Baltimore Orioles: Success begins in Spring Training

The Baltimore Orioles will report to Spring Training under manager Buck Showalter in February of next year. It’s not as far away as it sounds. Pitchers and catchers report two weeks after the Super Bowl!

However after this past season’s debacle, perhaps Showalter and his coaching staff should look at how they’re handling spring training. And I’m not talking necessarily about one thing in particular. Workouts, drills, games – it should all be on the table.

And I’m not suggesting that they should go full throttle from the get go. That’s not feasible, nor is it smart. However the path to winning begins in February – not April. And certainly not June.

One thing I’ve noticed with the Orioles the past few seasons is that the travel roster is almost predictable. Now in fairness, that’s true of many teams. However in general we haven’t seen the full Oriole team in road grays until perhaps the final week of Grapefruit League play. Again to be fair, these aren’t days off for veteran players. They still show up at Ed Smith Stadium to work out, practice, etc. It’s still a very regimented day.

However I did notice teams such as New York and Boston throwing the likes of Judge, Betts, etc. onto their travel rosters here and there throughout spring training this past year. And why not? The more game situations that guys start seeing earlier on, the more prepared they’ll be.

Does this attest as to why Boston and New York went to the post season and the Orioles didn’t? No, not at all. Far from it. But perhaps there’s something there. If for no other reason, perhaps it reminds veterans or everyday players that if you aren’t getting the job done, there’s always one or two hungrier guys in the organization behind you ready to take your spot.

Again, I’m not talking squarely about veterans coming on road trips. That’s just one very tangible thing. But are they going too hard or perhaps even too soft in workouts? Are the drills not enough? All of that makes a difference. And all of that should be under the microscope right now as the coaches plan their way for spring training.

Baltimore Orioles: Safe home, Roy Halladay

I know that I speak on behalf of all Orioles’ fans and everyone in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization when I offer deepest of condolence to any and all who loved former Blue Jay and Phillie, Roy Halladay. According to news reports, Halladay was killed in a small plane crash over the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. For his career, Halladay was 203-105, with a 3.38 ERA.

Halladay pitched in Toronto and thus in the AL East from his rookie year of 1998 until 2009. From 2010 until his final year of 2013, he was a Philadelphia Phillie. While in Philadelphia, he pitched a perfect game as well as a no-hitter – which was in the playoffs.

However Halladay will be remembered as an overall good guy. He came across as incredibly community-minded, and liked to have a good time with the fans. It’s tragic when anyone dies, especially at the young age of 40. However perhaps it registers just a bit more when it’s a guy that’s sure to be a first ballot hall of famer.

Safe home, Roy Halladay. MLB lost a great player yesterday. But it seems the world lost an even better person.

Baltimore Orioles: Please go to the polls today!

I write a column like this every year, and yes I understand that it has nothing to do with the Baltimore Orioles per se. But consider it a Public Service Announcement (PSA) in a sense. Today is Election Day across our country, and my recommendation, hope, etc., is that all of you reading this goes out and votes today.

I’m not supporting any candidate or party in saying this. I don’t care for whom you vote. I encourage all citizens, even those who’s views are polar opposites of mine to make their voices heard today. Some states are electing Governors, State Delegates/Senators, and in some areas it’s just ballot issues. However make your voice heard; it’s important.

To tie this in a bit with the O’s, the team wouldn’t be here if not for voting – or at least for the right people having been voted in. Baltimore lost the Colts in 1984 while William Donald Schaefer was mayor. The reason the team moved was because the city and/or the state of Maryland wouldn’t finance a new stadium. Now we can argue over whether public funds should pay for stadiums another time, but that’s the reason the team left.

A few years later, Schaefer was the Governor of Maryland. Along with the House of Delegates and the State Senate, he was able to pass funding to build what eventually became M & T Bank Stadium, and of course for Oriole Park at Camden Yards. That took people going to the ballot box and voting the correct people into office – people who were willing to spend state money on these facilities, recognizing that these projects would also help the city and the state of Maryland.

If not for that funding and for the ballpark being built, I suspect that the Orioles would have left just like the Colts. Washington was “the destination” at the time, and many people felt that they’d end up there. Or perhaps in a city like Charlotte, NC. However either way, your votes count. All politics is local, as they say. So if you think that these piddly local elections are pointless, think again. Please folks, cast a ballot today. No matter how unimportant you might feel the election may be. Trust me, it matters.

Baltimore Orioles: Have to take the good and the bad with Roger McDowell

A whole slew of Baltimore Orioles fans want changes made on the coaching staff going into 2018. Heck, some even want a new manager. I’ll run the the streets with my underwear on top of my head if that happens. But one common theme has been that people feel that pitching coach Roger McDowell must go. At the end of the day I have news for you – he’s staying. Apparently so are the other coaches.

With a 5.70 staff ERA, McDowell’s pitchers turned in the highest ERA over a season in Orioles’ history. That’s a fair reason to want a new pitching coach. Oriole pitchers were often inconsistent, as as the season came to a close it seemed that mound visits and early pitching changes were getting more and more prominent. But regardless of what anyone thinks should happen or wants, McDowell’s coming back.

However there were elements to McDowell’s efforts in 2018 which really paid off. Dylan Bundy morphed into a staff ace in a sense. I’m not exactly prepared to use that term quite yet, however Bundy had a great season needless to say. Miguel Castro and Mychal Givens also emerged as solid relief options out of the bullpen. And who knows, perhaps if they’re stretched out in spring training they could even start at some point.

I suppose that my point was that while the overall results were poor for McDowell, there were some bright spots. If you’re going to knock him for the likes of Tillman and Miley, you also have to praise him for the aforementioned players. It’s also worth mentioning that the Orioles have had problems developing pitchers for years. The last pitcher out of their system who truly worked out was probably Mussina. The likes of Ponson, Cabrera, and others flirted with being good, but they couldn’t make it over the hump.

Point being, the pitching issues aren’t the result of McDowell. They’ve been happening for years. What’s the solution you might ask? Beats the heck out of me.

Baltimore Orioles: Hardy and Miley hit free agency

The Baltimore Orioles officially cut SS J.J. Hardy loose yesterday by declining his option and allowing him to become a free agent. The same is true of pitcher Wade Miley. The Orioles could have kept both players, but opted not to do so.

The absence of Hardy of course will be felt much more than will that of Miley. Nothing against Miley, but Hardy was an Oriole for much longer and he was kind of an institution in Baltimore. It was also necessary for Hardy to be cut loose, because he’d be the first to tell you that he’s in the autumn of his career. He thinks he can still contribute to a team, but he knows that the clock is ticking.

However he’ll be long remembered as a great Oriole. He was the perfect guy at the perfect time for the Orioles to acquire. They were a young team just on the verge of breaking out when Hardy arrived via trade in 2011. And while perhaps the likes of Jones and later Machado were the de facto team leaders, Hardy was a silent leader in the clubhouse. He led by example, and quite simply by being a good citizen.

That last bit there might sound a bit strange, but it’s true. You’d be shocked what just being there for your teammates can do. Throughout his tenure with the Orioles, there wasn’t one guy on the roster who didn’t believe in and trust J.J. Hardy to a T. The emotional reception by the fans in his last home game speaks volumes to how he’ll be remembered.

So my hope is that Orioles fans wish him well. We might well see him come into Camden Yards as a visitor at some point. And I know that the Orioles’ faithful will react accordingly.

Baltimore Orioles: What can be learned from Houston?

The Baltimore Orioles thought that they had something similar to what we see in Houston – back in 2011-2012. And they still might, incidentally. A crop of good young players who had come along through the farm system and through good deals, setting the table for the franchise to make a run for the future. This of course would have been the Adam Jones‘, Machado’s, Davis’, and Wieters’ of the world.

Again, we don’t know what the future holds. Everything could just click for this franchise, much like it did for Houston in 2017. Hope springs eternal, and no I don’t say that in a rhetorical manner. That really does ring true.

However Houston also did something that the Orioles have never truly been willing to do: a full rebuild. This is not to say that the Orioles haven’t tried to rebuild over the years, or that they haven’t considered it. They’ve just gone about it in a slighter manner than did a team like Houston.

Houston basically told their fans we’re going to stink for awhile. Maybe they didn’t put it in those words, but that’s the implication when you say you’re going to load up with young talent through the draft, trades, etc. You’re openly admitting to your fan base that the team isn’t going to be competitive in the near future.

Over the years the Orioles made a nip here and a tuck there to their roster, but the closest they came to totally retooling it was 2007-2009/10 or so when Andy MacPhail was the GM. However there wasn’t really a processes of telling the fans that the team would be non-competitive. They hadn’t been competitive prior to that, so nobody really knew the difference.

The Washington Nationals pulled a similar stunt in a sense when their goal was almost to be so bad that they were able to draft the likes of Strasburg and Harper. I suspect that the Orioles feel that they can’t afford to do that in the uber-competitive AL East. Would fans accept that type of declaration? Keep in mind that things operate a lot differently in Texas than they do on the east coast.

However, Houston’s management was honest about how they were going to build their franchise. And they encouraged their fans to invest in the young players they were acquiring. Sure enough, they did. And the rest is history.

Many feel that the Orioles would benefit from a full rebuild now. I disagree; I think that in the future that might be a possibility, however it’s not something that should be explored this off season. Too many big guns are still under contract.

Baltimore Orioles: Who catches in 2018

Odds are that the Baltimore Orioles are going to have a new starting catcher in 2018 – either Chance Sisco or Caleb Joseph. Welington Castillo is expected to decline his club option and hit the free agent market. It’s obviously not a foregone conclusion that the Orioles don’t bring him back as a free agent, I just don’t see it happening.

This is a lot easier to stomach after Sisco came up at the end of the season and looked really good in his first action as a major leaguer. He obviously still has a few things to learn, and would be a work in progress, but the steady hand he showed makes letting Castillo go easier. That combined with the fact that Joseph’s been an Oriole and seen action for some time is also comforting.

But who starts? Sisco wasn’t drafted and brought through the Orioles’ system to be a backup. At some point along the way he will be the starting catcher. However you could make the argument that Joseph wasn’t either. Personally I thought that they should have considered Joseph the starter this season as opposed to paying Castillo. I’m of the opinion that he earned it.

Odds are that if Sisco is the starting catcher, Joseph will accept that with the dignity and grace that he’s shown since coming up to the Orioles. He’s never ceased to just be happy to be a big leaguer. And the fact is that due to injuries and splits, he’s always seen his share of action.

And if in fact Sisco ends up being the starter, there’s no reason to expect Joseph would only see the field on Sundays or in day games after night games. So I expect the catcher position to be more of a platoon system than anything else. Perhaps we see somewhat of an open competition through camp, but both catchers will see their share of time.

If I had to pick one name as the starter for the sake of picking someone, I’d go with Caleb Joseph. Showalter trusts him and he’s deserved it for some time. But again, I think both guys see their share of action come the regular season.

Baltimore Orioles: That’s all she wrote!

The Baltimore Orioles can probably take some solace in knowing that the eventual world champions had their number this year. Heck, Houston’s had the Orioles’ number for some time. And last night they defeated the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1, to win their first ever world series.

I predicted Los Angeles in six games at the beginning of the series, but I never would have thought that Houston would have had it in them to not only win in seven but to do it at Dodger Stadium. I’m not sure why I felt that way, but I just did. I suspect that part of their charm is that people such as myself underestimate them so much.

However it stands to reason that a team which looks for one run here and there couldn’t defeat a power-hitting club. Yet they did. And they’ve done it all year; that’s how they beat up on the Orioles, among other teams. They of course also went through Boston and New York in the American League playoffs, and eventually Los Angeles.

It’s a tough sell however to suggest that the power era of baseball is over, and that small ball should rule the day. As I’ve said before, the Orioles or any other team would get bludgeoned if they went to small ball as a way of life. The retort to that is of course what do the Orioles have to lose, they finished in last place.

Be that as it may, you can pretty much scrap the month of September. The team was so injured and tired, that they all but petered out at Labor Day. Many will argue that they were tired from the harsh swings they would often take while trying to hit home runs, but I digress. Small ball won’t work in the AL East. Can it win world series’? Obviously it can. But you have to get out of your division before you can do that.

Baltimore Orioles: Season comes down to one game

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of the baseball world will watch tonight as the 2017 MLB season comes down to one game. Actually let me rephrase that; the O’s and the rest of the sports world will watch. Game seven is one of the best terms in sports, and when one comes around in any sport, people drop everything and pay attention.

With Los Angeles beating Houston 3-1 last night at Dodger Stadium, the Fall Classic is now knotted at three games a piece. It comes down to tonight’s game seven to decide the world championship in America’s pastime. Who will it be, the ‘stros, or Dodger Blue?

In general I try to call things from the Orioles perspective, but relatively down the middle on this column. However I’m not going to lie, I’m pulling for Los Angeles. Having said that, Houston has a great team with very likable players. And it would certainly be a great story to see them win it all after their city was decimated by a hurricane.

However I’ve always liked the allure of Dodger Blue. The history behind them, the great players, the breaking of the color barrier…they’re just a great franchise all around. Again, I’d be fine if Houston won also, but seeing Dodger Blue hoist that trophy tonight would be special.

I’m not a fan of the World Series stretching into November, however I suspect that won’t be happening in the future with MLB starting the season a week earlier moving forward. We’re nearing the midpoint of the NFL season…and pitchers and catchers report two weeks after the Super Bowl!

Baltimore Orioles: Does the fall classic end tonight?

One thing with which the Baltimore Orioles struggled in 2017 is expecting the unexpected. It seemed that they had a script for every game that they wanted to follow, and when the game deviated off of that script they would start to struggle. So odds are that they wouldn’t have done well in this World Series, because the unexpected has become the norm.

So it would stand to reason that the series should end tonight, probably with Houston blowing Los Angeles out. This has been such an entertaining series with so many twists and turns, and conventional wisdom says that it should probably go a seventh game. But again, expect the unexpected.

My prediction at the beginning was Los Angeles in six games. That’s no longer possible, however I do think that Los Angeles is still going to win. So obviously I’m going with conventional wisdom in a sense regarding tonight’s game. However would it surprise me if Houston won? Not at all.

Orioles FanFest Note: There was some minor Orioles’ news yesterday, as the Birds announced that their annual FanFest would be held on January 27th at the Baltimore Convention Center. A time-honored tradition in Birdland, the event will run from 11 AM – 6 PM.