Jammer7

Probably will not get much, but I agree. In his nine years, he has done nothing to give us hope he will be reliable enough to hold onto. Not a question of talent, for sure. Sad. NEXT!

I think he has a good chance of being DFA’d. I doubt they can work a trade for a guy who is injured 80% of the time. I don’t care how talented you are, if you cannot stay healthy, what does it matter? We need the roster spot for guys who can actually contribute to the team.

I agree. They would have to build him up next year, which would mean limiting his pitch count/innings to some extent. He seems to have a starter’s repertoire and mentality.

Elias actually made reference to Jones’ need to stay in Norfolk to work on his defense despite his hot hitting in or around early June, I believe. It was during a zoom press conference and Elias was asked about Jones and why he was not called up. So, the many reporters got that idea directly from Elias. And as we have seen, there are some very athletic glimpses of brilliance, but some clear signs that he is still learning the position. The hitting will come. He just has to get comfortable, and have some success to build his confidence that he belongs.

I was actually more annoyed with Hyde’s decision to pitch to Stanton with 1B open. The only run that matters is at 2B, so why not walk Stanton? You get a force at any base and maybe a chance at a DP. Really just a terrible decision.

I don’t think he’s been terrible. Was he actually trying to build a ML team? The three you mentioned were two waiver claims and a rule 5 pick. Waiver claims are another team’s trash that they were unable to trade. His rule 5 track record is not too great, but injuries to Martin make the grade incomplete just yet. The two pitchers in 2020 and Sceroler in 2021 were just not worthy. He did sign Iglesias, Galvis and Franco to FA deals. Iglesias was fantastic and Elias traded him since his value will not ever be higher. Galvis was pretty good before the injury, and he traded him for a low end bullpen minor league arm. Franco looked about 50 years old most of the year, but most thought he would be a slight improvement over Ruiz. He signed Matt Harvey, who has been up and down, sure. But he has been a good cheap veteran addition. A role model for the young guys to see what a real pro looks like in his routine and the way he prepares and competes. Tommy Milone worked out pretty good as well. He got bargain basement performance for bargain basement prices. Severino was a waiver claim, and yes, he’s been maddening often. Some good, some bad. Rio Ruiz was the same. Both were solid claims though. Hanser Alberto was not a bad claim either. I am sure I am forgetting other acquisitions, but it isn’t a bad list. It is what it is. A rebuild. He was open about it the entire time. He was not going to sink resources into the ML team for the first few years. I think this coming year is when it begins to change. Maybe I am wrong, but to judge Elias on his talent acquisitions is premature in my opinion.

As advanced and intelligent a hitter as he is, should be just a matter of time and experience. Adjustments made when necessary.

Westburg struggling in AA Bowie is a great experience for him. The Melewski article references his struggles with the inside fastball and velocity. I like the way his development has happened this year, with the struggles happening now in AA. It gives him something to work specifically to improve on over the off season. His development has been a success this year.

I have said it before, but Coby Mayo is a dude. He can really hit, not just a power guy. A better overall athlete than many think, but his slow feet need a lot of work. He isn’t a clumsy big masher, but the feet are a tick slow for a MLB 3B in today’s game, right now anyway. It really shows when he throws on the move. He can improve some there and maybe enough to stay at 3B long term. But I am not optimistic, honestly. I hope he proves me wrong.

As a hitter, Willems might be able to start in Delmarva. Like you, I think it is just a bit of a stretch. Though low A ball isn’t quite what it used to be. As a catcher, if he stays behind the plate, I would think he would stay in FCL/Extended Spring to work on his game for a few months. He needs to be serious about his conditioning as well.

I think Henderson should be just fine. He needs to make some adjustments in his approach in some situations, and he may not be a SS for long, but he is a talent. He may not be the quick-rising superstar that some hoped for when he was tearing up Delmarva, but he is still a very good prospect with legit power and arm tools. Aberdeen is notoriously a difficult park to hit for power, just saying. His intangibles are excellent, and that will help him process what he is going through. The struggle will make him stronger, and a better player long term. He is 20 yoa in High A.

These kids are 15-16 years of age, high school sophomores, more or less. They are raw and undeveloped. Scouting these kids is all about athleticism and projection.

The Nats have had a strong international market presence for many years. They’ve had several reach MLB in the past ten years, Soto being the crown jewel, of course.

I thought so too, and then he was money last night.

What clear indication have you seen of ownership meddling since Mike Elias was signed? I have not seen any. I always assume there is some, behind the scenes, but there has not been any moment where I have seen a signature Angelos impediment to team functionality. This is just a dark time in Orioles’ history. But it is always darkest before the dawn.

Richie has essentially lost two years of development due to injury and COVID. He needs to play everyday, somewhere. He might be a 40 man drop, but he will have no trouble getting a job, hopefully stays in the organization. He just never seems comfortable in any facet of the game at the major league level. He needs to be able to relax and slow the game down. I see grades on Mateo’s arm being a 60, and I think that is about right. Again, another guy that just needs to get comfortable and trust his game. When he has no time to think, I like his actions. The routine plays, like a lot of guys, he seems to guide the ball rather than just throw it. He has not played much in a few years either, not in games, and not much of his little time on the field was spent on the dirt. So, it may not be pretty, at times, but the right thing to do is to see him at SS the rest of the year as much as possible. Being out of options, they have no choice but to play him and make their evaluation. Definitely a guy that needs to play Winter ball in the Caribbean.

Santander is getting back to where he should be. I’m not sure what he gets in arbitration, but it should not be too big a hit considering his struggles in 2021, injury or not. He should definitely be back unless a great return is offered. Stewart should be out, and McKenna up. Neustrom has a shot to make the club out of Spring Training as well, but likely will be sent down to AAA to begin the year. Not because they are gaming his contract status, just to get more experience. Mancini should be moved for a reasonable deal. His salary should be $10 million plus in 2022. They have Mountcastle at 1B, and can use any number of others at DH. They need that money to bring in pitchers and a solid veteran back up catcher. I think it is possible Sevy comes back, and I hate the idea. Wynns is better behind the plate, generally, but his bat is anemic. Cumberland’s best tool is getting HBP, and below average defense. Ciuffo has been hurt nearly all of 2021, so not one to count on. Catching is a disaster, until Adley gets here. They have to address this. Sevy is a losing catcher. His immaturity and lack of desire greatly hampers this team.

Hyde is not perfect, but I think he is a very solid and qualified baseball guy. The quote from Joe Maddon exemplified why Hyde is the right guy for a young developing group. His patience and sense of humor is a must for the situation they are in. If you are in that clubhouse, you know it isn’t Hyde’s fault. I just feel really bad for him on a daily basis. This is excruciating to watch. As the manager, it is his fault. It’s his watch, regardless of whether or not Holt’s guru status was directly tied to sticky substances or not. There is no denying that the pitching struggled more so during Holt’s extended absence. And now, they have struggled mightily since the sticky substance crackdown. And the young bats are going to go through slumps. We also have the absolute worst catching group in MLB as well. It isn’t just bad luck that the Orioles are this bad. The fundamentals are why they left Jones down at AAA as long as they did, and the fan base ate Elias up for months. Personally, I liked the way Jones played last night, despite the clank off his glove in right field. He made several adept plays up the middle and looked to be much improved defensively since 2020. The called strikeouts on close pitches were frustrating to watch, bad calls or not. In fairness, when people talk about “fundamentals,” you have to mention that this group is made up of a collage of players who are young, many castoffs from other organizations. Even Cedric Mullins had two miscues last night and looked very bad at the plate. There is a reason why they were available. I have no doubt that Sanders and Mansolino work with the players appropriately. They both have great reputations as teachers. A lot of the miscues can be attributed to pressing, or trying to do more than you are capable because you do not believe in your teammates and think you have to be a hero. This group, as a whole, does not take what the game gives them offensively. Austin Hays, I am talking to you, specifically. I am not sure what will happen with Hyde, and I have wondered about it since the first long losing streak. He may need to leave for his own sanity. No competitor ever wants to hang around where losing is a way of life. I hope he stays, and I hope Mike Elias gives him a roster that can compete more evenly. This is on Elias’ shoulders. Whatever formulas and algorithms they have used for ML pitching evaluation and preparation are out the window when your pitchers regularly throw 91 mph fastballs middle-middle. No genius or philosophy can overcome that inability to execute.

At some point, ownership group will hold them accountable. They have to do they can have some semblance of integrity in the game.

I don’t have names at the moment, but there will be opportunities to acquire pitching. Even if it is a reliever or two. I know it isn’t cheap, but they have depth to send.

Definitely a ripple-up effect. I just think they’ll move some inventory of depth to acquire actual ML average pitching. They really have to at this point. The sales of pitchforks in the Baltimore area have increased in the past month or two. I have given them a pass up to this point, but starting in 2022 I believe there should be some accountability. There needs to be marked improvement in the ML roster.

Thanks for putting that together. It looks like you omitted DL Hall. Some of the placements are a bit aggressive, not that I do not think Cowser could handle AA. Elias has shown he believes in a true progression, but I will not argue with you on that. I am sure others will... LOL. It is interesting to see prospects at all positions throughout the minors at each stop. A nice change. I wonder if Elias will trade from his depth in the minors to begin building the ML team. There is a large group of R5 eligible guys this year, and some are very prominent prospects. I can make a case for about 10 guys right now that should be added.

I don't see many blaming Dan for much of anything these days. A fair observation is that when Elias took over, the minor league system had no real international presence. It is fair to say that the Orioles minor league system was barren with athletic up-the-middle prospects. It is fair to say that the system has changed in those ways dramatically since 2018 when Elias took over. Another fair observation is that DD and Rajsich had some solid drafts from 2016-2018 taking players like Austin Hays, Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, Mike Baumann and Drew Rom. However, there are not many left in the organization from those drafts. I believe it is reasonable to blame ownership for the lack of international prospects. Dan had always been very active in the international scene in his career as an executive before Baltimore. It was huge in his previous success. It is fair to say that the emphasis on development and instruction is very different than the previous regime. It is also fair to say that Dan did not have the resources to fund a playoff team and to build an elite talent pipeline comparable to what Elias has done. It seems that it had to be one or the other under Dan. We'll see what balance Elias can achieve in the years to come. It is what it is, and the minor league system is leaps and bounds better than it was in the Winter of 2018.

I noticed the same thing. I want to believe they will add players that will increase competitiveness at the ML level. He certainly was cautious how he said it, so there was no guarantees. But if you look at how things are lining up, yes, I expect Elias to make some moves to build a team that is interesting next year and competing for a playoff spot in 2023. It would make sense to add some mid-range veteran pitchers, and maybe a legitimate SS. If you follow the Padres’ model, Story and Correa will be very expensive FA’s. But signing one of them would solidify the defense and add a legit ML hitter to the lineup. They could trade Mancini for a solid package, if there is one out there, and replace him with Mountcastle at 1B. They could trade some of the depth for more pitching. There are many ways to go from here, but they’ll need to make some trades more than anything. I do not really expect them to sign Correa or Story, but an argument could be made to do it. They certainly have the payroll space.

Zack Burdi took his spot. Ellis took the spot vacated by Cesar Valdez.