Tough Road Ahead

[spleen1015]

21 minutes ago, baltfan said:

To be clear, a lot of my post was less a commentary on the Orioles and more a commentary on how impressive the Yankees and Rays guys have looked. 

This is a good point. Nothing Elias could have done in the offseason would have gotten us to the level of the Astros or Rays. We're still a ways off, but we're getting closer.

[baltfan]

16 minutes ago, spleen1015 said:

This is a good point. Nothing Elias could have done in the offseason would have gotten us to the level of the Astros or Rays. We're still a ways off, but we're getting closer.

Definitely improved, but it’s frustrating how smartly run the teams with money are not to mention how crazy good the Rays are at spotting and developing talent.  In the 80’s you could count of big market teams not being invested in development.  This is no longer  the case. 

[orioles22]

I'm curious what it would have taken for the Orioles to get Pablo Lopez. I think adding a top-flight starting pitcher would have been the best move we could have made in the off-season.

[Emory Eagle]

Not to mention how good the Blue Jays look.  But, it’s a long season, and the Skanks started out hot last year too before falling on their faces (well, by their standards).

It is definitely frustrating that this guy Brito comes out of nowhere and looks more polished than GRod?  Who is that guy?   Guess I don’t really follow player development outside of the Os, but give me a break.

[Hazmat]

1 hour ago, Emory Eagle said:

Not to mention how good the Blue Jays look.  But, it’s a long season, and the Skanks started out hot last year too before falling on their faces (well, by their standards).

It is definitely frustrating that this guy Brito comes out of nowhere and looks more polished than GRod?  Who is that guy?   Guess I don’t really follow player development outside of the Os, but give me a break.

MLB.com has Brito as the Yankees’ #27 prospect.

[Jagwar]

1 hour ago, Emory Eagle said:

Not to mention how good the Blue Jays look.  But, it’s a long season, and the Skanks started out hot last year too before falling on their faces (well, by their standards).

It is definitely frustrating that this guy Brito comes out of nowhere and looks more polished than GRod?  Who is that guy?   Guess I don’t really follow player development outside of the Os, but give me a break.

That's what happens when you don't draft pitching

[Bemorewins]

2 hours ago, JR Oriole said:

I think you are right, but enough with the damn prospects.  We have more than enough already. It would seem that young players in the lineup would really benefit from having proven, experienced major league players in the lineup and in the clubhouse to take some of the pressure off of them and to help them navigate through the season.  Imagine the Braves heading into the offseason after 1990 saying: Terry Pendleton.....he would be useless.  We have all of this young talent.  Who needs a veteran who has won divisions and been to the World Series?

Agree wholeheartedly! Where are we going to put any more prospects? Not only is our major league positional roster starting to be backlogged, but some of our minor league teams (in particular our AAA team) are becoming backlogged as well.

What we need are 1/2 frontline pitchers. We cannot beat our chief competitors without this. If we are not going to sign them, then why not trade for one? That's what the excess prospects should be used for.

[Bemorewins]

2 hours ago, JR Oriole said:

I think you are right, but enough with the damn prospects.  We have more than enough already. It would seem that young players in the lineup would really benefit from having proven, experienced major league players in the lineup and in the clubhouse to take some of the pressure off of them and to help them navigate through the season.  Imagine the Braves heading into the offseason after 1990 saying: Terry Pendleton.....he would be useless.  We have all of this young talent.  Who needs a veteran who has won divisions and been to the World Series?

Agree wholeheartedly! Where are we going to put any more prospects? Not only is our major league positional roster starting to be backlogged, but some of our minor league teams (in particular our AAA team) are becoming backlogged as well.

What we need are 1/2 frontline pitchers. We cannot beat our chief competitors without this. If we are not going to sign them, then why not trade for one? That's what the excess prospects should be used for.

[Bemorewins]

2 hours ago, JR Oriole said:

I think you are right, but enough with the damn prospects.  We have more than enough already. It would seem that young players in the lineup would really benefit from having proven, experienced major league players in the lineup and in the clubhouse to take some of the pressure off of them and to help them navigate through the season.  Imagine the Braves heading into the offseason after 1990 saying: Terry Pendleton.....he would be useless.  We have all of this young talent.  Who needs a veteran who has won divisions and been to the World Series?

Agree wholeheartedly! Where are we going to put any more prospects? Not only is our major league positional roster starting to be backlogged, but some of our minor league teams (in particular our AAA team) are becoming backlogged as well.

What we need are 1/2 frontline pitchers. We cannot beat our chief competitors without this. If we are not going to sign them, then why not trade for one? That's what the excess prospects should be used for.

[Bemorewins]

1 hour ago, orioles22 said:

I'm curious what it would have taken for the Orioles to get Pablo Lopez. I think adding a top-flight starting pitcher would have been the best move we could have made in the off-season.

IMO - Pablo Lopez is NOT a TOR. He's not the kind of pitcher who will propel us into the conversation for serious contender. He's only a little bit better than what we have now.

With all the prospect ammo that we have, we can and need to aim a lot higher.

[eddie83]

Brito has pitched 2 games and the Yankees are suddenly a pitching factory?

[bpilktree]

32 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

That's what happens when you don't draft pitching

The Astros didn’t draft pitchers either but signed a lot of young teenagers in International signings and some trades when they let go of veteran players.  

[Can_of_corn]

19 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

The Astros didn’t draft pitchers either but signed a lot of young teenagers in International signings and some trades when they let go of veteran players.  

The Astros didn't take pitchers 1-1 in back to back drafts?  They didn't take a pitcher in the first round in 2016 and 2017?  So I'm not seeing that four of their last nine first round picks were pitchers?

[bpilktree]

42 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

The Astros didn't take pitchers 1-1 in back to back drafts?  They didn't take a pitcher in the first round in 2016 and 2017?  So I'm not seeing that four of their last nine first round picks were pitchers?

Yes I should have said they didn’t draft any pitchers who actually pitched in the major leagues for them.  I guess we should just draft pitchers who cares if they actually pitch for our major league team.  How many innings have the gotten from any of their first round pitchers the taken in the last 12 years?    The Astros success has come from good draft picks with position players and low level international signings of pitchers.  Then with a few big player trades.  Drafting pitchers for them has been an utter failure.  

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

Yes I should have said they didn’t draft any pitchers who actually pitched in the major leagues for them.  I guess we should just draft pitchers who cares if they actually pitch for our major league team.  How many innings have the gotten from any of their first round pitchers the taken in the last 12 years?    The Astros success has come from good draft picks with position players and low level international signings of pitchers.  Then with a few big player trades.  Drafting pitchers for them has been an utter failure.  

To say they don't do it is an attempt to validate a strategy of not selecting pitchers.  Obviously the Astros don't believe in such a strategy.