How Dan Duquette built a contender

[Philip]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

I do think Buck gets some or most of the credit for that move.   But to be clear, Buck had been our manager for more than a year when O’Day was claimed.    

Yes, you are correct, it wasn’t the day that Buck was hired, it was the day that the Rangers placed O’day on waivers. Buck Claimed him, or had him claimed immediately.

[Yardball85]

3 hours ago, LA2 said:

Omar Quintanilla (for a while).

Taylor Teagarden

Bill Hall

Nick Johnson.

Boom.

[LA2]

7 hours ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

2011 McPhail Orioles (69-93):

Starters: Jeremy Guthrie, Zack Britton, Jake Arrietta, Alfredo Simon, Brad Bergesen

Bullpen: Kevin Gregg, Mike Gonzalez, Jason Berken, Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson

2014 Duquette Orioles (96-66):

Starters: Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez

Bullpen: Zack Britton, Darren O'Day, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach

 

Pretty different.

2012 Duquette O's (93-69):

Starters (7 or more starts to qualify, in order of number of games started): Wei-Yin Chen (32 GS); Jason Hammel (20); Tommy Hunter (20); Jake Arrieta (18); Brian Matusz (16); Miguel Gonzalez (15); Chris Tillman (15); Zach Britton (11); Joe Saunders (7).

Pen: Jim Johnson (71 G); Pedro Strop (70); Darren O'Day (69); Luis Ayala (66); Troy Patton (54); Kevin Gregg (40); Matt Lindstrom (34).

No starter outside of Chen had more than 20 starts! A makeshift rotation rescued by the pen and the late emergences of pitchers like Gonzalez and Tillman.

In retrospect, what an absurd achievement--symbolized perfectly in Saunders's WTF play-in victory against the Rangers. Which he somehow followed up with a W in the next series against the Yankees. What a season!