Just step back and stand in awe of the picks Mike Elias and his staff have ALREADY made

[Moose Milligan]

I’m more in awe of things like turning Felix Bautista around.  Yennier Cano. Perez.  DC. O’Hearn.  Setting up South American scouting so they can get a guy like Basallo. 
 

Putting all that coaching and infrastructure in place and making decisions on who to take risks on and having them pan out seemingly more than not. I’m way more impressed by that than the draft picks. 

[Gurgi]

4 minutes ago, DirtyBird said:

Is this the greatest spring training team in baseball history?

No idea.  But we are real good.  I think we are winning because our AAA team also won the title last year.  So even when we put in the scrubs.....the back up guys they are on a higher skill level than other teams.  Its better to win these games than lose them even though they dont count at all.

[now]

58 minutes ago, 24fps said:

1960 O's with Gentile (26), Breeding (26), Hansen (22), Brooks (23), Adair (23), Brandt (26), Pappas (21), Barber (22) and Estrada(22) was chock full of young talent, most of whom were not on the team the previous season.  Maybe not the same now, but similar. 

From that year until 1985 they had a grand total of two losing seasons.  I expect nothing less from this crew. 

Agreed, that 1960 edition of Baby Birds was definitely up there too. 

[sportsfan8703]

You could point out that his underlsot strategies were wasted a bit because we were forced to give players like Andrew Dashbach, Creed Willems, and Carter Young, big money because we had nowhere to else to turn too. Probably the only knocks so far. 

Cowser over SS Jordan Lawler

Kjerstad over Veen or Hancock

But all in all, Elias has killed the draft.  Time to get the int’l pipeline going  

 

 

[Billy F-Face3]

3 hours ago, Roy Firestone said:

Elias almost as much as any young player...this man has a great eye and judgement for talent...and so does his analysts...we NEVER had this kind of FO in player personnel since he Dalton, Cashen years..

Elias might be the most important man in the entire Organization. He and Sig are great partners at building a front office that identifies baseball talent, so I'd extend them both. 

That said, Elias might already be extended. His contract is as secret as the Bermuda Triangle and Bigfoot.

[BohKnowsBmore]

2 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You could point out that his underlsot strategies were wasted a bit because we were forced to give players like Andrew Dashbach, Creed Willems, and Carter Young, big money because we had nowhere to else to turn too. Probably the only knocks so far. 

Cowser over SS Jordan Lawler

Kjerstad over Veen or Hancock

But all in all, Elias has killed the draft.  Time to get the int’l pipeline going  

 

 

I'm pretty happy we ended up with Mayo as a result of that underslot selection.

And I wouldn't throw in the towel on Willems yet, he tore it up at Delmarva prior to scuffling at Aberdeen last year... let's see how he adjusts (esp. since he was -2.3 average age for that league).

[now]

Likewise, I wouldn't toss in the towel yet on Cowser and Kjerstad, who could very well end up outperforming those slot picks. 

[Roy Firestone]

3 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I’m more in awe of things like turning Felix Bautista around.  Yennier Cano. Perez.  DC. O’Hearn.  Setting up South American scouting so they can get a guy like Basallo. 
 

Putting all that coaching and infrastructure in place and making decisions on who to take risks on and having them pan out seemingly more than not. I’m way more impressed by that than the draft picks. 

really good points...

[Moose Milligan]

9 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

really good points...

As were yours.   I just think being able to find guys who are castoffs and turning them into really important pieces is a skill that's underappreciated a little bit...on this board with the diehards, maybe not so much, but in the media at large and on a national level, I think people don't really consider it.

This organization is in a fairly good spot if all it has to rely on is the draft.  But thankfully, that's not the case.

 

[RZNJ]

2 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You could point out that his underlsot strategies were wasted a bit because we were forced to give players like Andrew Dashbach, Creed Willems, and Carter Young, big money because we had nowhere to else to turn too. Probably the only knocks so far. 

Cowser over SS Jordan Lawler

Kjerstad over Veen or Hancock

But all in all, Elias has killed the draft.  Time to get the int’l pipeline going  

 

 

Dashback signed for 250k in the 2019 draft.

You'd rather have Hancock or Veen over Kjerstad?   Not to mention the savings that was used on Mayo and Baumler.

Although almost everyone has Lawler as a top 20 guy, Cowser isn't exactly chopped liver.   The savings was used on John Rhodes and Creed Willems.

It will be interesting to see how the 2021 (Cowser) turns out but even that one could turn out in the O's favor.

Edited March 18 by RZNJ

[sportsfan8703]

7 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Dashback signed for 250k in the 2019 draft.

You'd rather have Hancock or Veen over Kjerstad?   Not to mention the savings that was used on Mayo and Baumler.

Although almost everyone has Lawler as a top 20 guy, Cowser isn't exactly chopped liver.   The savings was used on John Rhodes and Creed Willems.

It will be interesting to see how the 2021 (Cowser) turns out but even that one could turn out in the O's favor.

I’d rather have Hancock over Kjerstad.  Lawler over Cowser.  I don’t want to criticize Elias on a Monday morning, but Carter Young and Willems couldn’t be the guys they were targeting. Also, Rhodes is kinda meh in a Zach Watson way. 

[sportsfan8703]

7 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Dashback signed for 250k in the 2019 draft.

You'd rather have Hancock or Veen over Kjerstad?   Not to mention the savings that was used on Mayo and Baumler.

Although almost everyone has Lawler as a top 20 guy, Cowser isn't exactly chopped liver.   The savings was used on John Rhodes and Creed Willems.

It will be interesting to see how the 2021 (Cowser) turns out but even that one could turn out in the O's favor.

I’d rather have Hancock over Kjerstad.  Lawler over Cowser.  I don’t want to criticize Elias on a Monday morning 6 weeks after MLK day, but Carter Young and Willems couldn’t be the guys they were targeting. Also, Rhodes is kinda meh in a Zach Watson way. 

Elias did kill that 2019 draft. Keep in mind Bradish was in that 2019 class and we most certainly targeted him in the Bundy trade. Maverick Handley likely will end up getting a cup of coffee at some point in the MLB too. 

[ChosenOne21]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

I’d rather have Hancock over Kjerstad.  Lawler over Cowser.  I don’t want to criticize Elias on a Monday morning 6 weeks after MLK day, but Carter Young and Willems couldn’t be the guys they were targeting. Also, Rhodes is kinda meh in a Zach Watson way. 

Elias did kill that 2019 draft. Keep in mind Bradish was in that 2019 class and we most certainly targeted him in the Bundy trade. Maverick Handley likely will end up getting a cup of coffee at some point in the MLB too. 

Would you rather have Hancock over Kjerstad + Mayo?

[Pushmonkey]

32 minutes ago, ChosenOne21 said:

Would you rather have Hancock over Kjerstad + Mayo?

On day 3 of Gettysburg, Yes I would want Hancock over anyone else. 

[Oriole1940]

15 hours ago, Too Tall said:

Spot on. But making "money" is one thing. How you use it is another. I'm very optimistic but as has been said on here often, this now is Elias and Company's most challenging time. For the first time in many years, the Oriole Organization is blessed with an abundance of talent. Let's all hope we are on the cusp of many years of having a highly competitive team. I'd love to relive the 70's!!!!!!!!!!!! (In more ways than one)

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!