Tracking Ex Oriole Thread

[Tony-OH]

On 10/5/2023 at 9:12 AM, forphase1 said:

How about this blast from the past.  This is from my 'local' minor league team.  Both funny, and a bit sad.

 

Sometimes guys play for the love of the game.

[Tony-OH]

Dj Stewart ended up slashing .238/.328/.494/.822 with 15 Bb and 56 Ks in 186 PAs with the Mets. Of course his -0.6 defense sunk his overall rWAr to 0.3.

Stewart has never gotten a hit for a team who ended up with a winning record at the end of the year in the majors.

[Frobby]

26 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Dj Stewart ended up slashing .238/.328/.494/.822 with 15 Bb and 56 Ks in 186 PAs with the Mets. Of course his -0.6 defense sunk his overall rWAr to 0.3.

Stewart has never gotten a hit for a team who ended up with a winning record at the end of the year in the majors.

Well, that’s not necessarily on him.  Plenty of worse players have gotten a hit for a winning team.  Tyler Nevin had a few hits for us last year but I don’t think he’s better than Stewart.  

At the same time, Stewart kind of is what he is at this point, a poor defensive outfielder with a low BA, a good eye and a bit of pop.  
 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

40 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Dj Stewart ended up slashing .238/.328/.494/.822 with 15 Bb and 56 Ks in 186 PAs with the Mets. Of course his -0.6 defense sunk his overall rWAr to 0.3.

Stewart has never gotten a hit for a team who ended up with a winning record at the end of the year in the majors.

It would be cool to see Stewart finally stick as a platoon bat against RHP and now that Buck isn’t a manager Stewart will only play 1B/DH. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by OsFanSinceThe80s

[Frobby]

Nelson Cruz finally hung ‘em up.  Not many guys hit 387 home runs from their age 30 season on, especially after hitting only 77 homers previously.  His one year in Baltimore was pretty special for us, and it turned out he had a lot more left in the tank.  

[RZNJ]

20 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Nelson Cruz finally hung ‘em up.  Not many guys hit 387 home runs from their age 30 season on, especially after hitting only 77 homers previously.  His one year in Baltimore was pretty special for us, and it turned out he had a lot more left in the tank.  

His tank was probably enhanced but people, including myself, will remember him as a very good hitter.  Makes you wonder if the guys who didn’t cheat made the right choice.   

[Tony-OH]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

Well, that’s not necessarily on him.  Plenty of worse players have gotten a hit for a winning team.  Tyler Nevin had a few hits for us last year but I don’t think he’s better than Stewart.  

At the same time, Stewart kind of is what he is at this point, a poor defensive outfielder with a low BA, a good eye and a bit of pop.  
 

It was just a random fact, nothing more.

[Frobby]

52 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

It was just a random fact, nothing more.

Gotcha.  It would be interesting to know who holds the record for most hits without ever playing on a winning team.  I have no idea who it is, but Luis Matos had 410 hits all for losing teams (Stewart is at 150).  Jay Gibbons and Larry Bigbie both had a final season with a team barely over .500, so Matos is my nominee for top Oriole until I think of someone else.  I bet @DrungoHazewoodwould have some ideas.   

Edited November 2, 2023 by Frobby

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Gotcha.  It would be interesting to know who holds the record for most hits without ever playing on a winning team.  I have no idea who it is, but Luis Matos had 410 hits all for losing teams.  Jay Gibbons and Larry Bigbie both had a final season with a team barely over .500, so Matos is my nominee for top Oriole until I think of someone else.  

You probably have someone that played with the Senators or Browns for their whole career.

[DrungoHazewood]

11 hours ago, Frobby said:

Gotcha.  It would be interesting to know who holds the record for most hits without ever playing on a winning team.  I have no idea who it is, but Luis Matos had 410 hits all for losing teams (Stewart is at 150).  Jay Gibbons and Larry Bigbie both had a final season with a team barely over .500, so Matos is my nominee for top Oriole until I think of someone else.  I bet @DrungoHazewoodwould have some ideas.   

That's going to be a challenge, I don't think Stathead or Fangraphs searches work that way.

Going on @Can_of_corn's suggestion I'm thinking of old Browns or Senators. Harlond Clift played for both in the 30s and 40s, but the '42 Browns had a winning record. Chuck Klein played for some terrible Phils teams and the Cubs, but got to the World Series in Chicago. Actually the Senators would throw in a winning record every six or eight years or so even in the 30s-60s.

A guy named Charlie Abbey had 493 hits for the old NL Senators in the 1890s. Merrill May had 610 for the 1939-43 Phillies.

Dee Fondy of the Cubs, Pirates and Reds never played on a winning team and had exactly 1000 hits from '51-58.

Of course Banks, Santo, and Billy Williams were teammates on losing teams for many years until the '67 Cubs finally broke .500.

Edited November 3, 2023 by DrungoHazewood

[DrungoHazewood]

This isn't quite what Frobby was talking about, but Jay Gibbons' only year on a winning team was the 2011 Dodgers, for whom he played just 24 games. But in those 24 games the Dodgers were 8-16. He had 759 hits, 724 with the Orioles.

[DrungoHazewood]

Kevin Young was really close, with 1007 hits and the only winning team he played on was 10 games for the '92 Pirates.

I've looked longer than I should have and couldn't come up with anyone better than Dee Fondy.

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Kevin Young was really close, with 1007 hits and the only winning team he played on was 10 games for the '92 Pirates.

I've looked longer than I should have and couldn't come up with anyone better than Dee Fondy.

I figured there was no systematic way to do this.   I’d say Dee Fondy is a pretty good pull.  I never heard of the guy.  

[DrungoHazewood]

12 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I figured there was no systematic way to do this.   I’d say Dee Fondy is a pretty good pull.  I never heard of the guy.  

I hadn't either. He was kind of a Doug Mientkiewicz of the 1950s. Starting first baseman for the Cubs for five years despite a 96 OPS+. Maybe they loved his glove, but TZ doesn't see it. In '54 he was third in the NL in steals, with 20, and in '56 his nine were 9th in the league.

So, quick, kind of athletic but threw lefty. I'm guessing if he was right-handed he would have been a SS/2B/3B.

In '51 he started the year with the Los Angeles Angels in the PCL and in 70 games hit .376/.422/.599 before the Cubs called him up to replace The Rifleman, Chuck Connors, who OPS'd .585.

[Legend_Of_Joey]

2023 Orioles catching legend Luis Torrens is a free agent, after refusing an assignment from the Mariners.