Baltimore Orioles: Can’t overuse analytics

One of the big concerns about the Baltimore Orioles the past few years was the absence of analytics in their game plans. I can appreciate analytics as much as anyone out there. However I also know that baseball is a game played by human beings. Not by computers.

L.A. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts finds his team down 2-0 in the Fall Classic after dropping games one and two to Boston. Roberts however is under a bit more scrutiny than he should be. He rested four of his top home run hitters in games one and two at Fenway – because analytics say that righties hit better in that park. Again, Los Angeles is now down 2-0.

Overall, I think Roberts is a solid manager. However I think he’s seriously erring in this instance. Again, analytics plays a role. But sometimes you also have to add the human touch and go by feel. Resting your top four sluggers doesn’t feel like a winning formula.

National analysts say that the series is over. I personally don’t believe that. However if Boston goes on to beat Los Angeles, will Roberts’ decisions be scrutinized for the rest of time? Think of the decision to leave Britton on the bench in the AL Wild Card game in 2016 – will he face Showalter-like scrutiny?

Whomever manages the Orioles moving forward should embrace analytics as a part of the role. However you never want to get so close to the forest that you can’t smell the trees. That may well be what Dave Roberts has done in this year’s World Series.

Baltimore Orioles: Jim Riggleman for manager?

I’m on record as saying that the Baltimore Orioles should hire a guy new to managing when they look for a leader in the dugout. (Obviously they need to hire a GM first, but I digress.) But is it possible that a candidate with experience could be the right fit? Even for a young team?

Jim Riggleman was relieved of his duties in Cincinnati and thus is available. He’s not a flashy name by any means, but he’s had some limited success over time. He’s also older, and would probably not be looking to manage long-term.

In other words, he’d be primed to maybe set the course of the organization in terms of fundamentals, and then when things start to churn well they could look to bring in a flashier name. This while Riggleman would in theory be retiring.

I thought that Riggleman was treated poorly by Cincinnati. That team was dead in the water in April, and he lit a fire under the players and they started to win. At the very least, he deserved to be their manager next year, and I thought it was poor form to let him go. He was also treated poorly by the Washington Nationals, who refused to even discuss picking up his option. Riggleman resigned mid-season as a result – a move that I respected.

But would he be the right fit for such a young team? That’s up to the new front office. But the fact is that he’s a name that’s out there. Anything is possible.

Baltimore Orioles: Former Birds impact Fall Classic

Albeit in absentia, the Baltimore Orioles are having an impact in the 2018 World Series. After one game, that is. Steve Pearce had a walk and a run scored last night for Boston, and Manny Machado had three RBI for Los Angeles. Boston defeated the L.A. Dodgers 8-4 and lead 1-0 in the Fall Classic,

I suspect that Orioles fans are following Machado’s progress more so than they are that of Pearce. That’s probably due in part because they don’t want to see a division rival win the World Series. But Machado was obviously more of a factor for the Orioles than Pearce was.

But don’t sell Steve Pearce or his time with the Orioles short. He was a very key member of the 2014 AL East Champions team. He was always clutch in the utility role, and when Chris Davis was suspended for PED use he immediately filled in as the starting first baseman – a role he filled for Boston last night in game one of the World Series.

Orioles fans also saw some familiarity in the field last night with Manny Machado making a few incredibly plays to either start double-plays or to throw runners out at first base. As deadly as Manny can be with the bat, his best stuff has always been in the field. Somehow I don’t see that changing, regardless of where he signs next season.

Make not mistake that both Manny Machado and Steve Pearce represent what will always be a special time for Orioles baseball. Was everything perfect from 2012-2016? Of course not. The abrupt end to that era represents that fact. But it was the first time that an entire generation of Orioles fans got to see their team as a winner. Thus it’s fitting that at least one guy from those times will call himself a world champion when all’s said and done this year.

Baltimore Orioles didn’t screw the pooch on Victor Victor Mesa

Baltimore Orioles fans are starting to get restless because the team hasn’t made any moves to solidify it’s new leadership. Both in the Front Office and on the field. While those are fair criticisms, MLB also likes for teams to lay low on these sort of things during the post season.

Fans will point out that Anaheim hired a manager, which works against MLB’s wishes. Nobody’s in any trouble or anything if they don’t follow this “unwritten rule,” but it’s just what the league would prefer. So my point in that is give the Orioles a bit of a grace period – during the post season. After that’s completed they need to move, and move fast.

Many fans are also using that as a reason why the Orioles couldn’t sign Cuban star Victor Victor Mesa, and his brother Victor Jr. There’s every chance that actually played a role. And who knows, perhaps had Dan Duquette still been in charge (his contract expires at the end of the month) they would have had a better shot.

However Duquette put the Orioles in a spot to sign the Mesa’s by trading for international bonus money. The Miami Marlins did the same thing, and apparently the offers weren’t that far off from one another. However Miami has one thing that Baltimore doesn’t – well, two things.

First off they have better weather. I say that tongue-in-cheek, as a guy who loves summertime! But that aside, you also have a massive Cuban population in and around Miami. I suspect that played a big role. Players such as Mesa are new to the United States. Not just new to MLB, but to the United States. Just as my own relatives came to America and stuck amongst Italian people if possible, people who come here now want to be amongst their own.

And the fact is that there’s nothing Baltimore or any other franchise can do about that. Now is it possible that having a real executive in place could have better sold the Mesa’s on the city and the community? You never know. But the Orioles and every other team were at a disadvantage in this case given the optics of Miami. Heck, the workout was at Marlins Park.

This obviously sounds somewhat unfair, and in a way it probably sounds overly racial. IN NO WAY is this meant to be interpreted as racial or racist. I’m simply stating a major factor in the decision process for these players. It’s no different than free agents opting to sign with one team or another because the taxes in one state are lower than they are in another.

Fans obviously don’t want to hear that, because it comes off as making an excuse for the team. But think about it, when you’re offered multiple jobs at once do you not consider external factors (all things being equal)? Such as commute time, benefits, etc? All you can do is your best when it comes to player aquisition. And by even being in the game, the Orioles did that.

Baltimore Orioles: Hue on on the fall classic

The Buck Showalter era Baltimore Orioles will be represented in the 2018 World Series. Manny Machado plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers now – after being traded there in July by the O’s. And Steve Pearce plays for the Boston Red Sox.

Most Orioles fans aren’t thrilled that Boston’s back in the fall classic. However my hope is that they’d be happy for Steve Pearce. He was a key member of the 2014 AL East Champion team, as well as other teams before that. He’s a gamer, and he’s seemingly played on winning teams wherever he’s been.

Pearce will of course face off with Machado, his former teammate. Regardless of how things ended and the politics behind the ending, Orioles’ fans should look at the Showalter era with pride. And the fact that two former members of the team from that era are now competing for a world title pays homage to those times. Needless to say, they were special days in Baltimore.

Baltimore Orioles: Victor Victor Mesa to Miami

The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly lost out on prized Cuban player Victor Victor Mesa. And his brother, Victor Jr. The duo will instead take their talents to South Beach, where they’ll reportedly play in the Miami Marlins’ organization. An announcement is expected this week.

The Orioles direly wanted the Cuban duo to be the flagship of their rebuild. The Birds at one point were in the lead when it came to the potential to sign the two, as they led the league in international bonus slots. Former GM Dan Duquette had acquired approximately $6 million in international bonus money. However Miami made a few trades and inched ahead.

Victor Victor Mesa is expected to sign for $5 million, while Victor Jr. is expected to sign a deal for $1 million.

Baltimore Orioles: How active in free agency?

How active will the Baltimore Orioles be in free agency going into 2019? If ownership’s comments are to be believed, the answer is not very active. We know that the Orioles want to cut payroll by a country mile, which is mainly what would prevent Adam Jones from coming back.

If Jones has no suitors and the price drops, I suspect that the Orioles would be amenable to bringing him back. But that’s a big if. We all remember what happened last year.

But whether it’s Jones or anyone else, I don’t see the Orioles making classic Duquette-era signings as spring training closes. I take them at their word for the time being. The goal is to get younger.

However again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a move, provided that the player came cheap. And that could be for Adam Jones or anyone else. The fact is that even on a young team you still need someone to show young guys the way. That’s one of the reasons I thought it was a mistake to get rid of Jones.

But I digress. The Birds will probably be active in the Rule 5 draft again, where they could presumably acquire another young player. Does all of that mean that the 2019 Opening Day lineup might resemble that of the final game of 2018? Possibly. But time will tell.

Baltimore Orioles: Hands off the game

The Baltimore Orioles have gotten themselves caught up in various situations regarding unwritten rules over time. Every team has. But if you believe some people, those unwritten codes are part of what’s ruining baseball.

And that’s an issue with which I take issue. Let me preface this by saying that this column isn’t about unwritten codes. It’s about a wide array of things that tie into one main idea. Many people say that those unwritten codes are dragging the game downwards because the younger audience doesn’t care for them. Translated to me, that means they simply don’t understand them.

We also hear about how the games are too long, some rules too cumbersome, and about the sexiness of the game not being high enough. All with regard to a younger audience. We’re then reminded that of all the major sports, baseball fans’ average ages are creeping up. Which goes back to the point about the younger audiences – basically if the sport doesn’t modernize itself, it’ll die.

And I find that hard to believe. It’s always found a way to motor it’s way through tough times. Quite frankly it needs to start at the bottom; parents need to get their kids involved in baseball. Whether that means little league, going to big league (or minor league) games, or something else, just get them involved.

One of the more radicle ideas I’ve heard is that the game should be limited to seven innings. Uh…no. I’m sorry that the younger audience doesn’t see the value in the game the way it is, but baseball’s always been a nine inning sport. Just like four periods (quarters) in football, and three periods in hockey.

Whether we’re talking unwritten rules or length of games, the fabric of the game should always remain the same. I’m sorry, but that’s just a fact. You can disagree with me all you want – any many of you do, on twitter (when these issues come up). But changing the very fabric of the game, or re-writing it’s history, makes no sense. In fact, it’s borderline disrespectful to the die hard lifers out there. If you want to play seven inning games where guys can “pimp” their home runs as much as they’d like, you can call it anything you’d like. But it’s not baseball.

Baltimore Orioles: 1996 American League Champions!

Baltimore Orioles’ fans get asked often if they’re ever going to get over the 1996 ALCS game in which a young fan named Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and in essence created a home run. And the answer is probably never. The Orioles had by far the best team in baseball that year. And that one moment changed the course of history.

I won’t go into details because odds are most people saw the play and are familiar with it  – but a similar situation occurred in last night’s ALCS when the umpiring crew ruled that fans (again in right field) in Houston interfered with Boston’s Mookie Betts as he tried to catch the ball. Was the fan’s glove over the wall? If it was, it certainly wasn’t as well-defined as over the wall as Maier’s was.

There’s no question that Betts’ progress in catching the ball was impeded by a fan. You can see a fan literally close Betts’ glove. The question is whether or not the fan’s arm was ever over the wall and in the field of play. I’ll let folks make that determination on their own.

Having said that, the big difference between the Maier case and this one is the fact that we now have instant replay. So one way or the other the umpire  (Joe West in this case) had the ability to see the play again in slow motion. Rich Garcia never had that ability. And for the record while I’m on the topic, Garcia admitted later that he botched the call. It should have been fan interference. I always gave him a lot of credit for that. Fans should understand that bad calls are going to happen, and as quickly as things can unfold one can understand how something could get overlooked. But an umpire admitting that he botched a call like that is rare. To his credit, Garcia did just that.

But needless to say, if the Mookie Betts play was ruled fan interference, then the Jeffrey Maier play certainly had to be fan interference. So…the league’s all but indirectly admitting that the Orioles rightfully won the 1996 ALCS! (I recognize that’s not the case folks…but work with me!)

Baltimore Orioles: Cheating Champs?

The Baltimore Orioles have had their share of issues defeating the Houston Astros over the years. Much of that has to do with pitching and getting on base. But what if the defending champions had additional help during games?

According to Metro Boston, a Houston Astros’ employee was in essence thrown out of a media credentialed area near the Boston dugout during last Saturday’s ALCS Game One. Apparently the man was working his phone over the course of a couple of innings among other “suspicious actions.” The man was allowed to stay in Fenway Park, but as not allowed back into the credentialed area.

Metro Boston goes on to state that Boston may have been warned by the Cleveland Indians of this sort of thing, who of course were defeated by Houston in the ALDS. The implication of course is that the man was potentially able to see and hear what was going on in the Boston dugout. In effect, a fairly complex sign-stealing operation.

None of the three teams mentioned above have commented. Having said that, IF this is true it does present a bit of a problem. It would call into question the legitimacy of what Houston’s done in the past few years, and this year. The irony would be however that it would be the Boston Red Sox, who did something similar with an apple watch last year, who were victims.

The bit about Cleveland in essence warning Boston is interesting also. Cleveland manager Francona of course managed the BoSox for many years. So there are ties between the franchises in that sense. Let’s be frank; sign-stealing and using any method possible to gain an advantage (a fancy way of saying cheating) is rampant across MLB and sports. Writers such as myself talk about the integrity of the game and so forth, and I think that’s fine and good – for writers. But between the lines, guys are willing to do whatever they deem necessary to win. Including cheat.

But it’s also rare that teams will call one another out. Kind of an unwritten rule inside of an unwritten rule. First off, tattling is unbecoming of grown men. Remember the old adage snitches get stiches? It’s bad enough to cheat, but you don’t want to be the guy to attach your name to manifesting the situation in public. Again, it’s unbecoming of a grown man.

But often times things such as Team A warning Team B about Team C will go on. And if this story is to be believed, that’s probably what happened. Ironically, Forbes later came out with a story saying that there was no wrong-doing by the Astros. Apparently the league was willing to acgknowledge that there was a Houston employee involved in something, but that he was apparently keeping an eye on the BoSox to ensure that THEY weren’t cheating. Again accoring to Forbes, the matter was closed according to MLB.

Believe what you wish one way or the other. I’ve seen several really strange things however when the Orioles have played Houston. The same is true in series’ not involving the O’s when Houston’s playing. A lot of funny things seem to happen in games in which they’re involved. And they usually seem to happen in Houston’s favor.

Understand, while it may not appear as such, I’m NOT accusing the Houston Astros of cheating. One side says one thing, and the other says something else. Unequivocally, we have a he said she said situation. But this is a story that’s out there, and will potentially have to be addressed further at some point. Something that’s certainly worthy of keeping an eye upon.