Why Pie now?

[bluedog]

At the Major League level a GM should always try to make a team competitive. I didn't say playoff caliber, I said competitive.

I'm a system guy so I believe in giving the young guys a chance, my issue is that the wrong guys are getting a chance. And it's not confined to Pie. Perfomance should trump potential in some instances, especially when it's a, "find out what you have" year.

Who do you think should be getting a chance that isn't? And who is getting a chance who shouldn't be?

[RVAbird]

At the Major League level a GM should always try to make a team competitive. I didn't say playoff caliber, I said competitive.

I'm a system guy so I believe in giving the young guys a chance, my issue is that the wrong guys are getting a chance. And it's not confined to Pie. Perfomance should trump potential in some instances, especially when it's a, "find out what you have" year.

Wrong (IMO). A GM's job should always be to set the team up for sustained success. If you're on the verge of legit playoff contention, sacrificing some long term value is okay, but the goal should be to get the team to be a legit contender and stay that way.

May I ask which young guys you think should be given a chance over Pie and why?

[MikeAD]

At the Major League level a GM should always try to make a team competitive. I didn't say playoff caliber, I said competitive.

I'm a system guy so I believe in giving the young guys a chance, my issue is that the wrong guys are getting a chance. And it's not confined to Pie. Perfomance should trump potential in some instances, especially when it's a, "find out what you have" year.

Really? So why are you against letting Pie participate in this "find out what you have" year?

No sense, no sense at all. Also, the GM is trying to make this team competitive. AM is working with what we have to make this team competitive. I'm sorry that he doesn't have a magic wand and can't make that competitiveness happen right now.

[RVAbird]

At the Major League level a GM should always try to make a team competitive. I didn't say playoff caliber, I said competitive.

I'm a system guy so I believe in giving the young guys a chance, my issue is that the wrong guys are getting a chance. And it's not confined to Pie. Perfomance should trump potential in some instances, especially when it's a, "find out what you have" year.

Totally missed this quote, too.

So, you're saying in a "find out what you have" year, you play players who have already performed rather than players who might be able to perform at a higher level?

Isn't that more of a "go with what you know you have and don't find out what you might have" year?

[RShack]

I WANT TO COMPETE.

Well, then get off your butt, sign up for a marathon, and go COMPETE.

No reason for the team to screw up things because you're impatient.

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

Right. You disagree with a decision the GM has made, so you're rooting *against* an Oriole player. That's just great.

[orioles77]

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.

With Scott, Reimold, Montanez in left over Pie, we are not any closer to winning. I don't understand why everyone is already marking Pie has a failure, the season as not even started yet.

[Satyr3206]

Who do you think should be getting a chance that isn't? And who is getting a chance who shouldn't be?

Reimold, Montanez, & Bergesen should be getting a chance. Their performance has dictated it. Notice they are all relatively young.

Pie, Hendrickson, & Eaton on the other hand have not performed this Spring training or at anytime in their recent ML careers.

[MikeAD]

Reimold, Montanez, & Bergesen should be getting a chance. Their performance has dictated it. Notice they are all relatively young.

Pie, Hendrickson, & Eaton on the other hand have not performed this Spring training or at anytime in their recent ML careers.

You may be right on Bergeson and Reimold, but they will get their time. Bergeson is going down for awhile to give him more work. Reimold doesn't make this team anyway, not with Wiggy, Freel, Huff etc, theres too many players right now.

Hendrickson is on this team to eat up innings, I have more faith that he can do that than others on here, but he's here to hold a spot until our pitching develops. Ditto for Eaton.

Now Pie, there is no recent ML career we can look at to write him off. He was never given regular playing time in Chicago and what in these few spring training games are you going to write him off? In that case lets release Guthrie tomorrow, and byebye to Sherrill too.

Come on now, are you really that against Pie?

[statman]

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.

Trust me, with as dismal as our rotation is, who plays LF is the least of our worries...we wouldn't compete if Ryan Braun was out there.

[Satyr3206]

You may be right on Bergeson and Reimold, but they will get their time. Bergeson is going down for awhile to give him more work. Reimold doesn't make this team anyway, not with Wiggy, Freel, Huff etc, theres too many players right now.

Hendrickson is on this team to eat up innings, I have more faith that he can do that than others on here, but he's here to hold a spot until our pitching develops. Ditto for Eaton.

Now Pie, there is no recent ML career we can look at to write him off. He was never given regular playing time in Chicago and what in these few spring training games are you going to write him off? In that case lets release Guthrie tomorrow, and byebye to Sherrill too.

Come on now, are you really that against Pie?

Guthrie and Sherrill have a track record. The guys I mentioned don't. I'm not that against Pie, I'm against giving a guy a ML position simply because he has potential. If he's that good why did the Cubs give up on him?

[Sports Guy]

. I'm not that against Pie, I'm against giving a guy a ML position simply because he has potential

.Potential that he has shown at all levels of the minors..usually at young ages for his league. His options are up...We can't send him down...In a year where we are going no where, we need to find out what he has.

If he's that good why did the Cubs give up on him?

If he is so good, why did the Twins give up on David Ortiz?

[TheBee]

With Scott, Reimold, Montanez in left over Pie, we are not any closer to winning. I don't understand why everyone is already marking Pie has a failure, the season as not even started yet.

Yeah. I have to admit. I expected some fans to get kind of panicked if Pie hit in the let's say 260 range with only like 2 homers and maybe 20 rbi's after the first 225 - 250 abs of the season (like Nick Markakis did in 2006), but I really didn't expect people to want to give up on a barely 24 year old who's been a top 100 Baseball America prospect 5 times while it's still spring training in a season during which we can't in any way legitimately expect to compete in our division.

[bluedog]

Reimold, Montanez, & Bergesen should be getting a chance. Their performance has dictated it. Notice they are all relatively young.

Pie, Hendrickson, & Eaton on the other hand have not performed this Spring training or at anytime in their recent ML careers.

Pie's career minor league stats are vastly superior Reimold's at a younger age and higher level

Pie's career minor league stats are vastly superior to Montanez's at a younger age and higher level

Both have options while Pie does not.

Are you saying that these two guys deserve to make the team and that Pie should be waived because of approximately 40 at bats in spring training against mostly poor quality pitching and that all other factors and past performance are irrelevant?

Because if anyone has "earned" a shot through past performance, its Pie without a doubt.

And the decision to send Bergesen down was clearly made to preserve an extra year of team control. I would not be surprised if Berge was back up with the O's in the #5 starter spot to make the April 21st start. That would give the O's an extra year before he hits free agency and cost Bergesen exactly ONE start at the big league level.

[Old#5fan]

Guthrie and Sherrill have a track record. The guys I mentioned don't. I'm not that against Pie, I'm against giving a guy a ML position simply because he has potential. If he's that good why did the Cubs give up on him?

Maybe or most likely Pie isn't going to be good, ever, but the only way to truly find out is to play the guy. Markakis looked horrible too when he first came up and only after the Orioles stuck with him did he begin to flourish. Why not give Pie the same chance? There is really nothing to lose with this joke of a starting rotation anyway.

[Satyr3206]

.Potential that he has shown at all levels of the minors..usually at young ages for his league. His options are up...We can't send him down...In a year where we are going no where, we need to find out what he has.If he is so good, why did the Twins give up on David Ortiz?

I watched Pie a few times last year because I get the Extra Innings package and I'm not impressed. He's fast and has a good arm. Unfortunately he has very little grasp of the strike zone and his swing is too long. My assessment is based on what I've seen.

As for why the Twins gave up on Ortiz I don't know.