Pie and Jones

[PHRESH]

Is it me or does it seem like adam and felix don't have the closest friendship on the team? It seems like to me they don't really interact with each other the way they do with everyone else on the bench/team. Anyone else see this?

I just logged onto Facebook to check my friends' updates. Much to my dismay, Pie and Jones appear to have ended their friendship!!! Stupid fly ball!!!

[PaulFolk]

Two things:

1. Jones definitely looked irritated after that play in the 9th, but as someone said earlier, I think he was more annoyed with the fact that he once again almost collided with an outfielder (which had already happened a couple times previously in the game, with Pie as well as Markakis). Jones can't be too happy that every routine fly ball seemingly turns into an adventure because people are getting into each other's way. Can't say I blame him-- I'm not too happy about it, either. But none of that indicates that Jones has any personal ill will toward Pie.

2. For those who believe that Jones and Pie never associate with each other, that just isn't true. They were playing catch in front of the dugout prior to several games during the last homestand.

[OlinR]

There's been tension since Jones missed Pie with the pie last week. It broke Adam's consecutive pies streak.

[UMDTerrapins]

Good grief. He's playing better the more we see of him, and you're ragging on him because he's not an accomplished base stealer? I know you don't like the guy but, jeez, fair is fair. If he's fast, he can learn some skills. A slow guy can't learn to be fast.

He has almost 3000 professional at-bats. At some point you have stop being dreamy about potential and take a good look at what you've got. He is playing better lately. I'm happy to see it...really. But the mental lapses seem to be chronic with him. And when is he going to learn to steal bases. He's our primary pinch runner and he has one stolen base all season.

For all the talk of 5 tools and potential, he's got 3 home runs and 1 stolen base. He's struggled to get his average to .255. He plays outfield with complete disregard for the basics of the game and is going to get himself or Jones injured. I'm just not drinking the Kool-Aid with this guy. I don't see this kind of play on a winning team.

[dhaze]

For all the talk of 5 tools and potential, he's got 3 home runs and 1 stolen base. He's struggled to get his average to .255. He plays outfield with complete disregard for the basics of the game and is going to get himself or Jones injured. I'm just not drinking the Kool-Aid with this guy. I don't see this kind of play on a winning team.

This is a completely slanted view of Pie. You are emphasizing all of the negatives. He does not have a complete disregard for basics, that is simply false. You are focusing on a couple of errors. Why not mention the fact that he has 3 outfield assists despite only 30 starts(this is the same rate as Markakis, who has 12 in 120 starts)?

You can't judge a guy based on 4 steal attempts. He obviously either doesn't have the green light or is apprehensive about running because of how vagarious his playing time has been.

[UMDTerrapins]

This is a completely slanted view of Pie. You are emphasizing all of the negatives. He does not have a complete disregard for basics, that is simply false.

This is 3/4 of a season of observations that I'm finally unleashing tonight. He routinely makes mistakes that a professional should not make. In little ways and in obvious ways.

My patience with Pie and his mistakes is exhausted. And this notion despite all evidence to the contrary that he's going to become a guy who will hit for average, power, and steal bases, or some worthwhile combination thereof, seems misled to me. I see a far more likely end game in the mold of Daniel Cabrera. I'm happy with him as our 4th outfielder. And I don't want to see Reimold on the bench to make time for Pie.

Just my opinion. Nobody needs to agree with me. I'm right of course, but I hope he proves me wrong.

[El Gordo]

This is 3/4 of a season of observations that I'm finally unleashing tonight. He routinely makes mistakes that a professional should not make. In little ways and in obvious ways.

My patience with Pie and his mistakes is exhausted. And this notion despite all evidence to the contrary that he's going to become a guy who will hit for average, power, and steal bases, or some worthwhile combination thereof, seems misled to me. I see a far more likely end game in the mold of Daniel Cabrera. I'm happy with him as our 4th outfielder. And I don't want to see Reimold on the bench to make time for Pie.

Just my opinion. Nobody needs to agree with me. I'm right of course, but I hope he proves me wrong.

He doesn't routinely make mistakes any more than Jones does. You are revealing your predjudice, wherever it comes from, with these posts. Base stealing as I have said elsewhere, is not a product of speed, as much as it is a matter of skill reading the pitcher; some have it and some don't. Sometimes it can be learned. Pie has shown a great deal of improvement this season, particularly in terms of plate discipline. He has a higher OBP that Wieters, for example. I have read nothing to say that he isn't a hard worker. He could develop into a frst rate CF in the not too distant future IMO.

[OlinR]

He has almost 3000 professional at-bats. At some point you have stop being dreamy about potential and take a good look at what you've got.

I don't agree with lumping together A, AA, AAA, and ML experience. The majors are a whole different ball game. He's a 24 year old with a little over 400 at-bats and 200 games under his belt. He's essentially a rookie in terms of experience. His instincts are surely subpar in a lot of ways, but that doesn't mean what he is now, is what he'll always be. He's shown vast improvement in his swing since April, not to mention the way he approaches ground balls and line drives to the outfield. Since his last screw up I see him getting the ball in to the cut off man much quicker. He's a young player. If you're saying his instincts and production are behind Reimold's, well, what do you know, I agree. That really has nothing to do with whether or not he's worth the time or effort for a last place ball club given his raw ability. Frankly, the things you question above is why I am encouraged. I didn't hear whining when his playing time got cut. I saw someone, no matter how many cobwebs he collected on the bench, displaying a positive attitude and rooting for his teammates. I read reports of how hard he has worked, not just from the mouthpieces, but from the people who cover the team. I see improvement in different areas and I hear him acknowlodging his mistakes when he makes them. He seems like exactly the type of guy to be trying to be patient with and help improve until the point at which there's a reason not to.

[biggrthngibbons]

Two things:

1. Jones definitely looked irritated after that play in the 9th, but as someone said earlier, I think he was more annoyed with the fact that he once again almost collided with an outfielder (which had already happened a couple times previously in the game, with Pie as well as Markakis). Jones can't be too happy that every routine fly ball seemingly turns into an adventure because people are getting into each other's way. Can't say I blame him-- I'm not too happy about it, either. But none of that indicates that Jones has any personal ill will toward Pie.

2. For those who believe that Jones and Pie never associate with each other, that just isn't true. They were playing catch in front of the dugout prior to several games during the last homestand.

Good enough for me... Thanks Paul!

[Malike]

Further proof.

Felix Pie wants two up high, and Jones, clearly thinks he's only worth the effort of a half assed fist bump.

[Bradysburns]

Doesn't Jones speak Spanish?

Anyways, this Jones/Pie rivalry thing has been brought up before, and it's always way overblown. Didn't we see Jones pie Pie? And I've definitely seen him enthusiastically congratulate Pie after he made a nice play.

I mean they may not be Super Best Friends, but lets not blow things out of proportion.

Let's make them sit down together at Obrycki's and drink beer and eat crabs until they become best friends. By the way, has anyone noticed that Pie seems to be playing really well lately? I hope he keeps hitting and playing decent defense... but I still love Reimold in left. I see him getting traded midyear next year if he keeps this up (Pie, I mean).

[BaltimoreFan]

I noticed this in May, but it probably isn't a big deal.

[clarence]

Pie is going to put up numbers someplace other than Baltimore that is going to make a lot of people wish we hadn't let him go. That is my prediction. He isn't even close to the player he was earlier in the season, and lately, he's had at-bats that I can only dream Wieters will someday have.

[The Wedge]

Two things:

1. Jones definitely looked irritated after that play in the 9th, but as someone said earlier, I think he was more annoyed with the fact that he once again almost collided with an outfielder (which had already happened a couple times previously in the game, with Pie as well as Markakis). Jones can't be too happy that every routine fly ball seemingly turns into an adventure because people are getting into each other's way. Can't say I blame him-- I'm not too happy about it, either. But none of that indicates that Jones has any personal ill will toward Pie.

2. For those who believe that Jones and Pie never associate with each other, that just isn't true. They were playing catch in front of the dugout prior to several games during the last homestand.

And something else that people are missing while focusing on Jones' reaction in the 9th, is that Pie had a very weird reaction himself. For lack of a better term, he "threw" himself against the wall in exasperation, in a manner that looked like he was saying to himself "I can't believe I did that again." I'm not some body language expert, but it looked to me like he was frustrated with himself for almost colliding with Jones a second time. It didn't seem like the body language of someone upset with someone else, because he didn't even look Jones' way. It's very possible that Jones said something to him about it after the first time, and when it happened again in the 9th, not only was Jones visibly annoyed, but Pie knew he had "done it again."

[Anonymous]

This is a completely slanted view of Pie. You are emphasizing all of the negatives. He does not have a complete disregard for basics, that is simply false. You are focusing on a couple of errors. Why not mention the fact that he has 3 outfield assists despite only 30 starts(this is the same rate as Markakis, who has 12 in 120 starts)?

You can't judge a guy based on 4 steal attempts. He obviously either doesn't have the green light or is apprehensive about running because of how vagarious his playing time has been.

That vagarious playing time is really something, ain't it?