Maybe we are better than we think.

[LookinUp]

Someone will start the poll here. I'd wager that you're on the high side in picking win totals. I'm at like 57, personally. I definitely expect 100 losses, though I'd love to be wrong.

[hoosiers]

1 hour ago, Philip said:

Is it too soon to start picking win totals? I’m voting for between 65 and 70, but bear in mind that true improvement is not incremental, but transformative. On a scale of 1 to 100, you don’t go from 3 to 5 to 7 to 9, you go from 3 to 5 to 7 to 50, because one thing you have changed has made a tremendous difference.

The change we’ve made is to get rid of the idiots, whoever they were, who were making really unjustifiable decisions. Last year we started the season with what, four designated hitters on the roster? But no utility infielder? We had so little depth at pitching we didn’t even have four reliable starters. Just getting rid of the guys who thought those were all good ideas makes a huge difference.

 In one sense, we are only getting back to zero, but remember that subtracting negatives is initially more important than adding positives. 

So I am hopeful about the future, but I’m also hopeful about this season, because there was so much Bad, and we have subtracted all of it.

The end of a "go for it" period can often be ugly - the Os are no exception.  The cleaning house that occurs in rebuilds often starts with a "back to basics" approach.  What is going on now (and really started at last year's trade deadline) was always going to happen for the Orioles.  The questions were always WHEN the rebuild would start and WHO would be in charge. 

Considering how difficult it was to find a GM in our last search, I think our ownership hit a home run with this hire.  Our new GM is making massive improvements in technology, analytics and scouting.  Our GM has said he is used to presiding over a top 5 or 10 farm system.  It will be interesting to see how fast we get there with 2021 as a realistic probability and OD 2022 as a near certainty IMO.

The topic of this thread suggests the talent base (Harvey, Kremer, Akin, Lowther, Ortiz, Hall and GrayRod at least on the pitching side and Diaz, Hays, Mullins, Sisco, McKenna and our Rule V guys on the hitting side) could make the Os better than expected in the short term (and perhaps the long term).  I would agree with that - there is more talent at the upper levels of our farm system than given by the national media that could hasten the arrival of our next competitive - perhaps 2022 - team.

[bpilktree]

18 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

It is more than just the injuries, he didn't look good in 2017 when he got called up.

He had about 2 and half weeks of playing time.  He hit .294 the first 10 games in the majors and then really struggled for the final week.  It's not like he was up for a couple months he had 18 games.  If we are going to take a handful of major league games then Kyle tucker should be knocked down as he really struggled with his cup of tea.  They still had him in the top 50 to some top 20 after the 2017 season and his break out season in the minors and the few at bats he had in the majors.  

[LookinUp]

25 minutes ago, hoosiers said:

I would agree with that - there is more talent at the upper levels of our farm system than given by the national media that could hasten the arrival of our next competitive - perhaps 2022 - team.

Not sure I agree, as phrased. If the talent toward the top really is good, it shouldn't take until 202 to have our next competitive team. In that case, we may be a few FA signings/trades away, and that can happen in less than three full seasons.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

2 hours ago, LookinUp said:

Someone will start the poll here. I'd wager that you're on the high side in picking win totals. I'm at like 57, personally. I definitely expect 100 losses, though I'd love to be wrong.

<100 losses equals successful season for me.

[Frobby]

4 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

<100 losses equals successful season for me.

I’d like to see as few losses as possible, but that’s not how I’ll judge the season.    I’ll judge it on how our players are developing and what we are able to do to increase the talent base.    I can forsee scenarios where we lose 100+ but I feel like good progress was made, and also scenarios where we lose fewer than 100 but I feel we had many disappointments on the developmental side and I’m dissatisfied.   I’m hoping to see a lot more guys stepping forward than stepping backwards.   

[bobmc]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

I’d like to see as few losses as possible, but that’s not how I’ll judge the season.    I’ll judge it on how our players are developing and what we are able to do to increase the talent base.    I can forsee scenarios where we lose 100+ but I feel like good progress was made, and also scenarios where we lose fewer than 100 but I feel we had many disappointments on the developmental side and I’m dissatisfied.   I’m hoping to see a lot more guys stepping forward than stepping backwards.   

Since Bruce was mentioned in another Oriole thread, let's hope it's not "One Step Up and Two Steps Back".

 

[AnythingO's]

1 hour ago, bobmc said:

Since Bruce was mentioned in another Oriole thread, let's hope it's not "One Step Up and Two Steps Back".

 

If we are talking about Os I nominate Born to Run.

[ScGO's]

Bold Prediction

Signs show that Davis may possibly be yanked.  Mancini to 1st.  Athletic, young OF.  Martin and Sisco become MLB average. Analytics determines the pitching match ups.

Orioles are hovering around .500 at the trade deadline and we sell high on the rest of our vets.  Around 75 wins at the end of season.

[Moshagge3]

O's don't have to face Severino on Opening Day... things are already looking up!

[TheOtherRipken]

17 minutes ago, ScGO's said:

Bold Prediction

Signs show that Davis may possibly be yanked.  Mancini to 1st.  Athletic, young OF.  Martin and Sisco become MLB average. Analytics determines the pitching match ups.

Orioles are hovering around .500 at the trade deadline and we sell high on the rest of our vets.  Around 75 wins at the end of season.

Just not sure who they are going to get 75 wins from, the AL East looks super competitive next year...except for in Baltimore. The support to your prediction would have to mean someone in the East is going to be weaker than we expect, or we are going to obliterate everyone else.

[SteveA]

25 minutes ago, Moshagge3 said:

O's don't have to face Severino on Opening Day... things are already looking up!

Yeah, Paxton will be easy to beat

[yark14]

These kids are hungry, which is the exact opposite of what we had the last couple years.  We'll be inconsistent, have stretches where we look good and stretches where we look down right awlful.....but overall surprise people just a little bit. The coaching staff is much more built around player development in the modern game, and the lessons these kids learn this year will set them up very well for future years.  Diaz will be an absolute stud.  We just need to find arms. 

[Rene88]

Rebuilding=the goal is to lose. But some don’t get that.

 

n

[HowAboutThat]

3 hours ago, ScGO's said:

Bold Prediction

Signs show that Davis may possibly be yanked.  Mancini to 1st.  Athletic, young OF.  Martin and Sisco become MLB average. Analytics determines the pitching match ups.

Orioles are hovering around .500 at the trade deadline and we sell high on the rest of our vets.  Around 75 wins at the end of season.

Very bold.

very.