Orioles hire Mike Elias as Executive Vice President and GM

[weams]

22 minutes ago, bobmc said:

Alright alright!  Could we please get back to the "Trey Mancini sucks" vibe?  I am so sick of all of this positivity!  

Trey is an elite athlete. One of the 500 batters that can play the game and do the single hardest thing in sport, hit a baseball. He does it at an advanced age for someone relatively new to the league and has not yet shown that he can play any position at the MLB level. Nice fellow. Good to have around, probably not much value. 

[bobmc]

17 minutes ago, weams said:

Trey is an elite athlete. One of the 500 batters that can play the game and do the single hardest thing in sport, hit a baseball. He does it at an advanced age for someone relatively new to the league and has not yet shown that he can play any position at the MLB level. Nice fellow. Good to have around, probably not much value. 

Thank you Michael!  Now let's pour it on!  My take - Mike and Sid will tweak the heck out of that glove and get more "want to" out of that Fightin' Irish leprechaun spirit.  You will see!  

And now back to the Mike and Sid glory fest!

 

[Camden_yardbird]

So how is his name pronounced?

Like the sports bureau or the hockey player.

[wildcard]

37 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

So how is his name pronounced?

Like the sports bureau or the hockey player.

E-lie-us

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

E-lie-us

Hahaha, great, the Orioles hired a GM and if you phonetically spell his last name it includes what he's gonna do to us.

[weams]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

Hahaha, great, the Orioles hired a GM and if you phonetically spell his last name it includes what he's gonna do to us.

The Orioles won't Lie-Us if they continue to keep everything secret!

[mdbdotcom]

33 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Hahaha, great, the Orioles hired a GM and if you phonetically spell his last name it includes what he's gonna do to us.

Just like George Steinbrenner said, "I-rob-you, I-rob-you."

[25 Nuggets]

Surprisingly good hire.  I'm now ready to join in the conversation about the off season.

First off, I am hoping that Elias announces Sig Mejdal's hire Monday at the presser.  But it doesn't have to be then.

[scOtt]

6 hours ago, weams said:

Trey is an elite athlete. One of the 500 batters that can play the game and do the single hardest thing in sport, hit a baseball. He does it at an advanced age for someone relatively new to the league and has not yet shown that he can play any position at the MLB level. Nice fellow. Good to have around, probably not much value. 

I disagree! In baseball you have to hit the ball 350-400 feet in a 90^o arc. In golf the ball is stationary but you have to hit it twice as far in a 2-3^o arc. Much harder.

[scOtt]

1 hour ago, 25 Nuggets said:

Surprisingly good hire.  I'm now ready to join in the conversation about the off season.

First off, I am hoping that Elias announces Sig Mejdal's hire Monday at the presser.  But it doesn't have to be then.

Seriously, that is possible. Might mention him at least.

[Tony-OH]

7 hours ago, weams said:

So. I'll be a bit windy here. Caleb is obviously one of the most media friendly folks you will ever meet. To my current knowledge, the only two people with 2019 Orioles baseball operations contracts are Kents Qualls and Mike Elias. This may change on Monday or have been changed and we are all unaware. Including Roch. 

Roch has guys, just like most local reporters. Caleb is not indefensible as our own esteemed Publisher could write a piece defending his retention quite well. To mention supporters in the organization would only be relevant if it were Qualls at this point.

Do I expect several of the current staff to be offered a new contract under Mike Elias' total baseball ops control? Yes.

Catching is in short supply. Caleb might have a job whether tendered or not. 

I personally would not tender him and after the rule five draft if he is still homeless sign him to an Milb with invite.

Does it matter for the 2019 Orioles? Not one single bit. And that alone might be reason enough to love him. And set him free. 

 

As you know, Caleb Joseph is probably my favorite player ever to cover. I think he's a future manager and will end up a star in his next line of work whether that be as a manager /coach or as a commentator. Saying that, from a purely baseball standpoint, he probably should not be tendered though I would try to resign him to compete for a spot next year.

[Babkins]

7 hours ago, weams said:

Trey is an elite athlete. One of the 500 batters that can play the game and do the single hardest thing in sport, hit a baseball. He does it at an advanced age for someone relatively new to the league and has not yet shown that he can play any position at the MLB level. Nice fellow. Good to have around, probably not much value. 

 

1 hour ago, scOtt said:

I disagree! In baseball you have to hit the ball 350-400 feet in a 90^o arc. In golf the ball is stationary but you have to hit it twice as far in a 2-3^o arc. Much harder.

I’m pretty sure that the guy who free-soloed El Capitan would be tickled at the idea that the hardest thing to do in sports has anything to do with baseball or golf.

[FastEddie]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what would be the best way to get his autograph?

Did Dan ever do signings at FanFest?

[atomic]

1 hour ago, scOtt said:

I disagree! In baseball you have to hit the ball 350-400 feet in a 90^o arc. In golf the ball is stationary but you have to hit it twice as far in a 2-3^o arc. Much harder.

 

7 hours ago, weams said:

Trey is an elite athlete. One of the 500 batters that can play the game and do the single hardest thing in sport, hit a baseball. He does it at an advanced age for someone relatively new to the league and has not yet shown that he can play any position at the MLB level. Nice fellow. Good to have around, probably not much value. 

I don't get that hitting a baseball is hardest thing to do in sports.  Tons of little kids can hit a baseball. How many people can do a quad loop in figure skating or triple backflip on a motorcycle or can climb k2.  

[luismatos4prez]

Keith Law on hiring Mike Elias:

Quote

Really strong choice, especially with Mejdal coming along to build their analytics department (which I think had nobody left?).

Keith Law on Mike Elias's plan:

Quote

 Elias’ first order of business is going to be rebuilding the organization’s staff. Player development has been bad for years. They’ve barely done anything internationally for a decade. The amateur side has fared better, but they’ve also lost a lot of staff in the turnover, even firing some guys within the last two weeks, which I think is totally bizarre (at that point, just wait for the new GM to come in). And they need a manager. Those decisions will have as much or more of a lasting impact on the future of the franchise as any trade Elias might make this winter.