Accountability

[Frobby]

Frobby....do you want to see this team make the playoffs? What part of this inspires you to believe that we can make an impact?

Sure I want this team to make the playoffs! I am not sure I understand your second question -- if you are asking what makes me think the O's could have a deep run in the playoffs, my answer is because the nature of baseball is that it is unpredictable. We are 5-1 against Cleveland, 3-4 against Texas, 8-10 vs. Boston, 7-9 against Toronto. Why would I think we couldn't beat any of those teams in a short series (or in a single game)? I'd rather have a shot than not have it.

[big_sparxx]

Sure I want this team to make the playoffs! I am not sure I understand your second question -- if you are asking what makes me think the O's could have a deep run in the playoffs, my answer is because the nature of baseball is that it is unpredictable. We are 5-1 against Cleveland, 3-4 against Texas, 8-10 vs. Boston, 7-9 against Toronto. Why would I think we couldn't beat any of those teams in a short series (or in a single game)? I'd rather have a shot than not have it.

I love the optimist in you, but the clock is running out. There is nothing left in this team that makes me think that they have the steam for a playoff run. After what should have been an inspiring road trip to come home and split with the Rays, and then get handled easily with horrible play and decision making, I think this team has shown it's best and left us wanting. I pray you're right and I'm wrong, but this is not April, we do not have the time to recover. Do you think we'll sweep Arizona and win the Jays and Yanks series on the road? I just don't see it, but please, make me believe. Seduce me one more time.

[Going Underground]

Sure I want this team to make the playoffs! I am not sure I understand your second question -- if you are asking what makes me think the O's could have a deep run in the playoffs, my answer is because the nature of baseball is that it is unpredictable. We are 5-1 against Cleveland, 3-4 against Texas, 8-10 vs. Boston, 7-9 against Toronto. Why would I think we couldn't beat any of those teams in a short series (or in a single game)? I'd rather have a shot than not have it.

You never know. Article is from 2014 but same trends.

Since the arrival of wild cards in baseball (and a three-tiered playoff system) in 1995, more teams that had the best record in their league have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round (14) than have made it to the World Series (13). The Nats and Washington know all about this since it happened to them in 2012. That wasn’t an anomaly. It was simply the unavoidable cruelty of October baseball.

Since ’95, there have been 38 teams with their league’s best record. What’s it worth? In the first round, quite a bit. The No. 1 seeds have a 24-14 record in division series — a rare lopsided number in baseball. After that, you might as well flip coins to pick a favorite. In league championship series, those “top seeds” have gone 13-11. And when they’ve reached the World Series, they were 7-6.

An even meaner trend has emerged in the NL in this century. I can’t explain it. It may be temporary. Of the 14 teams since 2000 that had the NL’s best record, none — that’s n-o-n-e — won the World Series and only two of those “best” teams even got there. In fact, seven of them were knocked out instantly in the five-game division series, where small-sample luck plays the largest role. These 14 teams were exceptional clubs that won an average of 97.9 games, more than the Nats (91-64 entering Tuesday) likely will.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals-close-to-securing-nls-top-seed-but-that-matters-little-when-october-arrives/2014/09/23/59b5e05a-4364-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html

[TouchemAll]

The die was cast for this team with the rotation we fielded, and in all honesty if Gausman and Bundy had not stepped up like they did it would be worse right now.

Sure I want to win it all just as bad as anybody else, I think this team might have actually over achieved with the pitching staff we trotted out. The offense carried this team in the 1st half when that fizzled in the 2nd half you get a just barely .500 club.

A wild card spot is right there for the taking LETS GO O's :thumbsup1:

[Babypowder]

KG is finally turning the corner. Trumbo has been amazing, and Alvarez is like a better version of Jimmy Parades.

I myself am not "amazed" by a 117 wRC+ that when coupled with horrid defense presents a 1-1.5 win player. He's been close to a league average player, that's not amazing.

Home runs are great. Home runs as a players only skill? Not so much.

[Frobby]

I love the optimist in you, but the clock is running out. There is nothing left in this team that makes me think that they have the steam for a playoff run. After what should have been an inspiring road trip to come home and split with the Rays, and then get handled easily with horrible play and decision making, I think this team has shown it's best and left us wanting. I pray you're right and I'm wrong, but this is not April, we do not have the time to recover. Do you think we'll sweep Arizona and win the Jays and Yanks series on the road? I just don't see it, but please, make me believe. Seduce me one more time.

Do you think we need to sweep Arizona and win the two road series in order to make the playoffs? I'm not sure we need to do that. But first, let's see what happens tonight. We know Price will be tough, and we have to hope Tillman will come up big.

In any event, I do not consider myself an optimist. I don't know if we will win enough games to make the playoffs or not. I simply don't write off the possibility. BP rates our chances at 41.8% -- that's a long way from zero.

[24fps]

I would imagine it will normal fall guys...pitching or hitting coach. I understand that it's an issue of talent and team make up but I don't see Dan answering for anything. If anything I could see a very quick degradation of the Dan/ Buck relationship. Dan got OBP and Buck refused to play it.

Dan will answer the phone when other teams call, and they will once they're allowed to. Dan will answer reporter's questions about 10 years in Siberia only to return and lead a laughing-stock organization to 5 consecutive .500 seasons or better. I'm sure there are many things Dan will be happy to answer to. I doubt he will answer any questions about the real obstacles in his way though, which is a pity. That's an interview I would pay to see.

[Frobby]

I myself am not "amazed" by a 117 wRC+ that when coupled with horrid defense presents a 1-1.5 win player. He's been close to a league average player, that's not amazing.

Home runs are great. Home runs as a players only skill? Not so much.

You have to give Trumbo credit for having been very clutch this year, aside from the homers. Take a look at his numbers with runners on base or in scoring position -- they are the best on the team.

[Babypowder]

You have to give Trumbo credit for having been very clutch this year, aside from the homers. Take a look at his numbers with runners on base or in scoring position -- they are the best on the team.

As someone who believes that's not a real skill, I don't put much stock in that.

[24fps]

This is unacceptable. Let's fire everyone and go back to a decade of losing seasons.

Completely unacceptable. Winning is so overrated. Truly discerning fans care only about how teams are built. How else do you explain demands for accountability when a team is in the thick of a post season race in late September?

[Aristotelian]

You have to give Trumbo credit for having been very clutch this year, aside from the homers. Take a look at his numbers with runners on base or in scoring position -- they are the best on the team.

Trumbo has zero sac flies, .270/.821 in 2 out/RISP, .203/.618 Late & Close, .258/.791 high leverage. I am not seeing huge clutch stats. Anyway, I thought "clutch" was a meaningless number with no statistical validity.

[DrungoHazewood]

I myself am not "amazed" by a 117 wRC+ that when coupled with horrid defense presents a 1-1.5 win player. He's been close to a league average player, that's not amazing.

Home runs are great. Home runs as a players only skill? Not so much.

What's your guess on his new contract? I think someone gives him 4/65. My simple contract estimator has him worth 2/10. Trumbo might be even more of a litmus test for me than not signing Cruz. To me the Cruz contract was borderline unjustifiable by any reasonable assumptions. I can't see justifying what I assume Trumbo will get even with the most optimistic scenarios.

[DrungoHazewood]

You have to give Trumbo credit for having been very clutch this year, aside from the homers. Take a look at his numbers with runners on base or in scoring position -- they are the best on the team.

As someone who believes that's not a real skill, I don't put much stock in that.

In his career Trumbo has a .708 OPS in late/close situations, and a .766 with two outs and runners in scoring position. Maybe it took a while for his veteranosity to translate into clutchiness. His performance can only go up as he goes deeper into his 30s!

[eddie83]

As someone who believes that's not a real skill, I don't put much stock in that.

It may not be a skill but it still happened.

[Frobby]

As someone who believes that's not a real skill, I don't put much stock in that.

It doesn't matter if it is a skill. We are discussing how he has performed this year, not how he might perform in the future.