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Jammer7

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Posts posted by Jammer7

  1. 1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

    Should Mateo be trying to steal 3rd more?  Aren’t the percentages of stealing 3rd better, or is that just announcer talk?  Then the wholes it creates for Mullins. 

    Maybe in certain situations, sure. He and Mullins have been thrown out several times lately. Probably a little tired and banged up. Think he needs a day, maybe two, but he’s swinging it well again. He hasn’t played an entire MLB season yet. Hyde does a great job keeping these guys as fresh as he can. 

  2. On 8/7/2022 at 11:03 PM, Sports Guy said:

    Not sure who this guy is although I see Luke and Tony follow him.  Have come across some of his tweets and he seems like he knows what he is talking about.

    Definitely worth a follow. A lot of good insight and observations. 

  3. On 8/7/2022 at 12:31 PM, WI O’s Fan said:

    He hurt his shoulder in early 2021 and came back in 21.   2022 season should have been injury free.  His entire college career was both avg hit tool.  Hopefully they can tweak his swing for more contact.   Seems like a Grenier type player.

    Not at all like Grenier. Way more athletic and upside in all phases, but not as steady a defender as a college player. 

  4. 6 hours ago, ShoelesJoe said:

    Seems bizarre in this day and age to pick a guy in the 2nd round, and to have never contacted him prior to the draft. The Orioles had zeroed in on Fabian and apparently had extensive negotiations wrt a signing bonus. If Boston valued him so highly as to make him the 40th player chosen on day one you’d think they would have at least met him if only to shake hands. 
     

    What’s more common — teams making little to no effort to communicate with prospective players, or those who contact their targeted high draft picks to at least get the lay of the land? 

    It is strange to me, but I’ve never been in a draft room. From what I have heard in the past, picks that high are usually in contact with teams. Ballpark numbers are tossed about. But, Duquette drafted Grenier in Comp A without speaking with him. IDK

  5. 3 hours ago, btdart20 said:

    Good to hear he’s excited to be here and that he likes the fit.  I have to assume it’s about the hitting approach.  Do you happen to know?

    The person I spoke with did not really specify. There were things said that make me think that.  I believe that to be correct, based on other things I have been told. We talked about a lot of other things unrelated to the signing. 

  6. I just spoke to someone in the know about Fabian and the Orioles. He confirmed the rumors about an agreement for $3 million. He said that the Red Sox did not communicate with him before drafting him. Said they made a cold offer of $1.8 million and never negotiated, basically said “here it is, take it or leave it.” So, he left it. Really an odd story for that high of a pick. Anyway, Jud wanted to come to Baltimore because of the fit and philosophy.  Very excited to be here. 

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  7. 2 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

    Hey, I subscribed to The Sporting News, and they published some minor league stats.  I forget if that was weekly?  I think weekly.  So I at least had some inkling that Finley won the IL batting title in '88, and Worthington was the IL MVP (despite hitting .244-16-73).  And I'm quite sure I took Milacki's 1988 debut (three starts, 25 innings, two earned runs, and a 10 strikeout shutout of the Yanks) as indisputable evidence that he was the next Jim Palmer.

    But, no, no one expected anything.  When they beat Clemens on opening day the Sun put something like "First Place Orioles" in big type on the front page (I don't recall if it was the sports section or the whole paper) and everyone knew it was 100% tongue-in-cheek.

    I was “haze gray and underway” in the US Navy by then. I missed a lot of that season, unfortunately. I subscribed to Baseball America and usually picked up the Sporting News weekly (when I was home), though I think USA Today was involved in that weekly magazine as well.

    I remember the era more than that year. We had all those young pitchers. I remember Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling as promising hard throwers and young OF’s Finley, Devo and Anderson. I thought Phil Bradley was under appreciated. 

    I remember growing up watching Murray, Ripken and Singleton thinking that Oriole hitters would always be great. The failures of Mike Young and Al Pardo, the young switch-hitting catcher stud, really had me puzzled. I was hoping Pete Stanicek was going to end that drought of good switch-hitters. I remember Mickey Tettleton, aka “Fruit Loops” being the biggest surprise power hitter for me.

    I remember Craig Worthington being a highly regarded prospect. I remember him being drafted in the first round of the secondary draft, which is no longer a thing. 

    We had Randy “Moose” Milligan and I remember he was a high OBP guy. Funny, he is the first guy I remember hearing that it was a good trait to walk a lot. I was comparing him to Murray in my mind, and I remember being down on him because he didn’t hit like Eddie. 

    We had the Otter, a legitimate closer and a solid set up guy in Mark Williamson. Kevin Hickey was pretty solid as well.

    That team had Cal and Billy. I remember feeling sad about how Cal Sr. was treated. But Frank was the manager, and I always felt cheated that I never really saw Frank and Brooks play. I was too young. 

    It was a strange time in baseball as PED’s were taking over. I remember that ‘89 team defied logic. I wondered what I really knew about baseball if that team was a contender. I learned the Blue Jays had tremendous talent, and I hated them almost as much as the Yankees.

    As far as comparing this team to that ‘89 team, very different outlooks. This one has young talent everywhere except the rotation. The future is bright. The fans know far more about the coming young studs. The ‘89 team was a team in transition in many ways. Take a moment and hit the link to go down memory lane. 
     

    https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1989_Baltimore_Orioles

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  8. 22 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

    They didnt platoon for Phillips last night. He faced a Lefty, for reasons unknown. Im not sure why Hyde didnt pinch hit. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. 

    Not sure. Maybe gathering some data on him, seeing what he does. Maybe he has good numbers against that LHP, or maybe against that profile. Or maybe he talks so much they just wanted him away from the bench as much as possible…🤣

  9. Whatever happened last year when he took a leave of absence, it really affected the staff. Having Holmes around him in the dugout has seemed to help him manage things better this year. Cossins going to the pen was a good move. 

  10. 2 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

    Yep.  Phillips is a plus defender with plus speed.  This year is his floor and we paid peanuts.  

    CF org depth is slim behind Mullins.  McKenna, Cowser or Hays.  MCKenna also has offensive question marks.  While Cowser and Hays sound like, they would be average at best defensively.  Phillips would likely be better than them defensively if Mullims is traded.

    It’s a bit confusing but we don’t know all the variables.

    Yes! For me, if we show some patience, this is the kind of guy who will work his butt off to improve. I hope we get to see what he looks like by June 2023. He may only be a 4th OF, so be it. The arbitration salary might be difficult to swallow though for 2023. 

  11. 1 minute ago, Baltimorecuse said:

    I've been defending Elias at every turn.  Bring in a .169 hitter, with a .230 OPB, makes zero sense to me.  We already had McKenna who can catch the ball and run the bases.  He could have pulled a kid off the sandlot to catch flies and hit .169.

    Take a look at how bad the batting lines were for the other guys I listed. Seriously. Matt Carpenter looked completely lost a short time ago. He’s had a few poor years even. He’s raking in front of the best lineup in baseball. 

    Elias and staff saw something they liked, and they traded for him as they felt he would not have made it through waivers. Give it a little time, and see what happens. I mean, unless you believe Mike Elias is some kind of reckless idiot, then you have to wait and see what they have in mind. 

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  12. There are improvements he can make mechanically. It looks like they already made some adjustments with him prior to yesterday’s game his hands were higher, and he was more balanced. Solid line drive he stretched into a double last night. Needs some work on recognition and decisions, and really needs to get stronger.

    Its sad to me to read all of the negative trash in this thread. Some of you hate every move Elias makes. And it is your right. But then it works out, and you’re like…”Oh, I didn’t know that.” Phillips has been a solid bench/role player on a good Rays team for a few years now. A lot of playoff experience.

    I get you want Stowers. Elias wants Stowers to work out too. He’s not ready yet. Elias takes a low cost flier on a guy with some tools and experience and so many of our fans act like little kids and trash the guy. Did you see what the Yankees have done with Matt Carpenter? He was “done” too. What about Chris Taylor, Mundy and Justin Turner with the Dodgers? This board is not Twitter. 

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  13. Tony, you know how I feel about this place that you’ve created. I’ve been here with you since 1997. That is about half my life, and yours. We’ve all been through a lot over the years, with the Orioles, and in life. Those things are often intertwined for the members of this community. The OH is important to us, and I’m glad you have decided to stay. It will continue to be a better place with you, than without. Weams is smiling up there. 

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  14. 9 hours ago, tntoriole said:

    Mateo is going to be a star  .. he is going to hit better and better .. 

    He just brings an intensity to his game that says star quality stuff 

    I’m not sure, but he is certainly very good. I want to believe he will be. He has improved tremendously in all facets. Many here point to the fact that he has not done it so far in his career. It’s true. But, he has never had an opportunity to play SS everyday in the majors. Never. He is developing, but those swing decisions are still lacking. 

    I will say that he has had a major part in the defensive improvement of this much more competitive team. That obviously helps the pitching. The DP he started last night helped Tate get out of the jam he inherited. The ball he picked was mashed to his right, the slick back hand pick, the transition and throw was crisp, smooth and accurate. He makes plays like that regularly. I have never seen any Orioles SS make those kinds of plays. He is special. He changes games regularly. 

    He has all the tools and he appears focused and driven. I wouldn’t bet against him. 

  15. 2 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

    Does that mean he thinks Povich is better than Hall? Or Hall is going to he bullpen? 

    Hard to say, honestly, on either question. You never have too many guys in that realm. They break so often.

    I want to see what Povich is in 2024-2025. Looks like he needs a few years of nutrition and a pro workout program. The video I have seen so far is all highlights, so hard to say. I like the breaking ball, and the FB has interesting possibilities at the top of the zone. I like his frame and overall athleticism, but we’ll see. 

  16. 3 hours ago, rm5678 said:

    Phillips is out of options, so he would have to be DFA'd. Why would we pay cash for someone if we don't plan on keeping him? While I like Phillips and he seems to be a fun guy, this trade is a bit strange.

    I don’t know. I’m just telling you what the mlb.com roster says. Roster Resource says no options remaining as well. 

  17. 1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

    Initial reaction isn't great, but we got 4 arms for a guy who we, IIRC, picked up off waivers and rehabilitated into a good (not amazing) closer.  

    I think the role of a closer is a bit overrated and I don't think Lopez was an elite one.  Also, it's not as if we don't have a guy (Bautista) who looks like he could step in and actually be elite.  

    Lopez was looking amazing and he had a few hiccups right before the All-Star Break and he's blown a save after the break, too.  I think we sold high on him.  That said, for his sake I'd like to be wrong and I hope he has continued success in Minnesota because he seems like a good dude.

    As far as the return we got, like I said...4 arms for a guy that, 6 months ago, no one thought anything of.  And all of a sudden people are acting like we traded prime Eckersley for spare parts.

    We have to see how Lopez does in his new digs and we have to see if any of the arms we got today turn into valuable pieces.  This isn't one of those trades you can jump to conclusions on, despite the fact that that's exactly what sports message boards are for.

    This is my take as well. All of it.

    Last year, I wrote that I thought Lopez is too soft to be a back end guy, but the stuff is very good. I still think he walks a tightrope with his confidence and his emotions. Maybe the Twins will be able to whisper on his ear like Hyde did, IDK. 

    They sold high on him, which is what you should do. Povich is interesting and has improved his stuff this year. Cano is a guy they can maybe help improve his stuff to compete at the major league level. He was pretty good in the minors. The other two, who knows. These guys are unproven talent, but Lopez was a failed talent that they reshaped. They will work to do the same with Cano and the others. I read all of the knee jerk reactions today, and O think many of our fans think Lopez was more valuable than he truly is. 

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