AlbNYfan

If I hear one more "his timing is off", I am going to vomit. He looks like a kid playing against the big boys and worse yet, he's playing like a kid against the big boys. Just two years out of HS, the bigs is a tough place to learn, but if AAA pitching is as poor as some claim, he might not learn much there, but maybe become more physically mature. Tough call.

Sorry, you missed both IP and R.....inexcusable!!

I guess many here will starting saying Mountcastle walks too much.

O's caught a huge break when the second base umpire called Jackson safe (rightfully so) in the ninth. No challenges left. Perhaps Hyde set the umpire up with the previous challenge. I lived a long life with the phantom play at second base, glad it wasn't called this time...Cold, late in the game...kudos to the ump.

Can Jackson PLEASE stop soft tossing throws to first on routine ground balls?? It's like he's throwing change ups to Mounty. The hitters have come close to beating a few times. He certainly must have shown more when he played shortstop.

In my long life, I have never seen an inning like last night's (6th??)...passed balls, wild pitch, catcher's interference at any level above little league. Where is Alex Cora?? He doesn't try settle things down? The night before he kept a reliever in that was getting battered. Same thing, he just watches. At this point, the Sox, to my eyes don't seem like much. Cora even less. The O's are completing their 4th series today....Angels, Royals, Pirates and Sox....Not talking offense, but the defense I've seen from those 4 teams are incredibly inferior to the O's and the O's have not been at their very best (Gunnar has to learn to eat the ball once in a while on no chance plays).

Yep...Elias gave a ten game AAA detention to Holliday. You do that to #1 picks. It makes perfect sense. GM's are paid to be punitive, that's how you build organizations. I don't care about the whys or whatevers. He's up, I wish him success. But I'm sure the insanity will continue to exist.

Rather stupid article IMO...especially the NOW of it. The only thing they could do now is use a pitching machine rather than a pitcher...and that's not going to happen. For the most part, youth today throw more by the age of 12 than kids did by 18 years of age 30 years ago. Many Little Leagues back in the day allowed only 2 pitches...fastball and change up. One camp I took my kids to was run by Jack Aker (Oakland A's...relief) he endorsed fastball, fastball, location...he also said watch your kid throw a snowball...that's his natural arm motion...don't mess with it. Watching my grandkids play...50+ games schedules (60+games in hockey, same in basketball) throwing curves at 8 years of age, taught by coaches who don't have a clue of the arm mechanics, but they see YouTube and therefore it's all good...it's insane. Body parts wear out hips, knees and even arms when put in stress situations. They worry about pitch counts and have rules in youth baseball, which is good. But, IMO there is more damage in what their throwing not the number of pitches.

Define MOMENT....second half of last year, Spring Training (often not facing top pitchers) and now this. Not concerned? A couple weeks ago, a thread, 3 Concerns for the Season....of course pitching was and always is for any team. My three concerns were Mullins, Hays and McKenna. Mullin has had a couple moments..3 run homer, hit in the 9th last night. But, so many K's (OK one was a terrible call by the umpire). He is one of my favorites..but he seems lost. Hays...like his D, probably need the D at home because of LF. But of any O, he is the last player I want to see with runners on, O's needing run(s). In those situations he is a K machine, or groundout machine. Right now the bottom of the order Hays, Mullin, Urias...good D (minus Mullins arm), no hitting...You can't have 1/3 of your lineup sucking it up. You can talk all you want about "streak" hitting....hits aren't the only thing...runner on third, less than two outs, hitting the ball to the right to advance the runner(s) does require a streak, it requires plate discipline...shorten your swing, find the open hole put it in play.

So, McKenna takes AB's away from who?? Are the O's still stuck with his 775K (not sure the exact amount) salary?

Yep, the poor new owners are buying a franchise in such poor shape. 101 win season, new stadium contract, top rated farm system, new developmental program in the DR......such a mess, so many problems to solve.

What were the concerns last year?? Starting pitching and bullpen. That is a continuous concern for all teams, Relief pitchers are relief pitchers for a reason...they have flaws, hence they aren't starters. They can be great one day and not so the next. My concerns: Mullins- I love him, but I'm afraid he peeked and is on a spiral downward much quicker than expected. Hope I'm wrong. Hayes- Another guy I like, but he seems (to me, could be wrong) to have difficulty in "clutch" situations (man on third less than two out, couple runners on one or no outs)...K's, hits into DP's. He certainly has his moments and again I hope I'm wrong. McKenna- one of the luckiest guys in baseball...750K for being a good teammate and D. He happened upon the O's when talent didn't exist and has hung on. The good news is, there are guys on the farm that can fill for these 3 IMO...especially McKenna. CF ?? no one to go get 'em like Mullins, but guys with better arms.

I agree, there was never "mental shift", there was and has been, a timeline, if x then y. You collect the best players and hope for a surplus at certain positions. When that occurs, you trade. There is no reason to have "deep" depth if you can improve your club in other ways. I am more curious on why the Brewers let him go. It seems to me they could have gotten a similar package up until the trading deadline. Why not see how your season is going before trading him?

With the current starting 5, they might be able to keep one less BP arm early in the season. One can certainly hope that Bradish and Rodriquez can up innings pitch/start. Means is the unknown in the puzzle. I can see them coming north with an extra bench player.

What does Elias enjoy more, $$$$ or taking a team in the pits and blow them up? He certainly has a gift. What if the new owners give him a piece of the pie as part of the package to tie him up?

Sorry, why would anyone wish for prospects to "bomb" if the trade worked out for the O's? If anything, IMO, if the "prospects" were successful it would make teams more likely to deals with the O's in the future. A "good" trade works well for both teams, no one needs to be fleeced (Glenn Davis).

I believe Hays is what he is and will fluctuate too much in either direction. He is a very good/great fielder which is a plus at CY. He seems to be a great team player. However, Hays, seemed (to me) to have lousy AB's that shut down potential big innings, K's and GIDP...I could be wrong. I don't know whether he pushes too hard in those situations, but that is my observations.

I am concerned about Mullins offensive production. To me he just seems to wear down as the season progresses and I'm worried about him not aging well. Those that are concerned about Hays...IMO he is what he is and may be the least likely to have a drastic change offensively in either direction. McKenna?? I will be disappointed if he is on the opening day roster.

I am not sure "he" knows he can do it. He seems to have all the tools. but sometimes (to me) he still looks like "a deer in the headlights" vs I have this. He still seems to get to high pitch counts early. Good hitters seem to be able to fight off pitches. I hope for the best and respect your projections, but I am not quite there yet.

You really equate the two?? I am not talking an emotional correlation...I am not talking recreational vs professional. I am talking about a short-term career and potentially a million dollar plus loss for every year he is denied at least a chance. Stowers is certainly not an isolated case. A guy like McKenna, who would likely be in same situation if in the Oriole's minors today, is a lucky guy (we let Yaz go????). I realize there is no easy solution (that's why I rooted for a guy like Watkins, that was ready to hang it up and his wife convinced to give it another chance). We often treat these guys like disposal player cards. They are not cards. Yes, it's a chosen career, some get a considerable signing bonus, but to come close to a dream and financial rewards of that dream has to be tough (that is the emotional context).

I feel it's a "travesty" for any Mil player stuck in an organization and can't get a chance because of its depth. The clock is always ticking for these young men. Lack of service time, arbitration eligibility can cost a young player millions, even though he is not a star. Deal them, give them a chance.

Stupid?? Not sure....most thought the first million $ contract was stupid, same for 10, 50, and so on. It will become the new norm for "great" players. Look at football, every new QB contract has to exceed the previous one. If people think that won't happen welcome to denialism. I have two (maybe more) main objectives: 1) It enhances the haves and the have not franchises. 2) News media, MLB website will continue highlighting Oh, Judge...whether they go 0-4 with 3 K's, or 4-4 with 2HR's. The individual players become the game not the team(s).

I believe you are wrong. There will be a significant "trickle down impact". Do you think the number Gunnar/Boras may have been seeking to sign a long-term contract stayed the same after Oh's signing? Adley?? Soto next year..I mean, didn't Soto turn down 10-440 from the Nats? You don't think agents have a new baseline for stars?? And if teams can't afford the stars, it makes secondary players more expensive.

I swore I would never get into the hate "Angelos" discussions (not really a discussion, but a hate therapy session), but here I am. Peter was (is) not a great owner. He failed in many aspects of the game. The why's and how comes can be discussed. Now, it's not in PA's court, but his family (always a problem with the wealthy). The team should be sold IMO.....but I prefer some group with a strong, local connection including charitable contributions. Someone that considers Baltimore their home and not some way to increase their wealth (which will likely matter no matter what). I know nothing about the Carlyle group... but if it is a hedge fund group the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...I want a person, not a stockholder group to be responsible for the Orioles. The grass is always greener..be careful what you wish for, Change for the sake of change is not the way. I'm out of cliches!!

If a player "can't" hit, strike zone judgement isn't quite as important IMO. Pitchers will throw strikes to players who are not likely to hurt them. His OBP is likely to suffer greatly against MLB pitching.