Why Pie now?

[JTrea81]

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.

Uggla is an established vet. Different rules.

[RShack]

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.

Earth calling JTrea... Earth calling JTrea... come in please...

[wildcard]

Just curious, but how is benching him and hitting him a lot of balls in the outfield going to get him mentally prepared to handle this situation. If you've ever played high level competitive baseball, you would know that there is a world's difference from practice and game situations. Not to mention the negative impact that benching Pie would have on the development of his bat.

Fact is, Pie is highly regarded as a fielder by most scouts, and he needs a little time to adjust to a new position. Unfortunately for him, he can't adjust at the minor league level. Fortunately for us, we aren't competing and are the perfect team to give him a year of full time play to see if he turns it around.

Benching Pie at this point is not the best thing for him or for the organization.

I would like to know how he reacts to balls in practice now. Does he track them well now in practice or is he have the same problems in practice and he is having the the games. That would help a lot in know whether more practice time would help.

I think if Trembley tells him his time is coming but they want to give him more time to practice then I think that is less damaging then sending him out there is mess up in field. Then he starts putting pressure on himself, his fielding problems start to bother his hitting and things can spiral out of control.

All I would like to see that Pie have the best chance to succeed which should happen when he is prepare for what he is asked to do.

Again, I was encouraged by Vatech report.

[Mark Carver]

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.

Pie is/was the team's only option right know for LF. Because, he's younger than the other 2 options (Reimold/Montanez). He's proven that he can hit AAA pitching. The other 2 have yet to do that and the other 2 still have options.

[olehippi]

Barring an injury, Pie will be the Orioles' LF'er until at least the All-Star break, and possibly beyond if his bat has shown any signs if life. And I have no doubt that he will adapt defensively to LF.

[Tx Oriole]

Two things...

1) It most certainly WAS an underhanded insult, as he has shown NOTHING to give him kudos for...yet.

2) I have said I don't like the trade but am willing to give him a chance and hope to hell I am proven wrong.

I'm just stating my opinion, just like everyone else. And my opinion is just because someone was touted as a great prospect doesn't make said person a great major leaguer. But, the trade has been made, so give the guy a chance. But unlike some of you, I am not willing to watch him bat .190 for a whole season when we have THREE other guys who can play left in Scott, Montanez, and Reimold. If Pie shows no improvement by the AS Break, I think the experiment should be over.

Dipper, I am not trying to bust on you or WC. I jsut have to disagree. We are O's fans. We just disagree with each other on the talent level of certain players. And that is cool.

[Carroll County]

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

This isn't true at all. Pie has proven all that he can possibly prove in the minors. Reimold hasn't played AAA and Montanez hasn't really hit AAA in his stints there.

[Capn Vivi]

I still don't understand people's objection to Pie.

The only way you acquire someone of his talent is when it is undervalued. In this case, Chicago had no place for him on their 25 man roster, he was out of options, and he hadn't proven much at the major league level.

If you want to trade for a sure thing, for someone who you know is going to stick, you need to trade more than Olson. I'm a fan of Olson too, I think he has the talent to be a starter at the big league level, but at best, he'll be a 4/5 starter. Pie is capable of much more as an everyday player and with the big 3 on their way (and the depth in pitching beyond them), we could definitely afford to lose Olson. Our situation as a losing ballclub (currently) also affords us the opportunity to see Pie without worrying too much about the ramifications in the W-L column.

Why anyone would care about Scott or Reimold in this situation is beyond me. The only player we lost is Olson.

As John Lennon said: "All we are saying is give [Pie] a chance."

[LookinUp]

Have any of the people who are discouraged about Pie's fielding ever caught a fly ball?

This isn't rocket science. If you can be a good CF, you can be a good COF and you can catch an infield pop-up. About the only thing that you'd likely have difficulty with is catching a pop-up from the C position. Once the ball's in the air, it's just not that different from CF. Sure, the COF positions have a little more tail to the ball, but that's it. And you get less straight line drives (which are tougher to judge) in the COF positions. Bottom line, if Pie's having trouble catching the ball, it's 99% likely because of environmental conditions.

Rather than write another post, I'll just pose the question now...have any of the people who are discouraged about Pie's bat in spring training ever gone through major mechanical changes in their swing?

[Mackus]

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

Absolute falsehood.

There are people who want Reimold to get a chance at the MLB squad and Pie's minor league success blows Reimold's away.

Pie deserves a legit shot at making a MLB club - regardless of his options situation. Its tough to get that chance on a team that is intending to compete for a championship (Cubs) because they can't afford on-the-job training. We, on the other hand, can easily afford to deal with his struggles for the first couple months - like Markakis and Jones - in hopes of reaping the benefits down the line.

Pie's career numbers - both major and minor - are very, very similar to what Jones' were heading into last season. He just was roughly one year older his last couple stops. He's certainly far closer to the numbers Jones put up than the numbers the people who don't want him usually cite, Corey Patterson's.

[El Gordo]

Absolute falsehood.

There are people who want Reimold to get a chance at the MLB squad and Pie's minor league success blows Reimold's away.

Pie deserves a legit shot at making a MLB club - regardless of his options situation. Its tough to get that chance on a team that is intending to compete for a championship (Cubs) because they can't afford on-the-job training. We, on the other hand, can easily afford to deal with his struggles for the first couple months - like Markakis and Jones - in hopes of reaping the benefits down the line.

Pie's career numbers - both major and minor - are very, very similar to what Jones' were heading into last season. He just was roughly one year older his last couple stops. He's certainly far closer to the numbers Jones put up than the numbers the people who don't want him usually cite, Corey Patterson's.

Pie is 6 months older than Jones. Otherwise he is virtually in the same boat as Jones was last season. He should get the same shot Jones got last year.

[bluedog]

This isn't true at all. Pie has proven all that he can possibly prove in the minors. Reimold hasn't played AAA and Montanez hasn't really hit AAA in his stints there.

Add my name to the list of people besides SG who'd want Pie starting every day for the O's in 2009 over Reimold or Montanez or anyone else, regardless of his option status. He's done everything he needs to do in the minors - it's time to determine whether he can do it in the majors.

[TheBee]

Add my name to the list of people besides SG who'd want Pie starting every day for the O's in 2009 over Reimold or Montanez or anyone else, regardless of his option status. He's done everything he needs to do in the minors - it's time to determine whether he can do it in the majors.

I'll gladly sign the same list.

[Palmoripken]

I'll gladly sign the same list.

Same here. Let's see what he can do. Have Reimold at AAA and if Pie doesn't work well we have a backup plan. I don't understand why people think Reimold or Montanez will work out great and Pie will not. As has been said the Cubs have been in win now mode since Pie became ML ready. Let's give the guy consistent playing time and see what he can do. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work but I think it's worth a try.

[Answerman]

Sorry folks, but I'm really starting to get irked at our writing off this season before it starts. I WANT TO COMPETE.

Starting Pie over Scott, Wiggington, Montanez, Reimold and maybe even Freel is bothersome. I know all about his potential and needing a chance, but why not put him on the bench (or minimal duty) until we are eliminated/July and then let him get his experimental at bats? And please stop comparing this situation to Adam Jones - we had nobody else to play his position.

If I'm a veteran, giving this kid a shot he hasn't earned would really tick me off. I'll bet Trembley is grinding his teeth.

I'll bet Felix is a great kid, but sadly I find myself already rooting against him.