MCO'sFan

I don't know about that... I thought he was pretty bad. He sounded uncomfortable doing color.

I hate to admit it but I am of the mindset of keep shuffle the deck chairs and be historically bad for another 18 months and win the Kumar Rocker Sweepstakes after the 2020 season. That would match the Astros for three consecutive 1-1 selections. Which as many of you pointed out, they went 1 for 3 with those selections (yes, I know they got Bregman as compensation for Aiken. But they still chose Aiken).

I think that he is a decent placeholder for now. Never really thought he would sustain it long-term but hope he can cobble together a solid career. Seems like a good dude (as you said).

Not sure if this is rhetorical or snarky or an honest question. This is an age old recruiting technique. Recruit shortstops (who are usually the best athletes on any team) and then move them as needed. This is what Mike Martin did at FSU for 40 years.

Not sure exactly what you mean here but the O's doctors have been right virtually every time and have saved the team from several mistakes. Too bad they didn't find anything wrong with Davis or Cobb.

Well, we combined programs about 6 years ago and we play most of our games at Germantown which is a very small field. But, your right, dead center at Rockville is about 450 and right center is over 500 ft. But, the power alleys are a little close at 340 (approximate). The lines are only about 305-310

I will be most interested to see a few things. It is an interesting hire to be sure. I am fairly certain that he has no pro experience either as a player or a coach but he was doing some associate scouting for someone... I don't remember who. I am anxious to see if he implements his philosophy completely and if so, how that translates to the pros. Please don't jump on me for these questions. They are legit questions and I know his teams very well. 1. They play in a conference that has only two other D1 teams and those other two teams are up and down. Most of their conference games are against D2 and D3 teams. They hit average pitching very well but they strike out a lot even against average pitching. Will they hit good pitching consistently enough to off set the high K's? 2. He recruits really well and has built up a good network to feed his program. His program routinely gets many transfers from fairly big D1 schools like Maryland, East Carolina, etc... So his teams are much more talented than his opponents. How will it play out when the talent level is more even? 3. Harford has a smallish field and the ball carries very well there. We have played them on larger fields and have beaten them fairly often. (Although, not in the last two years). Do the HR turn into fly outs? I am rooting for Tom because I like him as a person. Because he is a fellow JuCo guy who has done well for himself and most of all because I want the Orioles to succeed. I am just a little skeptical at the boards reaction because there have been a lot of complaining about high K rates. I think that we are still in the honeymoon period where everything they do is great. I expect that if DD had hired a JuCo guy with no pro experience on a team with high strikeout rates that it would not have been as well received. If things go south, please be gentle.

Tom was not just the Head Coach. Most are not full time employees unless they do something else and the school. Tom was their Athletic Facility Manager and Interim AD. My guess is he is taking a pay cut. Probably a fairly good one but I am sure he can make it up in speaking fees etc...

Thanks for the response. I appreciate it.

Very happy for Tom. I am a pitching coach and former head coach in MDJUCO and experienced first hand for over a dozen years his team’s approach. I feel like we gave up most of the HR and BB but I suspect most of his opponents feel that way. He has taken a lot of grief for his style but he certainly stuck to his beliefs. Any idea where he’ll be?

It is a matter of personal perception. I great discount the Nats division titles due to the extended time that everyone else in their division stunk. In every year that the Nats had serious competition they've failed to win the division and they've been exposed during the playoffs when they did make it there. I am not saying I'd rather be in the O's position rather than the Nats but there has been a huge difference in the quality of teams in the AL East vs. the NL east for the last 6-8 years.

That makes me feel somewhat better

and international slots

They were likely concerned about the 26 pitches in the first inning. No need to push him at this point.

I think I read on this board that time after the rosters expand do not count but I am not sure. I found a FAQ online that talks about the 90 day requirement but doesn't mention September at all. So I cold be wrong. Hopefully, someone on the board will read my not so helpful post and correct me if I am wrong.

Or, it could be a model that other teams follow. The O's don't seem to get hurt by the Rule 5 maybe it's an outcome of what is seen as our system lacking depth. It seems smart to me and completely within the rules. I am talking real injuries and not fake ones. Virtually no risk involved.

It seems like the O's may be on to something. Take a good but injured player in the Rule 5 and rehab him for most of the year calling him up late so that the service time stretches into the following season. They only need to keep him on the major league team for 90 days and not an entire season. Teams will often leave injured players unprotected. I'm not sure if this was the plan all along but, it is certainly a way to "work" the system.

thanks!!

I have not seen a source (I certainly may have missed it) so I am asking the question...do we know they didn't sign him due to a failed physical?

The O's have won more than these two teams for the last three years. The Jays have not "won" anything since the 90's. Toronto is a much larger market with even larger resourses.