One key to Orioles success

[brucewayne]

Tools are all the rage in modern baseball. Everybody wants that guy with the cannon arm, who is 6'4" and can run like a track star and launch 500 foot homeruns. All good stuff, but that's not how a ball player makes his mark long term. Baseball is about hitting the ball. The hit tool is by far the most important skill any position player can have. Bat to ball skills is what makes or breaks you at the MLB level. Taken to the extreme you can literally be a HOF player with just 1 tool above average. There are players int the HOF who can't do much other than hit. If your hit tool is great and you have 20HR type power then you are literally HOF, damn the other tools. 

 

I'm not saying it's great to be slow or mediocre in the field. I'm saying that tools are flashy, but bat on ball skills is what really matters. We took Kjerstad #2 overall in what most consider a reach because he's not "toolsy" enough for that slot. We took Holliday #1 overall when everybody else had Druw Jones going #1. Why? Because Jones is bigger, faster, stronger with a cannon arm. Good for him. Guess what? Jackson can hit and Druw can't. Holliday broke the all time record for high school hits. The previous record holder? JT Realmuto. How is JT doing? I'd say pretty damn good. Rutschman was taken #1 overall and we took him over Witt. I like that decision. Catcher is the most important position on the field and Rutschman can put the bat on the ball. I like the decision to take guy who can put the bat on the ball.

 

We have taken some high risk, high upside picks recently like Beavers and Bradfield. Guys who profile as toolsy instead of natural hitters. That said, you can afford to take a little more risk when you've already established a core pipeline of hitting talent.

[brucewayne]

Was watching Brian Kenny recently explain the Os success. And he said they simply have an endless supply of guys who can hit. Along with a good bullpen. Nobody on the team is a monster hitter (yet), it's the sheer volume of guys who can put the bat on the ball. 

[IPlayGM]

1 hour ago, brucewayne said:

Tools are all the rage in modern baseball. Everybody wants that guy with the cannon arm, who is 6'4" and can run like a track star and launch 500 foot homeruns. All good stuff, but that's not how a ball player makes his mark long term. Baseball is about hitting the ball. The hit tool is by far the most important skill any position player can have. Bat to ball skills is what makes or breaks you at the MLB level. Taken to the extreme you can literally be a HOF player with just 1 tool above average. There are players int the HOF who can't do much other than hit. If your hit tool is great and you have 20HR type power then you are literally HOF, damn the other tools. 

 

I'm not saying it's great to be slow or mediocre in the field. I'm saying that tools are flashy, but bat on ball skills is what really matters. We took Kjerstad #2 overall in what most consider a reach because he's not "toolsy" enough for that slot. We took Holliday #1 overall when everybody else had Druw Jones going #1. Why? Because Jones is bigger, faster, stronger with a cannon arm. Good for him. Guess what? Jackson can hit and Druw can't. Holliday broke the all time record for high school hits. The previous record holder? JT Realmuto. How is JT doing? I'd say pretty damn good. Rutschman was taken #1 overall and we took him over Witt. I like that decision. Catcher is the most important position on the field and Rutschman can put the bat on the ball. I like the decision to take guy who can put the bat on the ball.

 

We have taken some high risk, high upside picks recently like Beavers and Bradfield. Guys who profile as toolsy instead of natural hitters. That said, you can afford to take a little more risk when you've already established a core pipeline of hitting talent.

Good post, and got me thinking. Could the Orioles be the team that swings the pendulum back from the current home run or bust mindset of the league? They are certainly bucking the trend in many ways, and it remains to be seen if other teams will attempt to mimic this model going forward. That would be different for us Os fans!!!

[brucewayne]

1 minute ago, IPlayGM said:

Good post, and got me thinking. Could the Orioles be the team that swings the pendulum back from the current home run or bust mindset of the league? They are certainly bucking the trend in many ways, and it remains to be seen if other teams will attempt to mimic this model going forward. That would be different for us Os fans!!!

Timely hitting, situational baseball and a lockdown back end of the bullpen. How are the Os doing it? There is the answer. 

[brucewayne]

Frazier is the forums favorite whipping boy, but at the end of the day he can put the bat on the ball. Man on 3rd less than 2 outs? Frazier is money.

Edited August 18, 2023 by brucewayne

[OriolesMagic83]

1 hour ago, brucewayne said:

Timely hitting, situational baseball and a lockdown back end of the bullpen. How are the Os doing it? There is the answer. 

Who hacked Mr Splash's account?  That makes sense.

[casadeozo]

3 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Who hacked Mr Splash's account?  That makes sense.

Johnrambo 

[Malike]

23 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Who hacked Mr Splash's account?  That makes sense.

Eh, all that came straight from the A Block video someone posted the other day. They said the same thing.

[Frobby]

The idea that we have a “lockdown” bullpen is pretty laughable.  The bullpen’s save rate is 61%, below the AL average of 62%.  

What we really have is a tenacious offense that doesn’t get down on itself when the bullpen gives up a lead.  They go out and get it right back.   We’ve won almost half the games in which our bullpen blew a save, which is remarkable. 
 

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The idea that we have a “lockdown” bullpen is pretty laughable.  The bullpen’s save rate is 61%, below the AL average of 62%.  

What we really have is a tenacious offense that doesn’t get down on itself when the bullpen gives up a lead.  They go out and get it right back.   We’ve won almost half the games in which our bullpen blew a save, which is remarkable. 
 

Yea, I would like to see us replace several members of the pen right now.

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Yea, I would like to see us replace several members of the pen right now.

Honestly, Felix is the only guy I fully trust, and even he has hiccups a little more often than I’d like.  

[LA2]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Honestly, Felix is the only guy I fully trust, and even he has hiccups a little more often than I’d like.  

Oxymoron: "fully trust" / "a little more often than I'd like"

But I hear you. I think I myself was spoiled by Zach Britton and before him Jim Johnson (during only some of their years of crse).

Edited August 18, 2023 by LA2

[Sports Guy]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Honestly, Felix is the only guy I fully trust, and even he has hiccups a little more often than I’d like.  

Yea..I mean for me, I’m hoping for Hall and Wells for sure.  Means plays some role, although that role is tbd.

You then have a guy like Baker..how is he coming along? Can he get it going?

And like I said before, I’m not ruling out McDermott for the pen this season. A power arm like his in short stints could be huge and it’s not unusual to see a scenario like that play out for a contender.

We could drop many members of the pen tomorrow and I don’t think most of us would bat an eye. I know it would be unusual to do that in September heading into the playoffs but outside of Bautista, cano and Coloumbe, we have not had any real consistency out there.

Baumann has done an adequate job in his role but it’s been nothing special.

No one else has remotely stood out.

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Sports Guy

[brucewayne]

40 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The idea that we have a “lockdown” bullpen is pretty laughable.  The bullpen’s save rate is 61%, below the AL average of 62%.  

What we really have is a tenacious offense that doesn’t get down on itself when the bullpen gives up a lead.  They go out and get it right back.   We’ve won almost half the games in which our bullpen blew a save, which is remarkable. 
 

Dont we lead the league in bullpen WAR? 

[brucewayne]

The Orioles seem to prioritize hitting the baseball more than other teams.