Sydnor

You are absolutely correct about all of this. My thought, which could be completely wrong, is that maybe if Baumeister doesn’t sign they go into the 5% overage and take the savings from the other picks and throw all of that at Ritchie, but that they won’t go into the overage if they don’t fail to sign him. My recollection is that they had never gone into the overage until last year when McLean didn’t sign, and they did it to buy Young out from LSU, but again my memory could be faulty. Thanks for the kind words in your other post. I try to share what I see. Harbor Park is a fun place to catch a game (especially the last few years with the teams being so talented). I’d recommend it to anyone.

I think Ritchie was the back up plan if something went wrong with a physical, similar to how Carter Young was the back up last year when McLean had an issue pop up on his physical. I doubt he’ll sign absent something like that happening, but I hope I’m wrong because he has some really nice tools.

If you’re going to bunt, why not just leave in Urias?

Haskin is out for the season.

He’s likely going to bring his interpreter with him. That is typically the way it works with Asian players—they choose their interpreters and teams pay them. Issei Kamada, Fujinama’s interpreter, worked with him as a trainer for 5 years in NPB before Fujinama came to MLB.

He has an interpreter. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t speak English. https://theathletic.com/4581805/2023/06/06/mlb-interpreters-shohei-ohtani/?source=user_shared_article And Oakland pitcher Shintaro Fujinami brought Issei Kamada, who worked with him for five years in Japan as a trainer when he was a prospect.

Fujinami will be a free agent because he was an international free agent, having played 9 years in the NPB. He was signed through the posting system. He wasn’t signed using money from the international pool where the A’s, now Orioles, would have control after his 1 year contract expires.

My math is always questionable, but if I did it correctly, the reported signings have been for $370,500 less than the total of the assigned slots. I suspect they’ll get Baumeister and Forret done unless something shows up on a physical.

That sequence (stretch double, steal, score on shallow fly) is why I just can’t give up on Mateo even though I know I should. That was electric.

I went with Cowser because I think the better running, plate discipline, and corner OF defense make him a better total package, but I could see why you (or anyone else) would give the edge to Kjerstad because, like you said, it is close.

I get it. I have said these decisions are complicated. The front office has tough decisions to make. I thought some posters, clearly not you, might be interested to hear how Joey Ortiz has performed since being sent back to Norfolk. You are enthralled with rankings. I am not as enthralled with how Jonathan Mayo, Keith Law, etc. rank these guys as you are. Eric Longenhagen ranks Ortiz more highly. I trust what @Tony-OHsays about prospects more than those guys. I also have the opportunity to watch them play when I am in VA Beach. So while I’m not a scout, I do form opinions based on what I see. The point is that Ortiz hasn’t sulked since being sent down. He’s continued to hit at the same level he hit at before. The other point is that he doesn’t need to be an elite hitter to be 3-4 WAR player at second base because his range and arm at the position is elite. Andres Gimenez, who again I think is more talented than Ortiz, is on pace to do just that because he is elite defensively at second. It’s harder to play second base now without the shift, and I’m tired of seeing Frazier and his -11 OAA and -6 DRS. I posted about his worst in the league defense like 7-10 days ago. What if Westburg doesn’t hit? It’s not a certainty that he will. If he doesn’t, it seems like it would be nice to have another infielder trying to force his way on to the roster. Ortiz is trying to do that.

After being demoted, Joey Ortiz played his first game back with Norfolk on June 28. Since that time (not including his 2/4 with a walk tonight), he has slashed .345/.424/.517 (.941 OPS) with a 139 wRC+ in 66 plate appearances. I will also note that although I don’t think he is as talented as Andres Gimenez, Gimenez’ season shows the value that Ortiz defense could bring at second base. Despite a 95 wRC+, Gimenez is still has been worth 1.6 fWAR/2.5 rWAR in 89 games this season, largely due to his excellent defense at second. I hope that he forces his way back on the roster/is given another opportunity soon.

Ortiz is also a nice insurance policy with a high floor due to his defensive skills if Westburg fails to perform at the MLB level. This isn’t a knock on Westburg. I’m always reluctant to just assume that a prospect will succeed at the major league level (outside of the Adley/Gunnar/Holliday types) because he performed in the minor leagues.

I am not good at creating fake trades, but I like the idea of something like John Rhodes or Stowers for James Karinchak. I am aware of the amount of home runs that he has given up, but he strikes out a lot of guys and had a 2.29 FIP last year. His k/9 this year at MLB is 12.4. Last year it was 14.3. He is in the 84% in whiff percentage, 93% in K percentage, and has above average Chase rates, fastball spin, and fastball velocity. He needs to throw more curves because his 4 seam has been hit pretty hard when it has been hit. The xBA on the 4 seam is .231 and the curve has an xBA of .118. There could be some questions as to how receptive he is to coaching, and I’ve heard that’s why he is currently in AAA, so maybe that is a reason to avoid him. If the change of scenery helps him, I think he’d instantly be our 3rd best relief pitcher.

I understand the sentiment, and I don’t think it will happen, but if Elias did trade Kjerstad or Cowser, I could at least understand the move. It just depends on how they forecast things. Mayo can probably play RF as well as Kjerstad, so if you think Bradfield is a fast mover, then you could envision a Cowser/Bradfield/Mayo outfield, or maybe they want to keep Hays or Mullins or Santander. Or maybe they really value Fabian and think he’ll be up in 2 years and he’ll be in the outfield. Westburg looked fine in the outfield when I saw him play it in Norfolk, so maybe they like Westburg in LF or RF long term with Henderson/Holliday/Ortiz on the dirt. I’ll reiterate I don’t think they’ll trade for Ohtani, so it doesn’t really matter, but I do think it’s fun to talk about. I also think it’s a bold move that could pay off without crippling the franchise.

Completely agree. Devo had never called a game in his life. I also thought he was fine. I’m sure he’ll be better in August, and will continue to improve if given future opportunities. Maybe some people absolutely crushed it the first time they had a job doing something new, but most people improve with experience.

Video with all of the pitchers he has taken deep.

But what about those that never learn to swim? Regardless of how highly regarded prospects are, some never figure it out. (I’m not talking about Cowser; I’m of the opinion that he’ll figure it out at the plate, but I’ve never believed that he was a CF.) How long do you stay with them? I think these questions are more complicated for a team that is 22 games over .500. I honestly think management has done a good job promoting players, and I am glad they stuck with Gunnar.

Santander hit his 100th career home run today. That puts him 34th in franchise history.

And people were gloating that Westburg had a 190 OPS+ (Or something like that) after approximately 25 at bats. People love small sample sizes when they support their belief(s). I have seen them both play in Norfolk, have my own opinions about them, think my opinions are relatively meaningless, and I prefer to just see how they do over the next year and a half. Unfortunately, that probably makes me a boring message board poster.

I’m not advocating for it either, but I do think it makes more sense than I originally did, and some do. With Wells, Kremer, and Bradish (and likely Rodriguez) approaching career highs in innings, the Ohtani acquisition, which necessitates a 6 pitcher rotation, helps to keep the innings down a bit. Additionally, he’d easily be the number 1 starter for a playoff series. I also think that he fits in the lineup hitting 1st, 2nd, or 4th. I also believe he would further bump attendance down the stretch and merchandise sales down the stretch. While Ohtani guarantees nothing, I agree that it would be a bold move that would have a decent chance at paying off.

He did, saying “if you’re a team that’s selling and looking for some help coming back that can help you on the sooner side, it’s good from our standpoint having a bunch of nice players performing well in AAA.” I didn’t view it as earth shattering, and he’s obviously correct that if a team is looking for players that can help them soon, the Orioles have a good sized quantity of such players.

Agreed. Do you think we will see a nine-figure extension? I’m skeptical that ownership will allow it. I do think a player like Gunnar is someone their model probably likes given his youth, and that he’s someone they would want to invest in (just a guess).