Orioles as WC - NY Times

[Pat Kelly]

The NY Times predicts the Orioles will get one of two WCs.  Strongest argument in favor - Offense is still good, team contented late into last season despite giving over 300 innings to Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez.  Cashner and Cobb provide a significant upgrade over those two. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/sports/baseball/american-league-preview.html

 

 

 

[OFFNY]

16 minutes ago, Pat Kelly said:

 

The New York Times predicts that the Orioles will get one of two AL Wildcard berths. The strongest argument in favor ........ the offense is still good, and the team contented late into last season despite giving over 300 innings to Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez. Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb provide a significant upgrade over those two. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/sports/baseball/american-league-preview.html

 

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I like this picture, which was part of the article.

 

 

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[Frobby]

It wouldn't be the craziest thing that's ever happened in baseball.     But that sounds to me like a NY sportswriter dissing the Red Sox.

[Pat Kelly]

Would normally agree but the writer Tyler Kepner is the NYT national baseball writer, grew up in Philly, has covered the Yankees and the Mets and previously the Angels and Mariners...he is no Andrew Marchand or a typical NY-based /NY centric reporter.  Was quite surprised to see this. 

[Sanfran327]

With the addition of Cobb and Cashner, this is a good, well-rounded team. We're not the best in anything, except perhaps sockin' dingers, but we are now competent at every level. I expect us to be in it to the end, and, like most of us, I was not saying that a month ago.

[jamalshw]

I still remember hearing Kepner pick the Twins as a wild card team on MLB Network in 2016 against most of the rest of the media. Meanwhile, Minnesota went 59-103. Of course, it was a bit of a blip on the screen given the team's surprising 2015 and surprising 2017, but a wild card pick by Kepner still feels like more of a curse than a blessing.

[Frobby]

42 minutes ago, Sanfran327 said:

With the addition of Cobb and Cashner, this is a good, well-rounded team. We're not the best in anything, except perhaps sockin' dingers, but we are now competent at every level. I expect us to be in it to the end, and, like most of us, I was not saying that a month ago.

Fangraphs still rates our rotation as 27th/30.    https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-positional-power-rankings-starting-rotation-16-30/

Of course, they’re all about the strikeouts.    

[tntoriole]

2 hours ago, Pat Kelly said:

Would normally agree but the writer Tyler Kepner is the NYT national baseball writer, grew up in Philly, has covered the Yankees and the Mets and previously the Angels and Mariners...he is no Andrew Marchand or a typical NY-based /NY centric reporter.  Was quite surprised to see this. 

Except he doesn’t even mention the Red Sox in his rundown of the AL East...did they get traded to the NL?  lol.  

[25 Nuggets]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Fangraphs still rates our rotation as 27th/30.    https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-positional-power-rankings-starting-rotation-16-30/

Of course, they’re all about the strikeouts.    

I can certainly see the rotation in the bottom third, and that would still be a massive improvement over last year.

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, 25 Nuggets said:

I can certainly see the rotation in the bottom third, and that would still be a massive improvement over last year.

Yes, it would.    Our 2016 rotation was 13th in the AL in ERA and was 0.98 runs/9 better than than the 2017 staff.