Go for it?
The Orioles are three games below .500. Finishing at that mark, or above it, would be a nice accomplishment for a team that hasn't posted a winning record since 1997 and was supposed to be in full rebuilding mode.
So do the Orioles go for it, or do they treat the final month as a time to evaluate a few prospects and get a head start on 2010?
"I think that's for all of you to have an opinion on and report on," manager Dave Trembley said. "My approach and my intent and my desire since the first day has been to be competitive, to show a certain amount of improvement, to establish a new culture and identity and to blend that with the proper approach that would lead ourselves toward establishing a foundation of winning baseball here on a more consistent basis. Whether or not that has been accomplished or whether or not that will occur is not for me to say.
"I know in my heart of hearts what's going on here and I know the direction that we're going, but it's more fun when you win. I think it's equally as important that you go by doing things the right way, first and foremost. We've still got some games to play, so I'd love to be in a position around the end of September to answer that question a little bit more succinctly and more honestly."
Melvin Mora was named the American League's Co-Player of the Week with Javier Vazquez. Mora hit .563 with four doubles, a triple, three homers and 13 RBIs. He posted a 1.031 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage, and had six straight multi-hit games to close the week.
Vazquez went 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in two starts, with one walk and 18 strikeouts in 16 innings.
Nick Markakis batted .286 with a .711 OPS against left-handers in 2006. The following year, he batted .274 with a .775 OPS. This season, he's batting .319 with a .924 OPS.
Roch -
Gotta tell ya, I really like the direction MacPhail has this franchise moving in. Trembley might get second guessed by us MLB Managers in the making, but overall he has done a solid job. He has this team playing hard, veterans included, and has not lost the ship during recent struggles, as his predecessors have in the past.
Our farm system is beginning to take the shape of a system filled with talented players at almost all levels. Depth may be an issue to some degree, but I really respect the job that Joe Jordan has done. I know the jury is still out on some of his high picks, but if Rowell pans out (still just 19) and Snyder keeps hitting, well, he's looking pretty good. What's your general impression of Jordan?
So Markakis, a lefty, actually hits Lefty's better than righties! Not to make you do research, but has he been consitent all three years against righties, or how has that played out?
tvdpdx- Weiters has already shown a lot this year. No sense in rushing him. Let him finish the year out strong in Bowie, and send him to Arizona Fall League (or maybe the Hawaii one as a reward). Bring him to spring training next year high on his horse and let him go after MLB pitching then. A lot of players take more than a month to adjust to the Majors anyway (look at Markakis first year). Nothing is gained by having him go into the offseason on a down note.
Tremblay gave us the answer but it will be ignored as it has all season by folks intent on their own opinion/agenda. Tremblay just defined what "rebuilding" means here and now. It means doing everything with an eye on the near future. WInning now is important as it sets the tone. It is important because it greases the wheels for bringing guys up successfully. It is important because of its effect on the future, not for today. Doing things the right way is important because it sets the tone now for when the kids come up. The vets here now are important because they are placeholders for the kids not ready yet and bridge the time until they are and because as they accept the new mood and fundamentals and methods Tremblay is instilling, the kids learn it from them. Tremblay said a whole lot in the quote you included in the above post. Not everyone will agree with it anad that is fine and can be debated, but finally we dont have doubts just what this team is doing. We know they have a plan, it has been articulated and stuck to. Everyone associated with the team knows what the plan is and probably has a pretty good idea of how they fit into it. No ambiguity about what rebuilding entails for this team as defined by Tremblay and presumably he is in step with McPhail.
Go for it...but show us Weiters in September. We could care less about another handful of promising pitchers. We want our own basher.