MacPhail and Buck on State of the O's

[Who's On 1st]

Reporting from Fanfest

AM: Decided starting pitching was too limited and expensive and would wait until the end to address.

Buck: I will have my gut verified by statistics, not let stats make my gut.

Buck: its going to be exciting but we also have to get a little lucky.

AM: Hasn't ruled out Millwood...one problem trying to sign a starter is we don't want to promise a rotation spot.

Buck: When the young starters left at end of season, they knew nothing was going to be handed to them for 2011.

Buck: doesn't want JJ to start.

Buck: Izzy plays a key role in holding players accountable, almost like another coach. Especially for the Latin players, but everyone.

AM: likes to go for pitchers in the draft. He can get hitters other ways. This is a very strong draft class and we will do well at no. 4.

AM: Open to extending Jones and Hardy. May want to see Hardy in the spring and let him get to know us before talking.

Buck: Britton will have an opportunity to make the club out of spring training.

Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup1:

I couldn't make it this year.

[Dagger420]

MAYBE.

He has done a great job identifying bargains and going out and getting him.

However, he has acquired players with holes in their games, injury histories or players on the wrong side of 30.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

I have no issue with that strategy...Where I have an issue is having no positional talent in the minors and not developing it properly as well.

You can't always rely on bargains. You have to build for the long term.

You have to crawl before you walk. I think we are taking good steps, but the 14 yrs of failure still keeps a bit of doubt in the back of my mind that this will all work out.

[Sports Guy]

You have to crawl before you walk. I think we are taking good steps, but the 14 yrs of failure still keeps a bit of doubt in the back of my mind that this will all work out.

AGGGGHHHHHH!!!

How freakin long do you want this team crawl?

How many more cliches are we going to throw out there to justify how pathetic this organization is?

They have had plenty of time to crawl. They should be running a damn marathon by now.

[El Gordo]

MAYBE.

He has done a great job identifying bargains and going out and getting him.

However, he has acquired players with holes in their games, injury histories or players on the wrong side of 30.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

I have no issue with that strategy...Where I have an issue is having no positional talent in the minors and not developing it properly as well.

You can't always rely on bargains. You have to build for the long term.

So are you proposing a different strstegy? A Trean one perhaps? Say, spending big bucks on Dunn and Beltre, etc. and limiting our ability down the road to extend Jones, Matusz, Arrieta etc. key FA pieces, and sign top drfaft choices? Or is this just your usual carping.

[wildcard]

MAYBE.

He has done a great job identifying bargains and going out and getting him.

However, he has acquired players with holes in their games, injury histories or players on the wrong side of 30.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

I have no issue with that strategy...Where I have an issue is having no positional talent in the minors and not developing it properly as well.

You can't always rely on bargains. You have to build for the long term.

I would say this is an overstatement. I think we would all like better talent but no talent is going over the top.

1B: Snyder, Mahoney, Townsend

2B: Hoes, Givens, Adams

3B: Bell, Schoop

SS: Machado

OF: Angle, Avery and maybe Reimold if Vlad signs

C: Joseph

[Dagger420]

AGGGGHHHHHH!!!

How freakin long do you want this team crawl?

How many more cliches are we going to throw out there to justify how pathetic this organization is?

They have had plenty of time to crawl. They should be running a damn marathon by now.

Haha, I feel your frustration, but I mean this team was about 10 feet underground before MacPhail came here. Who knows really if he could have done any better, but I'm happy with the build up to this season.

[Flosman]

AGGGGHHHHHH!!!

How freakin long do you want this team crawl?

How many more cliches are we going to throw out there to justify how pathetic this organization is?

They have had plenty of time to crawl. They should be running a damn marathon by now.

I don't like the analogy either. But the team has made huge strides since AM took over. Being a results based deal AM will be judged by wins and they have to do a lot more winning this year or he is failing. AMs risk is similar to what happened with the Cubs if the pitching fails the team will also. But that is the same for every team.

[Sports Guy]

So are you proposing a different strstegy? A Trean one perhaps? Say, spending big bucks on Dunn and Beltre, etc. and limiting our ability down the road to extend Jones, Matusz, Arrieta etc. key FA pieces, and sign top drfaft choices? Or is this just your usual carping.

Are you this dumb in person or do you just do this as some schtick on here?

Pretty clear that I am talking about the draft(since that was what the original statement mentioned), international talent and just building a deeper system.

Its fine to look for the bargains that he did this offseason..again, something I was very clear about(even you should have been able to pick that up).

What isn't good is to have nothing behind these guys, both in the short term and long term.

And to make the statement that he likes to draft pitching because he can get hitting elsewhere is bs. You have to have balance and that balance can't just come from getting bargains in trades and FA.

[Sports Guy]

I would say this is an overstatement. I think we would all like better talent but no talent is going over the top.

1B: Snyder, Mahoney, Townsend

2B: Hoes, Givens, Adams

3B: Bell, Schoop

SS: Machado

OF: Angle, Avery and maybe Reimold if Vlad signs

C: Joseph

Of course you would...you overrate everything involved with the Orioles.

I will give them credit for having some solid MI depth although its years away.

They have no OF, C or CI depth at all..and very little talent in those areas as well.

[Dagger420]

I would say this is an overstatement. I think we would all like better talent but no talent is going over the top.

1B: Snyder, Mahoney, Townsend

2B: Hoes, Givens, Adams

3B: Bell, Schoop

SS: Machado

OF: Angle, Avery and maybe Reimold if Vlad signs

C: Joseph

The fact that Snyder is still considered a prospect is totally contradicting your statement, IMO.

He's still relatively young, but would this guy be considered a prospect in ANY other organization in the A.L. East? He can't even hit AAA pitching and this is supposed to be a 1B? His numbers might be intriguing for a catcher, but come on, it just shows how lackluster the group we have on the farm is.

The guys with upside you listed are pretty far away and alot can happen in that time as we've all seen from the Orioles player development.

[Moose Milligan]

AGGGGHHHHHH!!!

How freakin long do you want this team crawl?

How many more cliches are we going to throw out there to justify how pathetic this organization is?

They have had plenty of time to crawl. They should be running a damn marathon by now.

We're still in %#@&ing diapers phase.

[JTrea81]

I don't like the analogy either. But the team has made huge strides since AM took over. Being a results based deal AM will be judged by wins and they have to do a lot more winning this year or he is failing. AMs risk is similar to what happened with the Cubs if the pitching fails the team will also. But that is the same for every team.

This could be debated.

I'd say they've made some strides, but haven't done nearly as much as they could have.

Look at at Toronto and what Anthopoulos has done in two years compared to MacPhail's entire tenure.

[Sports Guy]

I don't like the analogy either. But the team has made huge strides since AM took over. Being a results based deal AM will be judged by wins and they have to do a lot more winning this year or he is failing. AMs risk is similar to what happened with the Cubs if the pitching fails the team will also. But that is the same for every team.

Really? We have more talent, I do agree with that.

But we are still the team in all of MLB that is further away from contention than anyone else. When I see comments like that, it just tells me that people have no expectations for this team and they are happy with slow, incremental improvement..even if the other teams in the division are lapping us.

He hasn't made a dent in that at all.

Toronto is the one who has made huge strides and they did in way less time than AM..who still has very little in terms of a long term plan of how to make a true dent in this division..although I place a lot of blame on PA for that as well.

[Moose Milligan]

Trea... NOW HEAR THIS.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/01/showalter_and_macphail_kick_of.html

Oh calm down Slappy. He won't acknowledge anything that he can't weasel his way out of or distort.

[wildcard]

Of course you would...you overrate everything involved with the Orioles.

I will give them credit for having some solid MI depth although its years away.

They have no OF, C or CI depth at all..and very little talent in those areas as well.

So you know that Reimold, Bell, Schoop, Townsend, Mahoney, Avery, Snyder, Angle will not be major league player? If that is true how about letting us all know what tomorrows lottery number are.