Baltimore Orioles: Trust the process

If you read the twitterverse, you know that numerous Baltimore Orioles’ fans were shocked and many were dismayed at the team picking Heston Kjerstad second overall out of Arkansas last night. I’m not going to suggest that I saw them going in that direction. Is it possible and perhaps probable that it was done for financial reasons? Yes. However GM Mike Elias made it very clear that they’re really big on Kjerstad’s bat.

When I looked at his power stats, it was evident to me that part of why they liked him was because he hit from the left side. The short porch in right field at Camden Yards came to mind immediately. And in fact, Elias indicated that Kjerstad’s hitting style would fit well in Camden Yards. He was considered the second best power option in the entire draft.

However again, there seems to be angst among the fan base with this pick. Many folks wanted Elias to select third baseman Austin Martin out of Vanderbilt. However he fell to fifth and was selected by Toronto. Sometimes drafts have surprises. Martin may well have been the right guy to select. Kjerstad could end up a bust. Or he might not.

I would simply say that Mike Elias and his team have researched all of these players for a long time. They know what the needs of the team are, and they obviously felt after a large amount of research that Kjerstad was the guy to select. I think that fans have to trust that research. It’s all part of trusting the process.

The story of this draft won’t be written now. Or this year, or the year after. It won’t be written for another 3-5 years, when the players who were selected last night are starting to come onto the league’s stage. If Kjerstad’s a perennial all-star, we’ll know they made the right decision. If not, then it’s fair to question what went into picking him.

The Orioles also selected shortstop Jordan Westburg from Mississippi State with the 30th pick. Again, trust the process.

Baltimore Orioles draft OF Heston Kjerstad from Arkansas

The Baltimore Orioles kind of shocked the experts this evening in drafting OF Heston Kjerstad out of the University of Arkansas. Over three years at Arkansas, Kjerstad’s hit .343. He also has an OBP of .421, and he’s hit 37 homers with 121 RBI.

Again, this was a surprise pick. The Orioles went with an underslot selection, presumably because he’ll sign for cheaper. That gives them more money to spread over their other picks.

Kjerstad is considered the second best power hitter in the draft. So he does have a tremendous upside. He also hits from the left side, which is good with Camden Yards’ short porch in right field.

One concern is his 129 strikeouts, which means he swings for the fences. However the understanding is that he’s worked on cutting down his swing. Hopefully for the Orioles’ sake some of the minor league coaches can work with him on that.

This is a selection that will be scrutinized a bit both nationally and locally. Mainly because it was unexpected. But Kjerstad appears to have a bright future in baseball. Just because it was an unexpected pick doesn’t mean it’s running a terrible risk.

Baltimore Orioles: Draft Day

The Baltimore Orioles may not be playing on the field, but they’ll be participating in this evening’s annual MLB Draft. The Birds will pick second overall, meaning that only one top player will be off the board when they choose. With the status of the season itself very much in flux, the draft adds just a bit of normalcy.

My personal opinion is that the Orioles need to pick the best player available on the board. But who might that be? That’s the question that will be answered, however Orioles’ GM Mike Elias has said that they’ve narrowed their list down to five names or so.

Detroit is rumored to be taking first baseman Spencer Tokelson with the first selection overall. However Elias and company are familiar with the full range of candidates on the board:

We put a lot of work into it. We had met with the candidates in person this winter. I did personally and there are others that we did to that we met over Zoom and it worked pretty well. There’s a lot of background that goes into it other than meetings. The scouts do a ton of background work, we talk with people around the program – the coaches, the strength coaches, the guy in our minor league system who used to play there. Just everyone.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Stay tuned here to Birdland Crush for details on who the Orioles pick. The draft begins at 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Some gave all

The Baltimore Orioles should be playing the Chicago White Sox right now in a Memorial Day matinee at Camden Yards. Of course we all know why that isn’t the case, but we go onward. And we hope that baseball returns to us soon.

However one thing that isn’t different is that today is Memorial Day. Today our nation pauses to remember our war dead and to give honor to both they and the families they left behind. And I want to make something clear; this isn’t the moment to throw Coronavirus victims and first responders into a place of honor. I’ve heard several folks suggest it would be an opportune moment to recognize them as well.

And the answer is no – today is about our war dead. It’s not even about vets or active service members. It’s about those who never came home. We owe it to those people and their families to always make it about them. I have no issue with a day honoring those people, it just can’t be today. Today’s about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country in war.

And again, we can’t ever forget that. We can’t ever forget that there are Gold Star families out there who were altered forever when their loved one died in war. And that’s why we have the ability to watch baseball. Which hopefully returns to us soon. As the title states, SOME GAVE ALL.

Baltimore Orioles: Return-to-play proposal coming

Baltimore Orioles fans might not have to wait much longer for news about the 2020 season. Multiple reports came out yesterday suggesting that within the next week the league will submit a return-to-play proposal to the player’s association. It’s unclear what that proposal will entail, however the word on the street is that the league wants to start the season in late June or early July.

First off keep in mind that the players will have to come to terms with the league on some major things, including salary. There are virtually no scenario’s out there which involve fans being able to be admitted to games – at least at first. If situations in certain cities improve over the course of the season, perhaps that could cease to be the case. So the owners are presumably going to want the players to agree to further pro-rated salaries given the loss of gate revenues.

Again, word on the street is that the league will look to start “Spring Training 2.0” sometime during the second week of June or so. It also appears that will be occurring in teams’ home ballparks. So the O’s would be training at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

What’s unclear is whether or not a slate of exhibition games would be included in this “Spring Training 2.0.” If teams are training in their home parks, I would assume that might not necessarily be the case. You might have some teams such as the O’s and Washington, the NY teams, Chicago teams, etc, who might consider setting up joint practices or perhaps the equivalent of NFL scrimmages of yesteryear, however I wouldn’t think teams would be traveling to other teams’ parks to play formal exhibition games. But I could be wrong.

There are all kinds of rumors in terms of how the season will unfold in terms of the divisions, but the most feasible idea I’ve seen is putting the O’s in a division (only for this year) with Miami, Tampa, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the NY teams, Boston, and Toronto. Those teams would make up the entire 2020 schedule. But time will tell how that turns out.

And that’s another reason why this is taking longer than it probably should. Baseball can’t just start games up where teams would be have been in their schedule otherwise. They’re going to have to release an entirely new schedule with new dates and new games. It takes awhile to postulate how that’s going to work, and presumably that will be part of what’s rolled out to the players in the next week.

Baltimore Orioles: MLB drops the ball on Boston cheating scandal

As the Baltimore Orioles and the rest of the league await news about the beginning/resumption of the 2020 season, MLB came down with their discipline of the Boston Red Sox for their cheating in 2018. And unless you’re a Boston fan, I think you’ll be sorely disappointed:

  • T.J. Watkins, formerly the BoSox’s video replay system technician operator, is suspended for the entirety of the 2020 regular season and postseason. The league found that he at times utilized game feeds to steal signs.
  • Boston forfeits their second round pick in the 2020 first year player draft
  • Now former manager Alex Cora is suspended for the entirety of the 2020 season. Cora of course has already been deposed of his duties, so all this means is that he couldn’t sign with another team or play a role in this season – whatever this season ends up being. (For the record, this discipline is the result of his actions with the 2017 Houston Astros, and not the 2018 Boston Red Sox.)

The Boston Red Sox issued a statement in response:

As an organization, we strive for 100% compliance with the rules. MLB’s investigation concluded that in isolated instances during the 2018 regular season, sign sequences were decoded through the use of live game video rather than through permissible means.

MLB acknowledged the front office’s extensive efforts to communicate and enforce the rules and concluded that Alex Cora, the coaching staff, and most of the players did not engage in, nor were they aware of, any violations. Regardless, these rule violations are unacceptable. We apologize to our fans and Major League Baseball, and accept the Commissioner’s ruling

-MLB

I’ll put it like this – these “penalties are flat out INSULTING to any non-Boston fan. I might accept that their level of cheating might not have been as hands-on as that of Houston in 2017. But this is seriously less than a slap-on-the-wrist. Again, in my view it’s flat out insulting.

And I’ll be honest; if there was something that could have made the Houston Astros look sympathetic, it was this. Because if I’m Houston I’m pretty ticked off at the penalty that my team got, compared with the Boston Red Sox. This utterly wreaks of the rich just get richer.

Losing a second round pick might be serious for a team, but again if I’m Houston I’m questioning how they only lost a second round pick and I list a first and a second in two different drafts. Nevertheless, this is what the league and commissioner Rob Manfred have decided. So the matter is now closed.

Baltimore Orioles: Where we stand on a season

Greetings and salutations, Baltimore Orioles fans! We’ve all heard the potential contingencies for getting the season started, and there are positives and negatives to them all. The question is where exactly do we stand?

You can go on message boards and Facebook sites and get a wide array of opinions. From some saying “shut it down” and “we just have to accept that there’ll be no baseball maybe until 2021 or even ‘we,” to “play now with fans in the stands.” My personal opinion on the matter is that this is the moment to at least discuss what MLB will be in 2020. The curves do appear to be flattening. So it’s worth discussing.

Baseball’s in a much different and frankly better spot than sports such as hockey or basketball. They were in the home stretch of their respective seasons. But baseball would have just begun a couple of weeks ago. Baseball also has the ability to schedule doubleheader’s, thus getting in more games. That doesn’t happen in other sports.

I’ve advocated the idea of scrapping the AL and NL for one season, and playing the Grapefruit League against the Cactus League. My Pearson’s view is that’s a better alternative than the entire league going to Arizona. Teams have their own facilities in those respective places, and it would still give them a sense of playing “at home.” Not totally, but at the very least you’re playing in a ballpark that you feel is “yours.”

This past week we also hear another idea, that of putting the league into regional divisions and you play games in your division only. The O’s would have been lumped in with Washington, Philadelphia, both NY teams, and probably Boston. Something along those lines. It’s unclear exactly how the standings and/or post-season would have worked, but I digress. This would also allow for teams to play games in their home ballparks.

The one thing that all of these plans (and presumably the contingencies of which we haven’t heard) has in common is that they don’t allow for fans. Teams would be playing in empty ballparks. And I think it would have to be that way – at least at first. I don’t deny that it’s possible (albeit unlikely) that teams could admit fans later in the summer. But we would have to cross that bridge when we would get there.

What happens remains to be seen. But America needs sports. People can say it’s not essential and so forth – and that may be true. However it gives people repose from the real world. So my hope is that one of these plans, or one of which we haven’t heard, moves forward. And soon at that.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark Reynolds retires

Veteran journeyman infielder Mark Reynolds, a former member of the Baltimore Orioles, announced his retirement yesterday. Over the course of his 13-year career, Reynolds hit .236. However again over the course of those 13 years, he averaged 29 home runs a year. It was pretty much either a home run for Reynolds, or a strikeout.

Reynolds played for the Orioles in 2011 and 2012. He became somewhat of a cult hero amongst Orioles fans. Again, he had the potential for majestic, tape measure-type home runs. I once covered a game where he hit the ball into the club level seats at Camden Yards (on the second deck). At other times he looked lost at the plate, and swung through the same pitches he previously hit into the stratosphere.

It’s kind of a microcosm into life in a sense. We all have moments where we’re really on, but others where we’re really off. The Orioles first signed Reynolds prior to the 2011 season to play third base. However it turned out that his skills at third had regressed. Then they started playing him at first; and he played a very decent first base. Again, a microcosm of life. If one thing doesn’t work, something else might.

Reynolds of course was a member of the 2012 Orioles, which returned the franchise to the postseason for the first time in 14 years. And that added to the cult following that Reynolds assembled during his time in Baltimore. Nevertheless, I hope Birdland joins me in wishing Reynolds well moving forward!

Baltimore Orioles: Idea for the 2020 season

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of MLB remain in a holding pattern regarding starting the season. I have to admit this is one of the strangest situations I’ve seen in my life – springtime with no baseball. No NBA or NHL playoffs. The NCAA tournament being canceled.

There are various opinions as to whether or not the season will eventually start. I still say that at some point it will. Whether that’s June or July remains to be seen. But I do personally believe we’ll have baseball this year. But who knows.

There are also multiple scenario’s for when the season will start, how many games will be played, etc. I’ll spare the details because there’s no point in going over that now when we just don’t know. However many of the ideas seem to center around teams playing games in spring training parks – which at first would be empty. (Perhaps eventually they could admit fans.) One even has the entire league centering in Arizona given that the parks are so close together.

However here’s another thought, or perhaps another spin on that. Throw out the concept of American League and National Leauge – just for this year. Assuming the 2021 season goes off as planned, everything would revert back to normal for that. But there are 15 teams (including the Orioles) in the Florida Grapefruit League, and 15 in the Arizona Cactus League.

You see where I’m going with this, obviously. Why not play out the season using that as a “line of demarcation” in a sense, and have teams battle it out to go to the playoffs in their spring training “divisions?” Then obviously you have a World Series between whomever comes out of the Grapefruit League, and whomever comes out of the Cactus League.

At first, it would keep teams in one geographic area, and yes this would presume that at least at first there would be no fans. However as time goes on, perhaps things loosen up a bit, allowing fans to attend games. On top of that, perhaps at some point and in certain situations, games could transition back to the cities that the teams represent.

There would be a lot of logistics involved in this sort of idea, including rules. I would hope that in this model the league might agree on one uniform set of rules, meaning either the use of a DH or having pitchers hit. You would obviously still have series’ and so forth, and yes there would potentially be doubleheaders.

I’m not big on gimmicks in baseball. I’m somewhat of a purist, and in general I don’t think the sport should be amenable to too much change. But if you’re going to utilize the spring training facilities and so forth, that seems like a plausible way to do it. One way or the other, there’s going to have to be some movement away from the norm in order for a season (potentially a shorter season) to be played. One way or the other, my hope is that the words PLAY BALL! ring out from somewhere fairly soon.

Baltimore Orioles: News on the regular season

Yesterday was tough for Baltimore Orioles fans, and fans across baseball. Yesterday should have been Opening Day. Fans should have congregated at Pickles & Sliders across from Camden Yards, and fans should have poured into the ballpark early for batting practice. Speaking for myself, I kind of took it personally in a way.

However yesterday also brought what could be deemed as some good news. It appears that the players and owners came to an agreement on the 2020 season. The deal isn’t yet official, but is expected to be ratified at noon today.

In effect, training camps will be resumed in mid-May, setting up a late May or early June start to the season. Each team will play somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 games, with the regular season lasting through October. The post-season would thus be in November.

The league will also schedule doubleheaders so as to get more games in. Perhaps in some cases two per week. Which would be an interesting dynamic.

Again this isn’t official, however my understanding is that camps would be resumed at individual ballparks as opposed to spring training facilities. However the schedule of games itself will have to be somewhat fluid. Some cities will become unplayable – such as New York at the moment. So games will have to be moved, played in front of no fans, etc. Everything would be on the table.

Presumably this means that the spring slate of games won’t be picked up. Teams will just have workouts and presumably intrasquad games. All of this of course is dependent upon the virus itself. If it starts to go away or is brought under control, the league will open up. If areas are still infested, they’ll remain closed.