Wade LeBlanc back on a minor league deal

[NCRaven]

Hopefully we can laugh about this when he’s released at the end of spring training.

[wildcard]

30 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My guess is that Elias would rather let most of our younger guys who haven’t pitched AAA yet get their feet wet there and get called up as the season progresses, rather than force feeding them into the OD rotation.     But he doesn’t want them blocked, either.  That leaves room the Wade LeBlancs of the world to get us through the first month or two of the season.   

I agree but if Elias is offering less than 1M per pitcher I think he can DFA them when the young guys are ready.   I'd like to see Elias add two starters better than LeBlanc.   I don't see LeBlanc even making the team.  And there is probably no space in the AAA rotation for him.

[Tony-OH]

25 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My guess is that Elias would rather let most of our younger guys who haven’t pitched AAA yet get their feet wet there and get called up as the season progresses, rather than force feeding them into the OD rotation.     But he doesn’t want them blocked, either.  That leaves room the Wade LeBlancs of the world to get us through the first month or two of the season.   

Personally, I think this is a break glass in case of emergency kind of move. IF the two rule 5 guys aren't ready or up to snuff, or injuries occur, then I could see him making the team in the rotation for a bit until some guys like Lowther, Smith, and Wells are ready.

The rotation as I see it is:

Means
Kremer
Akin

Saying that, probably only 

With the following guys via for the other two spots:
Bruce Zimmerman (inside shot for a spot unless he's awful or hurt in the spring)
Ashton Goudeau
Jorge López 
Max Sceroler
Tyler Wells

Then you have the Double-A guys:
Michael Baumann (Probably the most ready but might be sent down for a few weeks for service time considerations and also must prove he's healthy once throwing in games after getting shut down last year at the alternate camp)
Zac Lowther
Kevin Smith
Alex Wells

I agree that it's doubtful Elias wants to push the Double-A guys and will probably want them to start at Norfolk, and I don't want Lopez anywhere near the rotation again unless the Orioles have found a way to rebuild him in the offseason.

I do think the Orioles will want to keep Sceroler at least, but the question will be will they try to just use him in long/middle relief instead of the rotation? I see Wells getting returned and Goudeau is a pretty big unknown overall, so is a bit of a wild card.

Saying all that, I can see the need for a guy who can eat some innings for a bit, but I'm not sure LeBlanc is that guy. For now I see him as a backup plan or emergency option.

 

 

[Tony-OH]

10 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I agree but if Elias is offering less than 1M per pitcher I think he can DFA them when the young guys are ready.   I'd like to see Elias add two starters better than LeBlanc.   I don't see LeBlanc even making the team.  And there is probably no space in the AAA rotation for him.

LeBlanc either makes the team or is released. The AAA rotation will be full.

[wildcard]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Personally, I think this is a break glass in case of emergency kind of move. IF the two rule 5 guys aren't ready or up to snuff, or injuries occur, then I could see him making the team in the rotation for a bit until some guys like Lowther, Smith, and Wells are ready.

The rotation as I see it is:

Means
Kremer
Akin

Saying that, probably only 

With the following guys via for the other two spots:
Bruce Zimmerman (inside shot for a spot unless he's awful or hurt in the spring)
Ashton Goudeau
Jorge López 
Max Sceroler
Tyler Wells

Then you have the Double-A guys:
Michael Baumann (Probably the most ready but might be sent down for a few weeks for service time considerations and also must prove he's healthy once throwing in games after getting shut down last year at the alternate camp)
Zac Lowther
Kevin Smith
Alex Wells

I agree that it's doubtful Elias wants to push the Double-A guys and will probably want them to start at Norfolk, and I don't want Lopez anywhere near the rotation again unless the Orioles have found a way to rebuild him in the offseason.

I do think the Orioles will want to keep Sceroler at least, but the question will be will they try to just use him in long/middle relief instead of the rotation? I see Wells getting returned and Goudeau is a pretty big unknown overall, so is a bit of a wild card.

Saying all that, I can see the need for a guy who can eat some innings for a bit, but I'm not sure LeBlanc is that guy. For now I see him as a backup plan or emergency option.

 

 

Elias said when he claimed  Sceroler and  Tyler Wells that they would be looked at as long relievers.    

[Sports Guy]

Unless they really surprise or look better than they ever have, neither rule 5 player should make the team.

[wildcard]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Unless they really surprise or look better than they ever have, neither rule 5 player should make the team.

I don't know about that.   Since the O's are planning to lose there is a good chance they keep one if not both of them.  Especially if the roster is expanded because the pitchers did not pitch a lot of innings last season.   If Holt thinks he can make them into productive major leaguers  some time in the future then I could see them making the team.

Its just another way to add talent to the system. I really depends on what Holt thinks of them.

[ofan239]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

My guess is that Elias would rather let most of our younger guys who haven’t pitched AAA yet get their feet wet there and get called up as the season progresses, rather than force feeding them into the OD rotation.     But he doesn’t want them blocked, either.  That leaves room the Wade LeBlancs of the world to get us through the first month or two of the season.   

True but   it what happens if Kramer and akin struggle and have to be sent to the bullpen or to Triple A or if they get injured . I want some kind of quality depth to cover for these types of things. Wade Leblanc is a starting pitcher and while he is an option he does not give me confidence as a legit option to take the ball every fifth day , especially coming off an injury. I see him more as a swing man rotation / bullpen guy. We need more than that before the season starts . Otherwise you may have Means and a bunch of guys trying to get their feet wet at the major league level in the toughest division in baseball that may or may not struggle. One or two of these are ok . You can’t have a rotation full of them .As Showalter used to say - you have to address your what ifs and we need to assume those guys aren’t going to come in and be legit right off the bat.

[LookinUp]

12 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Unless they really surprise or look better than they ever have, neither rule 5 player should make the team.

Really? I think Elias is just looking for live arms that he can mold with his super data. They don't have to be good yet. They have to display some kind of legit attributes around which Elias thinks he can create a better pitcher.

The bar is pretty low for these guys IMO. They don't have to be good. They have to have a chance to be good.

[Just Regular]

20 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

LeBlanc either makes the team or is released. The AAA rotation will be full.

A tough guessing game because I think there's a big range of possibilities is who starts the first five games of the year for Norfolk?   It isn't often you can get LeBlanc and Grayson in the same mix.

It's almost all daydreaming, but if you don't want to give Rodriguez/Hall September cups of coffee, and you do want them to pitch games for 5 months/20 starts, Norfolk April is an arrow in the quiver.   

Cup of coffee-wise, they need to pitch well enough to earn consideration for them, but both Marlins 1st round high school pitchers a year ahead of them did last year.

Starters can get 20 turns in 4 months, but after 2020 I don't think the treadmill will go that fast for very young pitchers.   

[wildcard]

1 minute ago, OrioleDog said:

A tough guessing game because I think there's a big range of possibilities is who starts the first five games of the year for Norfolk?   It isn't often you can get LeBlanc and Grayson in the same mix.

It's almost all daydreaming, but if you don't want to give Rodriguez/Hall September cups of coffee, and you do want them to pitch games for 5 months/20 starts, Norfolk April is an arrow in the quiver.   

Cup of coffee-wise, they need to pitch well enough to earn consideration for them, but both Marlins 1st round high school pitchers a year ahead of them did last year.

Starters can get 20 turns in 4 months, but after 2020 I don't think the treadmill will go that fast for very young pitchers.   

I don't think Grayson or DL Hall begin the season at Norfolk.   Right now the 5 starters at Norfolk project to be Baumann, Lowther, Zimmermann, Alexander Wells and Josh Rogers with Ashton Goudeau as the swingman.

[Just Regular]

6 minutes ago, ofan239 said:

True but what happens if Kremer and Akin struggle and have to be sent to the bullpen or to Triple A or if they get injured .

I agree with this.   For all the fun of getting to one hilltop and looking on to the next, Kremer and Akin both surviving 30 starts is maybe a 20-30% kind of deal.   It will at least be pleasant to watch them try.

[Sports Guy]

56 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I don't know about that.   Since the O's are planning to lose there is a good chance they keep one if not both of them.  Especially if the roster is expanded because the pitchers did not pitch a lot of innings last season.   If Holt thinks he can make them into productive major leaguers  some time in the future then I could see them making the team.

Its just another way to add talent to the system. I really depends on what Holt thinks of them.

They may very well keep them...but they shouldn’t.  They haven’t even been that good in the lower minors, at an advanced age..especially Big Ben’s nephew.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Unless they really surprise or look better than they ever have, neither rule 5 player should make the team.

Wells was a weird claim because he doesn't appear to have a ton of upside, but I'll assume they saw something in the statcast info that suggest he has value. Mac Sceroler has a little upside but very little experience so it might be tough to make that jump, but they could keep him in relief role.

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Tony-OH said:

Wells was a weird claim because he doesn't appear to have a ton of upside, but I'll assume they saw something in the statcast info that suggest he has value. Mac Sceroler has a little upside but very little experience so it might be tough to make that jump, but they could keep him in relief role.

My bigger point with these guys is that there isn’t enough there to keep them on the team over more accomplished young pitching.  I would much rather see the guys like Lowther, Wells, etc..on this team than these guys.