Can_of_corn

So Westburg not making the team is merit based?

Some but fewer.

I don't believe that. I think some fans are gleeful about the idea. These kids are millionaires anyway right? I'd rather the team I root for do the right thing. Pretty much everyone is these days. I know I'd not like to be treated that way by an employer.

I was commenting on the poster making the assertion and failing to support it. I don't think leadership is hugely important at this level.

Nope, that was me. I tried searching but didn't have much luck.

Going with 78. I think the pitching is going to be an issue all season.

I think in most cases we would see some overlap. The poster that made the claim said that providing evidence to support it was so easy they couldn't be bothered to do it. I think it is just normal baseball nonsense that equates being a veteran to being a leader.

I thought he was this great clubhouse leader?

Has this been posted? Can't tell with the board issues.

He did it. You can feel free to justify it all you want but what I'm saying is factually accurate. His comment today is at odds with his actions last year. He also gamed Mountcastle. Now he's keeping Grayson down. It's not as if Wells or Bradish have had strong springs.

Or Lew Ford!

Crazy considering all the positive stuff we've heard over the years right?

Fangraphs has them at #21 and that's with Givens and Tate combining for 114 innings. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-positional-power-rankings-bullpen-no-16-30/

But it wasn't true. Adley finished his rehab last season (was healthy) and he was kept in the minors. Or was he still hurt when he finished rehab? That was the timing last year. Of course Elias is going to push back against the idea he's gaming service time, no one thinks he's an idiot. He's got plausible deniability and he's going to use it.

Firefox isn't immune.

He can't resist the urge.

I don't think you have a "lot" of people left to get angry.

I don't think most of the fanbase is engaged enough to get angry. I'm not angry about it, I don't expect better from them. Would be like getting angry with a puppy for having an accident on the carpet, it can't control itself.

Frazier isn't getting paid to sit against right handed pitching.

And he still should have been up in 2021 and they still shouldn't have kept him in the minors after his rehab was over.

What could go wrong? Not like the player could finish really high in rookie of the year voting and earn themselves a year of service time despite the team's efforts right? No chance of that.

The Grenier pick irked me so much. I still think that the only reason the O's pick him there was that their next pick was forfeited. He was such an obvious reach.

I didn't say that. I think the O's are overly cautious in how they handle young pitchers and it doesn't appear to me at least that it helps reduce injuries. If his injury was as reported (big if I know) it seems to me that they were overly cautious with him this spring leading to this outcome.