I think it would be fair to say, because of that, you could reasonably expect some regression. Instead, he had a better ERA+ (87), WHIP (1.318) FIP (4.13) and HR9 (1.1) plus he gave us 192 innings in which he averaged just under 6 innings per start. (The previous season he averaged 5.38 innings per start and this year he averaged 5.81). I think because of his age I was mildly surprised at the season he gave us.

Happy to support this worthwhile cause again this year. Thanks to you and your organization for helping make this possible!