InsideCoroner

I get can’t upset at most of those hitting projections. Sure, we all want Mullins to exceed those numbers, but his OPS was under .800 the last two months of the season, so fair enough. Did he get a bit lucky from pitchers underestimating him sll year, though, or is he learning quickly? Probably the former, but hopefully he still gets better and can adjust. Mountcastle was all over the place month-to-month, so a tick under .800 makes sense. Santander may well be a .760 OPS guy in between injuries, but if that’s the case, this coming year is probably his last year with the club. For however many games he manages to play.

“And please extend a hearty welcome to the lowest bidders and new groundskeeping team for your Orioles in 2022, Severna Park’s own Lazy Sod Landscaping And Manscaping!”

I was hoping the Giants would have made it rather than the Dodgers. That could have been fun. At this point I guess I prefer to see the Braves win, but none of it really excites me much.

Trust me, I am sick and tired of it too, I don’t know that I can stomach yet another season like this. I really hope they will make a splash with some sensible roster additions. But at this point, they have to prove my skepticism wrong. Even if ‘22 isn’t “the” year, it’s time for them to at least put something good on the field for the long suffering fans.

This is not meant to call you out in particular, but can we please stop mentioning Semien as even a remote candidate? A 7.1 fWAR season means the world is his oyster this offseason… and we can be sure that Baltimore is not any part of that world, nor should it be for any guys coming off career years. In 2026, maybe we can talk to him. Until then, we should be looking at guys who played well below expectations until we see any willingness on the part of the Angelos family to loosen those purse strings.

I think one of the best things the FO could do for its fan base is to make some legitimate free agent signings as soon as possible. Something — anything — to let everyone know that we will not have to endure another season like this yet again. Even if there is no likely chance to contend in ‘22, it’s nonetheless time to open the purse strings and at least put something watchable on the field.

I find myself thinking the same because I enjoy watching him in the field. Could he learn to play short? I would feel better about hiding his bat there, the average OPS at SS is usually about 50 points lower than 3B.

I will stay slightly more conservative for his first year — .770 OPS, 2.2 rWAR/162. I expect he will be much better than that, I think it might take a year or two.

I haven’t given up on either of them, because both are capable of playing much better, and we have nobody ready to take their place. But as far as getting a solid return for either of them, such as a SP? I just don’t see it outside of a desperation deadline deal.

I think any value that potential trade value that Mancini or Santander once had has evaporated. Both players put together were worth less than 1 rWAR this year, neither is a good defender, both raise questions of durability. What kind of SP could you expect for that… Bundy? Mike Wright? Nothing very useful.

Martin not covering second base today on what should have been a DP ball was one of the worst mental mistakes I have seen all year. That was painful.

He has had an interesting season, bouncing back every couple months, but less sharply each time. OPS by month: April .742 May .993 June .612 July .919 August .554 September .755

175 PAs, 2 homers, a .608 OPS. Trey looks a bit tired at this point, which is completely understandable. Give the guy some rest if he’ll take it, what’s the harm. This season has had very few bright spots, but Trey coming back was one of them.

I was waiting on the bullpen to turn that game over, so it was a pleasant surprise that they didn’t. Also nice to see Means make solid contact on the double he hit over Herrera’s head.

I remember how excited I was as a teenager to be sitting in good seats behind the visiting dugout at an Orioles game (back at Memorial, courtesy of my uncle), and picking up the “run/steal” sign from the third base coach halfway through the game which was some chest-hat-chest gesture. I told my uncle the next couple times the other team was going to run, and they did. He was impressed, and it almost felt perverse, like I had unlocked some secret knowledge. But honestly, if I was able to pick it up, it was probably just a lazy third-base coach. ?

Exactly what I was thinking. It’s refreshing to see a plus glove out there again, but it’s a shame he isn’t more of a utility guy. Third base is not a position where you can hide a sub-.600 OPS.

Allegedly caught on surveillance video. When he gets elected into the Hall Of Human Trash, do you think he’ll go in as a Tiger, or an Oriole?

I wouldn’t call giving up 5 runs in 4 innings serviceable unless we had the best offense in baseball. The fact that he didn’t lose the game (one of the more painful games to watch this year) had little to do with his performance. He missed a few spots *badly*, like Severino setting up low and inside and Kremer leaves it hanging over the middle at the top of the zone — which of course got crushed for a homer. I thought he looked terrible today.

It’s the second time he has held the Jays in check for us (he also pitched well against the Yankees). Whatever he is doing right, they still haven’t figured him out.

As long as the team isn’t in playoff contention, I would much rather see exciting, erratic guys over steady, predictably disappointing guys.

I had forgotten all about “Clams” Castino.

Excellent outing by Akin. It looked bad (or familiar) after giving up a leadoff homer to Ohtani, but he really found his groove. I can’t believe that was his first win of the year. (And hey, two scoreless frames from Lopez out of the pen is nice to see as well…)

Some folks here overvalue the appeal Santander or Mancini have to other teams. Or that anyone would even do more than take a flier on either. Santander has finally warmed up lately, but up until a few weeks ago (injuries or not) he’s been forgettably disappointing. He’s going to have to stay hot just to climb over 1 WAR for the year. Mancini has been a good story this year but he has also cooled down, and is another DH/1B type who doesn’t hit enough for his inability to field well. Would you trade both these guys for Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro? Because that’s kind of what they’re worth right now.

My take is that this is more reflective of what Elias inherited than the job he’s done.

Exactly. I have had a few times in life where work was the *only* place I felt normal and could escape from the realities facing me otherwise. Regardless of your performance or how your employer is doing overall. Not to say I want him signed to an extension. But if pitching the rest of this year helps him in any way, seriously, what difference does it make? So sorry hear what he and his family are going through right now.