TheWall

Totally possible, but Jake wasn't the only one that has been critical of the coaching. Britton had some pretty scathing comments and it's absurd we didn't let Arrieta use his cutter.

Your point was that you were frustrated that they gave up Hader and he ended up being great. The way you phrased it implied that the Orioles didn't think he was going to be good, but in reality they traded him for Bud Norris because they needed another SP to win the division / make the ALCS the following year. It's very likely the Orioles believed in his talent. The Arrieta situation is obviously frustrating, but I mostly place the blame on the pitching coaches rather than the decision to move on when we did. At the time he was out of options and he wasn't helping a team that was on it's way to the playoffs. They needed to move him.

Westburg as well.

I'm happy for him. I obviously worry about him being overworked, but his recent slump (hitting and throwing) seems like it might be mental. Maybe All Star weekend will help snap him out of it. Hope he enjoys himself and comes back ready to lead us to a strong 2nd half.

Definitely think you could have given Hays an A for this half. His plate discipline will probably always be a bit low, but he's performed as well as we could have ever expected. The Adley grade is fair. He's still a deserving All Star and was great in April / May, but he's had a really rough June. Throw in his decline defensively and C+ makes sense based on expectations. There's still a chance he gets hot again in the 2nd half and ends up with a 6+ WAR season.

He might be a better prospect than Westburg. The Orioles don't seem to think so, but the glove is certainly better. Holliday could also struggle at AA and take longer than expected -- who knows? Literally none of this is guaranteed. I'm fine with trading Ortiz or finding room on the roster for him. My issue was with your definitive statement that Ortiz is at best a placeholder - he isn't.

I've never seen a top 100 player referred to as a placeholder at best in any evaluation. Sure, it's possible that they won't be a future everyday player and maybe the Orioles don't see Ortiz that way, but the vast majority of the time when a player makes those lists its because the folks evaluating them think they have a shot to be a solid MLB player. Looking at Ortiz specifically -- he already has the best glove in the system next to Mateo. If the bat comes around at all then he has a solid shot to play SS everyday. Few on here would call Keith Law an optimist when it comes to our prospects and this is what he had to say about Ortiz (Rank 95): "The second-half performance might point to an elite upside; I think the power won’t quite hold up, but he’ll hit for a high average with 30-40 doubles and 10 homers, which makes him a very good regular with that defense." He might be a temporary placeholder, but that definitely isn't his best-case outcome.

The idea that a top 100 prospect is at best a placeholder is laughable. Ortiz might end up a bust, but he could also end up a very good everyday SS - he certainly has the glove for it. I'm not sure why Gunnar and Urias are being brought up here given that folks want to see less of Mateo and Frazier.

They have to take him. He's a real ballplayer.

You're moving Cowser for a half year of Sonny Gray? Wild.

They were definitely swing happy, but Gray didn't make it easy on them. He was throwing a ton of strikes - especially early.

Just depends on if something is broken. Lotta bones in the hand. Westburg said he thinks he's good, but adrenaline can mask a lot.

Might not be tomorrow, but it won't be long. Elias said he had earned a call yesterday and he generally doesn't start talking like that until they are getting close to making a move.

Lol.

He's been worth 7 WAR in his first 188 Major League games. In what sense is he overrated? Because he's in the middle of a funk? His throws have been really bad recently and he's slumping. That doesn't negate all of the good he's done.

I would ask who you're referring to, but I really don't think I want to know the answer.

Are you under the impression that starters who make $10 million in free agency never have bad outings?

I know we "value" his defense, but there is a 0% chance he's better than Urias (or Ortiz) over there.

The homer hose is great.

Looks like Westy can play some 2B.

I'm mostly glad he didn't take the chance to get Frazier in there for Westburg....

I'm watching a stream on the Reds broadcast and they mentioned that their pen is pretty taxed before the delay. Hopefully we can take advantage of whatever they throw tonight and put ourselves in a strong position for the rest of the series.

It's totally possible we look to trade Santander this offseason, but I would be absolutely shocked if any team gave him a 5 year contract.

Outfielder Dylan Beavers was Baltimore’s second pick in 2022 (33rd overall), and hit very well in his pro debut last summer, but he’s hitting just .231/.328/.398 for Aberdeen, far too low for a major-college product (Cal) in High A. He’s lunging horribly at the plate, out over his front side way too soon, and then throwing his hands at the ball for soft contact. He’s always had a little bit of that last part in his swing, but as late as last August, he was staying strong and balanced through contact rather than jumping out front. He should be a better hitter than this, for average and for some power as well. Quick blurb from Keith Law about Beavers in his most recent article on Holliday and some insight into why he's struggling currently. Hoping he turns things around.

I've seen a lot of speculation that Westburg might take the Ortiz role against LHP and potentially form a platoon with Frazier. I know the sample size isn't huge, but his OPS has been roughly .350 points higher against RHP than LHP between this year and last. Would seem weird to limit him to only facing LHP when his numbers against RHP are the reason he's getting promoted in the first place.