Alright Orioles fans I know where you are with regards to our lowly ball club and I think I can help a bit. I will admit that after yesterdays Guthrie Trade I was with you and for the first time in my lifetime, really looked at boycotting the season. As per usual though, I sat back last night and did some research and think I can help explain what may be happening....AND you may be shocked to see a plan seems to be in place AAANND, unlike previous regimes, is being implemented.
So Here we go....
We have heard the Baltimore Orioles front office say time and time again that they have a plan. Each plan seemed to start, or give the illusion of starting, with all the wrong decisions and players entered in. There is no question that since 1997 the organization hasn't been able to get out of its own way, and that between 1998 and 2007 the biggest miss was the Amateur Draft. You can not build a successful organization without it. (Just ask the mid 80's Yankees).
Andy McPhail and Joe Jordan fixed that, and the last few years drafts have been very successful as far as potential for Baltimore. We were going to grow the arms and buy the bats when teh time was right. Then McPhail made trades that brought in prospect hauls and started to replenish the minor league system that had been ABSOLUTELY baron due to poor drafting and bad trades. The "Calvary" of young pitching was being created and a core group of players seemed to be developing. McPhail also built a Dominican Academy and spoke of an expansion in international scouting, which was another spot the O's were light years behind most of MLB. The academy was built but no prospects have even been signed or produced. The time to buy bats never seemed to come.
McPhail leaves, and now comes Dan Duquette.
Here is where I am going to bring you back O's fans . He has recognized that there is a core and, instead of every regime since 1997, is keeping it together instead of trading it away. That core is Adam Jones, Matt Weiters, Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy. There is a common theme with those players and GIANT missing piece within them...THERE ISN'T ONE PITCHER IN THAT GROUP!!! The Calvary, to this point has failed. Duquette has acknowledged that buying bats isn't going to happen right now and I think it is clear what Manager Buck Showalter and him have agreed needs to happen...
The Orioles offense wasn't the issue last year. They were 7th in runs scored, 4th in HR's and 6th in Batting average in the American League last year. The issue was pitching and it was a HUGE problem. The Oriole Pitching staff was last in the American league in ERA and Quality Starts. They were 13th in Opponent Batting avg (.277) and walked the 4th most batters. The young Calvary fell off as bad as they probably could. Matusz and Arrieta were injured, Bergesen was throwing batting practice, while Tillman was more erratic that ever and Britton was inconsistent. Guthrie was the constant and he lost 17 games. I am going to guess that the Showalter/Duquette discussion went something like this...
Duquette: What is the biggest problem?
Showalter: Pitching
Duquette: Where do we have the least amount of depth?
Showalter: Pitching
Duquette: If I could get you one thing this offseason what would it be
Showalter: Pitching
The Orioles have added 14 new pitchers this offseason. 7 of which are on the 40 man roster already and the others have spring training invites. Yes Duquette traded our one constant over the last few years in Guthrie, but take a step back and realize that we traded a pitcher with two 17 loss seasons in the last 3 years with a career ERA of 4.16. He was a 32 year old FA at the end of the year and wanted a huge Arbitration payout this year. The trade brought back a 29 yr old SP and a 31yr old back end of the bullpen proven reliever. Are either going to win awards...no but they are both under control for 2 more years and arent expensive. They are also the best deal we could get now and even earlier in the year. Yes we would like prospects, but they were not available.
Dan Duquette has loaded up Oriole Spring Training with a quantity of pitchers that can start or go to the pen. On top of that He has gotten in to the international market (where he made his name with the Expos) and signed more international players in one offseason than the Orioles have had in the entire history of the Club. Are these signings going to make them competitive....no not this year. The Orioles will still be a losing team, but progress has been made. There will be depth in pitching. The lineup that produced those numbers last year did it without Brian Roberts and we know can do it again if he cant come back. If 2 of the young Calvary pitchers can take strides forward and one of the pitching acquisitions can come in and throw strikes consistently then we may see progress and more wins. Fact of the matter is a real plan may be in place and we may have a real GM acting on it. It has been a rough 14 years but Dan Duquette has built winners with no money (Expos), big money(Red Sox) and now he has to try with big money he cant use. Be patient....Showalter/Duquette have a plan and if you look hard enough you can see what it is and that it may actually work.....
What do you think?
