Woo hoo! Fangraphs says our rotation is only 3rd worst in MLB!

[Frobby]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2016-positional-power-rankings-starting-rotations-16-30/

[DrungoHazewood]

They're ahead of the World Champs. Seriously.

[25 Nuggets]

...and KC is only 2nd worst! Which explains a lot about their projection too.

Are starting rotations becoming overrated?

[DrungoHazewood]

...and KC is only 2nd worst! Which explains a lot about their projection too.

Are starting rotations becoming overrated?

The Royals won it all with the 22nd-best rotation in MLB by fWAR. The O's-so disappointing O's starters pitched more innings, had a higher K rate, a lower walk rate and accumulated more fWAR.

[ChuckS]

The Royals won it all with the 22nd-best rotation in MLB by fWAR. The O's-so disappointing O's starters pitched more innings, had a higher K rate, a lower walk rate and accumulated more fWAR.

Great offense, great bullpen, great defense, and excellent base running helps.

We may end up having a great offense. Those other three are up in the air, though our bullpen and defense should be at least average.

[25 Nuggets]

Great offense, great bullpen, great defense, and excellent base running helps.

We may end up having a great offense. Those other three are up in the air, though our bullpen and defense should be at least average.

I won't even say they had a great offense. They scored the 6th most runs in the AL last year and the 9th most runs in the AL the year before. And that includes their base-running skills. Heck their team OPS+ was 98.

Bullpen, defense, base running. Three of five.

[ChuckS]

I won't even say they had a great offense. They scored the 6th most runs in the AL last year and the 9th most runs in the AL the year before. And that includes their base-running skills. Heck their team OPS+ was 98.

Bullpen, defense, base running. Three of five.

Their ability to manufacture runs in close games combined with their bullpen gave them a unique advantage that I do not think can be measured in statistics.

[byrdz]

I guess I don't yet understand how our defense will be much worse than last season.

It's pretty much the same fielders as last season isn't it aside from LF and RF?

But it's not as if we had defensive wizards playing RF and LF all last season.

[ChuckS]

I guess I don't yet understand how our defense will be much worse than last season.

It's pretty much the same fielders as last season isn't it?

It's not as if we had defensive wizards playing RF and LF all last season.

Could be an adventure on the corners with guys like Trumbo, Kim, Reimold.

Jones and Hardy are a year older. Many people feel we lose something with Wieters behind the plate versus Joseph.

Our metric #'s were just average last year. So it's not a far stretch to say we could end up with a mediocre defense.

[crawjo]

I honestly think too much emphasis is being placed on our rotation. If we get a strong bullpen again this year, that will negate a lot of struggles. (This is why I also think we should look into acquiring a James Shields...we don't need an ace. But a guy who could eat innings and be decent would be very valuable for us.) I think a lot of our success this year will depend on our outfield defense and our offense, especially our OBP.

[DrungoHazewood]

Their ability to manufacture runs in close games combined with their bullpen gave them a unique advantage that I do not think can be measured in statistics.

What about them can't be measured? The statistics say they were a 90+ win team with the 2nd-best bullpen in baseball.

[Phantom]

For the lazy/blocked:

If Jimmy Nelson isn’t the most underwhelming de facto ace in baseball, it’s Chris Tillman. Problem is, the Brewers are rebuilding, while the Orioles are trying to win. At least the Tigers and Blue Jays, in their attempts to slug their way to the playoffs, have pitchers resembling front-line starters. Kevin Gausman could be that guy, but he still hasn’t had the chance to be an everyday starter for a full season in the big leagues, and now he’s dealing with shoulder discomfort. Ubaldo Jimenez rebounded after an ugly first year in Baltimore, but he’s still too inconsistent with his command to be a truly reliable option. Every fifth day, the Orioles scramble to find a spot starter until Miguel Gonzalez knocks on Buck Showalter’s office door to remind him that he still exists.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the diamond in the rough here could be Dylan Bundy. Bundy is out of options, so not only is he guaranteed to get his shot in the bigs this year, but he might have the longest leash in baseball. While he isn’t yet stretched out to start, he’s back to throwing 95 with a plus curve out of the bullpen in the spring, and with the makeup of this rotation, the Orioles might be forced to try Bundy in the rotation if he keeps this up. That is, if he can stay healthy. That’s the first priority, and it might be the thing that keeps him refined to the pen. How about that? The potential lifesaver might be trapped.

Yikes.

[Phantom]

The Royals won it all with the 22nd-best rotation in MLB by fWAR. The O's-so disappointing O's starters pitched more innings, had a higher K rate, a lower walk rate and accumulated more fWAR.

The O's had a higher team WAR as well. In fact, the Royals combined fWAR was lower than the Marlins and the Dbacks. So the Royals either had some sort of difficult to quantify skill, or had a lot of luck.

[DrungoHazewood]

The O's had a higher team WAR as well. In fact, the Royals combined fWAR was lower than the Marlins and the Dbacks. So the Royals either had some sort of difficult to quantify skill, or had a lot of luck.

Bullpen with +10 WPA.

[Can_of_corn]

Bullpen with +10 WPA.

That higher than the 2012 Orioles?