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.”

Baltimore Orioles: Buck Showalter will not be returning (updated, Duquette out as well)

The rumors about now former Baltimore Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter can now be put to rest. Multiple team media sources have confirmed that Showalter will not be returning to the organization. His contract expires at the end of this month.

Showalter apparently met multiple times with John and Lou Angelos, as recently as this morning. There was also apparently talk of him accepting another position within the organization. But it wasn’t to be, which is presumably his choice. It’s unclear whether or not Showalter intends to manage again, return to a media role, or what he intends to do. All that’s clear now is that he’s out and the O’s will have a new man in the dugout next season.

There is one point I want to make, however. Regardless of anything, Buck Showalter isn’t being fired. There are multiple outlets (including ESPN) reporting that he’s being fired. Perhaps we’re talking semantics, but he isn’t being fired. His contract is up, and both parties have completed their obligations to one another. The endgame is the same in that he’s no longer going to be the manager. But to say he’s being fired is 100% inaccurate. More as it comes.

Update, 6PM: According to THE ATHLETIC’s Ken Rosenthal, Dan Duquette is expected to not be retained after his contract is up, along with Showalter. Interesting turn of events for someone who was previously thought to be safe. More as it comes!

Baltimore Orioles 2018: It all came crashing down

Opening Day dawned a bright one for Buck Showalter and his Baltimore Orioles. It was a beautiful day, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards was expected to be full. Come the end of the day, the team had done it’s part – with Adam Jones smacking a walk off homer in extra innings to start the season off right with an Opening Day win against Minnesota.

Fast-forward to the middle of July, and the Orioles were quickly looking to sell off the likes of Manny Machado and any other pieces for which they could get a positive return. That Opening Day win ended up being the highlight of the season. A season in which the Orioles hoped they would contend. But one in which everything came crashing to a halt at once.

They say that you can’t win a pennant in April, but you sure can lose one. I’m not sure when it became evident that the 2018 Orioles weren’t going to make it over the finish line. Admittedly I personally believed that the skill on the team would progress back to the players’ mean numbers. In the case of Adam Jones, they somewhat did. But then you have Chris Davis, who at .168, finished with the worst average in major league history.

With the exception of an early season series win in the Bronx, anything that could go wrong for the 2018 Orioles did go wrong. Again, I personally believed that it was nary impossible for the mental errors and overall bad luck of this team to continue. But I was wrong. The Orioles’ two big spring signings, pitchers Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb, started slow. Part of that was due to little to no time in spring training. Part of it was also due to the fact that when they (and numerous other starters) finally did have good outings, the bats were quiet.

If the Orioles weren’t swept in a series they would perhaps salvage a win in the final game. That seemed to be the pattern up until the end, and including the final series against Houston. So the O’s made the tough decision to be sellers at the trade deadline, trading the likes of Manny Machado and others. The O’s got 15 prospects back, and very much dedicated themselves to a full re-build.

And that’s perhaps the silver lining of this season, as the franchise was newly dedicated to the future. However the path to get to that point was difficult. And once they had re-tooled the roster a bit, it certainly didn’t get any easier. There was seemingly no mercy wherever the Orioles turned over the course of the season.

However the hope coming out of 2018 was the fact that if the organization plays its cards right, there could be sunnier days on the horizon. The Orioles appear firmly planted in attempting to build the team from the ground up, in the manner that Houston and the Chicago Cubs did. Can that be done successfully in the AL East? Beats the heck out of me.

Again, the highlight of the year was Adam Jones’ walk off homer on Opening Day. But it was Jones who also gave us an additional moment to remember on the season’s penultimate day. Many fans had looked forward to that day since perhaps April or May – as the misery would end. However the entire final weekend turned into a love fest between Adam Jones and the city of Baltimore (with Jones’ contract expiring and him appearing set on becoming a free agent). And perhaps…

…the fans themselves were reminded of why they loved this team so much. Win or lose, the Orioles are special. And that’s partly because the fans are special. While there was a lot of grousing (and justifiably so) from the fan base over the course of the summer, the scene this past Sunday at Camden Yards involving Adam Jones left Orioles fans wanting more. Begging for summer to extend even just one more day. That’s obviously not possible. However it shouldn’t go unsaid that when this team heads to Sarasota in February, hope will spring eternal.

Baltimore Orioles: Might the O’s have more than just new players?

As we wait for the promised word on what happens with the Baltimore Orioles’ coaches and front office staff, I read a very interesting article yesterday. Peter Angelos, while in ailing health, is the owner of the Orioles. In reality his sons John and Lou have been running the team from an ownership perspective for much of the year, and appear to be the heirs apparent when their father passes away. But will that truly be the case?

Thom Loverro of The Washington Times published this article in Sunday’s newspaper. You can read the article if you’d like, however the gist of it is that there appears to be no guarantee that the Angelos brothers will be allowed to own the team. And if Loverro’s to be believed, odds are actually against those ends.

Thom Loverro’s a well-respected journalist who’s covered MLB for some time. He works for the Times, as well as WJFK radio in DC – which happens to be the flagship station of the Washington Nationals. But while the Nationals claim they have an ax to grind with the Orioles/MASN, again keep in mind that Loverro does have credibility attached to his name. He also knows a lot of mover’s and shaker’s in the league office; so he might not necessarily be speaking off the cusp.

In short, the Nationals feel that they got a raw deal in the MASN contract. The fact is that they did – but they agreed to it. You can’t go back on a deal just because you wake up one day and realize it’s unfair. However it’s also become evident that the league itself not only wants the Nationals out of the deal, but has potentially been working behind the scenes for that to happen since the beginning.

MLB didn’t want to face Peter Angelos in court (can’t blame them there). So one has to wonder if it’s mere coincidence that this starts to come up in earnest now that he’s in failing health. But that aside, Loverro’s point is a very valid one. 75% of current owners have to approve either a transfer of ownership from Peter Angelos to his sons, OR approve the sons as the new owners upon Peter’s death – assuming that they inherit the team per his will. (For the record, Peter Angelos is simply the majority owner. There are minority owners as well, his partners.)

So the message may well be that the league wants the Angelos’ to play ball in the MASN deal, or MLB could force a sale. Peter Angelos in his prime would tie something like that up in court, and perhaps justifiably so. But his sons may not be him. They may be great people for the record, but they may not be the lawyer that he was.

This is all speculation, of course. But as I said, Loverro is in fact a reputable source. He isn’t the type of journalist who would pick a topic of this severity off the top of his head just to write about it. Incidentally, MLB tends to approve heirs as owners – for the most part. The Steinbrenner brothers of course got approved as owners of the Yankees, and just this year none other than the Washington Nationals formally changed ownership. Ted Lerner (who’s still alive) transferred the team to his son Mark (and it was approved by the necessary 75% vote).

There’s a lot involved in this, and not one party is 100% guilty or innocent. There are a lot of fans who are probably hoping that the league takes the team away from the Angelos’. However there is a flip side; what if it’s sold to a person or group who has no loyalty to the city? There are Baltimoreans such as Steve Bisciotti or Kevin Plank who could probably afford to purchase the Orioles. But…is there a guarantee that’s who would buy it?

Look no further than the Baltimore Colts for what could happen. Robert Irsay, and out of town businessman with no loyalty to the city, owned the team. Eventually he proves his disloyalty to Baltimore by moving the team. A local could certainly do that as well. But it would seem far less likely.

At the end of the day, this is a pretty heavy topic. My personal stance is that it wouldn’t surprise me if part of the whole “cutting payroll” idea is a move being made for the eventual sale of the team. Loverro actually said it could happen as quickly as this winter. That seems awful quick, but at the end of the day who really knows? From the standpoint of the fans, so long as the team heads in the right direction and most importantly remains the Baltimore Orioles, that’s all that’s really important.

Baltimore Orioles: Past the end of the line

Yesterday was both amazing and tough for the Baltimore Orioles and their fans alike. Especially the likes of Adam Jones and Buck Showalter. Neither is expected to return, although we should always throw in the term but you never know. And if the love fest we saw yesterday is any indication, I think most fans would be fine with that.

Specifically regarding Showalter, rumor has it that a formal decision and/or announcement is expected sooner rather than later. So in theory that could come as early as today. If in fact Buck’s out, I wouldn’t necessarily expect a new manager to be hired immediately. Most teams wait until the conclusion of the World Series to make those hires, first off because odds are some of the coaches involved could be candidates. But it allows the post-season to take center stage as opposed to a team not involved.

Showalter’s contract runs through the end of October, so he’s not going anywhere in the immediacy of today. And he’ll still be on hand and have the title of manager on October 27th when he and his wife Angela host the annual Kids Peace Trick-or-Trot. While yesterday’s festivities focused more on Adam Jones, that might be a great opportunity for fans to say goodbye to Buck if in fact he’s out.

This season was trying on everyone involved, yes including writers. There were times back in June where I looked to this day. However the Orioles always have a way of pulling you back in, and we certainly saw that yesterday. And regardless of whether a season was good or bad, there’s always a sad finality when the tarp goes on the field for the final time.

But that’s especially true this year with the circumstances surrounding the end of the season. I said this a lot yesterday, but nobody does nostalgia like the Orioles. And that’s quite frankly due to the fact that Baltimore is special. The people are special, and the teams are special. When the litany of trades went down this past summer I reminded fans that Baltimore really loves to embrace it’s athletes. And the next generation of athletes waiting to be embraced may well have been acquired in those trades.

The nickname “Smalltimore” doesn’t exist for nothing. Players come here, and in many cases become a part of the community. Adam Jones certainly did. They start families here, their kids go to school with your kids, you attend community meetings with them, etc. That’s what makes days like yesterday so hard. But it should also serve as a reminder that this isn’t just any team or any city. It’s the Baltimore Orioles. And they’re a special part of a special community.

There is a silver lining to 2018 for those who love regular season baseball. It doesn’t involve the Orioles, but the regular season isn’t quite done yet. Milwaukee will travel to Wrigley Field to play the Chicago Cubs at 1 PM this afternoon, and Colorado will travel to Chavez Ravine to play the LA Dodgers at 4 PM. Those games will decide the NL Central and West champions respectively. The losers will square off in the NL Wild Card game – tomorrow.

These games are playoff games for all intents and purposes. They’re certainly being treated as such, and justifiably so. But on paper, they actually go down as “regular season game 163.” Former 2018 Orioles Jonathan Schoop (Milwaukee) and Manny Machado (LAD) will be playing today. And the 2018 post-season is littered with former Orioles.

As for me, the season never really ends. Anyone who’s read me for some time knows that I’ll give you a full season recap at some point this week. It may not be pretty, but I’ll do it. I always take a few days after the season ends before doing that however, if for no other reason than to “digest” the entire thing. But you’ll get it – later this week, as I said.

In closing for today, I do want to thank you the fans. Certainly this season wasn’t what we thought it would be, but I appreciate any and all who read this column even once. And stick with me, as in typical Baltimore fashion, I don’t take days off!

Baltimore Orioles: It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

At the end of the day for Adam Jones, Buck Showalter, the rest of the Baltimore Orioles, and the Orioles’ fans, it was the memories that counted. Certainly not of this forgettable season. But of the past ten or so years. Nobody does nostalgia like the Orioles, and that was on display once again in this afternoon’s series finale.

For the record, the O’s took the series finale with Houston and the season finale, 4-0. Lost in the shuffle of this game’s backstory is the fact that the three Oriole pitchers combined for a one-hitter. This stellar effort was spearheaded by starter Jimmy Yacabonis, who certainly made a strong case to have a shot at a starting rotation spot coming out of spring training next year. Yacabonis’ line: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Again, the details are unimportant. But the Birds put up their four runs in the fourth inning. And that was all they needed. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead, and he would later score on Tim Beckham‘s RBI-double. Renato Nunez would add an RBI-double of his own, and he would later score on a wild pitch. And as they say, that’s your ballgame!

Well…not quite. Everyone knows the stakes, and they certainly had nothing to do with today’s game. Buck Showalter started the day by putting Adam Jones in center field for one last time, albeit just for the first inning before he went back to right. That meant that Jones would get to lead the team onto the field, potentially for the final time. However when the time came, Jones realized that his teammates had stayed back…

…Jones was the only person on the field, and his teammates stood behind him applauding from the dugout – along with the almost 25K people in attendance. It was a poignant moment; as I said, nobody does nostalgia like the Orioles. The Houston dugout stood and applauded along with the Orioles, as did…the umpires. THE UMPIRES were standing at home plate politely clapping for Adam Jones. Honestly, I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.

Jones was given a well-deserved standing ovation everytime he came to the plate. The stat book shows that he went 0-for-4, but who among us really cares? Jones on the the day (all quotes courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I appreciate everybody’s support. I just show up to work every day, so I appreciate the people who appreciate it.

Eleven years here, a lot of games, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, so I greatly appreciate it from the fans’ standpoint. My teammates for sending me out there on an island all by myself. I didn’t know that was going to happen. Buck for letting me have an inning in center field, where I started at.

It’s been a cool weekend. Like I said, I’m very appreciative and humbled that people concur. Now the game’s over, the season’s over and the next chapter starts. Time to be a full-time father.

Speaking of Buck, he in theory was the day’s other “honoree.” Needless to say, it’s tough to honor managers the way that the crowd did with Adam Jones. And Buck’s not the type of guy who would want that. According to multiple reports, he met with an ownership representative late last night. It’s unclear what that means, but if his comments are to be believed he himself is unsure of his status for next year even now.

There was one “Buck moment.” He came out to argue a HBP, and a smattering of applause gained some momentum. When asked about it after the game, Showalter stayed true to form:

We won the game. They were happy we won. I’m not going to go there. Thanks. You know how much it means to me.

Needless to say, Buck Showalter will always mean something to the fans here in Baltimore. He managed the Orioles for longer than he managed any other franchise. He also managed Adam Jones for longer than he ever managed any other player. The connection will always be strong.

Buck sent Jones back out for the ninth inning in right field, but before the inning could begin he substituted for him, allowing the fans to pay homage to Jones. The game stopped for about five minutes, while Jones embraced each of his teammates and coaches, while the crowd gave him a final Standing O. Needless to say, it was a moment that nobody (player, coach, fan, or writer) who was there will ever forget.

Let the record state the as miserable as the 2018 season was for the Baltimore Orioles, they won on the last day. But again, today it was the memories that counted more than anything else. Adam Jones and Buck Showalter are forever a part of Baltimore. And Baltimore’s forever a part of them. Does that mean they’re irreplaceable? Absolutely not. They would never suggest that they are. But they, along with the memories of the past 8-10 years are a part of the Baltimore story.

And incidentally, it’s a beautiful story. I’d like to hope and believe that I tell my part of it as well as I can. But while time will go on, today was hard for a lot of people. It was hard in a beautiful kind of way. Yet while time goes on, let us not forget the closing strains of a well-known Boyz II Men song:

And I’ll take with me the memories, to be my sunshine after the rain. It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.