Jammer7

Yeah, I misread that the first time. I agree, then . Severino, Rio Ruiz, Valaika, Lakins and Armstrong were other decent claims of the early Elias regime. The current group is definitely better than the previous one. Mateo could be the best of the group, not necessarily a SS, but we’ll see. The defense may smooth out some. He is one of the most raw-talented physically gifted players to put on an Oriole uniform in some time. The mental side, daily approach and focus, is huge for him from what I have been able to gather. He can be up there in Cedric Mullins’ territory, or he could be waived by season’s end. Urias is a solid 2B, and to use to Buckism, “I think he is what he appears to be.” Solid contact skills and approach with average defense at 2B. My appreciation for Gutierrez is nothing new. I am not making too much of his Spring stats, but I do like the improved swing decisions. Seeing him layoff the slider, in particular, has been encouraging. I still think the hands tend to be a little high, at load, but I think he’ll hit better than most thought and be the OD 3B. Another player with some physical gifts. Raw power is there. Lopez, Perez and Baker should all be solid set up guys to start. And all May end up in the back end sooner than later. Krehbiel may not make the roster, he may be DFA’d. But that is not a knock on him as much as it is a good sign. I think Krehbiel is underrated. Sulser is Sulser. I would imagine his name, along with Fry and Scott, will be involved in trade talks.

Very interesting scenario.

Perez has looked balanced and compact in his delivery this Spring, and I think that is the key for him. I hope he stays in sync. That stuff is excellent right now. Baker looks more athletic than I thought he was, and the stuff is nice. Hyde alluded to having “big arms” in the pen that he did not have in 2021. These have to be two of those he was speaking of. The whole “Elias’ best waiver claim” thought, IDK. Maybe when all is said and done? Of those still in camp, Mateo, Urias, Gutierrez, Lopez, Sulser and Krehbiel are also Elias waiver claims. There may be one more coming here soon.

We disagree on some, agree on others. I know I will not change your opinion, I am not delusional. Young pitchers, in particular, are still growing and forming muscle and stamina in their early and mid 20’s. The minor league environment is more conducive for most to build strength, shape pitches, and find out what works for them as they climb the ladder. The thought is that this will help mitigate the injuries and get more value from their prospects as they are more consistent and build more confidence. It isn’t just the Orioles. One of the biggest changes in player development is strength, conditioning and injury prevention/mitigation. The Orioles place a huge emphasis on this. Though you would not know it by looking at Keegan Akin or Yusniel Diaz. That said, I could see them bringing Rodriguez or Hall up to develop them in the pen if there was an established legitimate veteran rotation that each went six innings on a nightly basis. If the major league environment was much more stable. Not in the train wreck that is Baltimore at the moment. I don’t think Holt is some great pitching coach, not a major league one anyway. I think another organization was going to hire him away from the Orioles and they were forced to promote him to his current role. I think his previous minor league coordinator role was better suited to his skill set. The ball differences are ridiculous, and I think it is less of a big deal for most. Some do have problems with the differences, but it is overblown. Adley should have finished the year in Baltimore. And he should start the year there in 2022 as soon as he is able. He did make strides last year in the minors, but he was ready in July.

Let them build innings in a more controllable environment, at least that is the theory. It’s about their long term health and success. I guess we’ll see if they are right. I think they are.

I think there is value in AAA innings. Neither Grayson nor DL has any yet. They may not need more than a few months, but that time is important. Bradish had 86 AAA innings in 2021. If we actually had a major league rotation, I would be fine with both young guys in a pen role before becoming starters in a year or two. As it is, these guys can be TOR starters. They need to be developed correctly. That takes time, reaching benchmarks.

Bradish is a #2-3 starter. A long term fixture in the rotation. Lowther and Zimm may or may not be back end guys and their projected value is nowhere near that of Bradish. Bradish is ready now, and listening to Elias’ comments makes me think he thinks he is too. Going to AAA is not to stash him, but to spin him up to go starter innings. Is Elias is gaming his service time? I suspect so, but whatever. Grayson and DL are not ready yet for various reasons, but Bradish will be up soon. I agree he need to keep starting and building innings. I think he could do it in Baltimore. So be it.

I get the reasoning given by Elias, and the only one I disagree with is Bradish. There is always more to the story. Mike Elias’ abundance-of-caution approach has not changed, however annoying it is to all of us. I no longer will give Elias the benefit of the doubt, however. This is the year he needs to take the training wheels off the prospects and make some moves to build an actual major league roster.

Mateo is terrified at 3B. Better off putting anyone else there.

Not a surprise that Bradish got sent down, though I think he’s ready. I guess we get to see Kremer hang more cutters. 2022 must be the year of the man bun. Sigh…My patience is thinning.

I may have missed it, but was Nick a pitcher? Pitchers have different responsibilities.

Whoever the backup catcher is, they will likely be DFA’d when Adley is ready. Nottingham was claimed on waivers a few times in 2021. I think they want to keep him over the two I mentioned, but if he gets claimed, not a big deal. Gutierrez has been playing excellent defense and has been driving the ball. I also believe he has walked 7-8 times. I think he is actually a lock at 3B. I could easily see Zimm over Lowther, sure. I really like Lowther’s stuff better, particularly the breaking ball. Zimm is solid, not sure how durable he is. I think Akin is on Hyde’s last nerve. Reported is poor shape and his command is awful, again. IDK, maybe you’re right. But his preparation is seemingly as poor as Hunter Harvey’s was.

We are pretty much in agreement.

I agree with most everything you have said about Diaz. I only see Diaz with a shot if Mancini is traded. The approach has been very good this spring, driving several balls to deep RF. I would say that spring results mean very little, but his process is what intrigues me right now. It might be a case of challenging a guy that has been reported upset and bored with being in the minors. Perhaps they see it as a last audition, now or never. Make a decision and move forward, either way. Diaz has one option remaining, so perhaps it is time to see what he can do.

I’ll take an early crack at the 28 man roster. Position Players: 1B - Ryan Mountcastle 2B - Ramón Urias SS - Jorge Mateo 3B - Kelvin Gutierrez UT - Chris Owings 2B/3B - Rougned Odor* C - Robinson Chirinos C - Bemboom/Taylor* LF - Austin Hays CF - Cedric Mullins* RF - Anthony Santander# DH - Trey Mancini OF - Ryan McKenna This is a very RH hitting team, and maybe the only reason I keep Odor is his LH bat. If Stewart is healthy, I would consider keeping him over Odor, though Owings and Mancini can play OF. If Mancini is traded, that would help Stewart, and/or Diaz bigly. Bemboom and Taylor are solid, but expendable, and they would likely pass through waivers. I think they might want to keep Nottingham around for a while and see what he can do in AAA. Pitchers: SP - John Means* SP - Jordan Lyles SP - Zac Lowther*(R) SP - Kyle Bradish(R) SP - Tyler Wells RP - Dillon Tate RP - Cole Sulser RP - Bryan Baker(R) RP - Felix Bautista(R) RP - Tanner Scott* RP - Paul Fry* RP - Cionel Perez* RP - Jorge Lopez RP - Mike Baumann(R) RP - Bruce Zimmermann* I think they will want to manage Tyler Wells carefully, and starting is easier to do that. They could easily swap out Zimm for Lowther, but I like Lowther’s stuff right now over Zimm. They can piggyback Zimm or Baumann with Wells. I cannot see Akin on this team right now. Still early, but if Bradish is what he appears to be, how does he not make the team? Hyde mentioned a few games ago that the pen would have some “big arms” that he did not have last year. That makes me think Baker, Bautista, Baumann and Pérez all make it.

It could very well be as you said. For me, using T. Wells in a bulk role will be difficult to control his appearances and innings. If you want to properly stretch him out and help him stay healthy, you get him on a starter’s routine. Regular starts and side sessions. Akin is destined to be a reliever until he firms up his chubby body and his secondaries. If Kremer suddenly realizes he can compete with his stuff, fine. Straight 94 mph 4S fastballs get hit a long long way in the AL East. Kremer needs to be tougher, and compete more. He looked very lost all last year. If Bradish is what he looked to be against the Yankees A lineup, he has nothing to prove in AAA. Maybe he just had one good outing. Either way, he should not be down long.

I saw the same thing, a few days ago. We are not alone in that observation, even Melewski said it in his chat. Funny thing is that Diaz now looks trimmer, suddenly. I guess my old eyes are playing tricks on me, or he is wearing a “slimming garment” under his uniform. lol

Right now, I think the starters are: Means, Lyles, Lowther, Bradish and T. Wells. I have zero faith in A. Wells, Kremer and Akin as starters. I think Zimmerman could still emerge as a starter, but I think Bradish might just beat him out because he attacks with swing and miss pitches that Zimm just doesn’t have. Baumann should probably be a reliever at this point. I think the relievers are: Tate, Sulser, Scott, Fry, C. Perez, J. Lopez, F. Bautista, Baker, M. Baumann and Zimmerman. (Krehbiel, Akin and Vespi are possible too) Tate looks great, and I am pleasantly surprised with C. Perez so far. I am curious to see if Lopez is more of a long guy. If so, they really need guys like Felix and Baker to be solid middle guys.

Agreed. I think Tyler Wells’ load is easier to manage on a starter routine, and he may only go 3-4 innings for the first half of the year. You back him up with a long guy, even a piggy back type of deal.

Fair question, but I do not think they are mutually exclusive. Tom Brady is a championship winning player, for instance. So, keeping Brady around is in furtherance of wanting to win. I am not sure that Lamar is a guy that wins multiple championships in his career. In baseball, that player probably has less direct impact. Maybe Derek Jeter or a Buster Posey come to mind as championship caliber players who had a similar type of impact. Their differences from others is difficult to quantify sometimes. Maybe it is the way they respond under pressure, or the way they conduct themselves, their daily preparation or the way they lead others with a sheer will to win. Trey is a good guy, and a solid lower mid-level major league 1B/DH, but he is not that guy. I want to win. You win with winning players. Not necessarily the guys who put up the biggest numbers, or the nicest guys.

The whiny sentiment to sign Mancini to an extension is somewhat similar to the the fans demanding the team re-sign Chris Davis. Mike Elias does not run the team this way, and I am grateful. Mancini and Means will get paid the industry value for their services through arbitration, so what? Some act like this is only in Baltimore. And some just can’t wait to take a shot at Elias, even if it is short-sighted and misguided. Making business decisions with the emotion of fans is not how you run a sports franchise. Trading Trey, a good dude and all, is not about the salary dump as much as it is that the value he brings is likely replaced by other players and it will cost less money. Trey is a solid DH/1B, but not in the top 20 at that position for me. With Trey moving on, several players can rest their legs and DH. Adley, Santander, Mountcastle, Stewart/Stowers/Neustrom/Diaz/Nevin and others will benefit from this move. Getting Adley to DH/1B some can get him more at bats without the bearing he takes behind the plate. He gets to catch around 100-110 games and DH/1B another 30-40. Maybe get Santander some days of his legs and get more production out of him. The Orioles love the guy, but business is business. We all hope Trey gets to a competitive team. And I am sure Mike Elias, Brandon Hyde and ownership do too. But going forward, according to their plan, it is best for the Orioles to move him.

I got ya. For me, personally, and I am likely in the minority in this opinion, but I really want to see what Mateo can do. I want nothing to stand in the way of his opportunity. If we could add Alcantara in place of say, Odor, fine. To be a bench role player. Other than that, I would rather not.

In addition to that lackluster showing in the big leagues, Alcantara owns a pedestrian .261/.340/.317 batting line in 822 plate appearances at the Double-A level. He did hit .305/.447/.451 in a small sample of 103 Triple-A plate appearances in 2021, but that’s an outlier relative to his overall body of work in the minors. We already have Richie Martin. Nah. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/cubs-dfa-sergio-alcantara-infielder.html

Until the Orioles win at the major league level, the criticism is more than fair. This is the plan he laid out early in his tenure. The major league product has been awful. We knew it would. His job is not just winning at the major league level, but it is certainly what fans care about most and what he’s judged by. Overall, he has done a very good job, so far. Mike Elias has built up the infrastructure of the entire organization, from essentially nothing. He has completely changed the culture and made excellent hires, like Sig, Koby, Matt Blood and many others. They have drafted well, and done well to stand up an international program quickly, and the new complex down there is upper echelon. Having the scouting and development staffs on the same page is huge. I don’t think every organization is doing all of the same things the Orioles are doing now, but most are. Elias and staff have brought the organization to the modern era, certainly. It’s hard to know what they are doing differently than others because they don’t usually advertise that kind of thing when it is a competitive advantage. One thing that stands out is their use of 4-5 coaches on minor league teams. That is not being done by all teams. I think Elias stays for a good while, maybe 4-6 more years. It could be something where he becomes a team president and promotes a GM from within. He strikes me as a guy who will stay as long as the ownership will support his plan to make the Orioles a winner in the long term. Things can certainly change quickly.

I went into the off-season thinking they needed to add a SS, two legitimate MLB starters, a back up catcher and a reliever. Jordan Lyles and Robinson Chirinos are perfect fits for what I wanted. Rougned Odor was not quite what I wanted, and neither is Chris Owings. No legitimate relievers added, so far. Yep, I am not happy. I think a C-/D grade is fair at this point. I think an F is a bit harsh, but whatever. If they actually made a legitimate play for Correa, that is encouraging. It would have been an amazingly bold move to add Correa, but Correa chose another team. Who can blame him? If they add another starter, like a JA Happ or Johnny Cueto, it changes my opinion, slightly. A reliever would have to fall in our laps at this point. Either they fell short of their plan, or they believe the group of Zimmerman, Lowther, Akin, Baumann, Wells, Bradish and Kremer will yield three solid back end starters in 2022. At least two until Grayson Rodriguez comes up in June/July. And they must believe that Mateo and Urias can handle the SS position, with Chris Owings and Richie Martin as depth. My disappointment is that I thought it was time to shift gears and begin to climb out of this non-competitive hole. Time to start building a winning environment with a few key vets. They have the payroll flexibility. And maybe the trade market will yield some opportunities during the season, IDK. I see the big picture, and huge strides have been made, overall. However, until Elias proves he is up to the task of building a legitimate roster, the drums are getting justifiably louder. It is time to move some of the depth in trades, and cut bait on some of the guys who have not made strides. It’s time to get serious. No more benefit of the doubt.