So What is the Plan for Starting Pitching?

[Frobby]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't necessarily hate the move, it's just...when this team does so many things wrong, it's hard to look at that and take them seriously.

It’s a long shot at best.   Worked for Givens, I guess.    I’d say his odds of making the majors as a pitcher are under 10%.

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Frobby said:

It’s a long shot at best.   Worked for Givens, I guess.    I’d say his odds of making the majors as a pitcher are under 10%.

Agreed.

IIRC, Givens did have pitching experience in high school.  Not like he was a complete stranger to it.  Not sure about Alvarez.

Anyway, headed into New Years and there's still big holes and question marks in the rotation.  

[sportsfan8703]

I see that MLBTR just changed their prediction for Lynn’s contract to 4/60 million. That’s only 8 million more than we gave Ubaldo. He did have TJ surgery in 2016, so the physical might be a hold up, but I think shoulders have been the bigger issue with PA. 

The slow market is working in our favor. Not that I’m sure that DD is going to do something big, just that we’re not at the point of desperation already. I guess it’s going to be a busy January. 

[Frobby]

6 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Agreed.

IIRC, Givens did have pitching experience in high school.  Not like he was a complete stranger to it.  Not sure about Alvarez.

Anyway, headed into New Years and there's still big holes and question marks in the rotation.  

Alvarez pitched in Cuba, 32.1 IP to an ERA of 3.62 sprinkled over 3 seasons at ages 17-20.    You must have been taking an OH hiatus when the O’s announced they were converting him to a pitcher last spring; there was discussion of his pitching experience and stats, what pitches he threw, etc.   Here’s a thread on it (there were several): 

 

[o'sfansince1970]

Great Scott! The Os have reached the point of converting position players to pitching. You know things are desperate. What is Conseco doing these days?

[Luke-OH]

1 minute ago, o'sfansince1970 said:

Great Scott! The Os have reached the point of converting position players to pitching. You know things are desperate. What is Conseco doing these days?

Hey, it worked with Givens.  Remember he was drafted as a SS and played in the O's system at SS for 3 seasons before being converted.  Dariel Alvarez is obviously a long shot but he has thrown in the upper 90s and he didn't look like he was going to hit enough to be more than a AAA depth piece in the OF.

Alvarez's conversion has nothing to do with the search for starting pitching, he'll be in the minors when he's healthy enough to pitch and he'll most likely be a reliever if he does thrive in the new role.

[o'sfansince1970]

I hear you on that. It is frustrating to see the 2 headed monster up the road outsmart the Os to this degree. It truly seems like an ownership change is a must before any real progress can be made.

[Lucky_13]

Rockies just signed Wade Davis for 17 million a year. 

Gotta think that Brach making 5 million can get you a good starting pitcher. 

[Luke-OH]

6 minutes ago, Lucky_13 said:

Rockies just signed Wade Davis for 17 million a year. 

Gotta think that Brach making 5 million can get you a good starting pitcher prospect. 

Fixed it for ya.  While Brach has been nearly as good as Davis the last two seasons, Davis offers an upside that Brach doesn't really have.  I also think that's an overpay for Wade Davis.

[Can_of_corn]

3 hours ago, phillyOs119 said:

Hey, it worked with Givens.  Remember he was drafted as a SS and played in the O's system at SS for 3 seasons before being converted.  Dariel Alvarez is obviously a long shot but he has thrown in the upper 90s and he didn't look like he was going to hit enough to be more than a AAA depth piece in the OF.

Alvarez's conversion has nothing to do with the search for starting pitching, he'll be in the minors when he's healthy enough to pitch and he'll most likely be a reliever if he does thrive in the new role.

Some teams had Givens pegged as a bullpen arm on draft day.

[Luke-OH]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Some teams had Givens pegged as a bullpen arm on draft day.

Yes, I was just pointing out that he was solely a position player for multiple years.  

[oriole]

So I was reading the mlbtraderumors chat transcript from this morning (or yesterday? Don't know/care) and the guy hosting the chat predicted our rotation to be Bundy, Gausman, Cashner, Holland, Castro. That sounds realistic but does anyone else feel like the FO can't be that stupid to think that is a rotation within striking distance of even possibly competing in the AL East right now? I know it's just one guys prediction but it seems like the type of moves this team would make at this point and it just makes me depressed. Maybe it's the weather but that rotation could possibly beat last years claim to the worst in O's history.

[Redskins Rick]

On 12/29/2017 at 12:27 PM, Can_of_corn said:

Some teams had Givens pegged as a bullpen arm on draft day.

He was drafted as a 2 way prospect, so that would lead me to believe that the entire MLB knew he might be either a position player or pitcher.

Quote

When the Orioles drafted Mychal Givens in the second round of the 2009 first-year player draft, he was a two-way prospect who owned a high-90s fastball as a pitcher.

 

[Redskins Rick]

7 minutes ago, oriole said:

So I was reading the mlbtraderumors chat transcript from this morning (or yesterday? Don't know/care) and the guy hosting the chat predicted our rotation to be Bundy, Gausman, Cashner, Holland, Castro. That sounds realistic but does anyone else feel like the FO can't be that stupid to think that is a rotation within striking distance of even possibly competing in the AL East right now? I know it's just one guys prediction but it seems like the type of moves this team would make at this point and it just makes me depressed. Maybe it's the weather but that rotation could possibly beat last years claim to the worst in O's history.

Bundy and Gausman both fared well last year pitching against the AL east.

 

[Yardball85]

13 minutes ago, oriole said:

So I was reading the mlbtraderumors chat transcript from this morning (or yesterday? Don't know/care) and the guy hosting the chat predicted our rotation to be Bundy, Gausman, Cashner, Holland, Castro. That sounds realistic but does anyone else feel like the FO can't be that stupid to think that is a rotation within striking distance of even possibly competing in the AL East right now? I know it's just one guys prediction but it seems like the type of moves this team would make at this point and it just makes me depressed. Maybe it's the weather but that rotation could possibly beat last years claim to the worst in O's history.

That would be awful.  If they patched together that rotation and didn't trade Manny thinking they would go for it... well, it would be about what I expect from this organization.