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After a month of reflection, I still can’t believe how bad this team was


Frobby

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I’ve had a month to step back and think about the 2018 Orioles, and looking back, I still can’t believe what an awful team they were.    Pretty much every player on the team underperformed his career norms, and the pieces just didn’t fit right at all.     Last on offense, last in pitching, horrendous on defense.   

Davis - one of the worst seasons in history but his contract kept him in the lineup.

Schoop - either terrible or hurt for three months, though he had a good July to salvage some trade value.

Beckham - hurt a lot and terrible at both 3B and SS and on offense.

Mancini - big drop from rookie year and his defense got worse too.

Jones - both speed and power were  dropping off a cliff.

Trumbo - missed 60+ games with injuries and was a defensive liability when out there.

Catchers - nobody stepped up and played well.   

Bench/backups - little offense, very spotty on defense.   

Manny - was a force offensively but a liability at SS.

Rotation - disappointing to a man.   

Bullpen - lots of injuries but the big four (Britton, Brach, O’Day and Givens) weren’t lights out even when healthy.    

Overall, I look back on it and I’m glad both Dan and Buck are gone.   They put together a team that didn’t make a lot of sense, and then got the least possible out of it.

What a disaster.   

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1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I’ve had a month to step back and think about the 2018 Orioles, and looking back, I still can’t believe what an awful team they were.    Pretty much every player on the team underperformed his career norms, and the pieces just didn’t fit right at all.     Last on offense, last in pitching, horrendous on defense.   

Davis - one of the worst seasons in history but his contract kept him in the lineup.

Schoop - either terrible or hurt for three months, though he had a good July to salvage some trade value.

Beckham - hurt a lot and terrible at both 3B and SS and on offense.

Mancini - big drop from rookie year and his defense got worse too.

Jones - both speed and power were  dropping off a cliff.

Trumbo - missed 60+ games with injuries and was a defensive liability when out there.

Catchers - nobody stepped up and played well.   

Bench/backups - little offense, very spotty on defense.   

Manny - was a force offensively but a liability at SS.

Rotation - disappointing to a man.   

Bullpen - lots of injuries but the big four (Britton, Brach, O’Day and Givens) weren’t lights out even when healthy.    

Overall, I look back on it and I’m glad both Dan and Buck are gone.   They put together a team that didn’t make a lot of sense, and then got the least possible out of it.

What a disaster.   

This stuff happens when a team falls 10 games out of the wild card by May 2nd.    

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17 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’ve had a month to step back and think about the 2018 Orioles, and looking back, I still can’t believe what an awful team they were.    Pretty much every player on the team underperformed his career norms, and the pieces just didn’t fit right at all.     Last on offense, last in pitching, horrendous on defense.   

Davis - one of the worst seasons in history but his contract kept him in the lineup.

Schoop - either terrible or hurt for three months, though he had a good July to salvage some trade value.

Beckham - hurt a lot and terrible at both 3B and SS and on offense.

Mancini - big drop from rookie year and his defense got worse too.

Jones - both speed and power were  dropping off a cliff.

Trumbo - missed 60+ games with injuries and was a defensive liability when out there.

Catchers - nobody stepped up and played well.   

Bench/backups - little offense, very spotty on defense.   

Manny - was a force offensively but a liability at SS.

Rotation - disappointing to a man.   

Bullpen - lots of injuries but the big four (Britton, Brach, O’Day and Givens) weren’t lights out even when healthy.    

Overall, I look back on it and I’m glad both Dan and Buck are gone.   They put together a team that didn’t make a lot of sense, and then got the least possible out of it.

What a disaster.   

Buck also had a pretty poor year with his decision making and the team finished a whopping eight games below their pythag.

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26 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Buck also had a pretty poor year with his decision making and the team finished a whopping eight games below their pythag.

Buck was awful this year.    I say that even though I supported just about everything Buck did over the previous 7+ seasons.   

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I think there was a lot of insight to be gained from the Britton comments that the chemistry was all wrong in that so many key players were on the last year of the their contract + Buck and even DD. When they got off to a bad start it seems they all just mailed it in knowing that their time in Baltimore was over anyway.

Funny I think the same thing is about to happen to the Ravens. After losing to the Steelers they will be all but eliminated from the playoff chase and Flacco, Jimmy Smith, Suggs, Weddle, Jefferson and possibly even Crabtree and CJ Mosley will be released before next year, as well as Harbaugh and much of his staff. Good chance they finish 6-10 and mail in most of the rest of the season.

 

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49 minutes ago, wildcard said:

This stuff happens when a team falls 10 games out for the wild card by May 2nd.    

There didn't see much effort or sense or urgency on the held-over-from-2017 players once the team got off to a bad start. I don't know how you motivate guys, many of them veterans, on a last-place team, but Buck didn't seem to know either. And I'm not the one who was getting paid to manage that team.

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35 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I'm glad it happened.  No more of this crap about hovering around .500 for a season and trying to make a run at it.  No, be so f'ing terrible that no one can ignore it and you make the trades that are a year too late to detonate this thing and hopefully build properly.

Operative word, hopefully...

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3 minutes ago, vatech1994 said:

I’ve got to be honest with all of you.  They have pretty much broken me.  I will always be an Orioles’ fan and I’ll never follow another team, but I just can’t get that excited about them anymore.  I totally agree with Frobby about Buck.  I love the guy but he was simply awful this season and pretty clearly mailed it in early.  The only option was to clean house and I agree with Tony that, even allowing for prior seasons where they just let contracts expire, I’m amazed they did nothing during the season if they knew DD & Buck were gone anyway.

I will still follow along loosely and watch along at times, but I just don’t ever see myself getting the passion back.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t feel it.

I think I will be able to tell by the end of spring training if any hope exists.  Despite the International slot debacle they could still make some smart decisions.

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3 minutes ago, vatech1994 said:

I’ve got to be honest with all of you.  They have pretty much broken me.  I will always be an Orioles’ fan and I’ll never follow another team, but I just can’t get that excited about them anymore.  I totally agree with Frobby about Buck.  I love the guy but he was simply awful this season and pretty clearly mailed it in early.  The only option was to clean house and I agree with Tony that, even allowing for prior seasons where they just let contracts expire, I’m amazed they did nothing during the season if they knew DD & Buck were gone anyway.

I will still follow along loosely and watch along at times, but I just don’t ever see myself getting the passion back.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t feel it.

Never?    That’s a long time.   But I expect to be ramped down until at least some great player comes along.  

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10 minutes ago, vatech1994 said:

I’ve got to be honest with all of you.  They have pretty much broken me.  I will always be an Orioles’ fan and I’ll never follow another team, but I just can’t get that excited about them anymore.  I totally agree with Frobby about Buck.  I love the guy but he was simply awful this season and pretty clearly mailed it in early.  The only option was to clean house and I agree with Tony that, even allowing for prior seasons where they just let contracts expire, I’m amazed they did nothing during the season if they knew DD & Buck were gone anyway.

I will still follow along loosely and watch along at times, but I just don’t ever see myself getting the passion back.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t feel it.

I'll go to a lot of minor league games...

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42 minutes ago, vatech1994 said:

I’ve got to be honest with all of you.  They have pretty much broken me.  I will always be an Orioles’ fan and I’ll never follow another team, but I just can’t get that excited about them anymore.  I totally agree with Frobby about Buck.  I love the guy but he was simply awful this season and pretty clearly mailed it in early.  The only option was to clean house and I agree with Tony that, even allowing for prior seasons where they just let contracts expire, I’m amazed they did nothing during the season if they knew DD & Buck were gone anyway.

I will still follow along loosely and watch along at times, but I just don’t ever see myself getting the passion back.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t feel it.

The Os awfulness, combined with terrible management, 35 seasons of pennant-less baseball and yet another Red Sox championship really did some damage for me.  

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