Roster move: Akin optioned

[weams]

9 hours ago, Philip said:

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)

Well, you will be wrong. 

[DirtyBird]

9 hours ago, Philip said:

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)

Why do people care so much about Rucker and Bailey?

[Ruzious]

Whatever the O's reasoning, I think it's pretty clear that the message to Akin is that the organization doesn't believe in him.  

[Frobby]

Akin did not bowl me over this spring.   13 hits, 2 walks, 3 homers allowed in 9.2 innings.     It won’t hurt him to sharpen things up in the minors before he’s called up.     I still think he’ll be recalled within 2 months, but he’ll have to earn it.    

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Akin did not bowl me over this spring.   13 hits, 2 walks, 3 homers allowed in 9.2 innings.     It won’t hurt him to sharpen things up in the minors before he’s called up.     I still think he’ll be recalled within 2 months, but he’ll have to earn it.    

That’s where I’m at with Akin as well. Even if he looked great the Orioles would still send him down to maximize Akin’s service time. 

[hgb128]

11 hours ago, Big Mac said:

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

Very well said, I don't care what anyone says about the current front office but this up and down to the minors hurts players 

 

[Big Mac]

I think at some point, we just need to see what we have in these guys.  Some refinement will need to come at the ML level.  I personally don't think college pitchers who are second round draft picks need to spend 4.5 years in the minor leagues. 

[Frobby]

7 minutes ago, hgb128 said:

Very well said, I don't care what anyone says about the current front office but this up and down to the minors hurts players 

 

I don’t see how this comment applies to Akin.    He has never pitched in the majors and this was his first time in major league camp.   He hasn’t been up and down.   

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

2 hours ago, Chuck A said:

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.

I don't really see the need to manipulate the service time of guys who aren't even remotely Top 100 prospects. We're talking about a guy who will be 25 in a few days.

This isn't Kris Bryant or Vlad Jr, everyone. It's Keegan Akin. A guy with a 1.513 WHIP in AAA last year.

[SteveA]

36 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

That’s where I’m at with Akin as well. Even if he looked great the Orioles would still send him down to maximize Akin’s service time. 

He'll be 25 years old in a couple weeks and he's not a top 100, probably not a top 200, MLB prospect.   I seriously doubt they are doing anything based on his service time.   We don't even know if he'll have a major league career, let alone whether the career will be that good that gaining an extra year of control when he is 30+ years old will be that big a deal.

[jabba72]

9 minutes ago, SteveA said:

He'll be 25 years old in a couple weeks and he's not a top 100, probably not a top 200, MLB prospect.   I seriously doubt they are doing anything based on his service time.   We don't even know if he'll have a major league career, let alone whether the career will be that good that gaining an extra year of control when he is 30+ years old will be that big a deal.

Agree. Its frustrating that he's 25 and still not ready, at this point I doubt its a service time thing. Its more of an inability to stay in the game very long in the minors, and starting out cold in camp.  

[jamalshw]

3 hours ago, Chuck A said:

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.

I'm not sure service time is a consideration for Akin. He's already 25 and not expected to be an elite pitcher. He's a back-end of the rotation/swing-man type. Certainly there is value there during his pre-arb years, but I'm not sure buying that seventh year is relevant. 

Ultimately, there are things for Akin to do in Triple-A to polish his game and his demotion (to me) was more about keeping the depth. We are going to cycle through a ton of pitchers this year and we will undoubtedly see Akin in 2020.

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, weams said:

Well, you will be wrong. 

I would be very happy to be wrong. But so far, against mixed opposition, he seems “meh”

Believe me, I want him to be successful, and I don’t have any private prayers that he’ll be terrible. He just seems totally mediocre at this point. Zimmerman and Kremer both seem to be more exciting right now.

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, DirtyBird said:

Why do people care so much about Rucker and Bailey?

I thought Rucker, at least, did very well. I was surprised he got sent back, especially so early.

[HowAboutThat]

11 hours ago, Enjoy Terror said:

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?

I think the point, at least how I took it, is that although Akin can use further AAA time to refine some unspecified things, the absence of that refinement doesn’t keep him from being ready for the Show at this time.

And it seems to also be a lament that the guys who will be pitching in the show aren’t as good now and haven’t as much potential as Akin does.

I have no problem with sending him down or keeping him up, I haven’t any illusions about Akin being the Risen Savior, but that’s how I understood his comment.