Orioles sign infielder Wilson Betimit
by Stacey on Jan 23, 2012 10:12 PM EST
in News & Rumors
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Print#Orioles have agreed to terms, pending physical, with INF Wilson Betemit, on a 1-year, big-lg deal, acdng to an indstry srce.
Wilson Betemit is a thirty-year old infielder who has spent time with Braves, Dodgers, Yankees, White Sox, Royals, and Tigers. He's mostly a third baseman but can play any infield position. He's not an abysmal hitter, but doesn't have the bat of an everyday player.
Betemit is now thrown into the mix of utility-type infielders that already includes Robert Andino, Matt Antonelli, Ryan Flaherty, and Ryan Adams. Of course that's not including presumed starters Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, and the injured Brian Roberts.
Weird signing.
UPDATE:
Dan Connolly is now reporting that this is a two-year deal with an option for a third year. What?
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My Yankee-fan girlfriend likes to tell me one story
about a time when Betemit played for the New Yorkers, and he was at bat. He had two strikes and then had his contacts fall out or something get in his eye or something, so he spent a ridiculous amount of time finding his glasses. And then after that eternity he got back in the box, and then he struck out looking on the next pitch. Right down the middle.
I feel like this is the Orioles offseason in a nutshell.
Your cannonball trajectory, it always gave me hope
Don't you think all major leaguers who need it
should just go ahead and get laser eye surgery? Sure worked for Christian Guzman.
Maybe Wilson got some this offseason and that’s what’s been holding him back all this time and now the Orioles get to reap the rewards of it.
"Tragedy is what happens to me. Comedy is what happens to you." -Mel Brooks
Not everyone qualified for it
I can’t get it, because my prescription doesn’t stay the same for more than 2 years. You have to have a consistent acuity measurement, and not everyone does.
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Proud member of Trainyard Sleepers, BECW: S2
We're gonna win, you know. Stats lie.
More seriously
Betemit’s a terrible fielder, but has a good bat against right-handed pitching. So if used correctly he could be a pretty good asset. DH platoon a-coming maybe?
Your cannonball trajectory, it always gave me hope
That could make sense
But I don’t have faith in the Orioles to do that.
by Stacey on Jan 23, 2012 10:31 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
How often do platoons happen period?
Players hate them.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
even if they do, Betemit is used to it
1300 career PAs against RHP
400 against LHP
Or is that a fairly common breakdown because there are less LHPs in the league?
Yes... not sure what's the exact ratio though.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
just checked...
in the AL last year it was 71%, and Betemit is at 75%. So i guess you can’t really say he was being used in a platoon.
But they like cashing checks
You’ll bat when Buck tells you to bat. Now go site your $2.5M/year ass on the bench and get up when he tells you to.
/I have no actual idea the $$$ he signed for, btw
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Proud member of Trainyard Sleepers, BECW: S2
We're gonna win, you know. Stats lie.
If it's multiple years with an option (!), it probably isn't less than a couple mil a year.
I'd put it this way; if an offense is a sugar cookie, on base percentage is the pastry part of the cookie, power is the icing, and baserunning is like the jimmies that they sprinkle onto the icing. - Bill James
by J(O's)elskIL on Jan 24, 2012 7:21 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah this guy's wrap has been bad D for a long time now
If he gets regular playing time in the field I’m gonna be pissed.
Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.
by Astronaut Mike Dexter on Jan 24, 2012 8:43 AM EST up reply actions
why a big league deal?
Seems like we are starting to have a lot of guys who have to be on the team without a position to play.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
i'm not wrapping my head around this quite yet,
but if there are platoon possibilities, maybe it’s not so much about guys without a position as it is guys with specialized positions.
Yeah I mean I'm sure they have some sort of plan (or I hope)
but having a bunch of platoon situations doesn’t seem like a recipe for much improvement.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
Is throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks
a strategy?
We Americans are a peculiar people. We are for the underdog, no matter how much of a dog he is. - Happy Chandler
by ThreeRunHomer on Jan 24, 2012 8:18 AM EST up reply actions
Betemit has an .817 career OPS vs. right-handers
so he’s a useful bat who dropped — he’s basically the same guy as Jason Kubel, who got 16 million bucks for some unknown reason.
But he really can’t play 2B any more (and really, really can’t play short), so he’s not a utility guy, he’s a 4C bat guy. Very useful player to have on a contending team.
"Very useful player to have on a contending team."
So, of course, he’ll be an everyday starter for us.
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Proud member of Trainyard Sleepers, BECW: S2
We're gonna win, you know. Stats lie.
Between the last two seasons, he has basically played one full season...
and put up 2.1 fWAR. Nick Markakis had 2.2 fWAR last year. It is kind of a perplexing signing, but it definitely gives Buck some additional options rather cheaply (i presume), so a lot of it comes down to how buck utilizes these guys.
looking closer at his splits...
it looks like he’s been used in a platoon the last two season to hit against RHP, so that WAR is probably inflated when trying to add it up into one full season. He won’t be getting 700 PAs against RHP in one season any time soon.
Pending physical?
I know someone mentioned doing a Tonya Harding in the OT. Save Stacey, git Wilson!
When the fuck did we get ice cream???
Trade?
Lots of moving pieces. We heard the other day that there are “lots of players” the O’s are asked about every day. Any chance this is to trade away Dino or (shudder) Reynolds?
"End of season like this, to make Boston go home sad, crying, I’ll take it all day."—Robert Andino
Betemit's #'s
I like how his bat has improved, markedly, against his previous career numbers in the past two seasons. I’ve read he got $4million from the Orioles, which is a sick amount of money for sure for a guy who can not field and is supposed to be a utiltiy infielder, and won’t get more than 350 at bats. He’s going to put up the numbers derek lee did for the Orioles. F*cking stupid signing
by O' s Fan in L.A. on Jan 24, 2012 1:25 AM EST reply actions
Dan C now reports this is a two year deal with a 3rd year option.
Uh… okay.
"So I said, 'Looks like they've finally got Ogea in the pen. I wonder if the glove fits.' I thought I was going to get fired." - Mike Flanagan, RIP
by Eat More Esskay on Jan 24, 2012 1:56 AM EST reply actions
A Reynolds trade is coming?
If Reynolds stays, I don’t see Ryan Flaherty making the team. Ryan Adams will be sent to AAA. Antonelli, Betimit and Dino will rotate between 2B and the bench. I would rather keep Flaherty than take Betimit. Like everybody else has said, I don’t get this signing.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
I mean I think Betimit is better than Flaherty in 2012.
this would be a good opportunity to develop a player.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The O’s O’ing it up again!
Unless we trade someone this makes no f’ing sense. Even if we do this is a completely pointless move, just shuffling shit around won’t make the room smell better.
I'd put it this way; if an offense is a sugar cookie, on base percentage is the pastry part of the cookie, power is the icing, and baserunning is like the jimmies that they sprinkle onto the icing. - Bill James
Overreact much?
Even if this turns out possibly as poorly as it can, does this really set us back that far?
If it’s a pointless move, then the downside can’t be that huge, right?
"Tragedy is what happens to me. Comedy is what happens to you." -Mel Brooks
Well then, I guess I'll just have to be content with signings that make us no better whatsoever.
I'd put it this way; if an offense is a sugar cookie, on base percentage is the pastry part of the cookie, power is the icing, and baserunning is like the jimmies that they sprinkle onto the icing. - Bill James
by J(O's)elskIL on Jan 24, 2012 4:04 AM EST up reply actions
I don't get why this is a TERRIBLE move.
Sure it isn’t good and going with more than one year is totally asinine but it all depends on who he is taking ABs away from. Ok, so maybe it is terrible. Overloading on sub par infielders is a waste of time and money.
"You're gonna be so sad when they get crushed by the Packers later." -kba26, on Jan 15, 2012 10:23 AM PST.
by WestcoastO'sFan on Jan 24, 2012 2:42 AM EST reply actions
right now, we don't know the money.
so it’s not a terrible move until we know that. if it’s 2 year, $3M, meh, whatever.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
Yeah, and pointless.
"You're gonna be so sad when they get crushed by the Packers later." -kba26, on Jan 15, 2012 10:23 AM PST.
by WestcoastO'sFan on Jan 24, 2012 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
Betemit’s production warrants about a 4-5 MM deal on a contender or a 3 MM deal on a noncontender.
2 years puzzles me slightly…sounds like an ok deal unless it is for unreasonable money that could be spent on scouting and development.
by crawdaddy on Jan 24, 2012 7:17 AM EST via mobile reply actions
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