Roster move: Akin optioned

[Legend_Of_Joey]

Orioles optioned Keegan Akin after tonight’s game (3/10.)

I would expect more moves to happen during this week, as they start to ramp up preparation for the season.

[Big Mac]

I'm starting to get concerned if any of our pitchers will see ML time.  Yeah Akin has things to refine but bring him up, I don't see AAA being a benefit. 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

3 minutes ago, Big Mac said:

I'm starting to get concerned if any of our pitchers will see ML time.  Yeah Akin has things to refine but bring him up, I don't see AAA being a benefit. 

If he has things to refine, why bring him up? 

[Big Mac]

Just now, Legend_Of_Joey said:

If he has things to refine, why bring him up? 

That's a fair point.  I think he's a finished product. If we nitpick little things for pitchers to refine we will never promote anyone.  Maybe this is where I depart from Elias but Keegan Akin is 25 and a second round draft pick.  Either you can pitch in the major leagues or you can't...

[Big Mac]

It's a joke that we're giving Tom Eshelman innings but cut Akin

[Lucky_13]

Wonder if this means zimmermann is ahead of him on the depth chart

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

48 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

If he has things to refine, why bring him up? 

Also if Akin has things to refine shouldn’t he be doing that at Norfolk or Bowie?

Elias has made it clear he is putting an end to the Orioles practice of calling up prospects before they are ready. 

[Enjoy Terror]

50 minutes ago, Big Mac said:

It's a joke that we're giving Tom Eshelman innings but cut Akin

I feel like you don’t even read what you write. You admit Akin has things to refine in AAA but are perplexed when he is sent there to do it. Then lament that Eshelman is getting innings when we have to re-establish why Akin is going to AAA. Eshelman is cannon fodder. Why is this difficult for you?

[HowAboutThat]

I get the feeling that Akin is not going to be successful whether he starts here or there.

id rather see Rucker and Bail....oh wait...

(Sigh)

[scOtt]

1 hour ago, Big Mac said:

It's a joke that we're giving Tom Eshelman innings but cut Akin

Akin is certainly not "cut." Like you said he just needs some refining. Only gave up 4 hits and a walk today in 3 innings. One of those hits just happened to be a mistake for a HR. He still has electric stuff and will probably be up before summer. Eshelman is a warm body placeholder. Patience grasshopper.

[glenn__davis]

8 hours ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

If he has things to refine, why bring him up? 

Well certainly not all refining needs to be done at the minor league level.  Very few players are fully cooked when they arrive - eventually you need to take your lumps at the big league level.

That being said, there's not much evidence that Akin has nothing left to learn at the AAA level.  He wasn't dominant there last year, juiced ball notwithstanding.  But I do hope we see him up here sooner rather than later.  Like I said, eventually you need to cut your teeth in the majors.

[Chuck A]

Service time grasshopper.  I read the "he needs to refine his approach in the stretch" as being "we need to control his service time like we are doing with other youngsters".   No need to rush anyone and lose a little control when this is another lost season.

[bobmc]

10 hours ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

Orioles optioned Keegan Akin after tonight’s game (3/10.)

I would expect more moves to happen during this week, as they start to ramp up preparation for the season.

Not to mention after the braintrust noodles some more!  Stay healthy out there!

 

[DrungoHazewood]

8 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Also if Akin has things to refine shouldn’t he be doing that at Norfolk or Bowie?

Elias has made it clear he is putting an end to the Orioles practice of calling up prospects before they are ready to give the team a maximum number of years under team control when the O's are competitive.

I think it's more like that.

If the service time and option rules were such that you became a free agent at 28 no matter when you were called up the average age of the Orioles would immediately go down by three or four years.  Guy like Akin are pretty clearly among the best 12 or 15 pitchers in the organization, but no sense burning service time. I guarantee he'd be a better 6th reliever than (insert random body here), but nobody does that because CBA.

[ChosenOne21]

8 hours ago, scOtt said:

Akin is certainly not "cut." Like you said he just needs some refining. Only gave up 4 hits and a walk today in 3 innings. One of those hits just happened to be a mistake for a HR. He still has electric stuff and will probably be up before summer. Eshelman is a warm body placeholder. Patience grasshopper.

Small sample size for sure, but that's a WHIP of 1.6