Ridgway22

Command and Control are related and overlap, but are different things. If you can throw a breaking pitch for a strike and not walk someone, that is good 'control'. If you leave it belt high in the middle of the plate, jolly good for your control, but not being able to command it in / out / up / down can get you crushed in the big leagues. Cabrera, D. had NEITHER. I did not comment on Zimm's control, but his command, which looked sharp to the first batter, but hell, he's a rookie making his first start. It's not even a very small sample size. The stuff looked good enough.

Zimmerman's stuff, I was impressed enough. Command, quite another conversation. If he can command that stuff, I think he's okay. Good stuff, no command, see, Cabrera, D.

I thought Wojo looked like a hard rocker, lead singer of something like "Ancient Leviticus Ceremonies" or such. Also, today was my first look at Zimmerman, and I was thinking "why is an actor from a 70's cop show throwing out the first pitch?"

Watching the game, I was thinking they're testing Mountcastle's (rookie/ not natural position) arm. Except Mountcastle was at 1B. 2/3 should have been easy assists.

I was trying to decide whether the giddy feeling was Akin / Kremer / Mountcastle or the extra beverage, adult, i decided to enjoy this Sunday, or a faint hint of.... joy? happiness? oh wait, it may have been optimism, which has been in short supply these last seasons..... A couple years ago, I saw Mountcastle in the AFL, and he appeared to swing at every first pitch, barrel one once in awhile, but appeared to be easily exploitable. I had images of Adam Jones flailing at sliders in the dirt 6 inches off the plate. Blah. But watching Ryan now, he seems to have an eye, laying off some nasty stuff, actually pretty impressive. The only thing, to my untrained eye, is that he seems to not reach the belt high, outside corner pitches, its like his bat doesn't go that far. But dang if he doesn't appear to be an outstanding breaking ball hitter, with composure, and he does not appear to be overmatched. He's taken walks, driven the ball, and has not offended anyone in left field. Color me impressed. My optimism for Kremer and Akin are weighted down by the millstone of Mike Wright, and his first two starts back in 2015. 14.3 scoreless innings, 7 hits, 3 bb, 10 k's. We know what the next chapters of that book read like. With the premium prospects on the horizon, some budgetary room for a couple free agents, I'm coming out of the competitive coma, slowly, but paying attention. Maybe one more and watch the highlights.

I was looking forward to opening day, thinking it might give a semblance of normalcy to life. I am going to watch, but now it feels like a reminder of just how tumultuous things really are. Feels surreal.

Laurila: You mentioned Jim Palmer. I assume you know you had a lot of success against him (seven for 13, with three walks, and no strikeouts). Buford: “Yes, I remind him of that. He doesn’t say anything.” At the 1970 Orioles reunion at Camden, I was at the luncheon table with Jim Palmer, Roy Firestone, and a couple from Iowa. I had seen the O's vs. the Tokyo Giants in Tokyo Japan in 1971, when I was 9. (My first pro game, and the reason I became an O's fan) Before that reunion, I scoured the internet for any box scores or info I could find on their trip. The only one I found was a game in which Palmer gave up 3 homers. I mentioned it, and he remembered each of the homers, the pitch he threw, and called the park a bandbox. The man has a steel trap memory. I'd guess he remembers facing Buford.... I had a fantasy back in the day LJ Hoes would be a Buford re-incarnate. I also thought I would marry Elle Macpherson.

Ken Singleton, Eddie Murray? For some reason thought Kjerstad was lefty swinger.

Matt had a good career, but the gap between my (unrealistic, yes, probably) expectations and the reality was quite large. I don't think it helped that his rookie year was my first year with MLB.tv and the first season this West Coast dweller could see every Oriole game for the whole season. Not quite Mauer With Power, but I remember his swing seemed long and slow, and the gaudy numbers never materialized. Man, I am bored at 4.05 PST these days......

Thanks for reminding me of the trauma & drama! Ugh.

(reposted from 2018 thread) This is a cool thread..... Played varsity at Hueneme High School, Oxnard, California in 1980, Terry Tackett was the coach, father of the O's own Jeff Tackett. Mark Berry, Reds coach was also on that team. Tall, lean, threw hard, decent curve, questionable command. We had a player on our team all the scouts were out to see, John Cox. However, he kept getting shelled and I would come in to clean up. Normally the scouts would vanish when he came out of the game, but one, a bird dog for the Brewers, stuck around and was drinking beers in brown paper bags with my Dad. Scout ended up writing me up and I got drafted before I graduated High School. (Note: John Cox went on to play at Cal, where he was a teammate of Bryan Pryce, recently fired manager of the Reds. I got to know Bryan at several of John Rubinow's ProBall camps. Good dude.) Anyway, Brewers offered a contract of no bonus money, $500/month, plus room and board on the road, Butte Montana Pioneer League. Ended up going to Ventura Junior College (arrived the year after Brook Jacoby left to the Braves), thinking I'd dominate and raise my draft stock. Instead, pitched marginally, pitched for money in a weekend semi-pro league and shredded my shoulder pitching too many innings. Played some softball, etc. until 2001, found an Ad in North County San Diego Newspaper for the Mens Senior Baseball League (MABL/MSBL), and decided to make a comeback in a 35+ league. Had so much fun at the MSBL World Series in Phoenix that year, decided to get rotator cuff surgery so I could pitch without pain. 2004 World Series, we lost in the playoffs to a team from Tucson with Jack Howell, who went on to win the 35+ Mountain Division. (Our team was Dream Foundation / North County Padres) 2005, we had a loaded team (I managed)... Had an ex-major leaguer who came up with the Phillies and was minor-league outfielder drafted by the Rockies and turned into a pitcher, Mike Farmer. His first Major League start (and first major league hit) came against/off Greg Maddux. (1996). We also had a former Mariners AAA pitcher named Vic Martin, who had absolutely pin-point control. Our shortstop was Jeff Bonchek, who had played A ball for the Indians. We ended up winning the 35+ Mountain that year. The next year, with much the same cast, we won the 35+ Wood American division, so I have 2 MSBL rings. Retired a few years later when I saw a video tape of myself pitching. Ugh. Sorry for the long post. Got going and couldn't stop!

Good info, and a very sobering reality.

This is my (not so) secret fantasy for the Elias regime. Identifying characteristics in players that are under-valued in the marketplace, applying a combo of technology and / or advanced coaching techniques that players can rapidly and permanently integrate for sustained success. This, and drafting awesome baseball names, like "Dan Hammer"

Agreed, and a bit surprised how poorly the age 27+ winners had performed in their ML careers. Perhaps the true prospects get called up, and the veteran fodder builds up counting stats waiting for someone to get hurt.

Just for fun, looked up the last 40 winners of the International League MVP, which Mountcastle won at age 22. There has only been one other 22 year old to win, Johnny Peralta in 2004. (I just subtracted their birth year from the year they won the award). Peralta went on to be worth 31.7 WAR. The top careers (and obviously some are in progress, not yet complete, etc) Jim Thome 1993, age 23 (72.9 WAR) Brett Butler 1981, age 24 (49.7) Johnny Peralta 2004, age 22 (31.7) Shane Victorino 2005, age 25 (31.6) None of the other 36 winners exceeded 15.3 WAR 16 players (40%) had 0 WAR or less for their careers 9 players (23%) went on to have 10+ WAR Average career WAR of winners, by age the year they won: Age 22: 15.9 Age 23: 5.8 Age 24: 11.0 Age 25: 9.0 Age 26: 4.6 Age 27: -0.6 Age 28: -0.8 Age 29: 0.1 Age 30: -0.3

No.... .....and it is one of the most depressing / infuriating / frustrating things about the last two years. The guy is a millstone around the neck of the franchise. Mancini should be playing first. Anyone could see the rebuild coming, knew it would be difficult, but looked forward to seeing the emerging players. Some will flame out, some will flicker with hope, and some (Means seems to be the first) will exceed expectations. But C F'ing Davis watching belt high 91 mph sinkers for strike three with that deer in the headlights walk back to the dugout look..... ugh. That I wish we could be spared.

Awesome! Nice find. That was great.

Just watched us lose 2-1 in extras to the Red Sox, a temporary, non-fatal dagger plunge to the soul.... tomorrow, it will reveal itself as merely a flesh wound. I've played, coached and experienced rabid baseball fandom since Little League, and am not programmed by deity for any outcome other than maximum effort to win every single ballgame I'm privileged to participate in. The "tanking" mentality, manifested in this case by keeping intriguing players in the minors that *might* help us win a couple extra games, is foreign and repulsive to my DNA, an affront to the gods that blessed us with the precision of 90 feet , 60 feet 6 inches, and the weighty tablets of unwritten rules as pure to the soul as 3.2 beer is to a Jack Mormon. However, when sunlight ultimately coerces my unwilling eyes apart, and clears the red wine haze, a stern fact remains: Zero chance we compete this year. In 2023, who will care if we won 74 games or 60 in twenty and nineteen? But the chance to pick #1 vs #4 in 2020 could end up being a difference making rookie of the year candidate batting in the bottom of the 9th during a tie Wild Card game in 2023. Alas.