Sports Illustrated: Orioles Plan Flawed

[BrunoCherrytown]

This was on Sports Illustrated...Here

History also is working against them. The 2010 Orioles are only the 12th team since 1900 to start 4-18 or worse. Here are the only five clubs to do so in the past 40 years -- and how badly they ended up.

Teams With 4-18 Starts Since 1970

Team First 22 Games Final Record

1988 Orioles 1-21 54-107

1992 Royals 3-19 72-90

1997 Cubs 4-18 68-94

2003 Tigers 3-19 43-119

2010 Orioles 4-18 ?-?

Other not so glowing news from the piece:

...according to one rival executive, their model was flawed. "They took good young players and surrounded them with non-tenders, veteran guys who can't play," the executive said. "It's a brutal combination."

The Orioles' investments, meager though they may be, in players such as Garett Atkins, Mike Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, Julio Lugo and Cesar Izturis have not advanced the club. Look at their roster: they have few valuable commodities any other team would want. And Wieters, Jones and Markakis (five home runs combined) have exhibited little power.

MLBTR's opinion was more in line with many of the OH'ers that the plan is going in the right direction..you can read that take on the SI article here

[ChaosLex]

This was on Sports Illustrated...Here

Other not so glowing news from the piece:

MLBTR's opinion was more in line with many of the OH'ers that the plan is going in the right direction..you can read that take on the SI article here

Damn, I was just about to post this. Beat me to it.

[Sports Guy]

I am not sure anyone can doubt that AM has done a poor job of augmenting the roster around the young talent.

[ChaosLex]

What's the over/under for how many times Holliday is mentioned in this thread?

[Old#5fan]

Well, if they can somehow end up 72-90, I would be pretty darn happy after this horrendous start and it is not impossible as it has happened to a team in the past (1992 Royals).

[BrunoCherrytown]

Well, if they can somehow end up 72-90, I would be pretty darn happy after this horrendous start and it is not impossible as it has happened to a team in the past (1992 Royals).

I agree that would be a decent goal for the rest of the season.

[SilentJames]

Birdland insider sent a response over twitter that I thought was interesting: Where was this executive durin the winter?

Wasn't it just a couple months ago that there was nearly universal approval of the Orioles "plan"?

honestly, this winter was a let down - Atkins was a crap signing, but Miggy is working out. Gonzo blew up in the team's face but how much of that was due to injury?

The plan, is not a bad plan but this past winter was a "meh" at best.

Still if this team hadn't started out so badly, which has more to do with established Orioles (Jones, Reimold, Markakis, Wieters, Johnson) underperofrming than any one signing, then this article does not get written.

[Sports Guy]

Birdland insider sent a response over twitter that I thought was interesting: Where was this executive durin the winter?

Wasn't it just a couple months ago that there was nearly universal approval of the Orioles "plan"?

honestly, this winter was a let down - Atkins was a crap signing, but Miggy is working out. Gonzo blew up in the team's face but how much of that was due to injury?

The plan, is not a bad plan but this past winter was a "meh" at best.

Still if this team hadn't started out so badly, which has more to do with established Orioles (Jones, Reimold, Markakis, Wieters, Johnson) underperofrming than any one signing, then this article does not get written.

The intial part of the plan was excellent...But finishing it up has been horrendous and the beginning won't matter if there is no end.

[isestrex]

Hard to argue with the fact that it might be "flawed"

A lot of posters here expressed similar concerns that veterans like Huff, Millwood, Eaton, Hendrickson, Izturis et al were not big enough factors. Maybe too much weight was put on the young guns...

I still hold, however, that their plan was not flawed as it worked in Tampa. The only difference between Tampa and Baltimore is that they put MORE weight on their young guns and Baltimore's veterans might actually be hindering the young from getting up.

[BaltimoreTerp]

1989 Orioles - 87-75

1993 Royals - 84-78

1998 Cubs - 90-73

2004 Tigers - 72-90

So, three of those four teams had winning records the following year, and those three all finished second in their division.

Hmm...

[SilentJames]

The intial part of the plan was excellent...But finishing it up has been horrendous and the beginning won't matter if there is no end.

Yes but who said that last winter was the plan's end?

[BaltimoreTerp]

Yes but who said that last winter was the plan's end?

Those who have their own "plans" the team should follow instead :laughlol:

[Sports Guy]

Yes but who said that last winter was the plan's end?

No one but what does that have to do with anything?

Oppurtunities have been there and AM passed...And now, the FAs that were there are also dwindling.

THe problem with AM is that he waits for things to happen instead of going out there and making them happen...That is a huge issue with him.

[SilentJames]

Hard to argue with the fact that it might be "flawed"

A lot of posters here expressed similar concerns that veterans like Huff, Millwood, Eaton, Hendrickson, Izturis et al were not big enough factors. Maybe too much weight was put on the young guns...

I still hold, however, that their plan was not flawed as it worked in Tampa. The only difference between Tampa and Baltimore is that they put MORE weight on their young guns and Baltimore's veterans might actually be hindering the young from getting up.

They also took fliers on two vets in Carlos Pena and Troy Percival both of whom not only met expectations but greatly exceeded them in every way.

[SilentJames]

No one but what does that have to do with anything?

Oppurtunities have been there and AM passed...And now, the FAs that were there are also dwindling.

THe problem with AM is that he waits for things to happen instead of going out there and making them happen...That is a huge issue with him.

I don't disagree with that, he could have had LaRoche over Atkins, he could have given giant contracts to Holliday and Tex, but he didn't.

What should he have gone out and "made" happen? As far as FA goes.