***Official 2018 Baltimore Orioles Thread*** Pitching Can’t Get Any Worse (1 Viewer)

[Marvelous]

Here is a Baltimore Sun article on the contract status of many of the Orioles:

By Dan Connolly

The Baltimore Sun

9:00 a.m. EDT, October 22, 2012

We’ve had a lot of questions since the season ended on who will be back next year with the Orioles.

We don’t have a crystal ball. But I can at least give you a sense – contractually, anyway – where guys are. I may be leaving a few out, but we’ll address everyone you are concerned about.

Here are the club’s unrestricted free agents, meaning they become free agents as soon as the World Series ends and can begin negotiating with teams besides the Orioles on the sixth day after the World Series ends (in between they can only negotiate with the Orioles).

Those are: Endy Chavez, Bill Hall, Nick Johnson, Nate McLouth, Joe Saunders, Jim Thome and Randy Wolf. The Orioles likely will make a run at McLouth, Saunders and perhaps Thome. The rest are likely gone.

The Orioles also have options on two players for 2013: A $1 million option ($100,000 buyout) on reliever Luis Ayala and an $11 million option for first baseman Mark Reynolds ($500,000 buyout). Ayala’s option is team friendly, so it’s likely it will be picked up.

Reynolds’ option, however, is pricey. The guess is that the Orioles will decline it. They have two other possibilities with Reynolds. He still has one year remaining in arbitration, so if the Orioles buy out the option, he could still remain with the club. But they likely would have to pay him around $9 million or so in arbitration (he made $7.5 million in 2012 and a pay cut would be highly unlikely). So the Orioles could non-tender him a contract by Nov. 30 and try to renegotiate a new deal with him.

Because they have so many young players who have at least three years of major league service time, but not enough for free agency (six years), the Orioles have 12 players eligible for arbitration this year. That means the players are under club control, but if they can’t agree to a contract, an arbiter will pick between two figures after both sides present their cases at a hearing.

The Orioles have until Nov. 30 to tender those players a contract. If they don’t, those players would become free agents (but could renegotiate with the Orioles as well as other teams). The key here is that if the Orioles want to keep these players, they can.

The list of arbitration eligible Orioles: Robert Andino, Chris Davis, Lew Ford, Jason Hammel, Tommy Hunter, Jim Johnson, Darren O’Day, Omar Quintanilla, Steve Pearce, Nolan Reimold, Taylor Teagarden and Matt Wieters.

Two other Orioles, pitchers Brian Matusz and Troy Patton, do not yet have three years of service time but have more than two and are likely qualify for Super 2 status. Without going into the specifics of the formula, what it means is if Matusz and Patton qualify, they’ll get one extra year of arbitration eligibility (four years instead of three). This doesn’t affect how long they are with the team, just how much money they’ll make. The cutoff for Super 2 has not been announced yet; the sense is Matusz and Patton will both make it.

In that case, the Orioles could have a mind-numbing 15 players that would be arbitration eligible if Reynolds’ option is declined.

All of the rest of the Orioles fall into two remaining categories. They already have contracts for 2013 signed earlier (players such as Nick Markakis, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Wei-Yin Chen, Wilson Betemit, etc.) or they have fewer than three years big-league service and can have their contracts unilaterally renewed by the Orioles (young or inexperienced players such as Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Pedro Strop, Manny Machado, Ryan Flaherty).

Hope that answers all your questions

Looks like I did a pretty good job getting the contract status of the players right.Link

 

[Marvelous]

In case you all did not see this: Showalter is AL Manager of the Year by the Sporting News:

Sporting News MLB awards: Buck Showalter, Davey Johnson voted top managers By Chris BahrSporting News Follow on Twitter Archive Email RSS The Baltimore Orioles’ Buck Showalter and the Washington Nationals’ Davey Johnson are Sporting News’ 2012 AL and NL Managers of the Year, respectively, as selected by a panel of 17 major league managers. Both Beltway teams made surprising runs to the postseason before eventually bowing out in the LDS round. Showalter turned a 93-loss team from 2011 into a 93-win team in 2012, ending the franchise’s infamous streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons. He did it with a rotation that used 12 starters and had only one double-digit winner. He did it with a lineup that featured two in-season free-agent pickups (Nate McLouth, Lew Ford) playing prominent roles because of injuries to starters. And he did it with a third baseman playing first base (Mark Reynolds), a first baseman playing right field (Chris Davis) and a 20-year-old rookie shortstop playing third base (Manny Machado). It is only fitting that then that Showalter defer to his team and staff. “It’s quite an honor coming from my peers, but I view this as a team award. I really do. The players, coaches and everyone involved made this possible,” he says. Showalter began to change the culture when he took over as manager in August of 2010, but the rise to contender status this season shocked just about everyone—except the Orioles. “Every player back in spring training believed we could be successful. We have some injuries along the way, we had some bumps in the road, but everyone does over 162 games. We never turned it into a woe-is-me situation. We played through it,” Showalter says. “Some people said we were lucky, and we probably were at times. But there are no Cinderellas in baseball, there are too many games for that. Now comes the hard part—you have to build on this season and improve.” Across town, Johnson not only delivered the Nationals’ first winning record since the team relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2005, he led the team to a major-league best 98 wins during the regular season. And like Showalter, Johnson wasn’t surprised by his team’s success. In fact, he boldly proclaimed in spring training that he should be fired if the Nationals failed to reach the postseason. That never was a concern, as Washington had sole possession of first place in the NL East from June 5 until the end of the regular season. Johnson accomplished it all thanks to a dominant rotation and bullpen, and a lineup that was able to overcome extended absences by outfielders Mike Morse and Jayson Werth, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and shortstop Ian Desmond. Johnson also did a masterful job with 19-year-old outfield phenom Bryce Harper. “To be recognized by my fellow comrades, a particularly accomplished bunch, makes this award especially meaningful. I send my thanks to them and the folks at Sporting News, as well as the Lerner family and Mike Rizzo for giving me the opportunity to manage such a special, talented group of men. To put on the uniform every day and compete is an honor I never take for granted,” Johnson says. VOTING RESULTS The top vote-getters in each league: Buck Showalter led the Orioles to their first winning season in 15 years. (AP Photo)American League (voting by only AL managers) 1. Buck Showalter (Orioles): 4 votes 2. Bob Melvin (Athletics): 3 votes 3. Robin Ventura (White Sox): 1 vote National League (voting by only NL managers) 1. Davey Johnson (Nationals): 4 votes 2. Dusty Baker (Reds): 3 votes 3. Bruce Bochy (Giants)/Ron Roenicke (Brewers): 1 vote THIS WEEK’S SN AWARD SCHEDULE Monday: AL and NL Rookies of the Year Tuesday: AL and NL Comeback Players of the Year Wednesday: AL and NL Managers of the Year Thursday: AL and NL All-Star Teams Friday: MLB Player of the Year

 

[Marvelous]

The Orioles have 3 Gold Glove Winners. Here is one person's take from Camden Chat.

Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy Awarded Gold Gloves

By Stacey on Oct 30, 10:27p

Matt Wieters and Adam Jones take home their second gold gloves, and J.J. Hardy wins his first.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced earlier tonight, with Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and J.J. Hardy having all won. It seems to me that Wieters was a great choice, Hardy was a good choice, and Jones was a questionable choice. Let's go in that order.

Wieters: For the second consecutive year, Matt Wieters has been awarded the Gold Glove for best catcher in the American League. When Wieters won last year I predicted it wouldn't be his last, and I'm glad that he didn't have to wait very long for his next one. Wieters threw out 39% of baserunners this season and allowed five passed balls. The eye test tells me that he wasn't as good this year as last, but I think we'll all agree that even a not-at-his-best Wieters is better than most regular catchers.

In the Fielding Bible Awards that were released last week, Matt Wieters was voted second-best catcher in baseball to Yadier Molina, who took home the Gold Glove in the NL. So at least in this instance, the Gold Glove voters and the Fielding Bible voters were in harmony. You can read more about the Fielding Bible Awards and the Orioles improved defense in Andrew's fine article from earlier this week.

Hardy: There is no denying that Hardy is a very good defensive shortstop. He's one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to watch. When the bases were loaded and the Orioles needed that last out, there was nothing more reassuring than seeing a ground ball hit to Hardy. He rarely misplayed a ball and it seemed that most of his throws to first, no matter where he had to field them, were right at the first baseman's chest.

Hardy came in second to Brendan Ryan in the Fielding Bible Awards, and Ryan is considered by many to be one of the finest defensive players in baseball today. Ryan had the misfortune of playing for a team that wasn't in contention this year, and he had a terrible year at the plate. We all know those shouldn't matter, but we also know that they do.

Should Ryan have won? Probably. But Hardy is an outstanding shortstop, so it's not too much of a scandal to me.

Jones: In a shocking decision, Adam Jones was awarded his second career Gold Glove (first in 2009). I'm happy for Jones that he won, but truthfully I thought Mike Trout had that award locked up. Trout came in first in the Fielding Bible Awards for center fielders with a score of 96, and had a UZR of 10.5 in CF. Adam Jones? He got 4 points in Fielding Bible Awards, and his defensive statistics around the board measure him as below average.

Don't get me wrong, I think Adam Jones makes some great plays in the outfield, and I think he's more than competent out there. That combined with his bat make him a fantastic player to have on the Orioles. But he is not even close to gold glove caliber.

 

[Tuco]

Anyone see A Jones ringing the bell at the NYSE last week? He represented "Rawlings" as a Gold Glove recipient.

 

[The_Man]

I love Jones. This is now his team and he sets the tone by busting his butt for all 162 games. But a Gold Glove? What a joke. He is an average CF best who makes 1 or 2 highlight plays a year, but plays too shallow for a guy who can't get back on deep balls.

The routine deep flyball by Jeter that he misplayed into a series-changing triple is a textbook example.

 

[RaveOriole]

How do you guys feel about the Os chances this year? Think they can make it back to the playoffs?Personally I'm not buying the Blue Jays. I like their rotation with Johnson and Dickey, but I don't think they'll have the chemistry and they won't make it. A bunch of fantasy baseball players, not a team.Red Sox are in the middle of rebuilding after dumping all their high-priced talent.Yanks are getting old, and I'm not impressed with Youks at third, but still they are the Yankees and they always seem to put up a fight.Rays for me are the team to beat this year.As for the Orioles, I wish they went after Hamilton. I think he would have been a great LF for the team and I don't think the Angels overpaid for him at all, the O's should have been in the chase for him. I do like their pitching this year, and I think a lot will depend on McLouth and Reimold leading off, and hopefully Weiters will finally bring the bat this year. He's been great behind the plate defensively, but would love to see a little more offensive production from him. They have the team to do it again, I just hope they can keep the magic going.

 

[Marvelous]

How do you guys feel about the Os chances this year? Think they can make it back to the playoffs?Personally I'm not buying the Blue Jays. I like their rotation with Johnson and Dickey, but I don't think they'll have the chemistry and they won't make it. A bunch of fantasy baseball players, not a team.Red Sox are in the middle of rebuilding after dumping all their high-priced talent.Yanks are getting old, and I'm not impressed with Youks at third, but still they are the Yankees and they always seem to put up a fight.Rays for me are the team to beat this year.As for the Orioles, I wish they went after Hamilton. I think he would have been a great LF for the team and I don't think the Angels overpaid for him at all, the O's should have been in the chase for him. I do like their pitching this year, and I think a lot will depend on McLouth and Reimold leading off, and hopefully Weiters will finally bring the bat this year. He's been great behind the plate defensively, but would love to see a little more offensive production from him. They have the team to do it again, I just hope they can keep the magic going.

Even after a full season of success last year, I still get the feeling that it was all smoke and mirrors. The key is the pitching staff. If Hammel, Gonzalez, and Chen can come close to duplicating what they did last year, they can be contenders. They have lots of other candidates for the starting rotation, and need at least one other to deliver lots of good starts.The bullpen was rock solid all last year, but every player pitched well above their career average. Is that great managing by Showalter than can be duplicated? Or are they going to regress back to their mean?The position players and batting are really the least of my concerns. Between Reimold, McLouth, Roberts, and Markakis, they will find a decent lead off hitter. I am really hoping for a full season of Nolan Reimold.

 

[RaveOriole]

The bullpen was rock solid all last year, but every player pitched well above their career average. Is that great managing by Showalter than can be duplicated?

I think that was the key to their success last year. The Orioles had one of the best bullpens in the game, and a good bullpen is like a good offensive line. Very important, but stat nerds can't understand their importance. The O's have always had a good lineup that can score runs, but in years past it was the pitching that was their downfall. Finally, their pitching as depth and their bullpen seems stable, it's the same things people were saying about the Rays when they finally turned the corner. I don't buy into the Jays, Sox are rebuilding and Yankees are getting old. I think it's the Rays and Orioles time this year.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Got these seats for three games this year. Awesome.

 

[RaveOriole]

Got these seats for three games this year. Awesome.

SWEET!!!I love the bar over center field. I just get the cheap tickets and spend the game there. It's a great view and you're right next to the bar.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Here we go. Not having a game yesterday when everyone else was playing was tough. Facing David Price today may be tougher.

 

[Raider Nation]

Orioles now 0-1 in one-run games in 2013.

 

[Marvelous]

Two out of three against a good Tampa team is a good start. Bummer that they lost the middle game when Jim Johnson gave up a homer. But the whole bullpen did not do well that game.

Chris Davis is on fire: 3 homeruns in 3 games and a major league leading 11 RBI's. Adam Jones is also a really hot hitter.

 

[RaveOriole]

Sux Roberts went down with an injury. I was really hoping he could finish a season, but I think it's time for him to hang it up unfortunately.

But I still think the magic is still there for the Orioles. Davis is on pace to hit 162HRs this season, and the rest of the lineup looks pretty sweet. Bullpen looked shaky on Wednesday, but as long as they can do what they did last year I think the Orioles could take the East.

 

[pantagrapher]

Chris Davis is insane.

 

[Eephus]

Chris Davis is insane.

He's going to have to change his name to Chris Shelton

 

[Wrigley]

Chris Davis is insane.

Holy ####

 

[pollardsvision]

4th player ever to homer in each of his team's first 4 games.

I assume Morse will make it 5 in a few hours.

 

[pantagrapher]

1st player with HR and 3+ RBI in 4 straight games at any point in season since Bill Dickey in 1937.

 

[Eephus]

1st player with HR and 3+ RBI in 4 straight games at any point in season since Bill Dickey in 1937.

Bill Dickey - 17 years, 7060 PAs, 289 Strikeouts

Chris Davis - 6 years, 1531 PAs, 511 Strikeouts

 

[Raider Nation]

Chris Davis has already homered tomorrow.

 

[Wooderson]

Chris Davis has already homered tomorrow.

Just Great "Twins Fan" :(

 

[avoiding injuries]

I think Davis hits the Wharehouse this year. Never been done during a game.

His HR yesterday went right over my head, about 20 rows behind me (i was in first row). I've seen myself on sportscenter and the news so far this morning. Dude is a beast.

 

[pantagrapher]

1st player with HR and 3+ RBI in 4 straight games at any point in season since Bill Dickey in 1937.

Bill Dickey - 17 years, 7060 PAs, 289 Strikeouts

Chris Davis - 6 years, 1531 PAs, 511 Strikeouts

BREAKING: Chris Davis strikes out a lot.

 

[pantagrapher]

What you really have to find encouraging from a fantasy perspective:

Two opposite field shots.

Two off lefties.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26017667&partnerId=as_mlb_20130406_6935144

 

[Eephus]

1st player with HR and 3+ RBI in 4 straight games at any point in season since Bill Dickey in 1937.

Bill Dickey - 17 years, 7060 PAs, 289 Strikeouts

Chris Davis - 6 years, 1531 PAs, 511 Strikeouts

BREAKING: Chris Davis strikes out a lot.

I just like typing Dickey

 

[Doctor Detroit]

1st player with HR and 3+ RBI in 4 straight games at any point in season since Bill Dickey in 1937.

Bill Dickey - 17 years, 7060 PAs, 289 Strikeouts

Chris Davis - 6 years, 1531 PAs, 511 Strikeouts

BREAKING: Chris Davis strikes out a lot.

DEVELOPING>BREAKING FWIW

 

[Raider Nation]

Sweet comeback!

Always nice to send the chowds home angry and dripping wet.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41.

I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think Davis hits the Wharehouse this year. Never been done during a game.His HR yesterday went right over my head, about 20 rows behind me (i was in first row). I've seen myself on sportscenter and the news so far this morning. Dude is a beast.

I was at the HR contest when the All Star Game was in Baltimore & saw Griffey hit the B&O. It was probably 12 feet up and shattered a window. My brother took a picture of the window on one of those disposable cameras. Being the drunken idiots we were, we lost the camera.

Juan Gonzales won that HR Derby, btw. He absolutely pounded the facade of the LF upper deck. We were sitting level with 1st Base and could hear the ball hitting said facade. If there had been no stands in LF (or, if he had been a lefty-batter), he would've had several 500 ft shots. One was still going UP when it thwacked the facade.

 

[Thunderlips]

I think Davis hits the Wharehouse this year. Never been done during a game.His HR yesterday went right over my head, about 20 rows behind me (i was in first row). I've seen myself on sportscenter and the news so far this morning. Dude is a beast.

I thought there was a plaque on the warehouse wall where someone hit it?

 

[avoiding injuries]

I think Davis hits the Wharehouse this year. Never been done during a game.His HR yesterday went right over my head, about 20 rows behind me (i was in first row). I've seen myself on sportscenter and the news so far this morning. Dude is a beast.

I thought there was a plaque on the warehouse wall where someone hit it?

Griffey Jr during the home run contest when the all star game was at camden yards. I don't remember it breaking a window, and there is a plaque a few feet up where it hit.

 

[avoiding injuries]

The longest ever hr at Camden Yards was a 465 ft shot by Darryl Strawberry. The longest hr by an oriole was 460 by Jeffery Hammonds. Davis hit one 448 ft on Saturday night to dead center.

Ethier hit one onto Eutaw St during the Sat afternoon game.

 

[The_Man]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41.

I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

I think Angel is pretty hilarious. A lot of the stuff he says is very sarcastic, but he always keeps a straight face and never lets on. For example, the "ever-dangerous James Loney" crack was almost certainly meant to be sarcastic. The guy is not very good, and yet he went 6-for-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 4 RBI in the O's series vs. the Rays last week. So by calling him "ever dangerous," he was kind of making fun of both Loney (who is not really ever-dangerous) and the Orioles for struggling to get him out.

Just my two cents - I think Manfra is truly appalling and get the sense that a lot of times Angel is making fun of him and he doesn't even know it. Angel and Jon Miller were an incredible duo - both so funny and they sound a lot alike, to the point in the late 80s that one would sometimes call an inning as the other.

I'm enjoying this season a lot so far, though the O's are still clearly a legit DH and a front-line starting pitcher away from being a serious contender. I like the quick demotion on Arrieta - certainly seemed to have captured Tillman's attention in his next start. Bullpen is looking good, Jones and Davis are raking (though I'm really starting to get down on Jones's defense and not just because of the error in the NY game), love watching Wieters and Machado in the field. Really wish I could dodge work for today's matinee - but I'm definitely going to the Wednesday day game next month. Those are great before school lets out.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41.

I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

I think Angel is pretty hilarious. A lot of the stuff he says is very sarcastic, but he always keeps a straight face and never lets on. For example, the "ever-dangerous James Loney" crack was almost certainly meant to be sarcastic. The guy is not very good, and yet he went 6-for-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 4 RBI in the O's series vs. the Rays last week. So by calling him "ever dangerous," he was kind of making fun of both Loney (who is not really ever-dangerous) and the Orioles for struggling to get him out.

Just my two cents - I think Manfra is truly appalling and get the sense that a lot of times Angel is making fun of him and he doesn't even know it. Angel and Jon Miller were an incredible duo - both so funny and they sound a lot alike, to the point in the late 80s that one would sometimes call an inning as the other.

I'm enjoying this season a lot so far, though the O's are still clearly a legit DH and a front-line starting pitcher away from being a serious contender. I like the quick demotion on Arrieta - certainly seemed to have captured Tillman's attention in his next start. Bullpen is looking good, Jones and Davis are raking (though I'm really starting to get down on Jones's defense and not just because of the error in the NY game), love watching Wieters and Machado in the field. Really wish I could dodge work for today's matinee - but I'm definitely going to the Wednesday day game next month. Those are great before school lets out.

Jon Miller is one of the best around for sure. I'll try to pay more attention to Angel and his sarcasm but he sounds senile more than sarcastic to me. Manfra gets lost a lot and he calls it a home run after the guy crosses home plate at times, just slow to the punch. O's TV guys are good though.

 

[The_Man]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41.

I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

I think Angel is pretty hilarious. A lot of the stuff he says is very sarcastic, but he always keeps a straight face and never lets on. For example, the "ever-dangerous James Loney" crack was almost certainly meant to be sarcastic. The guy is not very good, and yet he went 6-for-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 4 RBI in the O's series vs. the Rays last week. So by calling him "ever dangerous," he was kind of making fun of both Loney (who is not really ever-dangerous) and the Orioles for struggling to get him out.

Just my two cents - I think Manfra is truly appalling and get the sense that a lot of times Angel is making fun of him and he doesn't even know it. Angel and Jon Miller were an incredible duo - both so funny and they sound a lot alike, to the point in the late 80s that one would sometimes call an inning as the other.

I'm enjoying this season a lot so far, though the O's are still clearly a legit DH and a front-line starting pitcher away from being a serious contender. I like the quick demotion on Arrieta - certainly seemed to have captured Tillman's attention in his next start. Bullpen is looking good, Jones and Davis are raking (though I'm really starting to get down on Jones's defense and not just because of the error in the NY game), love watching Wieters and Machado in the field. Really wish I could dodge work for today's matinee - but I'm definitely going to the Wednesday day game next month. Those are great before school lets out.

Jon Miller is one of the best around for sure. I'll try to pay more attention to Angel and his sarcasm but he sounds senile more than sarcastic to me. Manfra gets lost a lot and he calls it a home run after the guy crosses home plate at times, just slow to the punch. O's TV guys are good though.

When Manfra is doing an inning, I listen to the crowd noise to figure out what's going on, since it takes him forever to relay the action.Though that doesn't work when the Red Sox or Yankees are in Baltimore, because it's hard to tell who has more fans there....

On TV, Gary Thorne is a true pro, Bordick is o.k., and Jim Palmer is one of the greatest analysts of any sport I've ever heard. He hadn't been on TV for quite some time - I think maybe there was a health issue in his family - until he came back Monday. It's impossible to listen to him and not learn something new, while gaining an appreciation for how the game should be played. He was palpably disgusted with a lot of what he saw in recent years, and has clearly been reinvigorated by the team's style of play under Buck. Listening to him describe a pitcher's decisions in a sequence of pitches vs. a batter - for good or ill - is a treat, and he always seems to know when a pitcher is about to make a mistake before he does it. He was very impressed by Johnson in the 9th inning last night and it was fun to listen to him just say "Wow" after a 90+ sinker struck out a Jay.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Potential devastating news... Dylan Bundy still has discomfort in his forearm and went down to see Dr Andrews for a 2nd opinion yesterday.

No update yet.

 

[avoiding injuries]

I may have some bias, but I love Angel and Manfra. Yes, they they're late on some calls and mistake balls hit initially, but I think they are great.

I wouldn't trade out TV crew for anyone. Thorne may get almost every pitch wrong and mistake the count or score, but he is top notch. He's gotten some slack from Os fans for being a Boston Red Sox fan, but I think he does an overall great job.

Nobody compares to Palmer. So much knowledge and experience that he brings to the broadcast. He's also the only person who didn't wear orange glasses during the lean years out of fear from Angelos.

 

[Eephus]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41.

I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

I think Angel is pretty hilarious. A lot of the stuff he says is very sarcastic, but he always keeps a straight face and never lets on. For example, the "ever-dangerous James Loney" crack was almost certainly meant to be sarcastic. The guy is not very good, and yet he went 6-for-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 4 RBI in the O's series vs. the Rays last week. So by calling him "ever dangerous," he was kind of making fun of both Loney (who is not really ever-dangerous) and the Orioles for struggling to get him out.

Just my two cents - I think Manfra is truly appalling and get the sense that a lot of times Angel is making fun of him and he doesn't even know it. Angel and Jon Miller were an incredible duo - both so funny and they sound a lot alike, to the point in the late 80s that one would sometimes call an inning as the other.

I'm enjoying this season a lot so far, though the O's are still clearly a legit DH and a front-line starting pitcher away from being a serious contender. I like the quick demotion on Arrieta - certainly seemed to have captured Tillman's attention in his next start. Bullpen is looking good, Jones and Davis are raking (though I'm really starting to get down on Jones's defense and not just because of the error in the NY game), love watching Wieters and Machado in the field. Really wish I could dodge work for today's matinee - but I'm definitely going to the Wednesday day game next month. Those are great before school lets out.

Jon Miller is one of the best around for sure. I'll try to pay more attention to Angel and his sarcasm but he sounds senile more than sarcastic to me. Manfra gets lost a lot and he calls it a home run after the guy crosses home plate at times, just slow to the punch. O's TV guys are good though.

Jon Miller and Angel were teamed up in the Giants' booth for a few years during the Bonds era. Angel was pretty bad as I recall and wasn't renewed.

Miller is Miller and worth his sizable weight in gold.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Man Joe Angel is just brutal. Couple of weeks ago he called James Loney, "the ever-dangerous James Loney" and today he added 35 and 26 and came up with 41. I like homer announcers to some degree but he gets a lot of facts mixed up and leaves the listener wondering what the hell is really going on a lot.

I think Angel is pretty hilarious. A lot of the stuff he says is very sarcastic, but he always keeps a straight face and never lets on. For example, the "ever-dangerous James Loney" crack was almost certainly meant to be sarcastic. The guy is not very good, and yet he went 6-for-9 with 2 2Bs, a HR, and 4 RBI in the O's series vs. the Rays last week. So by calling him "ever dangerous," he was kind of making fun of both Loney (who is not really ever-dangerous) and the Orioles for struggling to get him out. Just my two cents - I think Manfra is truly appalling and get the sense that a lot of times Angel is making fun of him and he doesn't even know it. Angel and Jon Miller were an incredible duo - both so funny and they sound a lot alike, to the point in the late 80s that one would sometimes call an inning as the other. I'm enjoying this season a lot so far, though the O's are still clearly a legit DH and a front-line starting pitcher away from being a serious contender. I like the quick demotion on Arrieta - certainly seemed to have captured Tillman's attention in his next start. Bullpen is looking good, Jones and Davis are raking (though I'm really starting to get down on Jones's defense and not just because of the error in the NY game), love watching Wieters and Machado in the field. Really wish I could dodge work for today's matinee - but I'm definitely going to the Wednesday day game next month. Those are great before school lets out.

Adam Jones is really starting to remind me of Frank Robinson. My father always thought Frank was "lazy" (no racism there, I'm sure). I think Adam is a little wild, but I also think he's a really good leader. Frank started that "Kangaroo Court" with the Orioles, where guys would get fined $1 for missing a cut-off or whatever. It brought the Os together for the best run in team history. Times are different now, but Jones does (IMO) a great job of making the Orioles a "team".He gets some slack from me.

 

[avoiding injuries]

I found it weird that when Markakis had the walk off hit the other night he didn't get a shaving cream pie. They all get it.

Later that night Jones tweeted that he couldn't pie Nick because he was the team veteran.

I know Markakis is quiet, but he rubs me the wrong way with some of his antics. Be part of the team and don't set different rules for yourself. You may be a veteran, but you're the second highest overpaid player on the team.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Bundy situation is really not looking good. Lots of delayed information and miscommunication on his appointments. Very sloppy or else they're hiding something.

 

[RaveOriole]

Bundy situation is really not looking good. Lots of delayed information and miscommunication on his appointments. Very sloppy or else they're hiding something.

Seeing Dr. Andrews is never a good sign ... ugghI'm tired of all these "pitching prospects" when will one finally materialize? Arietta, Britton, Matsuz, Tillman, Bundy ... I know they are all young, but this was the year that we were going to see their full potential (well not Bundy) and only Tillman is on the starting roster. Hey Gausman is still a top prospect.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

The Orioles won their 12 millionth game in a row when leading after 7 innings (it's either 12 mil or 108 games, one of those two). Obviously, they haven't KEPT the lead in all 108, but have had to re-take it at some later point. Without going back and researching all 108, I wonder how many they actually did blow a lead in and how many the held the lead to the end....

 

[Marvelous]

Bundy situation is really not looking good. Lots of delayed information and miscommunication on his appointments. Very sloppy or else they're hiding something.

Seeing Dr. Andrews is never a good sign ... ugghI'm tired of all these "pitching prospects" when will one finally materialize? Arietta, Britton, Matsuz, Tillman, Bundy ... I know they are all young, but this was the year that we were going to see their full potential (well not Bundy) and only Tillman is on the starting roster. Hey Gausman is still a top prospect.

Many prospects never make it to the major leagues. And some just don't do well.

Remember when David Hernandez, Jason Berkin, and Brad Bergenson were all pitching prospects and they were the start of turning around the Orioles. They are no longer with the team, although Hernandez was part of the Mark Reynolds trade.

I really thought Matusz would turn it around after his stellar pitching when Buck first arrived. He was never able to recapture that and is now in the bullpen.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Bundy situation is really not looking good. Lots of delayed information and miscommunication on his appointments. Very sloppy or else they're hiding something.

Seeing Dr. Andrews is never a good sign ... ugghI'm tired of all these "pitching prospects" when will one finally materialize? Arietta, Britton, Matsuz, Tillman, Bundy ... I know they are all young, but this was the year that we were going to see their full potential (well not Bundy) and only Tillman is on the starting roster. Hey Gausman is still a top prospect.

Many prospects never make it to the major leagues. And some just don't do well. Remember when David Hernandez, Jason Berkin, and Brad Bergenson were all pitching prospects and they were the start of turning around the Orioles. They are no longer with the team, although Hernandez was part of the Mark Reynolds trade. I really thought Matusz would turn it around after his stellar pitching when Buck first arrived. He was never able to recapture that and is now in the bullpen.

Yep, then the next cavalry of Tillman, Britton, Arrieta and Matusz. Tillman is the only one in the rotation, and he is hit and miss (no pun intended). Gaussman is putting up some pretty stellar numbers and Duquette said we will see him in Baltimore this year. Hopefully sooner than later as I don't like the way the Orioles "develope" young pitchers in the minors. On a side note, Hobgood is pitching in Delmarva and from what I've heard, he's doing pretty well. I wrote him off two years ago, so anything he does is gravy.

 

[Thunderlips]

Does this team make a move for a Cliff Lee stud at the deadline? I don't think the Edwin Jacksons of the world get them to the Series if they trade for them.....but Lee could. Is Bundy tradeable in a situation like that; trading for an established stud?

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Does this team make a move for a Cliff Lee stud at the deadline? I don't think the Edwin Jacksons of the world get them to the Series if they trade for them.....but Lee could. Is Bundy tradeable in a situation like that; trading for an established stud?

I'd say no, this is just not Baltimore's style. I can see them trading prospects to land a starter but not Bundy.

 

[avoiding injuries]

At this rate, they are going to be sellers not buyers. Just the way Angelos likes it and the fans are used to.

Losing a little faith in Buck. His issue seems to be that he is too loyal to his players. There is no reason why Johnson should have been brought in for a one run save last night against 4 consecutive lefties after blowing the past two save opportunities. Why play matchups for 8 innings just to abandon it in the 9th because of a save? #### the save.

Having just got done watching the Rays sweep them, I can't help but be envious of the way Maddon manages.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Does this team make a move for a Cliff Lee stud at the deadline? I don't think the Edwin Jacksons of the world get them to the Series if they trade for them.....but Lee could. Is Bundy tradeable in a situation like that; trading for an established stud?

I'd say no, this is just not Baltimore's style. I can see them trading prospects to land a starter but not Bundy.

And Bundy is hurt. His value is a LOT lower than it was a month ago. I don't think he could be moved for what the Orioles think he's worth.