Why Pie now?

[Sports Guy]

I'm in favor of giving Pie his shot, but just for fun, here's the counterargument. We DON'T suck offensively. We DON'T suck in left field now. We DON'T suck in having a lack of other prospects for left field. So in fact, if Pie doesn't perform, we will SUCK worse, and we will have denied playing time to players who might have been more help to us in the future than Pie.

In that sense, the argument for putting Penn in the rotation is better than the argument for putting Pie in LF. (Even though, for reasons I gave in other threads, I think the case for Pie getting the LF spot is better than the case for giving Penn a rotation spot right now.)

That's not a counter argument...We are still a bad team and should be giving all of these guys an extended look.

There isn't one intelligent, logical reason not to..assuming they are healthy.

[Tx Oriole]

Why are you making stuff up, Tx? That's a complete mischaracterization of wc's position.

Read what he said about Hill. When there is two different things totally.

[Flosman]

Jones is probably a better hitter than Pie period.

Thier minor League numbers are very similar.

[wildcard]

Come on now. Hill is injured. He will start the season on the DL. You are just reaching for any excuse to say or thnk Pie is not worth a spot on the etam. Sorry, but some of the excuses you have some up with of jsut silly.

Hill will start the season on the DL not because he is still hurt but because he has not had enough time to get his control back after being injury. Actually Hill says he feels fine and he is pitching off the mound. So Hill could pitching ML games but the O's are using the injury to allow him to go to extended spring training, get his control back and stretch out. They could probably put him in the pen and have him stretch out their under the guidance of Kranitz and Dunn but they have apparently decided that allow him to rehab in the minors is a better route (which I agree with).

Pie is have problem adjusting to left field. He is making errors or errors in judgement daily. It is not an unreasonable approach to take it slow with this playing time until he adjusts. That is what I was explaining. Neither of these guys have fully adjust to their roles at this point.

However I do think the Vatech report is valid. He says that Pie is making some excellent plays also. I respect Vatech's opinion anyway but the fact that he is there watching Pie and weighing in on Pie's side going a long way with me.

[Scrat1]

So far today Pie has a hit, a run, and a walk w/ no Ks. I believe he had a hit and a walk yesterday as well. I love seeing those walks.

[JTrea81]

Why Adam Jones last year? Why Markakis in 2006?

Jones (.324 AVG/.529 SLG) and Markakis (.358 AVG/.522 SLG) both had excellent springs the year they made the team. There was talk of sending both down before that spring, but they earned their spots.

If Pie didn't have options, he wouldn't be on the OD roster period. Too bad they can't come up with a fake injury to put him on the DL...

[Big Mac]

Jones (.324 AVG/.529 SLG) and Markakis (.358 AVG/.522 SLG) both had excellent springs the year they made the team. There was talk of sending both down before that spring, but they earned their spots.

If Pie didn't have options, he wouldn't be on the OD roster period. Too bad they can't come up with a fake injury to put him on the DL...

There was absolutely no talk of sending Jones down before last spring.

He was declared our CF the minute he was acquired.

[JTrea81]

There was absolutely no talk of sending Jones down before last spring.

He was declared our CF the minute he was acquired.

I wouldn't say the Orioles were saying anything, but I remember discussion on here about Jones possibly going to AAA if he struggled early in the season and in ST.

That's the talk I am referring to.

[RShack]

Jones (.324 AVG/.529 SLG) and Markakis (.358 AVG/.522 SLG) both had excellent springs the year they made the team. There was talk of sending both down before that spring, but they earned their spots.

For some unknown reason, you persist in your belief that ST works like auditions. It very rarely does.

Nick's story was the rare exception, not the rule. Just about nobody thought they were sending AJ down.

[Go Baby Birds!]

There was absolutely no talk of sending Jones down before last spring.

He was declared our CF the minute he was acquired.

Exactly, and the whole point we brought Pie in was to give him the "Adam Jones Treatment" that he didn't get the luxury of having in Chicago. Getting to start majority of the games even if he started out slow, or started out on a tear. Pie will get a lot of PT regardless of what people think he deserves. The whole Pie reclamation project is contingent on him getting big league at bats, not withering away at AAA for another season. We suck, we are going to suck with Pie in LF or on the bench, mind as well give him a substantial amount of time starting to see if we can tap that untapped reservoir of talent.

[Go Baby Birds!]

I wouldn't say the Orioles were saying anything, but I remember discussion on here about Jones possibly going to AAA if he struggled early in the season and in ST.

That's the talk I am referring to.

Well if the Orioles weren't saying anything, or there weren't some credible inside sources hinting at the possibility, than you shouldn't make assumptions based on internet message board chatter.

[JTrea81]

For some unknown reason, you persist in your belief that ST works like auditions. It very rarely does.

Nick's story was the rare exception, not the rule. Just about nobody thought they were sending AJ down.

For unproven players, or position competitions that is exactly what ST is for.

Pie should have been in a competition with Reimold and Montanez for that LF spot from the start.

I guarantee if Pie had options, nobody (except for SG) would want to see him in Baltimore to start the season...

[RShack]

For unproven players, or position competitions that is exactly what ST is for.

In the world inside your head, maybe. But not on Planet Earth where baseball happens.

[Scrat1]

Look at that malinger Dan Uggla with a .204 avg. He hasn't earned a roster spot this spring training. If the Marlins were smart, they'd cut him ASAP.

[JTrea81]

That's like saying Jones should have been in competition with Corey Patterson (Montanez)

Patterson wasn't an Oriole. The Orioles had nobody else better to put at the CF spot except for Jay Payton and that's not even close. Jones was it and he performed.

Markakis had to beat out Gibbons and he wasn't immediately handed a starting spot either.

Pie is not our only LF option, therefore he shouldn't get the job by default.