How the 2021 Playoff Teams Were Built

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

For the Orioles you would need to add in a section Rule 5 Draft picks to get an accurate breakdown. 

No man, these are teams that made the playoffs.  

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

It is amazing to me how every Tampa pitching prospect seems to have a seamless transition to the major leagues.   I’m sure there are exceptions, but Tampa is very far ahead of the pack in this regard, and has been for years.  I wish the O’s had 25% of Tampa’s success in that regard.  

If we had 25% of their success I think we'd be doing pretty well.

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Moose Milligan said:

If we had 25% of their success I think we'd be doing pretty well.

Hey, we had 52% of their success at winning games this year!

[LA2]

After going 10 for 28 with two homers for the Orioles during the 2014 playoffs and we consequently considered him too old to sign to a four-year contract, Nelson Cruz has hit 252 home runs over seven years and will soon be in his third post-Oriole season of playoff ball (the first two with the Twins). Cruz's career postseason line is .288 / .360 / .659 / 1.019 with an amazing 17 homers in 170 at-bats, plus 12 doubles and 18 walks. I wish him an outstanding 2021 postseason as a prelude to his quest for 500 home runs (only 51 away!).

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, LA2 said:

After going 10 for 28 with two homers for the Orioles during the 2014 playoffs and we consequently considered him too old to sign to a four-year contract, Nelson Cruz has hit 252 home runs over seven seasons and will soon be in his third season of playoff ball (the first two with the Twins). Cruz's career postseason line is .288 / .360 / .659 / 1.019 with an amazing 17 homers in 170 at-bats, plus 12 doubles and 18 walks. I wish him an outstanding 2021 postseason as a prelude to his quest for 500 home runs (only 51 away).

That's one of the great things about baseball.  Sometimes the obviously right decision is wrong because of literally unprecedented events.

Also, Mountcastle.

[forphase1]

Thanks for sharing, some great and interesting info.

[LA2]

37 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

That's one of the great things about baseball.  Sometimes the obviously right decision is wrong because of literally unprecedented events.

Also, Mountcastle.

Yes, I agree--Is there a major team sport where the results as regularly come up counter to the teams'' strengths on paper? At the same time, the O's made the same wrong "right decision" with Markakis (thus, the succession of inadequate rightfielders afterwards) and wrong wrong decision about other twilight veterans with Davis (and Hardy, Tillman, O'Day, and Trumbo). I guess my rueful wish is merely this: that they would somehow learn and make the right wrong decision more often.

Off to one of the bars in the lovely Historic District of Bethlehem to root against the Red Sox!

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, LA2 said:

Yes, I agree--Is there a major team sport where the results as regularly come up counter to the teams'' strengths on paper? At the same time, the O's made the same wrong "right decision" with Markakis (thus, the succession of inadequate rightfielders afterwards) and wrong wrong decision about other twilight veterans with Davis (and Hardy, Tillman, O'Day, and Trumbo). I guess my rueful wish is merely this: that they would somehow learn and make the right wrong decision more often.

Off to one of the bars in the lovely Historic District of Bethlehem to root against the Red Sox!

I'm hopeful that Mountcastle plays more meaningful games for the O's than Cruz would have.

[Aristotelian]

2 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't see how those are comparable.

Santander. Basically use other teams as your international system. I'm not saying it works.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Santander. Basically use other teams as your international system. I'm not saying it works.

I just don't see how it's an accurate comparison, regardless of it works or not.

One is used to seed the very low minors with prospective talent and the other is used to round out the ML roster. 

Someone like Richie Martin was a rule V selection and former first round draft pick.

[Sports Guy]

4 hours ago, SteveA said:

Tampa has announced their first 3 starters for the LDS.   They are McClanahan, Baz, and Rasmussen.  

McClanahan made his major league debut in the postseason last year after never pitching in the majors in the regular season (nor in the minors in 2020 because there was no minors).  A first round pick in 2018.   Was #83 and #100 prospect in MLB in 2020 & 2021, respectively, by Baseball America.

Baz was a first round pick in 2017 with the Pirates who was acquired in the infamous Archer deal along with Meadows and Glasnow, which may wind up in the pantheon of great deals in MLB history along with the Frank Robinson, Lou Brock and Jeff Bagwell deals.   He made his major league debut less than two weeks ago.   He too was a lower half of the top 100 MLB prospect list by baseball America.

Rasmussen, at 26, is the oldest of the 3.  A 6th round pick by Milwaukee in 2018, acquired mid season this year by the Rays for Willie Adames.  He has 91 major league innings.  He was never rated a top 100 prospect.

It is amazing, practically unprecedented, that a team could compile the best record in the AL and go into the playoffs with guys like that as their top 3 starters.   They have less than 250 innings total in the majors.  And I imagine Luis Patino could be their 4th or 5th starter, unless they go with Wacha and McHugh, but Patino will certainly get his innings.

A year ago today, McClanahan, Baz, Rasmussen, Wacha, McHugh, and Patino had never put on a Rays uniform, and only McClanahan was in the organization.   And now those guys will likely pitch more than half the innings for Tampa in this postseason.   And no one will be shocked if they make it to the World Series again.

How do they do this?   They gave up solid players (Snell, Adames, Archer) to acquire some of these guys.   But it seems to me they never miss when evaluating talent.   We are sitting here talking about hoping to sign a Matz or maybe if we get real lucky, a DeSclafani, in the offseason, and they put together nearly a complete pitching staff from scratch in the last year, with the exception of McClanahan being in their system already.

If Grayson Rodriguez is our McClanahan, and by all accounts better, how can we add 6 or 7 guys and put together a 97 win pitching staff for next year?   Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Not many people have seen Baz.  Love that they don’t give 2 sh*ts about stuff like that and just go with who they think is better.  
 

Power arms in October are huge.  
 

I saw a stat today that the White Sox pitchers threw 1500 more pitches at 95+MPh than the next closest team.  That is absolutely insane.  It’s also a big reason I think they have a great shot to win the WS.  

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Not many people have seen Baz.  Love that they don’t give 2 sh*ts about stuff like that and just go with who they think is better.  
 

Power arms in October are huge.  
 

I saw a stat today that the White Sox pitchers threw 1500 more pitches at 95+MPh than the next closest team.  That is absolutely insane.  It’s also a big reason I think they have a great shot to win the WS.  

Sounds like the Mets team that ran into a Royals team that loved hitting fastballs.

[vab]

Tampa has figured out that experience is overrated. If you have a pitcher with good stuff and there's no book on him, he has the advantage. They've been doing this ever since they brought up David Price as a closer in September, I think the same year he was drafted. Obviously a lot to learn from them but the Orioles need to stick with their plan for now - grow the bats, trade for the arms 

[Can_of_corn]

11 minutes ago, vab said:

Tampa has figured out that experience is overrated. If you have a pitcher with good stuff and there's no book on him, he has the advantage. They've been doing this ever since they brought up David Price as a closer in September, I think the same year he was drafted. Obviously a lot to learn from them but the Orioles need to stick with their plan for now - grow the bats, trade for the arms 

I don't think for a second that guys don't have exhaustive books on guys before they ever see a game in the majors. 

I'm sure every team in the majors have a nice think book on Grayson for instance. 

Now a book doesn't replace live looks at a guy but they know what everyone throws, when they like to throw it and how it moves.  They have tons of data.

[Porky]

5 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't think for a second that guys don't have exhaustive books on guys before they ever see a game in the majors. 

I'm sure every team in the majors have a nice think book on Grayson for instance. 

Now a book doesn't replace live looks at a guy but they know what everyone throws, when they like to throw it and how it moves.  They have tons of data.

I agree. Maybe ten years ago, sure. But the amount of data teams have now is pretty amazing. Most minor league parks have TrackMan and the like.