Wade LeBlanc, Really?

[BRobinsonfan]

46 minutes ago, wildcard said:

LeBlanc has been durable?  He missed 32 of 60 games last year with a elbow injury.

Yeah, but other than when he's not been durable, he's been durable.  

[HowAboutThat]

2 hours ago, interloper said:

Why are we worried that baltimorebaseball dot com thinks Wade LeBlanc has made the roster? I'm so confused.

That’s actually an excellent point, and  I came here just now to make the same point. The guys who write for Baltimore sports are not very good writers(Jon Shepherd was fantastic but he has retired, And he was not a writer anyway.) but they have to write anyway. If I read, one more time, Connolly saying Felix will make the team because of “veteran presence,” I’m going to barf.

Zimm should be in the rotation. No valid argument in opposition.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Philip

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, eddie83 said:

They aren’t foolish enough to keep LeBlanc at the expense of someone they really want to keep. 

So you’d think...

[BohKnowsBmore]

15 minutes ago, Philip said:

That’s actually an excellent point, and  I came here just now to make the same point. The guys who write for Baltimore sports are not very good writers(Jon Shepherd was fantastic but he has retired, And he was not a writer anyway.) but they have to write anyway. If I read, one more time, Connolly saying Felix will make the team because of “veteran presence,” I’m going to barf.

Zimm should be in the rotation. No valid argument in opposition.

Well if you say so.

I think in a perfectly fair world or one in which performance in 2021 were the only variable, then I agree Zimm should probably be in the rotation rather than LeBlanc.

That said, I think there is a reasonable position that the team may prefer to start with LeBlanc in the rotation then have Zimm be the first man up. The other way may lose control of LeBlanc (not sure on his opt-out status) at which point you're at option #7 as the sixth pitcher (assuming LeBlanc is #6 were you to stack-rank the pitchers we have). Additionally, perhaps Elias thinks that there's an outside chance he can flip LeBlanc for a Dominican teenager or two if he looks good to start the season. Under either consideration, Zimm is probably up and pitching at the ML level for the majority of the year.

[Can_of_corn]

2 hours ago, wildcard said:

What makes you think that Elias wants a 6 man rotation.  The O's have been on a five man rotation all ST.

What makes you think that I think that Elias wants a six man rotation?

I was commenting on your assertion that "Holt runs the pitching staff". 

I think Holt follows the directives he's given. 

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

Well if you say so.

I think in a perfectly fair world or one in which performance in 2021 were the only variable, then I agree Zimm should probably be in the rotation rather than LeBlanc.

That said, I think there is a reasonable position that the team may prefer to start with LeBlanc in the rotation then have Zimm be the first man up. The other way may lose control of LeBlanc (not sure on his opt-out status) at which point you're at option #7 as the sixth pitcher (assuming LeBlanc is #6 were you to stack-rank the pitchers we have). Additionally, perhaps Elias thinks that there's an outside chance he can flip LeBlanc for a Dominican teenager or two if he looks good to start the season. Under either consideration, Zimm is probably up and pitching at the ML level for the majority of the year.

I appreciate everything you’ve said said, but 1) trade value possibility =slim/none 2) Adding LeBlanc to the rotation means losing someone, so you’re not just losing Zimm from the Rotation, you’re losing whatever the DFA-victim would have offered, and risking losing that pitcher to a waiver claim. That might not be a big deal, but it’s not necessary.

However if the plan is to have Zimm in the rotation and use LeBlanc as long man in the pen, I could live with that.

But yes I do think there’s no valid reason for LeBlanc in the rotation instead of Zimmermann.

[Aristotelian]

I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it. They got him for a reason and it makes sense to give him one last chance and let him fail rather than get rid of him prematurely in favor of a player with years of team control. If we get super lucky he could put up a Tommy Milone-ish first half and get us a third tier prospect. If he fails, so what? 

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

What makes you think that I think that Elias wants a six man rotation?

I was commenting on your assertion that "Holt runs the pitching staff". 

I think Holt follows the directives he's given. 

Elias did not bring Holt from Houston to follow orders unless the orders are manage the pitchers in the O's organization.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Elias did not bring Holt from Houston to follow orders unless the orders are manage the pitchers in the O's organization.

Does Elias strike you as a hands on manager?

I think he is.

Considering he is running the draft instead of delegating.

[wildcard]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Does Elias strike you as a hands on manager?

I think he is.

Considering he is running the draft instead of delegating.

Scouting in Elias area of expertise.   Elias knows he does not know as much about pitching as Holt does.  That is why he put Holt in charge of the pitchers.

[Can_of_corn]

13 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Scouting in Elias area of expertise.   Elias knows he does not know as much about pitching as Holt does.  That is why he put Holt in charge of the pitchers.

You seriously think Holt has carte blanche?

[BohKnowsBmore]

1 hour ago, Philip said:

I appreciate everything you’ve said said, but 1) trade value possibility =slim/none 2) Adding LeBlanc to the rotation means losing someone, so you’re not just losing Zimm from the Rotation, you’re losing whatever the DFA-victim would have offered, and risking losing that pitcher to a waiver claim. That might not be a big deal, but it’s not necessary.

However if the plan is to have Zimm in the rotation and use LeBlanc as long man in the pen, I could live with that.

But yes I do think there’s no valid reason for LeBlanc in the rotation instead of Zimmermann.

On point 1, they got actual human players in return for Tommy Milone just last year. Not top prospects by any stretch, but both showed up as “sleeper college bats” in the “other prospects of note” section of Fangraphs’s annual prospect write up. 

[HowAboutThat]

6 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

On point 1, they got actual human players in return for Tommy Milone just last year. Not top prospects by any stretch, but both showed up as “sleeper college bats” in the “other prospects of note” section of Fangraphs’s annual prospect write up. 

Yes, that is true, and Tommy Milone was our opening day starter.

But bear in mind that last season was only 60 games, which means potential trade targets only had 3-4 starts to show that they could be a benefit to a new team. Every trade was a gamble. This season, five or six starts will happen by the first week of May, which is too early to be trading for a playoff run. Also, after the trade Milone wasn’t very good.

This season, if Leblanc is going to build up any value at all, He has to be average or better over eight or 10 starts or more: not impossible, but unlikely, and certainly not a reason to have him in the rotation over Zimmerman.

[Frobby]

Meanwhile, LeBlanc threw three scoreless innings.   

[Moose Milligan]

30 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Meanwhile, LeBlanc threw three scoreless innings.   

Against the Pirates.  Who are probably the one team more inept than us.