ATTN: 2 P.M. AMA (Ask Mike Anything)

[weams]

5 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

AOL baby!

orioles-official

·
just now
Asking five questions at once is a good technique to hog a chat, but it's ok, I'll go ahead and answer all five (briefly):

1) our small but growing digital team

2) analytics (meaning data + analysis) when done and communicated properly, can help all players

3) you can't always sign every player you want; there are other teams trying to. We will do our best to monetize the remaining international funds that we have for 2018.

4) developing pitching is the toughest thing to do; we've had a lot of success recently in Houston, and without giving away our approach on the internet, I will say that I hope I learned enough to bring some of those lessons here

5) we will sic our newly-expanded analytics group on the pie question as soon as they're up and running

[murph]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Probably looking for another one of those free trial cds.

What, on one else used Prodigy?  Yea, probably not.  

 

Looks like he has answered two questions as far as I can tell. 

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, murph said:

What, on one else used Prodigy?  Yea, probably not.  

 

Looks like he has answered two questions as far as I can tell. 

I didn't want to risk anyone posting Firestarter.

[TonySoprano]

Quote

jwseagles

 

28 points·59 minutes ago

Welcome to Baltimore, Mike!

1. Whose idea was the AMA? This is a huge step forward in the name of transparency.

2. you mentioned Chris Davis in the presser... do you find that analytics can help someone that simply doesn't appear to be seeing the ball? Can never tell if it's mechanics causing these issues or mental.

3. as you are aware, the Orioles really missed out on the international market this year (i.e. victor victor, gaston, etc). Are there still plenty of, for lack of better word, cheaper options that the orioles can still take advantage of in this current period?

4. Pitching development...how do you plan to fix it?

5. Will you bring the pies back

orioles-official

 

8 points·3 minutes ago

Asking five questions at once is a good technique to hog a chat, but it's ok, I'll go ahead and answer all five (briefly):

 

1. our small but growing digital team

2. analytics (meaning data + analysis) when done and communicated properly, can help all players

3. you can't always sign every player you want; there are other teams trying to. We will do our best to monetize the remaining international funds that we have for 2018.

4. developing pitching is the toughest thing to do; we've had a lot of success recently in Houston, and without giving away our approach on the internet, I will say that I hope I learned enough to bring some of those lessons here

5. we will sic our newly-expanded analytics group on the pie question as soon as they're up and running

 

HAH, the dude has a sense of humor.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, TonySoprano said:

HAH, the dude has a sense of humor.

Can't do an AMA without one.

[weams]

Official Account
orioles-official
2 points
·
1 minute ago
We are focusing on a lot of things right now. There are typical offseason milestones happening where we need to make decisions on our roster and players we may be looking to add to the organization. I am leaning hard on our Baseball Operations staff, who know our players better than I do, to spearhead these efforts. Other priorities for us are in the space of hiring -- particularly in the spaces of analytics, international scouting, and of course the manager's chair. We'll tackle all of these things all at once.

[murph]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I didn't want to risk anyone posting Firestarter.

Uh...I had that album! 

Glad to see Mike does have a sense of humor.   This is a breathe of fresh air. 

[weams]

bird1214

 

9 points·39 minutes ago

If you could draft one Orioles Hall of Famer as an 18 year old prospect (Palmer, Cal, Eddie, Brooks, or Frank) to build a team around, who would you pick, and why?

 

level 2

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orioles-official

 

2 points·2 minutes ago

As a scouting director, I'd happily put my name on any of those picks! But I have to say, I am always biased towards infielders!

 

[murph]

3 minutes ago, weams said:

Official Account
orioles-official
2 points
·
1 minute ago
We are focusing on a lot of things right now. There are typical offseason milestones happening where we need to make decisions on our roster and players we may be looking to add to the organization. I am leaning hard on our Baseball Operations staff, who know our players better than I do, to spearhead these efforts. Other priorities for us are in the space of hiring -- particularly in the spaces of analytics, international scouting, and of course the manager's chair. We'll tackle all of these things all at once.

Brady reference?

[weams]

Just now, murph said:

Brady reference?

Staff.

[weams]

Congratulations, Mr. Elias, and welcome to Birdland! What are your thoughts on next year's draft and are there any prospects we should be aware of going into it? I keep hearing Bobby Witt, Jr. as the potential #1 overall pick.

 

level 2

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orioles-official

 

2 points·just now

I think it will be a good crop this year and I can tell you, we will do very well with this pick. I'm familiar with the candidates already from my time in Houston, but I'm looking forward to focusing on them more closely this winter and this spring with the Orioles' scouts. We are going to keep an open mind, look at several candidates for the pick, and gather as much information as possible about them up until the buzzer rings. I will say that the final decision won't be made until right before the pick, because that's just how it's done!

[murph]

3 minutes ago, weams said:

Congratulations, Mr. Elias, and welcome to Birdland! What are your thoughts on next year's draft and are there any prospects we should be aware of going into it? I keep hearing Bobby Witt, Jr. as the potential #1 overall pick.

 

level 2

Official Account

orioles-official

 

2 points·just now

I think it will be a good crop this year and I can tell you, we will do very well with this pick. I'm familiar with the candidates already from my time in Houston, but I'm looking forward to focusing on them more closely this winter and this spring with the Orioles' scouts. We are going to keep an open mind, look at several candidates for the pick, and gather as much information as possible about them up until the buzzer rings. I will say that the final decision won't be made until right before the pick, because that's just how it's done!

@Weams  thanks for posting the answers, not sure about anyone else, but I was having a difficult time finding the questions he is actually answering.

[wildbillhiccup]

2 minutes ago, murph said:

@Weams  thanks for posting the answers, not sure about anyone else, but I was having a difficult time finding the questions he is actually answering.

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[weams]

ChugDix

 

5 points·56 minutes ago

What's it like to make a trade? Do you take all of the phone calls from other GM's? Do you have other employees that take calls if you're getting too many?

 

 

 

level 2

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orioles-official

 

3 points·2 minutes ago

I think it's probably the way you are imagining it is. There is a lot of constant ongoing dialogue and communication among the 30 front offices, 99% of which never leads to anything. Definitely the members of a GM's staff, particularly Assistant GM's, Pro Scouting Directors, and Directors of Baseball Operations, do a lot of the info-gathering in the form of calls, texts and emails. How the actual trigger is pulled depends a lot what time of year it is. When it's the winter time, it's a slower process involving a lot of leisurely and careful conversations between both sides. When it's right at the deadline, it can be pretty crazy.

[weams]

Tony Batista stole my batting stance

kylemsweethockey

 

4 points·1 hour ago

Welcome to Baltimore, Mike! Only one question - what as fans can we do to help this organization grow and succeed?

 

 

level 2

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orioles-official

 

1 point·just now

Thank you for your support, first of all. It means a lot to the players and all of us, and directly impacts our team's success. I think it's going to be fun for fans to get to know, and invest themselves in, the careers of all the young players who are here and the many more we will be adding to this organization. This is a special time where the level of access and intimacy to these players is something to be taken advantage of as a fan. I would also encourage you to visit our minor league affiliates, as well as Camden Yards, to follow these guys and get to know them before they arrive. It is a HUGE advantage for us that basically all of our affiliates are an easy drive from Baltimore!