McPhail's bottom line

[brianod]

2008 - 68-94

2009 - 64-98

2010 - on pace for 54 wins

He is on record for stating that this is the year the team should show improvement. Barring a dramatic turnaround, it's obvious, this is Trembley's last year. The question is whether McPhail should be given another year. It's a hotly debated topic on this board. You could write a book on why to go either way, but you can't escape the bottom line. I'm on record as saying Trembley is a good man who should have been let go. I wasn't terribly upset when they brought him back because I like him. That decision now seems obvious. Not only did McPhail blow the off season, he blew that decision. I say, he gets the same deal Trembley got. A one year contract with produce or else. Focus on wins. I wouldn't be upset if they replace him with someone proven but I'm loath to start over again. Thoughts?

[notfast]

this is Trembley's last week.

Thoughts?

I think so.

[theobird]

2008 - 68-94

2009 - 64-98

2010 - on pace for 54 wins

He is on record for stating that this is the year the team should show improvement. Barring a dramatic turnaround, it's obvious, this is Trembley's last year. The question is whether McPhail should be given another year. It's a hotly debated topic on this board. You could write a book on why to go either way, but you can't escape the bottom line. I'm on record as saying Trembley is a good man who should have been let go. I wasn't terribly upset when they brought him back because I like him. That decision now seems obvious. Not only did McPhail blow the off season, he blew that decision. I say, he gets the same deal Trembley got. A one year contract with produce or else. Focus on wins. I wouldn't be upset if they replace him with someone proven but I'm loath to start over again. Thoughts?

Bravo!!! I totally agree with this post, and could not have said it any better myself. At the end of this year, AM should be told that the '11 season is all about W's and L's and his job depends on more W's than L's. Period.

[fish113d]

Trembley as a man....like.

Trembley as a major league manager....not so sure I like anymore.

We need Dave Johnson to come back and whip some asses into shape around here...or we need Jim Leyland (i know...wishful thinking and won't happen), but it's just ridiculous. This team has WAY too much talent to sweep the sox and then get swept by the Yanks.

[El Gordo]

The reason this team is losing has nothing to do with DT. You could fire him and bring back the ghost of Joe McCarthy and they would still lose. They can't hit. The core position players have been over rated in the hitting department. If we were to win more games this season, we needed to have some solid credible bats in the middle of the lineup. Miggi is one, but there are no others. Wieters, Jones, Reimold, and Markakis, are all potentially good offensive support players but none of them can anchor a team like Morneau and Mauer, or Fielder and Braun, or Pujols and Holliday, etc. If AM wants to know why the team isn't winning more games, he needs to look in the mirror first IMO.

[Moose Milligan]

The reason this team is losing has nothing to do with DT. You could fire him and bring back the ghost of Joe McCarthy and they would still lose. They can't hit. The core position players have been over rated in the hitting department. If we were to win more games this season, we needed to have some solid credible bats in the middle of the lineup. Miggi is one, but there are no others. Wieters, Jones, Reimold, and Markakis, are all potentially good offensive support players but none of them can anchor a team like Morneau and Mauer, or Fielder and Braun, or Pujols and Holliday, etc. If AM wants to know why the team isn't winning more games, he needs to look in the mirror first IMO.

I see where you're coming from but no one thought that Reimold would be struggling as much as he is. IIRC, people projected him to be a .275/20+/80+ guy and he's nowhere close to that...granted he could turn it around but he doesn't resemble the player we saw last year.

No one ever confused Jones for being an on base machine but a .330 on base percentage shouldn't have been out of the question.

It's not like MacPhail has assembled a team full of Atkins and Eaton's...far from it. Two guys we were looking to to be productive players have been horrific, to the point that they're looking at a demotion. The problem with RISP is perplexing...again, guys aren't performing to levels that were expected of them.

Mix in the Roberts injury and it's not a good thing.

Ultimately, yes, he's the guy you blame...he's the fall guy because people like to point fingers and DT and AM are the guys who are going to get the fingers pointed at them. But to me this season seems like that the baseball Gods are just not done tormenting the Orioles for some strange reason. I don't know what we've done to deserve this.

[theobird]

Well Gordo, we agree again. I am just at a loss for why MacPhail seems to get a pass from so many posters here, when this is his baby. He had to go out early and get Gonzalez and Atkins. He no doubt paid more for each of them than he had to, because they were his picks. At the end, he picked up Tejada (Thank you, God) because he was all that was left. That is his only smart offseason move on the FA market. I was on here griping all offseason long, as were you, getting ripped by the majority of our posters because MacPhail was beyond reproach. Well, he had an awful offseason and did not produce the talent that he said he would to help DT. Now, he will likely fire DT. Then he will spin his BS plan all over again with a new poor, unsuspecting slob wearing the Managers jersey. I would just like to know one thing. When will Andy MacPhail be held accountable for this team? Next year? 2015? When?

[Singleton]

The reason this team is losing has nothing to do with DT. You could fire him and bring back the ghost of Joe McCarthy and they would still lose. They can't hit. The core position players have been over rated in the hitting department. If we were to win more games this season, we needed to have some solid credible bats in the middle of the lineup. Miggi is one, but there are no others. Wieters, Jones, Reimold, and Markakis, are all potentially good offensive support players but none of them can anchor a team like Morneau and Mauer, or Fielder and Braun, or Pujols and Holliday, etc. If AM wants to know why the team isn't winning more games, he needs to look in the mirror first IMO.

Really? Miggi's had a good week so we all think he's swell. 2 bad weeks and everyone will be questioning why AM signed him when he's old, playing a new position, etc and how could we possibly have signed him instead of (fill in name of hot player).

You make very strong statements as if it is fact but if you check the data you see that Adam Jones had a better age 23 season than Morneau and Weiter's age 24 season (this one) is on pace for a better season than Mormeau's as well.

We're a month into the season with some very, very young players who are going to go through growing pains (like Morneau did in his age 24 season). Maybe Jones, Weiters, Reimold, Markakis form the core of something special. Maybe they don't and they step back and never regain their form.

The point is -- none of us know -- but to make statements like AM should have known that 23 year old players who showed big promise were obviously going to be bad the next year just seems like hindsight and way too quick to judge.

[JTrea81]

MacPhail isn't going anywhere as long as Angelos' bottom line remains the same...

[RShack]

...people like to point fingers and DT and AM are the guys who are going to get the fingers pointed at them. But to me this season seems like that the baseball Gods are just not done tormenting the Orioles for some strange reason. I don't know what we've done to deserve this.

That pretty much sums it up...

[Great 2BA FL Gator]

2008 - 68-94

2009 - 64-98

2010 - on pace for 54 wins

Thoughts?

I don't think you can really place the first two seasons on MacPhail at all, especially when he has gone with a build through the farm/trade for young talent mentality.

NOW, we will not end up with 54 wins this season. Unlike other years where we suck at the end, I definitely think we have pieces in place to finish strong IMO.

Overall (as far as the direction of the franchise), I personally think that Chris Tillman is the single most important guy out of all our young guys. We know what we have in Matusz, the guy looks like he will develop into a very solid TOR guy.

If Chris can live up to the potential of his stuff, and you have those two guys 1-2, that could be huge for the turnaround of this team IMO. Then you hopefully have a Britton/Arrieta/Erbe type guy step into the #3 spot, and have a FA and a Bergy type guy fill out 4 and 5.

Essentially, I think our pitching is going to be very solid as soon as next year. Now the offense may be a bigger issue, and that is where hopefully MacPhail can make a splash this offseason, after a FULL season of seeing what our young guys have done in the minors and up here.

I know this mentality requires more patience, but I think in the end, it will pay off. By the END of this year, we will have a better idea of what we are going to get out of Jonesy/Reimold/Wieters and perhaps what kind of prospects Bell and Snyder really are.

[RShack]

The reason this team is losing has nothing to do with DT. You could fire him and bring back the ghost of Joe McCarthy and they would still lose. They can't hit. The core position players have been over rated in the hitting department. If we were to win more games this season, we needed to have some solid credible bats in the middle of the lineup. Miggi is one, but there are no others. Wieters, Jones, Reimold, and Markakis, are all potentially good offensive support players but none of them can anchor a team like Morneau and Mauer, or Fielder and Braun, or Pujols and Holliday, etc. If AM wants to know why the team isn't winning more games, he needs to look in the mirror first IMO.

You're right that it's the hitting, but you're wrong when you say those guys can't be the core of a strong offense. They're not hitting now. God only knows why, but they're not. But jumping from that to concluding that none of them are good hitters, and instead are just "support players", is silly...

[brianod]

I see where you're coming from but no one thought that Reimold would be struggling as much as he is. IIRC, people projected him to be a .275/20+/80+ guy and he's nowhere close to that...granted he could turn it around but he doesn't resemble the player we saw last year.

No one ever confused Jones for being an on base machine but a .330 on base percentage shouldn't have been out of the question.

It's not like MacPhail has assembled a team full of Atkins and Eaton's...far from it. Two guys we were looking to to be productive players have been horrific, to the point that they're looking at a demotion. The problem with RISP is perplexing...again, guys aren't performing to levels that were expected of them.

Mix in the Roberts injury and it's not a good thing.

Ultimately, yes, he's the guy you blame...he's the fall guy because people like to point fingers and DT and AM are the guys who are going to get the fingers pointed at them. But to me this season seems like that the baseball Gods are just not done tormenting the Orioles for some strange reason. I don't know what we've done to deserve this.

We can all come up with 10 reasons to forgive McPhail. It's amazing to me that Trembley still has his supporters. However, you can't escape the bottom line. All gms, clubs have bad breaks and unexpected bad years by solid players. However, only one franchise has been as bad as the Orioles over the last 2+ years. That franchise is the Orioles. I'm not complaining because the O's have been slightly worse then expected. The bottom line is that they are the worst franchise in baseball.

[BaltimoreTerp]

We can all come up with 10 reasons to forgive McPhail. It's amazing to me that Trembley still has his supporters. However, you can't escape the bottom line. All gms, clubs have bad breaks and unexpected bad years by solid players. However, only one franchise has been as bad as the Orioles over the last 2+ years. That franchise is the Orioles. I'm not complaining because the O's have been slightly worse then expected. The bottom line is that they are the worst franchise in baseball.

So five months of the season don't matter?

[El Gordo]

Really? Miggi's had a good week so we all think he's swell. 2 bad weeks and everyone will be questioning why AM signed him when he's old, playing a new position, etc and how could we possibly have signed him instead of (fill in name of hot player).

You make very strong statements as if it is fact but if you check the data you see that Adam Jones had a better age 23 season than Morneau and Weiter's age 24 season (this one) is on pace for a better season than Mormeau's as well.

We're a month into the season with some very, very young players who are going to go through growing pains (like Morneau did in his age 24 season). Maybe Jones, Weiters, Reimold, Markakis form the core of something special. Maybe they don't and they step back and never regain their form.

The point is -- none of us know -- but to make statements like AM should have known that 23 year old players who showed big promise were obviously going to be bad the next year just seems like hindsight and way too quick to judge.

I didn't say that. I said that he over rated them. I think AJ ,e.g. will be a Torii Hunter type guy someday. But not this year or next, and he shouldn't be hitting higher than #6. If AM wanted more wins this season, he shouldn't ha e counted much on Jones for this year. Reimold is a big disappointment to me. I had much higher expectations for him, but I just don't see it now. I don't pay that much attention to the stats, I watch them play. And I am not impressed.