Moose Milligan

Certainly not THAT much better. Not head and shoulders better. Valaika is lucky that he's not been DFA'd this season...that's not an endorsement of him, rather it's a symbol of how bad the 2nd base position is for the Orioles. It's not like Hanser Alberto is lighting it up this year, too. We can critique up and down about Elias and certain moves but it's obvious he hasn't found a 2nd baseman he wants to stick with. Again, that's not exact praise for Valaika.

In 141 at bats, WC!!! You're doing it again!

Maybe it makes sense to you, maybe it doesn't...but why would you give a guy like that full time reps when he can't hack it 61% or 68% of the time? "Yeah, coach, I know I'm really playing poorly but I really feel that if you just give me MORE opportunities I can turn it around..."

Yep, that's why I think he should get up to Bowie for a good look this summer. It's clear he's mashing in the lower levels.

Was expecting wildcard to say that Valaika was a victim of small sample size. But nah....he'd never do that.

Here's hoping. If he can do well in the 2nd half in Bowie for this summer then there's a chance he could be in Baltimore next year.

@Frobby, this was an excellent writeup. Can't disagree with any of your grades and summaries. Very well done. Oh my, how you've quickly turned on Valaika!

I never said anything about who they should bring up. Just that Akin is bad.

Late to the party. Akin is bad. That’s all.

You also probably didn't care to finish the thread.

Should...but they don't. I think we're sipping our own kool-aid a bit too much here, but that's expected since it's a board made for and supported by die-hards. You're assuming that every MLB fan is looking at the MLB IG account all the time. In a similar vein, do I know or care about whoever's having a breakout season for the Diamondbacks? Do you? I sure don't, I'd be surprised if you said yes. And even if you DID say yes, are you that adamant about following that player and getting him to the ASG? We all love Cedric, we're all proud of him and we want him to be able to shine in the spotlight. But not everyone feels the same way.

Inherently skeptical. Yes.

Froberto Baggio, you're right. You're always right. And I was just as excited for John Means, Justin Turner and Little Yaz as I am for Jahmai Jones. I'd love to be wrong.

Excited for middling prospects! Can't wait to see Jahmai Jones!

I'm betting that he and the woman reach a settlement for an undisclosed amount and that he keeps playing. We see this all the time in sports, a ballplayer gets busted for terrible behavior. At the end of the day, the talent wins. Talent always wins. If this were Keegan Akin...okay, he's probably lost his job. But Bauer is one of the top 10 pitchers in the game...even if the Dodgers released him, someone else would still pick him up after the cliche of having gone to counseling, treatment, etc, whatever. Professional sports leagues have shown time and time again that sexual assault gets a slap on the wrist when it comes to their athletes.

Well the Yermin Mercedes thing didn't last too long. White Sox optioned him to Triple A Charlotte.

Yeah, it's a popularity contest. So...Cedric Mullins isn't popular on a national level. At least, not yet. But what'd anyone expect, really? I mean, you'd probably get a collective shrug from people about Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates. The Pirates and Orioles are just so far off anyone's radar it's not a wonder that people don't know who their good players are who haven't had a lot of time to get noticed.

I mean, if you're not an Orioles fan do you really know who Cedric Mullins is? Trout is the most popular player in baseball. Of course he gets voted in, even if he's injured.

I know. And I know.

IMO, a pitching coach can only do so much.

Was that second part supposed to be in green or something? Of course no one should be surprised that bringing in washed up players wouldn't pan out. I'm surprised at people being surprised that guys like Kremer and Akin aren't that great though. It's not shocking, IMO, that the pitching is bad. I'm a little surprised that it's been THAT bad at times. But then I feel like I shouldn't be surprised at how bad it can get, I've been following this franchise long enough.

I mean...what do you want? OPS is good, he looks like he has a great approach at the plate, he'd disciplined, he gets on base at a good clip. Probably the best defender in the organization behind the plate. What does breaking any records have to do with anything?

Damn, the pitching is absolutely brutal. I knew it was bad, but....damn.

All Icy Hot does is just blocking the nerves from feeling any pain. It doesn't do anything to fix pain...at the very least, it's a poor ointment that soothes whatever hurts for a little bit. It doesn't help anything. Kinda sad that it's being used for someone in the majors like Hunter Harvey. I'm wondering if it's something he brought to the park himself or if it's something the training staff actually uses.