The Plight of the 2021 Baltimore Orioles

[justice98]

1 hour ago, TD_washingtonredskins said:

I admittedly didn't keep track of the moves we made after the fire sale at the deadline last year...my question is this: 

 

Are the guys up and down this lineup promising prospects who we hope develop into something special or is this team seeded with AAAA place-holders who are just playing far above their expected aptitude? 

 

AAAA placeholders.  

 

But I think Dwight Smith Jr can be somebody worth while.  Not sure why he never caught on, he's always been able to hit a little.  Maybe because he doesnt hit for much power.  Maybe a 4th OF type on a good team, but he gets on base too much now to not have in the lineup.

 

Hess seems like he could be a middle/back of the rotation guy as his ceiling.  But he started out well last year too and couldnt sustain it.

Edited April 3, 2019 by justice98

[abdcskins]

2 minutes ago, TD_washingtonredskins said:

 

First of all, thank you! With all the transactions, I lost track of who to pin my hopes to vs. who was just here to keep a spot warm. Even if the team was made up completely of legitimate hopefuls, the level of play is unsustainable. 

 

In the end, I'll tune in when I do to watch a young and aggressive team take form. Even if it seems that 5-6 of the everyday starters will evolve in the coming years. 

 

No problem. Took me a game or two to get familiar with the roster myself haha. In terms of pitching Bundy and Hess are the two best arms currently on tbe roster. I sort of like Means and Yacabonis out of the pen too.

 

DirecTV free MLB preview ends tomorrow. I'm tempted to purchase the package one because I'm currently unemployed and have tons of time to watch baseball. I'm also on the west coast and get to catch early and late games. Mainly I want to watch the O's. I'm not disillusioned yet, they were predicted to lose a lot of games for a reason. I can't think of a better story though than a bunch of underachieving no-names winning the AL East.

 

Karns starting today. I wonder if it's another "opener" game. Hoping for at least 5 innings from him.

 

[Hersh]

8 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

AAAA placeholders.  

 

But I think Dwight Smith Jr can be somebody worth while.  Not sure why he never caught on, he's always been able to hit a little.  Maybe because he doesnt hit for much power.  But he gets on base.

 

Hess seems like he could be a middle/back of the rotation guy as his ceiling.  But he started out well last year too and couldnt sustain it.

 

Agree for all of that except Hess. I was not on board with Hess last season once things went bad, but he actually regrouped and closed fairly strong. Showed something that guys like Mike Wright never did. He’s the only rotation piece that is likely to be around when the O’s are good again. Could be a quality mid/backend rotation guy for a long time. 

[justice98]

The whole opener strategy is tough for me to get with.  I may be too old school on that as a regular practice. 

 

I get the logic of it, but it seems like a gamble waiting to blow up in your face.

Edited April 3, 2019 by justice98

[Hersh]

I hate openers and I don’t find openers logical at all. 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Hersh

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Regardless of anyone's personal opinions (openers, pitch counts, etc.), what I do like is that it seems like our team is going to trust the numbers for a bit. If the situation calls for x, we'll do it. If nothing else, that should at least optimize what our limited talent could do. 

[Redskin4ever]

2 hours ago, justice98 said:

 

AAAA placeholders.  

 

But I think Dwight Smith Jr can be somebody worth while.  Not sure why he never caught on, he's always been able to hit a little.  Maybe because he doesnt hit for much power.  Maybe a 4th OF type on a good team, but he gets on base too much now to not have in the lineup.

 

Hess seems like he could be a middle/back of the rotation guy as his ceiling.  But he started out well last year too and couldnt sustain it.

 

I was in my car on Opening Day and they had the Yankees broadcast on. They were taking about Smith and how he could never get any time in Toronto because he was the 4th OF on a team of good OFs. They said he knew this was he shot the has been waiting for that he could never get in Toronto. I don’t know why, but when I heard that i really started rooting for the guy. Maybe because I’m hoping for one of these guys to turn into something special. He may never hit 40 HRs in a season, but he doesn’t have to. He can be Brian Roberts or Brady Anderson pre-roids (allegedly). He can be that top of the order table-setter. I really want to see him succeed.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Redskin4ever

[Hersh]

7 minutes ago, Redskin4ever said:

 

I was in my car on Opening Day and they had the Yankees broadcast on. They were taking about Smith and how he could never get any time in Toronto because he was the 4th OF on a team of good OFs. They said he knew this was he shot the has been waiting for that he could never get in Toronto. I don’t know why, but when I heard that i really started rooting for the guy. Maybe because I’m hoping for one of these guys to turn into something special. He may never hit 40 HRs in a season, but he doesn’t have to. He can be Brian Roberts or Brady Anderson pre-roids (allegedly). He can be that top of the order table-setter. I really want to see him succeed.

 

A buddy of mine who is a huge Toronto fan said basically the same thing yesterday. They have a lot of OF prospects and he wasn't high up on the list. Thinks he is a good player, but he's also the biggest homer I know so he may not be the most reliable source

[Mooka]

2 hours ago, abdcskins said:

 

DirecTV free MLB preview ends tomorrow. 

 

 

MLB is pretty easy to stream. I've been streaming O's games for years.

 

Just search reddit.

[justice98]

I could do without Mullins in the leadoff spot for a while.  

[abdcskins]

Wish Hyde would've left Karns in there a bit longer. Save those arms out of the bullpen.

[Bang]

Man, is the carpet in that stadium THAT bad, or is it just optical illusion?
Looks like huge seam bumps all over the place

 

~Bang

[capcrunch98]

Honest question: is there any chance Chris Davis just retires?  He's already got more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.  At what point is the extra cash not worth it to him anymore to haul his lost ass out there and embarrass himself in front of his family, teammates, and fans?  He's batting .000 this year with nothing to indicate a turnaround.  And 3 more seasons after this!  He's still capable of flashing a decent glove at first base, but that doesn't come close to compensating for the fact that he's as close to a guaranteed out as you'll find in MLB. 

[abdcskins]

Mancini isn't ready to go home. 3 run dinger. He's sizzling.

[mattsb84]

Chris Davis is hitless in his last 35 at bats (including tonight) going back to 9/14/18. He's irrevocably broken. Os should just release him at this point. They're going to have to eat the contract regardless so just get on with it.

[DCSaints_fan]

6 hours ago, capcrunch98 said:

Honest question: is there any chance Chris Davis just retires?  He's already got more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.  At what point is the extra cash not worth it to him anymore to haul his lost ass out there and embarrass himself in front of his family, teammates, and fans?  He's batting .000 this year with nothing to indicate a turnaround.  And 3 more seasons after this!  He's still capable of flashing a decent glove at first base, but that doesn't come close to compensating for the fact that he's as close to a guaranteed out as you'll find in MLB. 

 

I can't see him retiring straight up.  Thats an awful lot of money to leave on the table (about $92 million I think), regardless of how much he's already made. 

 

A negotiated buyout is a possibility.  Or the O's may just cut bait.   We're winning now so you can make the argument he would be holding the team back if he continues to start.   But I can't read the mind of Elias/the Angeloses.

 

Once Trumbo comes back it may force their hand. 

4 hours ago, mattsb84 said:

Chris Davis is hitless in his last 35 at bats (including tonight) going back to 9/14/18. He's irrevocably broken. Os should just release him at this point. They're going to have to eat the contract regardless so just get on with it.

 

Davis has an OPS+ of -34.  Yes, negative 34.  I didn't even know that was possible. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by DCSaints_fan

[abdcskins]

He truly looks lost at the plate. At least he hit the ball hard today once.

 

If I had to guess - and for me it's pretty obvious - he was using Adderall the entire time he had those great years with big numbers. I have no evidence for this, but I know he got caught and suspended and then his numbers fell off big time. To me that is pretty indicative. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

4 hours ago, mattsb84 said:

Chris Davis is hitless in his last 35 at bats (including tonight) going back to 9/14/18. He's irrevocably broken. Os should just release him at this point. They're going to have to eat the contract regardless so just get on with it.

 

Didn't realize this.  But this erases any promise that he had in spring training with a few homers.  

 

Could it be that he's actually getting worse?  Hard to believe.  

 

It is sunk cost, any which way they look at it.  Best to cut him, eat the salary and move on.

[Spaceman Spiff]

10 minutes ago, abdcskins said:

He truly looks lost at the plate. At least he hit the ball hard today once.

 

If I had to guess - and for me it's pretty obvious - he was using Adderall the entire time he had those great years with big numbers. I have no evidence for this, but I know he got caught and suspended and then his numbers fell off big time. To me that is pretty indicative. 

 

I think he got busted, but then got permission from the league to use it again.  IIRC, the issue with Adderall and the MLB isn't that it's banned outright, they just need to be cleared to be on it.  When Davis got popped, it was because he failed to get permission again.  I'm not sure when he was on/off it.  

 

At any rate, Addrerall doesn't make up for a slow bat.  

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Spaceman Spiff

[abdcskins]

9 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

I think he got busted, but then got permission from the league to use it again.  IIRC, the issue with Adderall and the MLB isn't that it's banned outright, they just need to be cleared to be on it.  When Davis got popped, it was because he failed to get permission again.  I'm not sure when he was on/off it.  

 

At any rate, Addrerall doesn't make up for a slow bat.  

 

 

 

 

Ah got you. I thought it was banned. Is he still using it? That stuff is strong man, it should be banned. I dunno...that's another topic for another thread I suppose. He was have to be ADHD diagnosed by a doctor I'm assuming in order to use it.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Just now, abdcskins said:

 

Ah got you. I thought it was banned. Is he still using it? That stuff is strong man, it should be banned. I dunno...that's another topic for another thread I suppose. He was have to be ADHD diagnosed by a doctor I'm assuming in order to use it.

 

I think he got on some other ADHD thing that wasn't Adderall.  

 

Looks like it's something called Vyvanse, never heard of it:  https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-spring-training-0228-20150227-story.html

 

 

[abdcskins]

5 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

I think he got on some other ADHD thing that wasn't Adderall.  

 

Looks like it's something called Vyvanse, never heard of it:  https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-spring-training-0228-20150227-story.html

 

 

 

Ok yeah Vyvanse. Similar drug. 

 

As a hitter, I could see how a drug like that could help you focus and watch the rotation of the ball. I'm not trying to make it sound like some miracle "make you a good hitter" drug, cuz like you mentioned his bat speed/swing/eye has just fallen off a cliff. No drug can cure that. Just seems odd that's all. Kinda sad honestly, I feel bad for the guy. I'm sure he wants to do well, he just can't cuz he sucks at hitting. 

[capcrunch98]

9 hours ago, DCSaints_fan said:

 

I can't see him retiring straight up.  Thats an awful lot of money to leave on the table (about $92 million I think), regardless of how much he's already made. 

 

A negotiated buyout is a possibility.  Or the O's may just cut bait.   We're winning now so you can make the argument he would be holding the team back if he continues to start.   But I can't read the mind of Elias/the Angeloses.

 

 

We're winning now (for the first week of the season) but this team is still going to lose 100 games.  I wouldn't disagree with the O's one bit if their strategy is to cart him out there every day and hope he just gets sick of being a national punchline and eventually walks away.

I think CD is a good guy, and we'll always remember the great years he gave us, but if he really drags this out for another 3 seasons just to collect a paycheck he should be ashamed of himself. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

2 minutes ago, capcrunch98 said:

 

We're winning now (for the first week of the season) but this team is still going to lose 100 games.  I wouldn't disagree with the O's one bit if their strategy is to cart him out there every day and hope he just gets sick of being a national punchline and eventually walks away.

I think CD is a good guy, and we'll always remember the great years he gave us, but if he really drags this out for another 3 seasons just to collect a paycheck he should be ashamed of himself. 

 

Agreed on all points.  I feel like it's getting close to a tipping point this year, though.  At least I hope it is.

 

He gets in the way of the rebuild.  This isn't an Elias guy, and Buck and DD are gone.  Hyde has no allegiance to him.  Mancini should be at 1st base for the foreseeable future.  If this continues to drag on, they'll have to figure out a way to get him off the roster.

[justice98]

14 hours ago, mattsb84 said:

Chris Davis is hitless in his last 35 at bats (including tonight) going back to 9/14/18. He's irrevocably broken. Os should just release him at this point. They're going to have to eat the contract regardless so just get on with it.

 

Agreed.  This is embarrassing for everyone involved to keep running him out there and it only hurts the team.  The money is already spent and he's providing a negative impact on the field.