Friday Bird Droppings
by Camden Chat on Mar 5, 2010 7:00 AM EST
in Open Threads
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PrintOrioles outdraw Rays to begin spring | Inside Sports
The new kids in town drew more fans to their ST Opening Day than did the mighty Rays. -Stacey
O's Mickolio looks to keep growing -- on field - baltimoresun.com
This just in: Kam Mickolio is tall, and also would like to be a good pitcher. -Stacey
O’s spring training: The 25 who will make it (#11) | WNST
Kevin Millwood is #11 on the 25 who will make it. Drew predicts a 4.24 ERA for him, a number that'd make me plenty happy. -Stacey
The Associated Press: Uehara sharp in Orioles' 6-5 loss to Rays
Koji looked great in his debut and is confident that he'll be successful in the bullpen this year. -Stacey
After a rough start, the future could be bright for Townsend
Steve Melewski profiles the struggles of Tyler Townsend in 2009 and the adjustments he's made to get back on track. -Stacey
Of march and april
The Wayward Oriole waxes poetic about the optimism of spring. -Stacey
Trembley on Pie - MASNsports.com
"When I took him out, he said, 'I could have played.' I said, 'Well, you hit a home run and a triple. That was enough. You didn't have to show me any more.' -duck
Orioles' Matusz has successful first spring outing - USATODAY.com
Sure, he gave up a wind-aided homerun, but Brian Matusz was still pretty happy with how things went in his first Spring Training start. -duck
The Schmuck Stops Here: Caption this: Dickie V and Trembley
I'm really, really glad Dickie V was at the game rather than in College Park calling the Duke-Maryland game. I might have hurt my television. -duck
Boxscore: San Diego vs. Seattle - March 4, 2010 | MLB.com: News
Our old friend Radhames Liz pitched the 8th inning for the Padres yesterday. He entered with the game tied 3-3 and put up the following line: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR. I know it's just one inning in ST but I don't miss that kid at all. -Stacey
Camden Chat Swag
It's been pushed down the page a bit so I'll inform you right here that you can continue to contribute your Camden Chat t-shirt ideas through the end of the weekend and next week we'll make our final selections. Click the link or scroll on down and document your genius. -Stacey
Nine Innings: Aubrey Huff
Q&A with my old buddy Aubrey Huff. He has Transformer tattoos! Aubrey, if you're ever back in Baltimore, call me. We'll go to Hooters! -Stacey
On this day in Camden Chat history....more Spring Training hijinks as elktonfan recounts some of the things said during Spring Training 2006...what a hoot, SC posts some ST stuff in 2007 with your standard crazy optimistic comments, ItsBenFeldman looks at the corner infield possibilities for 2010...shockingly neither Atkins nor Tejada are on his list of possibilities, and SC takes a look at the players who moved to a new team in 2009
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Rob Dibble is a moron AND an asshole
Just said when he coached 8 year olds in LL, he told them NOT to shake hands. Because you’re not supposed to like your opponent.
8 year olds.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
by duck on Mar 5, 2010 7:19 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Oh, it gets better
The co-host pointed out even hockey players do at the end of a playoff series. “Well, that’s OK for hockey, but baseball isn’t a gentleman’s game.” It descended from there. I actually felt dumber listening to him.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
by duck on Mar 5, 2010 7:31 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'm not surprised at all
Considering I disagree every single thing that comes out of his mouth.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
You guys
I try really hard not to talk about Felix Pie too much because I don’t want to be gushing all over the place about him. But I have a really, really good feeling about him if the O’s can get him the playing time. I heard Terry Crowley talking about him on the radio the other night and it was just the most adorable thing ever. Crow was going on and on about him like a proud papa.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
ok speaking of Felix
I just got off the phone with Drew at WNST and I may have gushed about Pie just a little bit. If you’re in laughing at Stacey mood you should listen to it once it’s posted on wnst.net.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Linky
http://wnst.net/wordpress/section/audio/
It’s up AND working
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Hahahahahaha
“Stacey Pie”
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
audio works but it sucks
The volume is really low and there’s a lot of static.
Bruce Springsteen rules.
I keep going back and forth on whether or not I'm worried about Pie getting playing time.
Optimism: Trembley will give Reimold plenty of days off and rest early on, and perhaps switch Pie in for him as a defensive replacement in the later innings of close games throughout the season. Dr. Jones will also get a day off every couple of weeks, and maybe even Nick will need a break once a month. Pie’s at-bats may taper off a little as the year goes on if his playing time mostly depends on being careful with Reimold, but Atkins or Scott could be traded (or benched/released, for Atkins), which would open up the Reimold DH / Pie LF / Scott 1B ideal scenario.
Pessimism: Luke will start in LF nearly as often as Pie while Trembley is careful with Reimold, and Wigginton will DH a lot, leaving Pie without many at-bats. Atkins will play at 1B nearly every day for the entire season, and when he doesn’t, Wigginton is the 1B instead of Luke. Pie gets to play once or, at most, twice a week in the first month or two, and is lucky to play that much once Reimold is 100%.
For me, going along with the optimistic scenario is a no-brainer, but I just don’t know if Trembley will play Pie that much unless someone gets injured.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
I agree with your last line wholeheartedly
But I have to say that I think it’s pretty likely that’s the scenario. Reimold’s achilles is not 100%, Adam Jones has yet to play a full season without getting hurt, Pie battled hamstring issues last year, and while Nick has never been hurt in his major league career it’s certainly not unimaginable that something might happen to him. I think there will be plenty of playing time for all of them and we’ll STILL probably see Lou for at least a few games.
But if they all stay healthy all year I can see Pie getting the shaft. It’s hard to think about but if he’s losing ABs to Reimold and Jones that’s one thing, it’s if Atkins and Wiggy I’ll be super pissed. The more I think about Atkins the more annoyed I get, frankly.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Yep.
It’s bad, because I feel like I’m almost to the point of hoping for injuries so that Pie gets playing time. I really don’t want any of Nick/Adam/Nolan getting injured, but I really want Pie to get 400+ PA, and there’s no guarantee of the latter without the former.
And yeah, the Atkins signing seems awful in retrospect. I was okay with it until Tejada was signed, but now I pretty much hate it. About the only way I’ll be okay with it again is if Atkins somehow tears it up this year and we trade him for a decent prospect around the deadline.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
I've been cold on Pie
but I can’t ignore the progress he’s made in the past year, and I’m at the point where I’d rather see Luke play sub-par defense at first and atkins to be a bench guy so that Pie can get playing time in left. A scenario with Reimold and Pie in the lineup is best for everyone. Seriously though, someone is bound to be hurt, if we go through the whole season without any injuries to position players it would be a miracle.
by tjk on Mar 5, 2010 9:55 AM EST up reply actions
This does make a lot of sense
Luke at 1B
Pie LF/DH
Nolan DH/LF
Atkins: Planted on the bench
It comes down to this for me – do the Orioles FO really think Garrett Atkins is going to have a better year than Felix Pie? Because if they don’t, there’s no reason for Luke to not be playing 1B and getting Pie’s bat in the lineup rather than Atkins.
But Reimold needs to be an everyday starter.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
That really is the key question
and even though I feel like Atkins will have a slight bounce back in average (not power), I gotta believe Pie would have a much better year than him given equal playing time.
and yes
Reimold definitely needs to be an everyday starter
Agreed
I’d even go one step further than duck and say
Luke at 1B
Pie at LF/DH/CF
Reimold at DH/LF
Jones at CF/DH
I feel like I harp on Jonesy’s injuries a lot and that might not really seem fair, but he played in 132 games in 2008 and 119 games in 2009. If he’s going to be the kind of player who’s always crashing into walls and diving all over the place (which is fine with me), then it makes sense to give him a day here and there at DH to let his body rest up (of course, he missed time in ‘08 when he broke his foot on a foul ball and in ’09 when he twisted his ankle at first, but still). Normally you wouldn’t want to take your defensive star out of the toughest OF position but the O’s are in the fortunate position of having their second string CF being at least as good (and probably better) defensively than their starter.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Yeah, this is a good point, too.
The good doctor hasn’t proven that he can stay healthy yet, even if his longer-term injuries have been a bit flukey.
Basically, what we all seem to agree on is that we want all of the young guys in the everyday lineup. Jones, Reimold, and Pie all need to play as much as possible so they can improve and, almost as importantly, be evaluated more thoroughly. Jones is a given, and Reimold seems to be, but Pie needs to be on that list, too. And Luke needs to be in there because he has the most proven power on the team thus far, even if he’s probably not going to be on the team two years from now (perhaps much less).
Parenthetically, it just occurred to me that we also should assume that the DH spot is going to be taken up once a week or so by Wieters, right? Doesn’t make much of a difference, but that’s fewer PAs for whoever is the usual DH.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Reimold and Pie
both need to play as often as possible. Pie is very possibly too good to just be the fourth outfielder, and the Orioles don’t benefit enough from giving his plate appearances to Garret Atkins to make up the difference. Not even close.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
I actually think
the Orioles FO thinks Atkins will have a better year than Luke. Otherwise, the signing makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Well at the time
It was to keep Bell/Snyder in the minors, but with Tejada in the mix now Atkins has no place.
"I have seen the future and his name is Matt Wieters." Keith Law
by Reddrummer9187 on Mar 5, 2010 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
Ugh, the Tejada signing
don’t get me started.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Love it INFINITELY more than the Atkins signing
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
If I'm picking between the two
I choose Tejada. But Atkins was already on the roster which is what bugs me. They ran out and signed Atkins basically the first day they could. It was so weird.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
I only hope
that if Atkins is struggling early on, they don’t wait too long to make a change in the lineup.
I heard he's in the best shape of his life
so that counts for something right?
"I have seen the future and his name is Matt Wieters." Keith Law
by Reddrummer9187 on Mar 5, 2010 9:08 AM EST up reply actions
Hey he's won me over
I was a big hater on Pie last year (I remember getting slightly flamed for suggesting we should trade him high when he finally started hitting), but I’ve come around. I really would love to see this guy capitalize on all his potential. I can’t explain what happened in my thinking (maybe it was your constant optimism, Stacey), but I would love to see Pie, Jones, and Markakis as our outfield with Reimold DHing.
Plus if he breaks out Andy MacPhail will (again) look like a genius.
"Real Orioles don't pout. Real Orioles don't gloat. Real Orioles just win."
by NewYorkOriole on Mar 5, 2010 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
Let me piss in your cornflakes.
Pie had a great second half last year, but baseball is a long-haul marathon. The overwhelming likelihood is that he, or Riemold, or both, will regress somewhat this year. That’s due to a number of things: it’s a different year entirely, with different expectations; pitchers will have more scouting info on them; both are bound to hit a major slump at some point. How they bounce back from all of these things will say a lot more about who they are long term.
I’m as happy as everyone else around here about both players, but one year is luck, and two years is talent. And I look especially hard at Pie because he only had half a good season last year.
I don’t want them to fail, believe me. I’m just trying to be realistic. Everyone seems to expect them both to have an outstanding 2010. I think the odds of that are 50-50 at best.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Actually
Pie had a great one month – August – and a mediocre or worse everything else (including his abruptly ended September).
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
Actually
(and bear in mind I know that I’m slightly irrational about Pie, which is why I don’t speak up TOO much about him. I don’t want to look silly)
It’s true that if you look at his breakdowns by month he had one great month, but those are just arbitrary start and end dates for which to create splits. What if the splits were from the 15th of one month to the 14th of the next? If you do it that way, his months look like this:
4/15-5/14 .188/.278/.292
5/15-6/14 .185/.214/.296
6/15-7/14 .462/.462/.616
7/15-8/14 .314/.351/.514
8/15-9/14 .290/.383/.536
It’s easy to break up the numbers in a way that suits what you’re trying to say. I’m not saying that Pie is going to be great based on what’s above, but those last three month samples look a hell of a lot better than “one good month” even though they encompass the same amount of days as the traditional monthly splits. Although in the interests of full disclosure he only had 13 PA from 6/15-7/14 :-)
I personally prefer to look at it like this: July 24th is the day Pie sort of came back from being MIA, and from then until his last game on September 25th he had 158 PAs and hit .298/.354/.511. That’s two months worth of data. If you split THOSE up into one month increments you get .333/.375/.529 from July 24th to August 23rd and .278/.343/.500 from August 24th to September 25th.
I mean, ultimately you and I agree on what should be done with Pie this year. I know that. But I’ve seen you say that “one great month” thing before and it’s just not true.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
by Stacey on Mar 5, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Good point
actually, no. It isn’t a good point. It’s a great point.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
by Andrew_G on Mar 5, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
no matter how you add it up
it’s less than half a season.
iirc, jeff fiorentino had a great half season.
no, i’m not really comparing the two, but pie has to have a full season before i’ll be a true believer the way i am with a.j. and nicky. same applies to penicillin.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Exactly my point
He needs a full season. Not a season as the backup outfielder getting time when someone gets hurt or needs to DH.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
I'm becoming convinced of this argument
as long as he’s not taking ABs from Reimold.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
Did you find a breakdown of RHP vs LHP during this tear at the end of last year? I found them for the season. But not by intervals.
Pie may be a great platoon guy if he can keep it up, but he’s not hit lefties worth a damn as far as I can tell.
by drj on Mar 5, 2010 5:02 PM EST up reply actions
unfortunately I don't know a site that does that
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
I did just take a class on access, though
so maybe I’ll build myself an Orioles database and runs some queries :)
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Curtis Granderson can't hit lefties for shit
but I’d take a player like him on my team any day
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
this
i’ve been saying that all along. i dont wanna sound like a pie hater cuz hes become a cult favorite, but i still never got why hes such a great baseball player after just one month of good hitting.
that said, i’m expecting atkins to suck, so i wouldnt worry about pie or reimold getting playing time.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
It's just that
we’ve seen definitive proof that Pie does indeed have those tools to be an elite baseball player and the Orioles are relegating him to fourth outfielder status in favor of letting Garret Atkins stopgap at first base. We need to give Pie a real opportunity to show that August wasn’t some complete fluke and that he can turn it around.
Can he? I don’t know. That’s the point.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
nearly every player in the majors has the tools to be a great baseball player
thats why they are in the majors. the truth of the matter is, pie is an OF and atkins is an INF. thats why atkins is playing.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
Well, you know what I mean
And the relation between Atkins playing and Pie not playing is well-documented and obvious.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
The guy who plays DH can play 1B which opens up ABs for Pie and Reimold
But whatever. It’s done.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
well the guy who "plays" DH cant necessarily play first
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
I'd buy that argument
If they signed a legitimately good defensive first baseman. But they didn’t, they signed Garrett Atkins.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
oh...that isnt what i was arguing
i mean just because a guy is DHing doesnt make him a first baseman.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
Just because you stick Garrett Atkins at 1B
doesn’t make him a first baseman either.
God I hate the Garrett Atkins signing. I hope to hell he proves me wrong.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
but you love the pie signing?
in both cases, macphail thinks he sees something others don’t. trust in andy.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
There's a huge difference
Pie was jerked around from the minors to majors, never got any consistent major league time, and was 24 years old in 2009. Atkins has been a full time player since 2005 whose numbers have declined every year for the past three, culminating in 2009 when he lost his job as a starter to a rookie and was released by the Rockies rather than offered arbitration. And he’ll be 30 years old in 2010. Not many players get worse every year from 27-30 and then improve.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I know more than Andy MacPhail, not by a long shot. And like I said, I hope I’m wrong. i really, really do.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
when he lost his job as a starter to a rookie and was released by the Rockies rather than offered arbitration
so he was jerked around by his organization and didn’t get consistent ABs?
Hmmmm. I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
are you picking a fight, z?
Cause I’ll fight. ;-)
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
moi?
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
This is exactly it.
I like Pie a lot (obviously), and I really want him to turn into a great player. He could turn out to be fantastic, or he could be just a toolsy guy who never quite managed to put it all together. But the only way we can know which is to let him play.
It’s one thing to leave a potentially great prospect in the minors for an extra year because you have a solid veteran in that position already and you’re contending. It’s another thing entirely to, on a team that’s just trying for a winning season, bench a potentially great prospect in favor of a veteran on a one-year deal who declined before falling off a cliff last year.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
we’ve seendefinitive proofstrong indications that Pie does indeed have those tools to be an elite baseball player
fixed.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
I totally agree, z
I mean, LOGICALLY I agree. That was Spring Training Stacey talking above. I think we’re all in agreement that we need to see what these guys can do and when there are people like Atkins and even Luke taking up valuable ABs, all it does is hurt the team.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Rad Liz
Ugh. Just gross. The most annoying thing is that he lets such a great name go to waste. It’s like if Brad Pennington’s name had been Awesome McBeastslayer.
Yes, I mentioned Bad Brad for the express purpose of annoying Stacey.
"The United States is the New York Yankees of countries...powerful and respected until the year 2000." - Homer J. Simpson
I hope Roch's just being dramatic/paranoid.
Pie downplayed the injury. Manager Dave Trembley downplayed the injury. That means I need to check on Felix Pie later.
He didn’t look happy as he left the clubhouse during yesterday’s game and was ambushed by reporters who had just finished talking to Brian Matusz. And this is a guy who’s been off-the-charts bubbly since camp opened.
Of course, he might just have been frustrated he had to come out of the game / worried it might be worse than it thinks / not wanting to have to answer a bunch of questions about it.
On a lighter note:
One of my favorite moments of the spring: The Sun’s Peter Schmuck veering away from the injury questions, and trying to get a little more out of a solemn Pie.
Schmuck: “You’re hitting the ball great.”
Pie: “Thank you.”
Pie walked away, assuming we were finished and appreciating the compliment. We laughed the entire way back to the press box.
I don’t want to bash Schmuck and Roch too much during ST, given that they do a pretty good job of getting info out this time of year, but good for Felix.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
- worse that
ithe thinks
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Wow, I suck.
worse that than it he thinks
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
I don't really get this
How does he know the difference between “downplaying” and “it’s not actually a big deal?” I get that he needs to check on Pie later because that’s his job, but the way he said it made it sound like this is some kind of typical ploy by Trembley and Pie.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
it's ST
Roch is trying to imply he has special inside dope! that he will slowly leak out to us.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Too bad we know he gets his news from MASN game broadcasts, just like the rest of us
Cry havoc and unleash the Esskay hot dogs of war! - The Wayward Oriole, Opening Day 2008
by Eat More Esskay on Mar 5, 2010 1:14 PM EST up reply actions
That was kind of funny
He seemed genuinely pissed he hadn’t been given a heads up. And if I were in his shoes, I would have been, too.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
From Britt Ghiroli's story on the Matusz-Longoria duel yesterday:
Longoria broke two bats in the plate appearance and had to resort to grabbing Pat Burrell’s bat — a small victory for any pitcher.
Sweet.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
From Ken Rosenthal's Twitter feed
Ken_Rosenthal: Scout caught his first look at Orioles LHP Matusz:“I would trade virtually any guy on our staff for him. Boy, is he good.”
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
by Stacey on Mar 5, 2010 10:51 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Wow.
Of course, the question is, what team is he a scout for? Haha.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
I sure hope so considering their #1 starter.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
lol
well i wouldnt mind getting a halladay if he was 22 instead of 75 years old.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
Amen
I think the whole thing about him only being a #2 pitcher is horse shit. Special pitchers who create deception and have great control can be ace’s without a 100 mph fastball.
"I have seen the future and his name is Matt Wieters." Keith Law
by Reddrummer9187 on Mar 5, 2010 11:01 AM EST up reply actions
The key phrase there is 'can be'
I don’t think theres anyone thats absolutely saying he cant be a true #1, but more likely than not pitchers with similiar makeups tend to top out at a #2.
well i dunno
i feel like every time i read a report on him, he’s “projected” as a number 2. how they predict that, i have no idea. maybe i made all that up, but i swear ive seen the number 2 thing in a couple of different places.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:11 PM EST up reply actions
because
he doesn’t throw 95+ all game. I think the feeling is that you have to have this hard thrower in the #1 slot.
those ppl are stupid
see maddux, greg.
roy halladay doesnt throw 95 all game either does he? erik bedard was a solid number 1 for at least a few weeks (hehe) and didnt throw 95.
by twistedlogic on Mar 5, 2010 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, the whole hard-throwing ace thing is a bit overdone.
And it’s not like you need that to get to the WS. I mean, look at 2008. Cole Hamels was the Phillies’ ace and is basically Brian Matusz with only two-and-a-half pitches, and the Rays’ WS starters all threw 92 or under with the exception of Garza.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Ehh
Edwin Jackson throws absolute gas. I think Kazmir and Shields both threw a good bit harder than Matusz too.
I checked their 2008 velocities on FanGraphs.
You’re right on Jackson; I didn’t include him because he didn’t pitch in the WS. They considered (still do) Shields to be their ace, from what I recall, and he’s at 90.6 career (90.5 in 2008). The rest, in WS starting order (I think):
Shields: 90.5 2008 / 90.6 career
Kazmir: 91.8 / 91.6
Garza: 93.4 / 93.3
Sonnanstine: 87.3 / 87.2
Matusz: 91.5
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Yeah
I think that shields number is a little deceptive though. I think he’s a guy who has a wide range of velocities – I’ve seen plenty of games where he sits 88 and barely touches 90 and then other games where he sits 93 and touches 95.
Sonnanstine is definitely a soft-tosser though.
But when they made it to the world series the buzz was about how the Rays as a power fastball dominant starting rotation would do against the great fastball hitters of the phils. I think as far as rotations go theirs was a pretty hard throwing one.
honestly
it’s a lot of people with too much time on their hands trying to assert something that can’t be proved.
whether matusz is a “legit #1” or not depends entirely on the other talent out there, both on the team and in the rest of the league. it’s a pointless exercise designed to satisfy statmongers.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Take that, Goldstein
"The United States is the New York Yankees of countries...powerful and respected until the year 2000." - Homer J. Simpson
aw it won't load for me
some videos play at work, some don’t. Oh well.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Something to look forward to tonight
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
Roch has the lineups posted
and there he is again. AGAIN. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy God whyyyyyyyy is Cesar Izturis batting second?
Someone just please convince me that if Brian Roberts isn’t playing on any given day for any given reason that we’re not looking at a lineup with Cesar Izturis above the eight spot. Pretty please?
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
I'm trying to ignore that
It just makes no sense at all. None. And yet he batted 2nd in 28 games last year and led off once. Brian needs to get healthy and save Diamond Dave from himself.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Save Dave from me
I will choke you, you hear me old man!? STOP DOING THAT
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
by Andrew_G on Mar 5, 2010 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
FIGHT HIM IN PUBLIC!!!!
Do it for SC.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
here
http://www.camdenchat.com/2009/2/10/755178/roch-calls-me-out-on-his-b
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
The only solution
Is to get a good enough team that DD isn’t tempted to do something stupid like this in the future. Why would you put him 2nd, there is just no reason.
"I have seen the future and his name is Matt Wieters." Keith Law
by Reddrummer9187 on Mar 5, 2010 2:29 PM EST up reply actions
Because Justin Turner isn't really any better
Also, it’s Spring Training and not games that count, and you want the guys that will be playing regularly to get more reps than the guys that will likely be at Norfolk
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
Actually...no
the entire reps argument doesn’t work, because these guys get two PA each and then are subbed out, so everyone gets the same number of reps.
I’m afraid Izturis is in the two-spot because Dave genuinely thinks he’s a good option there.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
He's on record saying Izzy is batting 9th during the year
I imagine this has a lot to do with Roberts being out and not being able to play two of the AJ/Pie/Reimold triad in the same game at the moment
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
I want to believe "it's spring training and not games that count"
but as I noted above, he hit 2nd 28 times last year in games that did count.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
What's really curious
is that you would be tempted to say Dave likes Izturis in the two hole because he’s “a high contact guy who can move runners over” (criiiiiiiinge).
But in 2009, Cesar had zero sacrifices while batting second while he was busy not playing substantially better than he did in the 9 spot. So it isn’t like he was moving runners over, and it isn’t even like he was thriving in the two hole.
So what the fuck gives?
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
right here
“I think Roberts is one of the rare guys leading off the game, I think Izturis will be that bookend hitting ninth, and I think whoever is our No. 8 hitter will be a darn good hitter. It’s kind of fun. Let’s take a look at it, let’s watch them in spring training, let’s see where we’re at.”
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/where-markakis-hits.html
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
sure but that's with Roberts leading off
If Roberts misses time at the beginning of the season I shudder to think of what Dave will do.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
I imagine something like this
1. Jones/Pie
2. Reimold
3. Markakis
4. Tejada
5. Wieters
6. Scott
7. Atkins
8. Izzy
9. Andino
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
I am not looking forward to the days with both Andino and Izturis in the lineup.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Yeah, it's not ideal
But it’s better than having Wiggy’s glove at 2B
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
I don't know
I don’t actually think it’s clear cut. You gotta remember that Andino’s glove comes with an OBP and SLG both below .300. Wiggy’s bat was straight up awful last year but for his career he’ll give you an OBP of about .330 and a SLG north of .450. It’s a trade off, you just gotta figure out which will help the team more.
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
If we're talking a game here or there
I’ll take Wigginton over Andino.
If we’re talking 15 day DL for Roberts, I’m thinking they call up Turner and see what he can do.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
If we’re talking a game here or there. I’ll take Wigginton over Andino.
Yes, I agree although I would want a defensive sub for Wigginton if the game is late and close. Wigg’s defensive metrics are AWFUL. For any extended time, I’ll take Andino or Turner over Wiggs.
Bruce Springsteen rules.
Definitely
and that’s what Andino is around for, really.
Bedard says he doesn't care and thinks goals are pointless.
Not to me
And she gives out great info on her Twitter feed.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
by duck on Mar 5, 2010 6:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yes, she gives great info. It’s just that there’s sort of moment of cognitive dissonance when I see her picture and her content on my twitter feed. I expect to read (rightly or wrongly), “1/2 half vodka shots tonight Sharky’s!” Instead, I see a baseball related post.
Bruce Springsteen rules.
That's just your subconscious sexism kicking in ;)
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
by duck on Mar 6, 2010 7:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Izzy scratched due to flu; Pie says he's fine.
http://masnsports.com/2010/03/pie-says-hes-ok.html
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
When is the O's preview coming out?
Don't give up, don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano
Fear The Turtle!!
by BaltimoreSportsFan on Mar 5, 2010 4:46 PM EST reply actions
Some Orioles stuff from John Sickels
in his All Questions Answered Thread
Q: Zach Britton. What is his ceiling? Could he be a top 25 guy next year?
A: There seems to be a lot of mixed opnion about Britton, but I like him a lot. If he performs well in Double-A he has the ceiling of a number two in my opinion. doesn’t mean he’ll reach that ceiling, but I see that kind of potential in him.
Q: Brian Matusz. What kind of season rookie season do you see him having? Thanks.
A: I’ll say Matusz goes 11-13, 4.35, with a 135/62 K/BB in 187 innings with 185 hits allowed. Some people will be disappointed but then he takes off in ’11.
Q: Rate (with the highest ceiling) the top 5 shortstops in the draft this year and eta’s to the bigs! Grant Green, Jiovanni Mier, Nick Franklin, Chris Owings, Mychal Givins, or anyone else you think are better. These were the first 5 taken in the draft.
A: Green 2011, Mier 2014, Franklin 2014, Givens 2014, Owings 2015
Q: Having done all your not a rookie posts, who do you think are the best 5 prospects among last year’s rookies?
A: Wieters, Hanson, McCutchen, Andrus, Anderson
"It feels like home,’’ Pie said. "All my friends are here."
Anquan Boldin to the Ravens!!!!!
Woo hoo!!!!
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
by duck on Mar 5, 2010 6:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions
they still need someone to stretch the field
add walter in and it may be a decent passing offense
"I have seen the future and his name is Matt Wieters." Keith Law
by Reddrummer9187 on Mar 5, 2010 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
i'm not sure why
but i don’t feel as excited as i should.
Don't give up, don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano
Fear The Turtle!!
by BaltimoreSportsFan on Mar 5, 2010 9:32 PM EST up reply actions
Anybody seen this?
It’s “the greatest defenders of all-time according to Total Zone.” I don’t really know what that means, but it’s pretty awesome that three of the top four were career Orioles (Brooks, Belanger, & Cal). I also love seeing any numbers supporting Cal as a well-above-average defender, because so many people forget that he was a good defensive SS as well as the pioneer of SS that could hit (unlike a certain heralded SS currently playing).
http://www.sabermetrica.com/research/greatest-defenders-of-all-time
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
atkins
power and avg will bounce back to chuck norris levels 25 hr 93 rbi’s 19 dbls and then what ever sabermetrics timmy kurtjan wants to throw in plan and simple atkins season will make us glad we signed him pie is over rated yes he has showed glimpses of skill but so did sydney ponson effrey hammnds eugen kingsale i could go on but i rest my case
. , : ; " ! ?
your friends.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
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