Baltimore Orioles sign Michael Bourn to Minor Leagu

I’ve always thought that if the Baltimore Orioles hadn’t traded for Michael Bourn last August they might not have made the post season. Bourn and his speed played a big role for the Orioles offensively on the base paths, and again my personal opinion is that helped put them over the hump. The good news now is that the Birds have re-signed Bourn to a minor league deal.

Bourn will get an invitation to Spring Training, and can make $2 million if he ends up in the big leagues. This is a move that upgrades the Orioles’ outfield defense, as well once again as their team speed. Bourn also hit .283 in 24 games with the Birds last year, and he got on base very consistently.

So needless to say, this is a move that should help the Orioles across the board, and won’t cost them too much in salary. Bourn’s deal also includes an opt-out if he’s not on the major league roster by March 27th. However I suspect that’s not going to be an issue, because I don’t see the Birds breaking camp without Bourn. And again my thought is that fans should be okay with that.

Baltimore Orioles: Will Donald Trump revive a time-honored tradition?

The Baltimore Orioles are still in camp, and Donald Trump is in the White House. We knew the former would be true today, but the latter not so much at one point. However today being President’s Day, I wanted to continue a tradition I started while at Birds Watcher for this holiday.

The President throwing out the first pitch is a time-honored tradition in baseball – and thus in America. President William Howard Taft began the tradition in 1910, when he attended the Washington Senators’ Opening Day game and tossed out the first pitch. Since then, every President up to and including Richard Nixon threw out the first pitch on Opening Day at least once in Washington D.C. until the Senators moved away. A couple of highlights:

  • 1923 – President Harding opened the Senators’ season two days after doing the same at Yankee Stadium in NY
  • 1940 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first pitch at Griffith Stadium hit a Washington Post camera
  • 1950 – President Harry Truman threw out two first pitches, one with each hand
  • 1962 – President John F. Kennedy threw out the inaugural first pitch at the new D.C. Stadium, which would later be renamed in honor of his late brother

After Washington got a team back in the form of the Nationals in 2005, the tradition was revived. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch for the Nationals’ first home opener in 2005, and again when they opened Nationals Park in 2008. Two years later in 2010, President Barack Obama threw out the first ball on Opening Day at Nationals Park.

During Washington’s hiatus from baseball, the “Presidential First Pitch Ceremony” would often shift to the closest big league team to the nation’s capitol: the Baltimore Orioles. President Jimmy Carter became the first President to do the honors at Memorial Stadium, although not on Opening Day; Carter threw out the first ball in the 1979 World Series. President Ronald Reagan opened the season by throwing out the first ball in Baltimore in 1984, and 1986. President George H.W. Bush followed suit in 1989 and 1992, the latter of those being the inaugural game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. President Bill Clinton was the last President to do the honors in Baltimore, in 1993 and 1996.

Incidentally, President Clinton and others have done the job at several ballparks nationwide. However he (President Clinton, that is) had an interesting philosophy on doing it: he threw approximately 100 warm-up pitches. Keep in mind, pitchers usually throw 100 pitches or so in a game (not counting warm-ups). So why would a crafty lefty like President Clinton put that type of stress on his arm just to look good for one ceremonial pitch? His theory was that regardless of where you were, half of the crowd is going to dislike you. So…why give the other half of the crowd a reason to boo also?!

Presidents Bush and Obama are the only two POTUS’ up to now to have the opportunity to do this deed in DC since baseball returned. With that said, this Baltimore Orioles’ writer thinks that President Trump should begin the tradition anew. While this isn’t a politically-partisan column under any circumstance, I do understand the controversy that surrounds this particular President…

…but this is a fun tradition. And quite frankly, a sports fanatic such as Donald J. Trump would probably eat up the opportunity to throw out the first pitch. Yes, there would be some folks in the stands booing. But as I said, this is a time-honored tradition. Presidents Bush and Obama both said that they didn’t feel it was fair to make people coming to the game deal with Presidential security and so forth (which is why their appearances were few and far between), and I do understand that.

However baseball is America’s pastime. It’s representative of summertime, the beach, hot dogs, etc…translated, good times. It’s the only sport that’s intertwined with our nation’s leadership like this. And my personal opinion is that Democrat or Republican, the President of the United States should throw out the first pitch on Opening Day in Washington D.C. every year.

Baltimore Orioles trade for Vidal Nuno

The Baltimore Orioles have made a trade, and have acquired LHP Vidal Nuno from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In exchange, the Birds sent minor league pitcher Ryan Moseley back to Los Angeles. To make room for Nuno on the 40-man roster, the O’s were forced to designate reliever T.J. McFarland for assignment.

Nuno, 29, will be with his fifth organization in 3-4 years now coming to the Orioles. He’s 5-20 for his career with a 4.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.260. The Orioles made the trade because they wanted Nuno as a left-handed specialist in the bullpen. Lefty hitters have hit .224 against him across his career, and he’s under team control through 2019.

This is an interesting move for a team who already has a strong bullpen. The O’s obviously feel that they’re stronger with Nuno than they would have been without him. They also lose McFarland, who’s now off the roster and out of the organization.

However I suspect that we’ll see McFarland back in Birdland in some form. The Orioles were very big on him across several years, and in effect he was out of options and had to be DFA’d. But I suspect that the Orioles gauged interest in McFarland across the league, and their impression is that they can get him through waivers. If so, he could either accept a minor league assignment or become a free agent.

But all we know now is that Vidal Nuno is an Oriole, and is going to be on his way to Sarasota shortly. After all, there are games to be played as early as Friday afternoon.

Baltimore Orioles to host Autism Awareness Day

The Baltimore Orioles announced last week that they’ll be hosting Autism Awareness Day at Camden Yards when they host the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, April 23rd at 1:35 PM. Discounted tickets are available at the link I provided above, and $5 of every ticket sold will benefit Autism Speaks. Incidentally, Autism Speaks will also be participating in the first pitch ceremony that afternoon.

Rarely to I get personal in this column because folks don’t come here to read about my personal life. However this is a cause near and dear to my heart. Autism is in my family, and it’s a cause for which I feel very strongly should get as much funding from government agencies as possible. And quite often when I make my voting decisions in November, I look at candidates’ views on funding for issues such as this.

So on behalf of my own family, I sincerely appreciate the Orioles bringing awareness to autism. I would submit that at this point it’s something that’s already well known in the public eye, however there can never be enough awareness or funding for research for something along these lines. Every little bit helps.

Incidentally it’s also something that’s touched the extended Orioles’ family. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer has a stepson who’s autistic, and former Oriole B.J. Surhoff has a son with autism. So the Orioles perhaps more than any other franchise recognize the impact that this has on families.

So nevertheless, if you come to the game on April 23rd, know that part of your ticket will go to autism research. And on behalf of my own family, thank you.

Baltimore Orioles: J.J. Hardy sidelined with back spasms

The Baltimore Orioles are already beginning to see some injury issues this spring, as it was revealed that J.J. Hardy is suffering from back spasms. This is something that’s plagued Hardy in the past, and he has missed time because of it. It seems to pop up either in spring or early in the regular season at times, most recently in 2014.

This is obviously a concern for an Orioles team that relies heavily on strong infield defense. However the good news for the Birds is that they have guys like Ryan Flaherty who can step right in and odds are not miss a beat. The O’s are expecting Hardy to resume baseball activities in early March. Furthermore, the expectation is that he can start playing in games perhaps by March 10th.

In the mean time, you knew the Orioles’ streak of wins in arbitration hearings was going to eventually come to an end. The Orioles had offered reliever Brad Brach $2.25 million, and he wanted $3.05 million. The arbitrators ruled in Brach’s favor, giving the Orioles only their second arbitration loss since Peter Angelos assumed ownership of the club. Some might argue that this shows Angelos to be cheap and obviously a good litigator. However the flip side is that perhaps the O’s under Angelos have simply been spot on when it comes to how much players are worth.

I myself was a bit shocked at the news given the Orioles’ track record. And I’ll be honest…in this situation I kind of sided with Brach. Anyone who watched the O’s last year should know how valuable he was to them. In many other cases it was almost laughable when players would go to arbitration with the Orioles, given their track record and the player’s production the previous year. But in this case my personal view was that Brach had a legitimate case. And the arbitrators felt the same way.

Baltimore Orioles: one week until games

One week from today, the Baltimore Orioles will take the field in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers. It’s unclear who will be in the lineup and for how long, but Orioles baseball will be played. That’s a fact!

This is an interesting time of year because a lot of things are happening. This is NBA all-star game weekend, and the college basketball season is making it’s stretch run. Yet one week from today Spring Training games begin.

The O’s of course won’t open at home in Sarasota until Sunday the 26th. However as I said, they’ll be playing before then. Box scores with BALTIMORE ORIOLES will exist. And that’s a good thing!

Baltimore Orioles: Is Kevin Gausman the man of the hour?

With Tillman apparently sidelined, it seems natural to say that Kevin Gausman will be the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day starter. Again folks, I’m saying it seems natural to say that. In essence I’m looking into the future and reading tea leaves. Nothing has been decided yet.

Tillman’s said on numerous occasions that Opening Day is just one start. In essence, once you’ve gone through the rotation once or so, does it really matter who started when? However there is some prestige that comes with getting that nod. I suspect that Tillman will still be viewed as the staff ace either way. But if Gausman gets the start against Toronto that means he’s definitely on the way up.

It’s also interesting to point out that the Orioles are actually still in the market for another starter – possibly. And we know that Dan Dquuette has a track record of finding starting pitchers during camp. So the fact is that we just don’t know what’s going to happen.

However the early odds appear to be with Gausman to get the nod on Opening Day. Incidentally the Orioles have a pretty good track record of winning their Opening Day game, whether it’s at home or on the road. By my count the last time they lost was 2010 when Toronto beat them.

So if it is Kevin Gausman and history means anything, odds are he puts the Orioles in a position to win. And that’s all you can ask of a starter in a regular season game.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Tillman getting bitten by the injury bug early

The Baltimore Orioles aren’t only struggling with injuries very early, they’re coming in the form of big names – Chris Tillman, in this case. While the O’s would have never admitted it, the idea was that Tillman would make his fourth consecutive Opening Day start for the Orioles this year. Tillman apparently has had some struggles with the same shoulder that sent him to the DL last year.

Back in December Tillman apparently contacted head trainer Richie Bancells and said that his shoulder wasn’t responding as he thought it would to his off season throwing regiment. So at that time he was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in the shoulder (his right shoulder to be exact). However now it appears doubtful that Tillman would in theory be ready to go on Opening Day.

Major League Baseball created a ten-day Disabled List starting this year, and if Tillman went on that (backdated to March 30th), he’d be eligible to pitch on April 9th against NY. So we’re probably not talking about him missing any measurable time. He just wouldn’t be the Opening Day starter.

Mind you however, that scenario doesn’t really allow for much in the way of setbacks. If one little thing went wrong in terms of soreness, tendinitis, etc., Tillman might have to miss more time. The Orioles seem pretty confident in this path however, so it appears this is the direction in which they’re going.

My question would be how effective will he be once he returns? Might it not make more sense to send him to extended Spring Training for a couple of weeks? And that’s a tough call, because the pressure to win for the Orioles begins on April 3rd. Having your ace in extended Spring Training for the first three weeks of the season would be a tough pill to swallow.

But I suspect that remains an option for the Orioles if in fact Tillman does suffer a further setback. My point is whether or not that should be the plan regardless. Players go through spring regiments for a reason, that being to get ready for the season. The idea of Tillman being on a 75-pitch limit in his first regular season start was also floated yesterday; again, is someone really ready to go if they’re being limited in that manner?

It’s all a very tough call, and it’s being made by baseball and medical people. In essence, people a heck of a lot smarter than I. So it’s something to watch as camp moves along, but that appears to be the plan as of right now.

Baltimore Orioles: Does playing the NL Central matter in the rankings?

As I’ve discussed the past two days, the Baltimore Orioles are expected to finish last in the AL East according to Baseball Prospectus. My aversion to this prediction is well-documented, however is there more to it than meets the eye? Let me play devil’s advocate for just a moment…

…the O’s played the NL West last year in interleague play. The LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres, et al. Not exactly the greatest division on earth, but of course the Dodgers and Giants are always competitive. (And the O’s of course took two-of-three in San Francisco, coming back to win the final game of the series in dramatic fashion after being down by six runs in the seventh.) So did that help the Orioles of 2016?

It might have for sure – only that the other teams in the division played the same schedule. So in essence, that cancels any competitive advantage that the O’s may have had in the division out. But if they had played a tougher division last year, is it possible that they might not have made the second wild card?

Anything is possible. But this is getting into the real nitty-gritty of things. This season the AL East will play the NL Central. (The Orioles will also have two two-game series’ against the Washington Nationals – home and home.) So they’re looking at the defending World Champion Cubs (still seems strange to say that!), the Cardinals, Brewers, etc.

With the exception of Chicago, that might not seem like the toughest task. But keep in mind that the NL Central centers their game around pitching and OBP. In effect they play small-ball, whereas the AL East is all about mashing home runs. The Orioles’ experience with those types of teams hasn’t yielded results that are necessarily favorable over the past few years.

They were swept by Minnesota in August of 2015, they seem to struggle against Kansas City, and even Cleveland at times (although they handled the Tribe last year). Heck, even in their own division – Tampa always seems to play the Orioles tough. Whereas the O’s are always looking to hit the ball out of the ballpark, teams like these see a single or a walk as a small victory.

So as we get into the grind of the season and the Orioles start seeing these teams, they might do well to exercise patience at the plate just a bit. Chicago’s a team that could probably compete in the AL East with their bats, but the rest of them are mainly small ball teams. While you have to set up your team to compete mainly in it’s division, the division you play in interleague is also something to watch.

Baltimore Orioles: In Buck you should trust

I suppose I wrote a fairly scathing article regarding Baseball Prospectus’ opinion of the 2017 Baltimore Orioles yesterday. Mind you folks, I’m a writer, not a fan. So I didn’t say those things because I was “offended” by their assessment of the team. I came at those comments from a position of common sense.

Perhaps more importantly than anything else, Baseball Prospectus failed to take into account the Orioles’ most important weapon: Buck Showalter. It’s no mere coincidence that the entire franchise seemingly turned around under his leadership. And it almost happened overnight. The Birds were floundering once again and in essence playing out a string when he came along in August of 2010. Yet they managed to finish with two .winning months for the first time in light years.

Injuries plagued them in 2011, yet they once again finished with a flurry in September, and of course knocked the BoSox out of the playoffs in what I still call the greatest closing act of all time. 2012-2016 have been either playoff years, or years in which the O’s were eliminated in the final week or two of the season. Needless to say, even in those seasons they were in contention until the end.

Again, that’s no coincidence. Buck Showalter is a good manager. Perhaps more importantly, he’s a good leader. Savoir faire in the sport is only part of the equation; if you aren’t a good leader, your team is going to get nowhere. Showalter talks a lot about other sports here and there. So could he coach a basketball team as well as he does baseball? I know that he’s a basketball fan because I’ve heard him talk about the sport and I’ve heard him say he’s attended games back in Dallas…

…so if he has any savy whatsoever about the sport, yes he probably could. Or at least he could be molded into a good basketball coach. Because he’s a good leader, and players seem to buy into what he’s selling. That’s the biggest part of the deal.

So all of the people who claim doom and gloom for the upcoming Orioles’ season fail to take that into account. Now it goes without saying that good leadership only takes you so far; you also need to have good followers (players, in this case). And the Orioles do have that. They’re bringing the same team back that went to the playoffs last year. Does that mean instant success in 2017? Of course not. But today as pitchers and catchers report for spring the Orioles’ biggest competitive advantage remains William Nathaniel Showalter.