If, IF, if Ubaldo continues to dominate?

[UpstateNYfan]

But, what if the new delivery/command has cost him some of the famous movement on his pitches and K's are now an issue?

The issue may be that he had too much movement and therefore a lot of BB. Batters could go up and if he got deep in counts. If his control is really better, hitters may have to change their approach. Fewer K's but maybe still have enough movement to make it difficult for batters to square up. BS has given him the most difficult ST of all the starters. He's survived. Even the haters should acknowledge that.

[MurphDogg]

But, what if the new delivery/command has cost him some of the famous movement on his pitches and K's are now an issue?

It was one game where he struck out three over six innings. Prior to today, his spring training K rate was 8.3, exactly his career rate.

[Il BuonO]

I just hope the O's don't do something stupid like put Gausman in the pen for the season.

Ubaldo is still a very unknown and mysterious entity going forward. His control has been much better but it still remains to be seen as to whether he can repeat it during the season if he's given starts.IMO Gausman is the best arm the Orioles have and will eventually be a solid #2 or maybe better.

This doesn't jibe very well with what you said in the other thread, Roy. You said you wouldn't mind him being in the pen for a little while. Why put your best arm in the pen?

[OFFNY]

I wouldn't be surprised if Ubaldo out pitches Norris this year.

He (Jimenez) is certainly the biggest wildcard of the Orioles' starting pitchers in terms of the range that is expected of him (he can be absolutely horrible, absolutely outstanding, and anywhere in between, and not many people would be surprised.)

[OFFNY]

o

UBALDO JIMENEZ (Spring Training)

1st Start: Horrible.

2nd Start: Mediocre.

3rd Start: Slightly better than mediocre.

4th start: ???

Is he gradually working his way up the ladder ??? Stay tuned.

UBALDO JIMENEZ (Spring Training)

1st Start: Horrible.

2nd Start: Mediocre.

3rd Start: Slightly better than mediocre.

4th start: Pretty good, and into the 5th inning (another mild improvement.)

5th start: ???

Slowly but surely, Jimenez appears to be gradually improving with each Spring Training outing.

UBALDO JIMENEZ (Spring Training)

1st Start: Horrible.

2nd Start: Mediocre.

3rd Start: Slightly better than mediocre.

4th start: Pretty good, and into the 5th inning (another mild improvement.)

5th start: Very good. 5 complete shutout innings, 0 walks.

6th start: ???

Not that I pay much attention to Spring Training stats/outings in the first place, but Jimenez' progression of improvement this March has been about as gradual and as consistent as I have ever seen/I can ever remember.

UBALDO JIMENEZ (Spring Training)

1st Start: Horrible.

2nd Start: Mediocre.

3rd Start: Slightly better than mediocre.

4th start: Pretty good, and into the 5th inning (another mild improvement.)

5th start: Very good. 5 complete shutout innings, 0 walks.

6th start: Even better. 6 complete innings of 1-run ball against the Blue Jays' regular lineup.

Perhaps we can use this thread for Jimenez' season when SO CAL starts them when the season begins ??? "Ubaldo Jimenez Today, 2015."

[Nevermore]

But, what if the new delivery/command has cost him some of the famous movement on his pitches and K's are now an issue?

As long as he gets people out, who really cares how many Ks he gets. He had enough Ks today to get out of a couple of jams.

[Nevermore]

Wow, this talk of releasing has depressed me. So I'm going to put on my orange-colored glasses.

Ubaldo will have a great year. He'll (mostly) get his stuff under control and will win 15 games as a starter.

Hey, maybe my prediction, made way back then, will actually come true.

[Herman]

Hopefully Ubaldo won't be the reason why the Orioles refuse to spend their MASN money in the future. I personally think putting him in the rotation is a big mistake and I couldn't care less how he is pitching in spring training. No one can convince me that putting him in the rotation over Gausman or Gonzalez is what's best for the team.

[weams]

Hopefully Ubaldo won't be the reason why the Orioles refuse to spend their MASN money in the future. I personally think putting him in the rotation is a big mistake and I couldn't care less how he is pitching in spring training. No one can convince me that putting him in the rotation over Gausman or Gonzalez is what's best for the team.

Read my Fangraphs article.

Unlike ticket sales – which generally rise as a team improves on the field – television revenue is fixed via long-term broadcasting agreements. So while franchises can increase their in-stadium profits to some degree by spending more on payroll – thereby improving the quality of their team – the same is generally not true for television revenue. As a result, teams have little incentive to spend any added broadcasting profits on payroll (because, in economic terms, the added television revenue has not adjusted the team’s marginal revenue product).

So even though MLB’s television revenues have increased substantially in recent years, relatively little of this extra money is flowing to the players. Instead, teams are largely pocketing these additional revenues as extra profits, raising the league’s overall revenue without a corresponding increase in player payroll. As a result, the new television money is actually lowering the players’ share of overall league revenue on a percentage basis.

[Herman]

Read my Fangraphs article.

Point taken. I am not suggesting the Orioles should have a top 5 payroll, but they should still be willing to spend the money that is necessary to improve the team. The Orioles have been generating revenue from 2 teams since the Nationals came to DC. The Nationals currently have three $100 million players and have at least made an effort to spend money in other instances. How is it that the Nationals can fit it in their budget but the Orioles always shop in the bargain bin? Travis Snider was the team's biggest offseason acquisition. Will Snider help the team improve? Probably not. He is simply a cheap way to replace Markakis. I guess my issue is that resources weren't put into the team to make it better from last year's club that was close to going to the WS.

I also understand that the Orioles signed a relatively bad deal with MASN and that subscription fees are below market value relative to other regional networks. I appreciate that the Orioles made an effort to improve the team when they signed Jimenez but it was a terrible allocation of resources. He was so bad last year that he was left off of the playoff roster but now he is being given a spot in the rotation? I don't get it.

[Redskins Rick]

Point taken. I am not suggesting the Orioles should have a top 5 payroll, but they should still be willing to spend the money that is necessary to improve the team. The Orioles have been generating revenue from 2 teams since the Nationals came to DC. The Nationals currently have three $100 million players and have at least made an effort to spend money in other instances. How is it that the Nationals can fit it in their budget but the Orioles always shop in the bargain bin? Travis Snider was the team's biggest offseason acquisition. Will Snider help the team improve? Probably not. He is simply a cheap way to replace Markakis. I guess my issue is that resources weren't put into the team to make it better from last year's club that was close to going to the WS.

I also understand that the Orioles signed a relatively bad deal with MASN and that subscription fees are below market value relative to other regional networks. I appreciate that the Orioles made an effort to improve the team when they signed Jimenez but it was a terrible allocation of resources. He was so bad last year that he was left off of the playoff roster but now he is being given a spot in the rotation? I don't get it.

You said all this in another thread, and you bring it over here. SMH

Jimenez has been pitching much better this ST, why are you dumping on him so much? I don't get it.

[Herman]

You said all this in another thread, and you bring it over here. SMH

Jimenez has been pitching much better this ST, why are you dumping on him so much? I don't get it.

That's b/c there are multiple threads related to Jimenez (which is a red flag in and of itself. If he was good there wouldn't be so many threads and posts about his ST starts etc). I'm dumping on him b/c he isn't a good pitcher and he has limited upside. I'm also dumping on him b/c if it wasn't for his salary he might not make the team and pitchers who are more deserving would be in the rotation.

[Crazysilver03]

That's b/c there are multiple threads related to Jimenez (which is a red flag in and of itself. If he was good there wouldn't be so many threads and posts about his ST starts etc). I'm dumping on him b/c he isn't a good pitcher and he has limited upside. I'm also dumping on him b/c if it wasn't for his salary he might not make the team and pitchers who are more deserving would be in the rotation.

Ubaldo does not have "limited upside." He has a huge upside that could make him the best pitcher on the staff.

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[Herman]

Ubaldo does not have "limited upside." He has a huge upside that could make him the best pitcher on the staff.

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What upside? He has diminishing velocity, a high walk rate and mechanics that have been drastically changed after his 30th birthday. Gausman has the most upside

[Nevermore]

That's b/c there are multiple threads related to Jimenez (which is a red flag in and of itself. If he was good there wouldn't be so many threads and posts about his ST starts etc). I'm dumping on him b/c he isn't a good pitcher and he has limited upside. I'm also dumping on him b/c if it wasn't for his salary he might not make the team and pitchers who are more deserving would be in the rotation.

Ubaldo's large salary didn't prevent Buck from taking him out of the rotation last year when both he and the team needed it. Though I gather that your believe that Os management should have released him rather than putting him in the bullpen.

The reason why there are so many threads/posts about Ubaldo is because opnions about him have changed recently. One of the reasons for this change of opinion in some quarters (including my own) is because of his attitude and work ethic he has shown during his struggles last year, throughout the off season, and during ST. This guy never once complained, nor did he lash out at management or fans who were getting on him, booing him off the mound, etc. Instead, he has done everything that he was told by his coaches to the best of his abilities-- no public questioning of "team committment to win" or about anything else. And now that his efforts are beginning to bear fruit, fans here at OH are coming to his side, rooting for him to continue doing well.