linedrive

I have to disagree with Olney. Not every team can be the Yankees, and if the O's tried to win as many games as possible without rebuilding, then they'll be mediocre forever. Maybe that's what Olney wants. But I want another World Championship, so I'm completely on board with the rebuild. I loved it when we were winning from 2012-2017, but, sadly, we didn't win a Championship. Once we have our minor league system stocked full of talent and boost our international talent, we'll be a force to be reckoned with for a long time... and we'll have some Championships to show for it. Get lost Olney!

Thanks. I was rooting for Cumberland, but have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. Was hoping for a lot more. And I guess that's why I was looking at Roberts. I think it would be fun to see him be given a chance, despite his lack of experience, and see what he can do. One thing I like about this season is that we're seeing a lot of guys called up and given a chance that we probably wouldn't if we were competitive.

Cody Roberts is now 25 and playing at Norfolk. He doesn't have much experience above AA (only one game at Bowie), but I can't help but wonder if he'll get called up to the O's before the end of the season, especially if Elias works out some trades before the deadline. I believe the O's only have two catchers on the 40 man roster, so I'm not sure how much of a stretch it is. Again, he doesn't have a lot of experience; after 131 minor league games and 432 at bats, he's hitting .250 with 4 HR and 50 RBI. Not much, but looks like he could be our future backup at some point, maybe battling it out with Wynns.

Yes, I've been noticing his steady rise. It seems like it began when he started to bat leadoff. Wish him well and hope he doesn't cool off!

There were a lot of naysayers during the draft, but I think this looks like a very promising draft. Sure, I would have preferred some high-end pitchers in the early rounds, and some top high school talent, but I have no problem deferring to Elias and his team and giving them the benefit of any doubt. If Cowser and Norby both turn out to be studs, another one of those outfielders becomes a solid Major Leaguer, we develop some good relievers, and trade some of the others for key pieces, I'll be very happy. Maybe I'm dreaming, but I'll stay optimistic.

Interesting. A number of fans were mocking this pick as under slot. But it looks like we ended up with some value here. It'll be fun to look back in 5-7 years to see how this draft pans out, and see the number quality of players we found and developed.

I gave it a solid B because we got some good talent. Yes, it was a safe draft, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I certainly would like to have grabbed more pitching in the first 10 rounds, but I think they took the best available. Looking at other teams, I think their fans are probably scratching their heads and complaining like many here. I see a lot of 4YR players being drafted by everyone. If you're an Angels fan, you might be smiling on the outside, but truly worried. Okay, it's a weird year, so let's stay positive and see how this draft class develops and helps us at the big league level. Who knows, maybe a record number of this draft class will reach the Majors.

I get it, I really do. What we saw was unexpected. But if we could follow the O's draft process from last June until now, we might have a better understanding of the strategy, and how it's going to pan out. I'm guessing they had legitimate reasons to pass on those high ceiling HS players, as well as Rocker, House and Watson. Keep in mind that 9 teams passed on Rocker before the Mets drafted him. 10 teams passed on House. And 15 teams passed on Watson. And I'd like to think some of those teams that passed on those players are respectable organizations. So what gives? If those exciting players are passed over by so many quality teams, then maybe those teams liked their player better. Sure, all the teams that passed on those players could end up regretting it. Or all three of those players could come down with some rare, life-threatening condition so that they never play ball again. It happens. But I'm going to stay positive because I believe things are moving in the right direction for the entire O's organization. The wait is almost over!

So much complaining. As for me, I'll stay optimistic. I like what Elias is doing with the organization and this draft, and I'm fine with this pick. Yeah, I get it, Trimble was ranked 148 by MLB... but 105 by Baseball America. Wow! That's a big discrepancy, right??? That's a 43 player difference! Does someone at MLB need to be fired for ranking him so high? Or does someone at BA need to be fired for ranking him so low? And get this, the Mets drafted Calvin Zeigler with their 46th pick. But MLB ranked him 123, so maybe the Mets GM needs to be fired for going WAY under slot! I'm glad WE didn't draft Zeigler... imagine the the horror! And almost as bad, our arch nemesis, the New York Yankees, drafted Brendan Beck with their 55th pick, and he was ranked 99 by MLB!!! Their GM should be fired for going under slot instead of spending the money- how cheap!!! St. Louis, another winning organization, made a similar move with their 70th pick (ranked 105). I think we all know the draft isn't an exact science. Major League GM's, like Elias, do their homework. He's a proven himself, and I have no reason to doubt him at this stage of the game. Time will tell. The O's do have one of the best farm systems in the Majors, and we're FINALLY developing our international scouting in the DM, so we're heading in the right direction. Ok, so from what I've been reading, Reed probably should have been ranked a lot higher than either MLB or BA, and I'm guessing Elias didn't think Trimble would be there in round 3, where they had the 76th pick. If this is the pick he wanted, then I'm cool with it. It'll be fun to follow this guys career and see how he develops. He's got a lot of good tools to work and could end up as one of our starting outfielders in 3 years. Let's give him a chance.

This is great news! The best baseball news I've heard in a while. Cedric earned it. ?

I don't want to see Means traded. However, if we get 2 blue-chip prospects and a couple bullpen arms or bench players, then we should make the trade.

I wouldn't say it was reckless. He's just trying to prove himself and playing hard. I can't fault him for that. Just glad he seems to be okay.

Agreed. Maybe it is a stretch, but we've gone from Worst to First before, and we have some pretty good, young players in the lineup already. Stretch or not, it wouldn't surprise me to see the O's contending until the last week of the 2022 season, if not stealing a Wild Card spot from a more deserving team. It will depend on how our young players develop, but contending next year is not inconceivable.

If the O's don't finish the season as one of the five worst teams in baseball, will these experts who are trashing us apologize??? I doubt it. Sure, the O's are purposely tanking, but I think we're better than advertised, and next year we could be contenders.

This is long overdue, but I'm glad to see us turning the corner and doing things the right way. Hope it translates into sustainable success.

Oh man, I really loved Bill Mazeroski's Baseball too! Was always looking forward to it.

Agreed. Mountcastle might be the better comparison at the moment.

I picked: Yes, no matter what, but only after he passes the date for a 7th year of control. If we're still trying to lose and obtain a top 3 draft pick, then it doesn't make sense to bring him up too soon. Let him gain experience in the minors until he's ready, and hopefully that will coincide with a 7th year of control. When he finally makes it to the Majors, it would be nice to see him make a statement, kind of like Machado did.

I'm actually okay with Fangraph's prediction. I mean, if we were to make it to the World Series and win, that would be great, but I'm not holding my breath. For now, my expectation is that the O's will finish with one of the worst records in baseball and receive one of the first three picks in next year's draft. I don't think it does much good thinking we have a chance to make it to the WS (or win it), but if it happens, so be it. If Fangraphs gave us a 0.04% chance or a 3% chance, does that really change anything? Probably not. But, if the players are aware of this Fangraphs stat, they could post it all over the locker room and use it for motivation!

True. I'm okay with Mountcastle in the outfield for this coming season, but when we're competitive again, we're going to need strong outfield arms. An outfield with Mullins and Mountcastle isn't going to deter runners the way Markakis did. Mountcastle would, however, make a fine, full-time DH. There's nothing wrong with that.

I don't know... I've seen Johnny Damon's arm in the outfield, but I've never been so shocked at seeing a Mountcastle throw from third base. I felt embarrassed for him.

Mountcastle has the worst throwing arm I've ever seen in a Major League (or Minor League) player. My throwing arm is pretty bad, but I could make a stronger throw from third to first (well, maybe 10 years ago). I watched him play 3B at AA Bowie, and every throw weak, almost like he was lobbing it over there. Personally, I'd like to see him groomed as a permanent DH, but I understand he might have some value in the OF or 1B.

I proposed these changes in the extra innings thread and thought I'd post it here too. 1: Expand rosters to 26 or 28. 2: For extra innings, play a normal 10th inning. But beginning in the 11th inning, start with a man on second and allow teams to use pinch hitters and pinch runners without having to remove fielders from the lineup. 3: Also beginning in the 11th inning, any player that was removed from the game during the previous nine innings is reinstated. So a player who was removed for a defensive replacement in the 8th or 9th inning could pinch hit for that same replacement player beginning in the 11th inning without the defensive player being removed from the game. 4: I'd keep the rule requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three batters. I think this would favor having players on the expanded roster be plus hitters, fast runners or stellar defensive players. 5: If we want shorter 9-inning games, then incentivize complete games and stretching starters in this way- if a starter gets to the 8th inning, then a batter will strike out after the 7th foul ball. If a starter makes it to the 9th inning or later, then the batter strikes out after the 5th foul ball. Then perhaps Grayson Rodriguez will throw more complete games than Jim Palmer did, lol.

Okay, just for the fun of it, here's my thoughts for extra innings. 1: Expand rosters to 26 or 28. 2: For extra innings, play a normal 10th inning. But beginning in the 11th inning, start with a man on second and allow teams to use pinch hitters and pinch runners without having to remove fielders from the lineup. 3: Also beginning in the 11th inning, any player that was removed from the game during the previous nine innings is reinstated. So a player who was removed for a defensive replacement in the 8th or 9th inning could pinch hit for that same replacement player beginning in the 11th inning without the defensive player being removed from the game. 4: I'd keep the rule requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three batters. I think this would favor having players on the expanded roster be plus hitters, fast runners or stellar defensive players. 5: If we want shorter 9-inning games, then incentivize complete games and stretching starters in this way- if a starter gets to the 8th inning, then a batter will strike out after the 7th foul ball. If a starter makes it to the 9th inning or later, then the batter strikes out after the 5th foul ball. Then perhaps Grayson Rodriguez will throw more complete games than Jim Palmer did, lol.

I'm fine with this move, even if it's just for AAA depth. Maybe he provides enough competition to motivate other pitchers, or perhaps this is the season things 'click' and he gives us 30 or 40 good innings at some point this season. Who knows? But he has 3 solid seasons of AA under his belt, has improved the 2nd and 3rd time around, and is worth a look this spring.