Moose Milligan

Just feels like one of those games where the offense is flat. I know there's plenty of game left, but I can't help but how I feel.

Well the pudgy faced applejohn is at it again. Two on, one out, already at 33 pitches through 1.1 innings. Ho hum.

I agree, I think that Means and Mancini are locks. I'd like to see Mullins get picked, too but I think that's 50/50 at this point.

I picked after super 2 in 2022 just to troll CoC. I'd be fine with bringing him up now. I really don't care anymore.

Gotta like the strategy of drafting shortstops and up the middle talent. Suddenly it seems we've got a stockpile of good SS talent...either they can start playing those guys elsewhere or use them in trades. But Henderson at 3rd, Westburg at SS and Ortiz at 2nd...that's enticing. Henderson does appear to be the burgeoning crown jewel of the system behind AR though.

I see where you're coming from in regards to WHIP not being important in regards to projectability but it does account for walks. Which as you mentioned that I mentioned is important and shouldn't be overlooked. You're correct that bloop hits, etc, can drive a WHIP up, I agree with you there. I agree that he's a bullpen guy in a perfect world...or if they had a guy that could handle the 3rd and 4th times through the lineup, Lopez could be a good opener.

I'm assuming we'll be in the running come September and then screw it up.

It is a bit odd that he's not a good base stealer, given how fast he is. I'm assuming he just doesn't have the technique down. Strange, considering you'd think that whoever coached him up would want him to be really good at it given his natural speed.

IMO, hard to tell. I'd give anything to be in their division. That division is almost never as good as advertised. The Mets, for all they did this offseason, continue to bumble along and the Phillies haven't been able to spend their way into contention, either. I think it's very conceivable that we could potentially field a better team, pure talent wise in a few years but they finish higher strictly due to their division. And I hate making excuses for the league/division a team plays in but it really can't be ignored here.

Diamondbacks won last night, so did the Orioles. I'm assuming as the summer wears on that this will be a thread where we take note of who's in first place for the #1 pick. Being in the division with the Yankees, Sox, Rays and Jays and given how bad our pitching is, I think we have a really good shot.

Fantastic breakdown. I think Mullins is faster than Jones ever was, too. Jones was a pretty big guy, not as fast. Mullins is smaller, more lithe and compact. He can fly. Also, I'm very encouraged but Mullins' walk rate this year so far. Not only did scrapping the righthanded swing seem to help but he's also improved his plate discipline.

That's good research, thanks for that. They've got to be aware, but I'm sure they also think that they can tease out better performances from him in the 5th and 6th innings. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they're aiming for...if that's the case, whatever they're doing certainly hasn't worked.

Here's a good one where the outfielder didn't get to make the catch:

Everyone on this roster can be had, IMO. That said, I like Mullins and it would take a decent package for me to be alright with giving him up. He still doesn't walk enough, but that's okay. He can hit a little bit and keep the defense honest with the bunt. Has a bit of pop and can go get it in the outfield. He's making his way into a fixture in CF if he can keep hitting like he has. In regards to who he reminds me of, Brady Anderson, strictly in the sense that like Brady, he could be a late bloomer. I think people forget how awful Brady Anderson was in his first few seasons here.

If anyone has posted here long enough, they should know that if you can't back your thoughts/opinions up or debate in an intelligent way, you're not bringing much to the table. It's fine to be an optimist, no one is saying otherwise. But taking one months of pitching performance and extrapolating how someone could be on the upswing while ignoring all evidence to the contrary and then getting upset about said contrary evidence isn't engaging in honest debate. Everyone here would like to see Lopez become a solid contributor but there's plenty of reasons to think he won't be. If the Orioles ever went to an opener strategy and needed someone to get through a lineup twice, he could be that guy. He could also be the guy to bridge the gap between 4th and 5th innings and 6th and 7th innings out of the bullpen.

I'm hoping for a pleasant surprise, even if it's ultimately insignificant.

Yes, the WHIP is an important rate stat. IMO, if you're putting runners on, you're always walking a tightrope. Looks like Lopez might have gotten a little lucky last month with giving up less dingers. As long as that rate is at 1.4+, whatever success he's having isn't sustainable, I don't think.

Agreed, word for word. At the end of the day, people just want a scapegoat. And since you don't see Elias on TV each night and since people can sometimes comprehend that Elias is the one stocking the system, he gets a bit of a pass. Hyde is unfairly getting the brunt of the criticism, IMO. But considering the source of some of the posters here who are doing the lambasting, IMO it's not really worthy criticism. It's people who are frustrated and lashing out because they don't know what else to do and they need a fall guy.

Don't be mad because you were wrong and called out on it. Don't be that guy. 4.03 walks per 9 isn't great. Can he improve on it? Maybe, I guess we'll see. There are some things to like about Lopez but you're acting like we insulted a family member of yours.

What are we betting on how long he lasts? I say until August 3rd.

Live look-in at me wallowing in my negativity: Again, you can call it negativity, I'll call it reality. Maybe Lopez is trending up, and if so that's great. Chances are he's probably not. If I don't understand what's occurring with Lopez, you don't understand small sample sizes. Fine, WC, what are we betting that Lopez is making some sort of miraculous transition? You set the terms, as long as they're past something like 12 more starts.

I don't think I'm out of line in suggesting that one month of pitching is a small sample size, wildcard. How the heck do you make it bigger than a month? Look at his whole season so far, that's how. Even then, it's still a pretty small sample size. You can call it pessimism, I call it reality. Lopez hasn't been a good pitcher for most of his career. I will agree with you there's some upside, particularly if the Orioles wanted to use him as a guy who only goes twice through a lineup.

Haha, you're right, I forgot who I'm dealing with here. 6 starts and 29.1 IP to a 3.68 ERA is a small sample size for anyone else but it's rather large for you. I'm not as encouraged due to the 1.4 WHIP.

wildcard and the curious case of the small sample size. While I can appreciate the optimism, Lopez has a long way to go before we can count him for any future plans. It was a good month for him from some perspectives but in fairness, wildcard noted that the WHIP was pretty high. We'll see if he can keep it up but I'm not really getting my hopes up. He's shown that he is what he is over the course of his career. Without any drastic changes, he'll probably be able to continue to be that guy with spurts of reasonably good performance.

@sevastras laying it down! I was like...black catcher? Who, Lenny Webster? That was a stretch.