Renamed Wow Simon

[wildcard]

McLovin, can you make it so that every time someone types Alfredo Simon the OH spits out "Chicken Alfredo Simon" like you did the the I Heart MASN guy???

When a guy pitches like Simon did last night it is probably not the right time to label him "Chicken". And "Shrimp" will not work either. He is a big guy.

[Anonymous]

So I take it you're ordering up a serving of Beef Alfredo See-MONE.

[DrungoHazewood]

I would look to see if he is loading the ball up with something or scuffing it. How much was that forkball moving?

As long as he can get away with it until Bergesen or Tillman or somebody gets their required six or ten starts in AAA, who cares? I think there should be a grandfathering of the Burleigh Grimes rule for any team that starts the year with both Alfredo Simon and Adam Eaton in the rotation...

I'm smacking myself in the head for not sending the team a shipping crate full of files and emory boards and KY on August 1st the past few years.

[crawjo]

I kind of think the Opening Day rotation doesn't matter. With the lack of quality, I suspect we'll see most of the candidates in a starting role at some point or other during the season, except for the guys who get DFA'd, and those guys will never amount to anything anyways.

It sounds like Simon was better this time around, so I guess I would toss him a start or two to see if he's really turned a corner or not. I remain very skeptical, though. On the other hand, this is the Orioles rotation we are talking about, so there is plenty of skepticism to go around.

[DrungoHazewood]

So let's go waaaaay out on a limb here, and assume that Alfredo Simon makes the rotation and is actually sort of respectable. Like 140 innings of a 4.50. He has a track record of almost no success above A-ball, save for half a year with the Monterrey Sultans of the Mexican League.

Would he be the most unlikely success story in Orioles history? Who else is in the running? Dave Johnson, being on of the go-to starters in the '89 pennant race as a 29-year-old rookie with an 83 mph fastball who'd been living in a trailer park? Kevin Hickey, rescued from some kind of softball league? Dan Boone, 5' 7" left-handed knuckleballer from the senior league? Anybody else?

[howie14]

Would he be the most unlikely success story in Orioles history?... Anybody else?

Unless you were to count Steve Stone selling his soul to Satan for one absurdly good season, I think you've covered it.

(Yes, I am aware he was actually a fair pitcher before that)

[Frobby]

IT WAS STILL ONE GAME!!!

I don't care if he threw 25 pitches at 100 MPH...It still doesn;t trump a career of garbage stats.

If you want to talk about unqualified, it is someone who rates ST over a career.

Obviously, there was something the Orioles saw and liked about Simon last summer when they plucked him out of Mexico, despite the fact that he had terrible minor league numbers in the past. I have no idea what that was, or why he pitched so poorly in the minors before even though it's apparent he has very good stuff. All I know is that I saw him pitch a great game last September, and he has had a very good spring. So maybe there is some major change that he made that is making a huge difference, so that his past minor league numbers are irrelevant. I really don't know what has happened to make this guy seem so much better than he was in his minor league career, but if he looks that good I don't mind giving him a whirl.

[Mashed Potatoes]

When a guy pitches like Simon did last night it is probably not the right time to label him "Chicken". And "Shrimp" will not work either. He is a big guy.

I didn't label him Chicken, I labeled him Chicken Alfredo, which is a delicious dish and quite a compliment. Any other meaning is something you personally added.

[TinCup]

Color me doubful. My money says Simon does not finish the season on the starting staff. Going way out on the proverbial limb, but hey, live dangerously.

[BRobinsonfan]

Who is Alfredo Simon? I have checked his stats for the last eight years and he basically hasnt shown anything anywhere. Is this a case of he throws hard so he sticks around?

Love the start but I aint getting too excited yet.

Frankly Waters has shown more in the minors than Simon.

Amen... a 5.06 ERA in the Minors with a 1.46 WHIP over 500+ innings spread out over 6 seasons... I'm glad he had a good outing... but the likelihood of him completely reinventing himself a the age of 28 is highly unlikely.

[Mike B]

Color me doubful. My money says Simon does not finish the season on the starting staff. Going way out on the proverbial limb, but hey, live dangerously.

Th is bold. It may be a matter of him finishing the month of April, until Hill and BB are up. Big start for Hayden Penn today. I still want to see him get a shot.

[El Gordo]

Obviously, there was something the Orioles saw and liked about Simon last summer when they plucked him out of Mexico, despite the fact that he had terrible minor league numbers in the past. I have no idea what that was, or why he pitched so poorly in the minors before even though it's apparent he has very good stuff. All I know is that I saw him pitch a great game last September, and he has had a very good spring. So maybe there is some major change that he made that is making a huge difference, so that his past minor league numbers are irrelevant. I really don't know what has happened to make this guy seem so much better than he was in his minor league career, but if he looks that good I don't mind giving him a whirl.

He was throwing his secondary pitches from different arm slots and thus telegraphing them. Kranitz got him to throw all of his pitches from the same slot consistently, with the results we've seen, since. I think we might get a Jose Mercedes like season from him. But if he can just give us innings and keep us in games, I'll be happy.

[Tx Oriole]

Fastball at 93-94 through 6 innings. An offspeed pitch the strikeout Wright and Delgado back to back in the 6th. Mets had a major league lineup though the pitcher did bat.

Line: 6 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

Nice, He deserves a rotation spot.

He sure is making a point about that. I too wish him luck and a spot in the rotation.

[Tx Oriole]

It'd be nice to see Penn put up similar numbers tomorrow and make it at least a little difficult for Trembley.

I guess Eaton will be in, which I disagree with... but whatever. Given that, I'd like to see :

Guthrie

Uehara

Eaton

Simon

Penn

Keep Hendrickson in the pen.

I am afraid thta Penn won't make it.

[stef]

“...and I thought of that old joke, you know, the, this, this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, 'Doc, uh, my brother's crazy, he thinks he's a chicken,' and uh, the doctor says, 'Well why don't you turn him in?' And the guy says, 'I would, but I need the eggs.' " —Annie Hall (1977)