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

[TonySoprano]

34 minutes ago, weams said:

By the way.  Orioles-Official was an account Monica used. 

Here's a shortcut to all the questions he answered
https://www.reddit.com/user/orioles-official
 

This could be my favorite
 

Quote

SigurdsSilverSword

Hello Mr. Elias, it's pretty cool to potentially talk to a GM. First question, what would you say is the least-understood part about baseball (and talent acquisition in it) today?

Second question, would you rather fight a hundred duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?

orioles-official

9 points·43 minutes ago

With everything going on today, what gets lost is how good, and how intelligent, today's players are to be able to compete at the level they do and moreso to implement and execute all this new information they are given. It is truly impressive when you see what these guys do up close.

I am thinking in terms of fighting a T-Rex versus a hundred raptors, and am more scared of the raptors, so I'll go with the horse-sized duck.

I like this guy.   

[SteveA]

Just now, Frobby said:

Great answer!

I agree.   And as I read all his answers, I get no sense that he is doing anything but answering the question honestly.   There is no sense that an answer is being "crafted" to send a particular message that he wants us to hear which was always the case with Duquette.    And there is none of the Showalterian evading the question by answering something totally different and being folksy and engaging while doing so, so people are so charmed they forget you completely ducked the question.

 

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, SteveA said:

I agree.   And as I read all his answers, I get no sense that he is doing anything but answering the question honestly.   There is no sense that an answer is being "crafted" to send a particular message that he wants us to hear which was always the case with Duquette.    And there is none of the Showalterian evading the question by answering something totally different and being folksy and engaging while doing so, so people are so charmed they forget you completely ducked the question.

 

He clearly has a sense of humor and is more of a “regular guy” than Duquette.    Of course it’s typical for a new GM to be very accessible to the media for a few days after he’s hired, but hopefully Elias will continue to be in dialogue with the media and the fans.

I hadn’t planned to go to Fanfest this offseason, but now I think I may go just to hear what Elias has to say.   

[bobmc]

1 hour ago, weams said:

He won't say how long his contract is for. 

He has (wait for it) a "blank check"!  

[Moose Milligan]

Gotta love the honeymoon.  

[interloper]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

He clearly has a sense of humor and is more of a “regular guy” than Duquette.    Of course it’s typical for a new GM to be very accessible to the media for a few days after he’s hired, but hopefully Elias will continue to be in dialogue with the media and the fans.

I hadn’t planned to go to Fanfest this offseason, but now I think I may go just to hear what Elias has to say.   

What I like is that he doesn't talk to the fans like we're all idiots. At times I felt Duquette would give us false answers that sounded more "accessible baseball"-y than what the real answer was. As a result it made him sound kind of dumb, when in reality I believe he was overcompensating on our behalf. 

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, weams said:

Welcome to the O's Mike!

Between the Os and the Astros, is there any truth to the rumor I'm starting right now that Orange is your favorite color and a major factor why you signed with Baltimore?

 

level 2

Official Account

orioles-official

 

1 point·1 minute ago

I have amassed a vast and expensive Orange tie collection, and to be able to recycle those ties was a huge factor in coming over.

That's a great answer! A love that he has a sense of humor!

 

[Number5]

1 hour ago, weams said:

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

Official Account

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!

 

 

1 hour 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!

Maybe his answer to the first question inadvertently answers the second question.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Going Underground said:

Is Greg Bader staying with the team? Dealt with him twice and his communication was severely lacking.

I don't know what the situation was, but Greg Bader has always been a great communicator when he has the ability to make something happen. He was hamstrung a lot in the past. He was at the conference today and see no reason why he would not continue. Personally I think Bader does a fantastic job, even if he doesn't advertise with us any longer.   

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

That's a great answer! A love that he has a sense of humor!

 

I'm guessing someone gifts him an orange tie at Fanfest.

[Tony-OH]

47 minutes ago, TonySoprano said:

Here's a shortcut to all the questions he answered
https://www.reddit.com/user/orioles-official
 

This could be my favorite
 

I like this guy.   

Me too! 

[weams]

8 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I don't know what the situation was, but Greg Bader has always been a great communicator when he has the ability to make something happen. He was hamstrung a lot in the past. He was at the conference today and see no reason why he would not continue. Personally I think Bader does a fantastic job, even if he doesn't advertise with us any longer.   

Indeed. I wish he did. I blame it on all the "come-latelys" myself. 

[tntoriole]

This was a marvelous first day of the Mike Elias era!  And this type of confident and transparent marketing is exactly what many of us have wanted for years...just someone to talk baseball straight up with us fans!  Very positive today!  

[Emory Eagle]

Very good hire, excited for the future. It's going to be a long road to contention, but at least we're now traveling in the right direction. 

[25 Nuggets]

This was a shrewd first move after the presser.  It announces to the fans and the press that this will be a more modern regime, up with the times.  Can we confirm this was actually Elias answering and not a "shadow typer"?