Friday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles won’t have a Gold Glove winner

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Lots of fun stuff is going on not far from Baltimore. Tonight, Washington D.C. will host a World Series game for the first time in 86 years, when guys with names like Heinie Manush, Goose Goslin, and General Crowder were in the lineup for the Washington Senators. They lost to Mel Ott’s New York Giants on Oct. 7, 1933, to lose the Series, and it’s been a long wait for the Fall Classic to return to the nation’s capital. Now the Nationals will come home to a hero’s welcome, already up two games to none over the Astros, with a chance to seal a championship in front of their own crowd this weekend.

Meanwhile, about 40 miles up the parkway, all is quiet in Birdland. The only news is that the Orioles will officially be shut out of the 2019 Gold Glove awards, as Rawlings released its list of three finalists at every position, with the winners to be announced Nov. 3.

There’s nary an Oriole to be found on the list, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched the club’s daily blunders with the leather. Not only were the Orioles a terrible defensive club — posting a -105 Defensive Runs Saved, worst in the major leagues — but their ever-changing lineup had very few regulars at any position. Only three Orioles played 100 or more games at a single position — Richie Martin at shortstop, Rio Ruiz at third base, and Jonathan Villar at second — and of those, only Ruiz had a positive DRS (2).

So, yeah, the O’s won’t be getting accolades for their glovework this season, nor should they. It’ll be their sixth straight year without a Gold Glover. The halcyon days of Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, and an in-his-prime Adam Jones are long past.

Links

Baltimore Orioles: Phillies And Padres Pass On Buck Showalter - Birds Watcher
Remember a couple of weeks ago, when Buck Showalter was the hot managerial candidate around the majors? That sure dried up quickly. The Angels, Phillies, and Padres have since filled their vacancies with managers who aren’t Buck, and now he might not be back in a dugout in 2020 after all.

The path to the World Series might be with top 100 prospects - Steve Melewski
You might look at the headline and say, “Well, duh.” But apparently there are naysayers out there who like to dismiss prospect rankings because they’re not perfect. Here, Melewski explains why they matter.

Hanser Alberto will try to duplicate his 2019 Orioles success in 2020 - Baltimore Baseball

Off waiver wire, Alberto had ‘breakout season’ - Orioles.com

Apparently Hanser Alberto is the topic du jour among the Orioles beat writers. That’s what happens when there’s no news going on with the team. Rich Dubroff and Joe Trezza each offer their assessments of Alberto’s unusual 2019 season.

Is bullpen best for Brooks? - School of Roch
Like I said...it’s a slow news month. Roch Kubatko ponders the best role for Aaron Brooks, whose 2019 season was the definition of “meh.”

Orioles birthdays

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your O’s birthday buddies include outfielder Tito Landrum (65), whose 10th-inning homer iced the 1983 ALCS against the White Sox, as well as the late Bobby Thomson (b. 1923, d. 2010). Yes, that’s the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” Bobby Thomson. He finished his stellar major league career with three games as an Oriole in 1960, going 0-for-6.