Flaherty...what is the verdict?

[El Gordo]

The verdict. He's a good UTIF, who if given the chance to play everyday on another team might be a solid starting 2B. But Schoop has won the job on this team IMO.

[Can_of_corn]

I admit I didn't look up his outfield numbers. But from what I've seen of him out there (not much), he's probably at least as good as Steve Pearce, and probably better. Which, on this team, makes him pretty damn good. Considering our corner guys are usually Markakis and Cruz/Delmon.

Like I said, Lough would be an example of a "damn good" outfielder. The other names you are mentioning fall under the category "serviceable". (Nick might be average)

[DrungoHazewood]

The verdict is: damn good defensive 2B, SS, 3B, 1B, LF, and RF.

Nick Markakis has played more innings in the outfield in the last 10 days than Flaherty has in his MLB career. Markakis has also played more innings at first in his career than Flaherty (in four games).

It's difficult to imagine anyone with that level of experience being "damn good", or for anyone to have a rational basis for making such a judgment.

Edit: While we at it... Flaherty has 143 innings at shortstop his whole MLB career, too. So, Hardy has played more innings there in a couple weeks.

[webbrick2010]

He's an ex 1st round pick

He was a solid hitter in minors thru AA

Only had 66 games at AAA

Being rule 5 guy was tough. He adapted his game to be versatile and a plus defender at multiple postions.

I think his hitting was not the emphasis and fell behind

Still think he is capable of .240+ with power.

Him and Davis will be interesting bounce back candidates next year, especially if we don't bring back Hardy

Flaherty starting SS (I hope not)

Davis starting 3B with Manny at SS (will Manny ever be healthy?)

Bad year but I think his best years still lie ahead

[Redskins Rick]

You shouldn't tie your hopes to outliers. Ok, more accurately, you shouldn't expect underachievers to have late career surges. Guys who OPS .600 through age 27 are more likely to end up playing for the Long Island Ducks than the AL All Star team.

Why can't you have hope as a fan of for your team? Whats the harm there?

Not like we are talking Jim Morris here, somebody not even played professional baseball for years, and at the age of 35 signed with Tampa Bay, since he could throw 98 MPH. That's probably never going to repeat itself in history.

Its not unheard of, for players to finally get it together. And you are right, most likely they end up with the Long Island Ducks, than the AL All-Star team.

[DrungoHazewood]

Why can't you have hope as a fan of for your team? Whats the harm there?

Not like we are talking Jim Morris here, somebody not even played professional baseball for years, and at the age of 35 signed with Tampa Bay, since he could throw 98 MPH. That's probably never going to repeat itself in history.

Its not unheard of, for players to finally get it together. And you are right, most likely they end up with the Long Island Ducks, than the AL All-Star team.

I root for all the Orioles. But you can be a fan without sincerely hoping that guys who are passable utility players in their late 20s become much more than that. You can be semi-rational and still be a fan.

[mdbdotcom]

I root for all the Orioles. But you can be a fan without sincerely hoping that guys who are passable utility players in their late 20s become much more than that. You can be semi-rational and still be a fan.

At the beginning of the season I was hopeful that he would become the O's version of Ben Zobrist. Instead, it looks like he will remain Ryan Flaherty. And that's fine. It's good to have a guy on the bench who can defend well at SS, 2B, and 3B.

[MrOrange82]

He isn't "damn good" in LF and RF.

I don't know why folks keep trying to say that. Lough would be an example of a player who is "damn good" in LF/RF.

It'll never stop. You have to know that by now. Flaherty, The Myth, is much more profound than Flaherty, The Real Person.

Also, inb4 Gordo chimes in with some tortured analysis of Ryan's 3rd and 4th AB's from each of the last 22 games that were played at night on Tuesdays and/or within three days of a national holiday. Probably OPS'ed eleventy billion. Kid's a natural.

[DrungoHazewood]

At the beginning of the season I was hopeful that he would become the O's version of Ben Zobrist. Instead, it looks like he will remain Ryan Flaherty. And that's fine. It's good to have a guy on the bench who can defend well at SS, 2B, and 3B.

It's probably a good plan to take a Rule 5 infielder who your scouts see some reason to support, and put him in a utility role. He'll be in the majors instead of knocking about in AAA, will be very grateful for the salary and exposure and good hotels/food, so he probably won't complain about being a utility guy. If he develops unexpectedly, great. If not, you're not dealing with the potential salaries and egos of players with more MLB experience, or someone who washed out of a starting gig.

[slakattack]

He is this era's Kiko Garcia. Or Jeff Reboulet. Rene Gonzalez. Billy Ripken.

Tim Hulett

[mdbdotcom]

He is this era's Kiko Garcia. Or Jeff Reboulet. Rene Gonzalez. Billy Ripken.

I will never forget the 1979 post-World Series article in the Village Voice, which stated that if the Orioles had won the series, Kiko Garcia would have been named Most Valuable Player. And, if Kiko Garcia had won the award, he would have dropped the keys to his new Corvette in left field.

[olehippi]

Ryan Flaherty is a versatile role player with plus-ish fielding skills, and some occasional pop in his bat. He is the consummate utility player that every MLB team desires. Why some people here are upset that Flaherty isn't a full-time player, and doesn't hit like a super star in a utility role, is beyond understanding. The light-hitting Flaherty has stepped in and more than adequately filled in defensively for an injured Machado, an injured Hardy, and an injured Schoop. And the Orioles have still flourished. Be happy with that 9-game AL East lead.

It also appears that many of the Flaherty haters are the same folks who are dissatisfied with Schoop at 2B. Are they so blinded by their prejudicial, and unrealistic, "star-player-at-every-position" desires that they can't see that Scoop is a budding star?

Rant over...........

[CA-ORIOLE]

Ryan Flaherty is a versatile role player with plus-ish fielding skills, and some occasional pop in his bat. He is the consummate utility player that every MLB team desires. Why some people here are upset that Flaherty isn't a full-time player, and doesn't hit like a super star in a utility role, is beyond understanding. The light-hitting Flaherty has stepped in and more than adequately filled in defensively for an injured Machado, an injured Hardy, and an injured Schoop. And the Orioles have still flourished. Be happy with that 9-game AL East lead.

It also appears that many of the Flaherty haters are the same folks who are dissatisfied with Schoop at 2B. Are they so blinded by their prejudicial, and unrealistic, "star-player-at-every-position" desires that they can't see that Scoop is a budding star?

Rant over...........

Yeah, that was a whopper.

[Guest]

Not really a good player.

[DrungoHazewood]

Not really a good player.

He'd be the best player on the York Revolution. He'd hit like .880 with a 2.895 slugging on my old Pax River softball team. He's just a fairly generic utility player in the majors, not that that's anything to sneeze at. He got his name on baseball-reference.