Let me see if I understand our strategy correctly....

[Can_of_corn]

I'm willing to bet Einstein was smarter than you...

And you think Einstein was actually trying to define insanity when he said that?

[mdbdotcom]

I'm willing to bet Einstein was smarter than you...

If only Einstein had actually said what you think he said.

[Can_of_corn]

I'm willing to bet Einstein was smarter than you...

And you think Einstein was actually trying to define insanity when he said that?

[fastball]

And you think Einstein was actually trying to define insanity when he said that?

You really can't talk to a can of corn can you now,

[DocJJ]

I'm aware that it is undetermined whether or not Einstein actually said that. I'm aware he wasn't trying to re-write Webster's dictionary. I'm aware that some don't agree with the basic premise of the quote.

I stand by the basic premise that "hoping" for better is not a sound strategy. That is all.

[Frobby]

I was never as huge a fan of his as many O's fans. His 3 HR in 686 plate appearances last year seems a bit embarrassing.

However I agree he might have helped us in our playoff hunt. He walked over 70 times, hit 38 doubles, played good defense and had an OBP of .370. That would have looked good in the leadoff spot, wit Machado, Jones, and Davis up after him.

Yes, one can hope certain guys "return to form". Yes, one can hope for improvement from some guys who under-achieved. Yes, one can hope for unexpectedly good breakout performance from an unproven.

The problem is that is what we do every year. And it gets really, really old. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...

Except that in 2012 and 2014, we did get different results. And the results in 2013 and 2015 weren't that awful, either. If they keep doing what they've been doing and make the playoffs every other year, I'm good with that.

[spiritof66]

I think most of us recognize that improving the starting pitching is a real challenge. There are a bunch of reasons for that other than the very high prices for potential TOR-type upgrades. They include Wieters' taking the QO, the lack of attractive prospects to dangle in a trade, and the slow pace at which Davis/Boras are proceeding, so that some free agent starters are coming off of the market (or will come off the market) while the Orioles are still hoping to be able to spend a big chunk of their remaining dollars on Davis.

Even though I don't think much of the rotation at this point, I find it hard to fault the Orioles for what they appear to be doing (as opposed to some of their past decisions affecting the SP). It is reasonable to expect substantial improvement from some of the four returning starters -- and without that, we're pretty much doomed to a .500 or worse record, IMO, in any case. I'm guessing they'll spend most of their remaining money on a high-OBP outfielder, Davis and/or an Alvarez type, and pick up a low-cost starter or two, probably lefties, and hope that one of them or Worley or maybe Matusz can hold down a spot in a mediocre rotation, and keep an eye on Wilson, Wright, Bundy and Hunter while thinking about upgrading for 2017.

I find that more depressing than exciting, but I think that's where we're headed and don't see real good or likely alternatives given the other needs and the prices for SP so far.

[DrungoHazewood]

Markakis... played good defense...

No he didn't. He was a minus defender once again. He had a negative UZR, and by the Fielding Bible numbers he was the 25th-best RFer in MLB last year.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...

I'm beginning to REALLY hate that quote. It's misused over and over. In baseball it's used to justify changing your fundamental approach because things didn't break right last year. The O's used defense to win the division in '14 and make the playoffs in '12, but when the defense let them down in '15 it suddenly becomes "insanity" to try that in '16. Was it insanity to plug in Chris Davis for 2015 after he was such a disappointment in '14? You say it's insanity to hope for unexpectedly good breakouts from unproven players, but what of all the times they scouted and analyzed and then took chances on Nate McLouth and Miguel Gonzalez and gave Chris Tillman his 4th or 5th shot or plugged in Caleb Joseph or got a breakout from Schoop after a .230-something OBP in '14? Hate that quote. Einstein, if he even said that, is making me mad.

[DrungoHazewood]

I stand by the basic premise that "hoping" for better is not a sound strategy. That is all.

Neither are a lot of other strawmen.

[winkies]

Had you heard this said? I hadn't.

Well actions speak louder than words. We pretty much do nothing except hope the guys we have get better.

In the past 20 years the best pitcher we've drafted is Brian Matusz. Whaaaaaaaaa.... You got to be kidding me. That is just pathetic. We suck at drafting pitchers even though we allocate most of our draft resources and picks towards them.

Let's just stop the BS and start drafting position players because the O's are good at it. Then buy the arms.

[winkies]

When an Oriole pitcher pitches worse it's because he's regressing to his natural talent level. When he pitches better he's just lucky. No Oriole is actually good, since they're too cheap to buy good players.

Well if you look at the peripherals of O's pitching and the year by year FIP and ERA trends of the last 15 or so odd years it's pretty clear that the O's have blown at pitching.

[Can_of_corn]

Well actions speak louder than words. We pretty much do nothing except hope the guys we have get better.

In the past 20 years the best pitcher we've drafted is Brian Matusz. Whaaaaaaaaa.... You got to be kidding me. That is just pathetic. We suck at drafting pitchers even though we allocate most of our draft resources and picks towards them.

Let's just stop the BS and start drafting position players because the O's are good at it. Then buy the arms.

Jake won the Cy Young last season and you are claiming that Matusz is the better pitcher.

[Crazysilver03]

Well actions speak louder than words. We pretty much do nothing except hope the guys we have get better.

In the past 20 years the best pitcher we've drafted is Brian Matusz. Whaaaaaaaaa.... You got to be kidding me. That is just pathetic. We suck at drafting pitchers even though we allocate most of our draft resources and picks towards them.

Let's just stop the BS and start drafting position players because the O's are good at it. Then buy the arms.

In what sense are the Os good at drafting position players? And how is Matusz the best pitcher they drafted in last 20 years? Did you forget what you were saying as you were saying it?

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[winkies]

Jake won the Cy Young last season and you are claiming that Matusz is the better pitcher.

Would have been nice if Jake was on the Orioles when he did that so we could make the playoffs and possibly win the WS.

But he sucked on this team. So what he did on the Cubs had no value to the Orioles.

[DocJJ]

Well if you look at the peripherals of O's pitching and the year by year FIP and ERA trends of the last 15 or so odd years it's pretty clear that the O's have blown at pitching.

Yes.

And by the way, Drungo, I disagree with your statement. I actually consider Chen good. (Not great, but good.) I also consider Tillman good, despite his poor 2015. I think Gaussman can be good one day (probably after we trade him to the Cubs for some piece of crap.) I don't consider Miguel Gonzales, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson, Brian Matusz, TJ MacFarland or pretty much any other name I've heard as a potential starter as "good".