My biggest question entering the season

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, Phil Beckett said:

Yes, when it comes to the importance of how I am on a chat room that’s about baseball, I can be a complete douche bag! One of the worst! 

And not feel guilty one bit! Because it’s a silly game. I have important things in my life that I get serious about.
 

Heck I can even be a fanatic and say irrational things like

 

kill the ump!

In the spirit of the GAME baseball.

 

And then….you guys???

 

 

Ok, I just got on here and started reading this thread and you need a day off to cool down. Stop trolling the board and stop changing the subject of threads. 

[Tony-OH]

12 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

I guess trolls just don’t get banned from this board?  Another thread derailed by this who won’t stop whinging about the payroll in every single post. 

If you guys report these posts they will be reviewed quicker. We're not on here 24/7. I did end up giving him a day off for trolling. I doubt it will change him and I'll probably have to remove him from the community.

[Fiver6565]

Just now, Tony-OH said:

If you guys report these posts they will be reviewed quicker. We're not on here 24/7. I did end up giving him a day off for trolling. I doubt it will change him and I'll probably have to remove him from the community.

Fair enough. Thanks Tony!

[Aristotelian]

10 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Removed from the closer role due to performance issues.

Indeed, as advertised.

I acknowledged the hiccups

[Just Regular]

I think Sig in interviews likes to call it the "leading, bleeding edge".

It is surely true clubs can win advantages arbitraging which of a zillion AAAA relief pitchers shapes have limited tactical usefulness.    That acumen can certainly carry you to Top 6 in a 15-team league spending very little if the draft has temporarily graced your roster the way the Orioles roster is graced right now.

But when Corey Seager and Aroldis Chapman and Gunnar Henderson and Jacob Webb are competing, there's a level on which they know who paid the Jordan Montgomery price and who didn't.

[Aristotelian]

15 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Norby's issues is he doesn't play 3B. Who backs up Westburg at 3B if Urias is replaced by Norby? Sure, Gunnar could play there, but he's the everyday SS. 

Nick Maton or potentially Vavra certainly could be a replacement for Urias if the team thinks they can play 3B effectively enough to give Westburg a day off here and there.  

I would think Mateo would be fine there on a backup basis. The position wouldn't take advantage of his assets as well as a range position but he has all the skills he needs 

[Can_of_corn]

14 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I acknowledged the hiccups

I was just saying that was what I expected out of him (as advertised).

He's been adequate but he wasn't a big move.

[Aristotelian]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I was just saying that was what I expected out of him (as advertised).

He's been adequate but he wasn't a big move.

There wasn't much to choose from. I was hoping for Stephenson but that would have flushed $30M down the toilet. Hader? I'm pretty happy with Kimbrel and Burnes and see what materializes at the deadline.

[justD]

37 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Norby's issue is he doesn't play 3B. Who backs up Westburg at 3B if Urias is replaced by Norby? Sure, Gunnar could play there, but he's the everyday SS. 

Nick Maton or potentially Vavra certainly could be a replacement for Urias if the team thinks they can play 3B effectively enough to give Westburg a day off here and there.  

Thank you so much for pointing out that nice-and-simple piece of data about Norby. 

I looked through various Minors forum threads to see what you've thought of him as the years have passed, and why he never seems to really come up in non-Oriole lists of top prospects, but was unsuccessful in coming up with something. 

"His defense hurts him" has been the general vibe from seemingly informed members of the board, but that wasn't what I was looking for. 

Perhaps it's as simple as not having enough utility across the IF. 

 

I also can't help but wonder what the analysts see or don't see regarding his bat, and whether he's got holes I can't decipher that would keep his numbers from translating. 

 

I mean, like CoC said, there's gotta be reasons he hasn't been traded yet, and I don't believe it's ME asking too much for him, but instead an awareness of something we/I don't see but which you might, or have. 

[Bemorewins]

25 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

If you guys report these posts they will be reviewed quicker. We're not on here 24/7. I did end up giving him a day off for trolling. I doubt it will change him and I'll probably have to remove him from the community.

Thank you Tony!

Maybe I looked at his account wrong? But it appears that he has been here since 2011 (or at least that's when he last posted ) and then he shows up this year all of a sudden and starts criticizing ownership who has been here less than 2 months. But was silent for over the last decade regarding previous ownership. And when I asked him about it, I got no response. That seemed very odd to me.

[Tony-OH]

19 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I would think Mateo would be fine there on a backup basis. The position wouldn't take advantage of his assets as well as a range position but he has all the skills he needs 

Maybe, but he's had 27 professional innings there and besides, when Westburg is getting a day off, Mateo will need to be in there at 2B anyways with the current roster. Mateo has been so good at 2B, I doubt they'd want to move him around and would just prefer a player with experience at 3B.

[Brooks The Great]

42 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Norby's issues is he doesn't play 3B. Who backs up Westburg at 3B if Urias is replaced by Norby? Sure, Gunnar could play there, but he's the everyday SS. 

Nick Maton or potentially Vavra certainly could be a replacement for Urias if the team thinks they can play 3B effectively enough to give Westburg a day off here and there.  

Norby not being able to play 3B isn't really relevant to releasing Urias. If Westburg were to get hurt, Gunnar would just slide over to 3B and Mateo can take SS on a short-term basis.

Maton would be the callup to replace Westburg in an IL situation since Maton has more major league experience as a defender than Vavra does at both 3B and 2B.

For regular days off, just have Gunnar play 3B until Mayo is ready. 

Coby Mayo would be the option once Mayo is back from his injury. And barring injuries overall, Mayo takes over at 3B full-time later this summer, moving Westburg to 2B and Mateo to a pinch-runner role (and defensive replacement for Mayo late in games if needed, coming in at 2B and moving Westburg to 3B).

Edited May 29 by Brooks The Great

[CaptainRedbeard]

There was an interesting article on ESPN recently (a rarity) about how analytically inclined teams are doing more work on load management, similar to soccer and basketball. I’d expect the Orioles to be one of those teams, and they’re now going into a stretch of a lot of consecutive games.

So Santander could be due for more rest days anyway, as well as the older and speed-dependent Mullins and Mateo. And Gunnar and Westburg will probably get some more frequent days off or DH days.

More chances for Stowers, Hays and Urias to show they are worth their roster spots, earn more playing time, or get replaced. 

[Tony-OH]

1 minute ago, Bemorewins said:

Thank you Tony!

Maybe I looked at his account wrong? But it appears that he has been here since 2011 (or at least that's when he last posted ) and then he shows up this year all of a sudden and starts criticizing ownership who has been here less than 2 months. But was silent for over the last decade regarding previous ownership. And when I asked him about it, I got no response. That seemed very odd to me.

It is very odd which is why I'm monitoring the account closely. To be so upset over the new ownership is literally insane.

[Tony-OH]

1 minute ago, Brooks The Great said:

Norby not being able to play 3B isn't really relevant to releasing Urias. If Westburg were to get hurt, Gunnar would just slide over to 3B and Mateo can take SS on a short-term basis.

Maton would be the callup to replace Westburg in an IL situation since Maton has more major league experience as a defender than Vavra does at both 3B and 2B.

For regular days off, just have Gunnar play 3B until Mayo is ready. 

And Coby Mayo would be the option once Mayo is back from his injury. And barring injuries overall, Mayo takes over at 3B full-time later this summer, moving Westburg to 2B and Mateo to a pinch-runner role.

I don't think the Orioles want to do this. Now could they potentially do that, sure, but I think they would bring up Maton or Vavra and go with a platoon with them and Urias if Westburg went down.