Author Archives: Domenic Vadala

Welcome to Birdland Crush! Yes folks, for the record it's a spin off of the popular summer beverage native to the Mid-Atlantic Region - "orange crush." Nevertheless, I've been covering Orioles' baseball since 2009 in some capacity, and it's basically the greatest gig of all time so far as I'm concerned! But for those who aren't familiar with my work or bio, I'm familiar with pretty much every sport out there. But baseball is king - we all know that. So my hope is that you come back and check in after every Orioles' game, and throughout the off-season. I'm always on duty!

Baltimore Orioles: What to make of Jonathan Schoop

Jonathan Schoop is only one of many former Baltimore Orioles appearing in the 2018 MLB playoffs. Schoop’s Milwaukee Brewers lead the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 in the NLCS. However Schoop himself has been absent in the lineup of late, as he’s struggled mightily since leaving Baltimore.

In many cases it works in reverse; a player looks average at best with the O’s, and their career takes off when they go elsewhere. And often times that transition is immediate. Schoop finished the 2018 regular season hitting only .202 in a Brewers’ uniform.

Many naysayers over the years have tried to market things as the Orioles screwing the pooch in developing players and so forth. Then they go somewhere else and other coaches in another organization with another system straighten them out. But if you’re going to argue that point, you’d have no choice but to argue the opposite in this case. Or at least argue that the Orioles were obviously doing something right with Schoop.

My personal opinion is that this is in essence the inverse of a guy needing a change of air. The Orioles aren’t unique in that sometimes guys flourish when they go elsewhere. It happens across sports all the time. Sometimes just being in a different set-up can achieve better results. Sometimes it allows the player to be somewhat more relaxed, and it just falls into place.

But Schoop was a guy who seemed to like playing in Baltimore. And his departure came as somewhat of a surprise, given that the Orioles seemed intent on trading everyone. So is it possible that the exact opposite results of a change of air occurred with him?

That’s my theory. The more sinister version of that is that the O’s got rid of him just in time. I don’t believe that, for what it’s worth. I don’t think that someone as young as Schoop is going to just fall off a cliff and suddenly not be right. But either way, he didn’t have a good second half with his new team. For his sake and theirs, my hope is that he can get it together in whatever appearances he makes moving forward.

Baltimore Orioles: How might a new regime handle Chris Davis?

I’m on record as saying that the Baltimore Orioles did the best they could with first baseman Chris Davis in 2018. Davis’ contract meant that they really couldn’t cut him. He spent some time on the bench, but DFAing him would have been a different story.

But what about next year? A new GM and a new manager will replace Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette. Showalter specifically we know is loyal to the bone, which many feel is why Davis was in the lineup as often as he was this past year. His contract certainly played a role also.

And the contract situation will continue regardless of who’s in charge. If the Orioles cut/DFA him, they’re still on the hook for his salary (unless they were able to trade him). Even if another team picks him up – the Orioles would be paying him to play for someone else. Also keep in mind that some of the payments are deferred until well after the contract ends.

Needless to say, a new regime isn’t going to be quite as loyal to a holdover from the old regime. And that’s in essence what Davis would be – a holdover. That isn’t to say that he would be cut. I’m not sure that the Angelos family would be happy wasting resources like that.

But would he play as often or as long? Tough to say. Just another in a long line of questions that will be posed to the new guys when they arrive.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark DeRosa for manager?

There are several names circulating as candidates for the Baltimore Orioles’ open managerial spot. There are several “recycled managers” out there, many of whom are relatively big names. I’m on record as saying that the O’s should go young and go with someone who’s probably on his first manager’s job.

I say that because someone like that is going to work for what the Orioles are going to want to spend. And I don’t say that meaning that the O’s aren’t willing to pay for a decent manager. They spent a lot on Showalter over the years. They’re willing to spend for a top-notch manager. But the team they’re going to have for the foreseeable future wouldn’t warrant someone like a Soscia. Just not in the cards.

So having said that, one name that’s been floated is former major league utility man and current MLB analyst Mark DeRosa. DeRosa was drafted in 1996 by Atlanta. He played for eight different teams over the course of his career, retiring after playing in Toronto for the 2013 season.

In many ways he does fit the bill. He’s a former player and he’s young. However I caution the Orioles and fans on one point: he’s never coached. And I don’t mean he’s never managed, I mean he’s never been a coach in MLB. After retiring he went straight to MLB Network and has been there ever since.

People will look at Boone in New York and say that worked out pretty well. Sure…when you have a championship-caliber team in place it’s probably pretty easy. However there are quite a few things about managing that you can only learn by being a coach on someone’s staff and watching what they do.

The flip side of the coin is that if the Orioles don’t take a shot on hi, someone else might. Then you’re on the clock to win a World Series before that team. Again, DeRosa may well be a great manager one day. But are the Orioles willing to take the risk that he will be right now – after no coaching experience?

Baltimore Orioles play an indirect role in the MLB playoffs

I’ve said previously that with all of the former 2018 Baltimore Orioles in the MLB playoffs, the Buck Showalter era is indirectly living on in absentia. I suppose that might come off as a bit of a stretch. But if you think about it, there’s some truth behind that statement.

New York fell to Boston last night, 4-3. That was an elimination game, so Boston now advances to play Houston in the ALCS. New York won 100 games in 2018, which in most seasons and in most divisions would have been enough to win the division. Not this year in the AL East.

New York of course had to play an elimination game at home last week against Oakland, and then jump head first into a best-of-five ALDS against their rivals (Boston). And as the Orioles and Oriole fans will tell you, those Wild Card Games will take a lot of out you. Obviously you’d rather play in the Wild Card Game as opposed to staying home. However they aren’t exactly pleasant experiences – win or lose.

The O’s won seven games and dropped 12 to New York this year. The only team in the American League against whom they won more games was Tampa (8). Granted going 7-12 against a division foe isn’t winning you any titles. However at the very least the Birds were slightly more competitive aainst New York than they were against most other teams.

You see where I’m going with this, I’m sure. New York finished eight games behind Boston in the standings. The O’s went 3-16 against Boston – had they ended up with a similar record against New York, the division is much tighter. And who knows how things play out at the end of the day?

New York still would have had some work to do given that circumstance in order to stay out of the Wild Card Game. But the fact is that you just don’t know how things end up playing out. So one way or the other, the influence of the Orioles was felt – directly or otherwise.

Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado vs. Jonathan Schoop

As I said last week, the likes of Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop being in the post-season seemingly allow the best era in recent Baltimore Orioles’ history to live on. Albeit in absentia in a sense. So on that basis, Orioles fans are in for a treat.

Machado’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Schoop’s Milwaukee Brewers are set to square off in the National League Championship Series. One of those two will obviously get the opportunity to go into uncharted waters, and advance to the World Series. Will it be the Dodgers, who by default are always going to be a part of the national discussion of baseball? Or the blue collar Brew Crew, from the blue collar town of Milwaukee?

I use that term because Milwaukee is a lot like Baltimore in a sense. However that aside, Machado’s certainly had an easier time since leaving the O’s than Schoop has. Machado’s hit .273 with 13 homers as a Dodger. Schoop’s hit .202 with four homers. In some instances he’s been used in essence as a bench player and/or pinch hitter.

That aside, Schoop and Machado were very close friends with the Orioles. We all remember Schoop leaving his vacation and driving to Manny’s house to see him off after having been traded. So I’m sure that both will want to beat the other one, however both would be happy for the other if he wins.

My hope is that Orioles fans don’t follow this series thinking that it’s a shame the Orioles couldn’t keep those players. Be happy for them, and know that at the very least the O’s got something back for them. May the best former Oriole win!

Baltimore Orioles: Does Buck Showalter have a place in baseball moving forward?

I maintain that the Baltimore Orioles made a mistake in not retaining now former manager Buck Showalter. But what’s done is done. Having said that, maybe I shouldn’t include that former title just yet. Showalter’s contract doesn’t expire until the end of the month. So technically he’s still the manager of the Orioles. But I digress.

When Buck first got here he non-ceremoniously announced that this would be his final managing job. It wasn’t a comment that received a lot of fanfare, but I remember him saying something to that effect. One has to wonder if he feels differently now.

Let’s say that he does feel differently. Let’s say that at 62, he wants to manage – next year. Where could he possibly go? I’ll start with the most obvious: the Anaheim Angels. That’s a team that could in theory be a contender now with the right leadership. Furthermore it’s a team that’s used to a veteran manager and a steady hand. Overall, Showalter would very nicely fill a vacuum there.

Minnesota is also looking for a new skipper, and while that’s a team that might need just a bit more building, it’s also a possible fit. The same is true but moreso (in the building part) in Texas. Showalter lives in Dallas, and is a former Texas manager. So that would be a homecoming of sorts.

Ultimately I think it matters what Buck himself wants to do. His credentials as a manager are well-known. If he wanted to manage now I think there would be no shortage of suitors. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he took a year off. Maybe re-evaluate things after next season. But I don’t see Buck going the way of other former Oriole managers and either becoming a scout or a perpetual assistant. If he wants to be a manager moving onward, he will be.

Baltimore Orioles: 2019 should be better by default

One of the big storylines coming out of camp in 2018 for the Baltimore Orioles was the fact that they signed Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner. Analysts around baseball all agreed that those were great moves by the Orioles. The numbers of course say otherwise.

Cobb was 5-15 on the season with a 4.90 ERA. Cashner was 4-15 with an ERA of 5.29. Both pitchers signed at the tail end of spring training, with Cashner actually having a start. But neither had a traditional spring.

Those two signings kind of backfired on the O’s. Now while both pitchers were victim of numerous quality starts with no offensive output, the fact is that both pitchers struggled throughout the first half. And they struggled mightily.

So it stands to reason that seeing as both will have their full compliment of spring starts and workouts next year, 2019 should be better. Does that mean that they’ll win all of their starts? Probably not, because they’re going to have a young team next year. But if you can pencil in perhaps one additional win per week or so, the 2019 season might look at least a little brighter from the outset. Brighter than 2018 at least.

Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado, and gamesmanship out west

Baltimore Orioles fans can look across the MLB playoffs and find their former stars in the playoffs. Perhaps most poignantly, Manny Machado is in the NLDS with the LA Dodgers. They lead Nick Markakis and the Atlanta Braves in their series 2-0 after last night’s 3-0 win at Chavez Ravine.

Last night’s game featured Machado smacking a two-run homer. There are some Orioles fans who’ll see that and feel somewhat bitter. I take the opposite approach. We’ve talked so much this week about an end to an era in Birdland and so forth. And there’s no doubt that’s truly the case. However as I said above, when you look across the MLB playoffs, there are former Orioles wherever you look.

In my view, fans should see that as the Buck Showalter era living on in absentia in a sense. Odds are that a former Oriole’s going to win a championship this year. Probably a former 2018 Oriole. Again, some see that and feel bitter. I would look at it from a different perspective.

That LA Dodgers game last night also featured some Showalter-like gamesmanship from LAD manager Dave Roberts. In the top of the ninth with Los Angeles winning 3-0 (the eventual final score), Roberts sent starter Clayton Kershaw back out to the mound to pitch the ninth. Kershaw had pitched a masterful game, but as little as we see complete games in the regular season, they’re even more rare in the post-season.

Kershaw warmed up, and Atlanta scrambled and sent up a pinch hitter. As soon as the pinch hitter was announced, Roberts came out and lifted Kershaw for a reliever. That move was all about trying to get Atlanta to burn a pinch hitter, and it worked. I can’t say I ever recall Buck doing that specifically, but somehow it seems like something he would do.

Baltimore Orioles: Is Buck Showalter part of a disturbing trend in MLB?

The Baltimore Orioles won’t begin the search for Buck Showalter‘s replacement until they have a new General Manager in place. That guy will then apparently have full autonomy in hiring a manager. However Showalter wasn’t retained after a season in which anything that could go wrong, did. Maybe that’s a reason to look elsewhere, but it’s also a trend in MLB.

A trend that I would argue has newly changed and for the worse. It’s only because of this season that Showalter has an overall losing record with the Orioles. But I think you have to look at the overall body of work. And the overall body of work says that Buck’s a winner.

Having said that, Minnesota let go of Paul Molitor, who was the 2017 Manager of the Year this past week. Took the team to the post season, was voted Manager of the Year, and the next year was let go. Molitor was THEIR GUY. He played for Minnesota way back when (and I was a big fan of his, for the record). Heck, even Joe Maddon in Chicago was talked about as potentially being let go after the Chicago Cubs exited after the wild card game. Tough crowd.

The worst thing that could have happened for managers across the league is that the likes of Aaron Boone had immediate success in New York. It’s one thing when you see someone like Cora in Boston having success, because Cora had paid his dues as an assistant coach in baseball. He finished his playing career, and worked his way up the coaching ranks.

Boone had literally NEVER coached a game in his life. Meaning at any level…ever. He finished his playing career and started in a media role. He was then hired as the manager of the New York Yankees. Now mind you, I’d put his baseball savoir faire as fairly high given his career and given his family name. But what does it say about the coaching industry when someone who’s never done it and didn’t really earn his way there by experience wins on day one?

What it says is that teams are going to be getting much more fickle when it comes to their coaches. Buck Showalter was hired at the tail end of 2010. The team performed brilliantly after that, finishing on two winning months. 2011 was another tough season, although they had a winning September. At the time, it appeared that the team was on the right track however – mainly because the name Buck Showalter had clout.

But given those same circumstances now, do we think there wouldn’t be Orioles fans asking if Buck was the right guy? Of course there would be. Because a guy who had never done it before was winning up the road in New York, and because in the absence of admitting that you’re in full rebuild mode (which the O’s are now), you aren’t given a license to lose.

That doesn’t mean you should have a license to lose per se. But sometimes you know it’s inevitable – such as the next couple of years for the O’s. Look to the NFL, where the same thing is prevalent. The great Jon Gruden went back to take the helm of the Oakland Raiders, and started 0-3. There were people wondering if that was the right choice.

Having high expectations isn’t a bad thing. But you have to be fair to people. When I look at Paul Molitor, I don’t think he was treated fairly. Two years removed from winning the franchise’s first world series in 108 years, would it have been fair to fire Joe Maddon? I’d say not.

Was Buck treated fairly? Tough to say; his contract was up and both parties’ obligations to one another had been fulfilled. However my point is that I feel it’s a disturbing trend in baseball to suggest that it’s okay to cut someone loose after a short time if they aren’t winning right away. Ultimately, you have to give people a chance. As Showalter himself would say, …these aren’t robots. We’re dealing with human beings here.

Baltimore Orioles: A new breeze blows

Yesterday was a ground-shaking day for the Baltimore Orioles. Buck Showalter is out, as is Dan Duquette. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the hiring of Andy MacPhail smack in the middle of the 2007 season. That set in motion the process by which Showalter and company came to Baltimore. Yesterday bookended that era.

For what it’s worth, Director of Player Development Brian Graham will handle the duties generally given to a GM in the immediate interim. However the Orioles also announced last night that they would be looking to fill these positions from outside the organization. That means that nobody who currently works in the front office or on whatever remains of Showalter’s coaching staff would be under consideration.

So in that sense I hope that Orioles fans will be patient. I would remind you that the first move should be to hire a GM. That GM will then look to hire a manager. MLB isn’t a fan of teams making moves like this during the post-season. So with that said if the Orioles don’t make an outward or public move during October, don’t fret. Furthermore, it’s possible that many of the potential managerial candidates may be coaches on the current staffs involved in the post-season.

However simply because a new breeze now blows in the Warehouse, doesn’t mean that fans should forget what Showalter and Duquette’s tenure meant for this team and this city. They’ll be remembered as winners, regardless of what their record states. Both men released statements yesterday very graciously thanking the Orioles and the fans for the opportunities that they were given.

And on that note let me throw one more thing out there – and I’m speaking specifically about the field manager now. Orioles fans should support whomever the new guy ends up being. It’s not his fault that in essence he isn’t Buck Showalter. You never want to be the guy to follow a legend, and whomever the new guy is will have that on his plate. Buck himself would expect no less than 100% support for the new regime.

There will be times moving forward where fans will look back longingly at the Showalter era in Baltimore. I’m no different than anyone else in that regard. I can’t think of a more professional manager, or one who cared more about his players or the fans and the city. He was at home in Baltimore from day one, and that was evident to everyone. To use a Buckism that I’ve heard more than once, “we’re just lucky that he passed our way.”