Liz and Lou
I'm not ready to hold a spot in the rotation for Radhames Liz, but he did a nice job last night of staying out of the big inning and leaving with a lead. He also was smart enough to know that the White Sox were sitting on his fastball and mixed in his changeup at the right times.
The kid is learning to pitch, and he still needs to refine his delivery and go straight ahead, which is a constant battle for him. And he needs to cut down on his walks. But I love his potential. And I still believe he can be a starter in the majors, though plenty of people see him gravitating to the bullpen.
A team official endorsed Jeremy Guthrie as Most Valuable Oriole yesterday after I posed the question. Guthrie is a popular choice, and he'll be in my top three, but I'm sticking with Aubrey Huff right now.
This will be one of those rare seasons when a player gets a first-place vote on one ballot and doesn't appear on another. I can see it happening.
If you want to divide the award, Melvin Mora can be the second-half MVO.
I hope Lou Montanez keeps finding his way into the lineup. The guy can flat-out hit. It's his defense that draws some concerns within the organization, and Montanez is aware of his deficiencies. But he's also willing to work at them. That's why he was on the field early yesterday with John "T-Bone" Shelby, who counsels the outfielders.
Shelby wanted to see Montanez make the throws from center field. It's not just tracking the ball that's an issue. If there's enough improvement, he'll have a solid chance to be an extra outfielder on next year's roster. And before anyone suggests Nolan Reimold, while he's earned a look in spring training, it wouldn't hurt him to play every day at Triple-A Norfolk and take the proverbial next step, with a summer call-up in the cards.
Down on the farm, Garrett Olson struck out nine batters in seven innings for Triple-A Norfolk. He allowed three runs, all of them coming on one Dan Johnson swing, and four hits.
Bob McCrory allowed the tying run to score in the eighth, but Kam Mickolio struck out three batters in the 10th and got the win. Mike Costanzo had three hits and three RBIs, raising his average to .261.
Double-A Bowie won again because, well, that's what it does. Zach Clark held Trenton to two runs over 7 1/3 innings, and Julio Manon struck out the side in the ninth for his 32nd save.
Single-A Delmarva's Nathan Nery tossed seven shutout innings for the second time on the road trip to pick up his sixth win. He allowed four hits, walked none and struck out three.
Robbie Widlansky went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI triple and a run scored. Paco Figueroa and Brendan Monaghan each had an RBI.
Aberdeen's Pat Egan held Vermont to an unearned run in six innings, and catcher Caleb Joseph had a grand slam.
Trivia time: Pittsburgh's John Russell was thrown out of Sunday's game, leaving only one major league manager without an ejection this season. Can you name him?
The bench? How about having a competent majoe leaguer at every starting position before worrying about the bench?
Joe Maddon?
Bobby Cox, right? ;-)
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Cox has the MOST ejections. Who saw that coming? - Roch
Interesting trivia question. As John Russell manages a very poor team, I suppose the answer would also manage a poor club. My guess: Manny Acta.
I would choose a split Orioles' MVP, a la 1971 (Robinson/Robinson) and 1983 (Murray/Ripken). My winner would be Melvin Mora/Aubrey Huff. Jeremy Guthrie is a worthy candidate, but I can't give the MVP to a guy who will not win more than 12 games when 24 and 25 game winners in the past did not win.
Which raises my question: Roch, I have tried in the past to research the voting in past Orioles' MVP selections (beyond just the winners) without success. Do you know where I can find that information?
Sometimes I think people have doubts about Liz because he is tall and gangly like Cabrera. I think he has great potential to be a O's starter. Yes, he has to harness his motion, but he does show intelligence and there is something in his heart that to me spells success. I got the impression when he walked off the field last night that he didn't want to be yanked. There was no petulance or insolence, but more of a solemnity that said, "Leave me in," something I never saw from, for example, Mr. Bedard.
Re: Montanez as a starter next year. Let's not crown him the next great thing yet....this time last year and all during the winter everyone said Luis Hernandez was our SS of the future---and look how that turned out. I'm not saying Montanez WON'T be good/great, but let's not get too crazy on this yet.........
Speaking of Reimold, why is he not paying in LF for Bowie, his future position in Baltimore? Several weeks ago he started a few games there, but that experiment seems to have ended, as I've seen him in RF every Baysox game I've been to.
I agree -- great games by both Lou and Liz, who also happen to be the two Orioles players who are victims of constant Thorne/Martinez mispronunciations. Thorne's got Liz (Leez) down, but it's like Martinez doesn't even try; both of them pronounce Lou's last name differently -- one incorrectly, one correctly, then they alternate.
As far as Liz's performance - that change up was not only thrown with good command, but as you say, he was so smart about when and to whom he threw it. Those strikeouts of Thome were good examples.
As for Lou, I know both he and DT have shot down the idea, but I was thinking how great it would be to groom him at 3rd to eventually replace Mora. Wishful thinking I know, but for some reason I can see him doing well there -- and it doesn't seem like we have a viable prospect there in the minors. Costanzo and Moore maybe, but neither is hitting well at AAA.
I'm thinking that the only manager left to not get ejected is Cito Gaston.
Roch, going back to your talk on Wieters, I think he has a good chance of making the club out of spring training, though I think the club should give some consideration of delaying that just slightly so the club control time on him doesn’t start rolling and they can control him longer. It might sound like a move with cheapness in mind, but it’s a sensible move for any club now. If this guy is as good as he appears to be, his future value is going to climb fast.
I’m thinking Wieters could be next year’s Evan Longoria, if he’s the real deal. Lock up Nick Markakis during the offseason, ponder doing the same for Jeremy Guthrie and even Brian Roberts if you’re going to keep him, and then consider doing it for Wieters early on next season. Forget any talk about how he hasn't proven anything at the big league level and he shouldn’t get a long-term deal. The Rays are paying Longoria, a player who was an elite prospect like Wieters currently is, roughly $5 million a season for 9 years. If Longoria performs anywhere near where he has this year—current injury aside—that’s a bargain. Consider that we’re currently paying Jay Payton $5 million per season and you get the point.
I think the O’s, after taking care of some other current players, should do the same with Wieters sometime next season if he shows he can play at the big league level. I don’t think they will, though, because I think MacPhail likes the league guidelines and the owner friendly procedures for handling players and contracts and is reluctant to buck that. Perhaps there’s merit in that but in the end, as we will see with Nick Markakis, it’s going to cost the club more money the longer they wait.
I am still not sold on Liz, but I am open to seeing if....
I completely agree with you Reimold. Isn't this the first year he has stayed healthy the entire year? First let's see if he can duplicate it, & a year or great part of one at AAA would not hurt at all. Montanez is definitely ahead of him & here is something no one has brought up... is Reimold THAT much better defensively than Montanez?
Montanez isn't the worst OFer by far. I can count many that look worse & play every day.
I agree also that Huff should be the MVP. Guthrie has been great, but Huff helped the whole lineup relax & hit better with his production. He literally helped a few other guys have better years too.
Trivia answer... Ozzie Guillen?
Millar is going to go and Payton will leave also. Reimold will be your fourth outfielder and will eventually be you left fielder. He is much better defensively than Montanez and will hit at this level.
The pitching will remain a problem until 2010 when all these young arms will be here. It is amazing that suddenly our minor system is really loaded with great pitching prospects.
I do not think we will spend any real money on position players but expect that any money spent will be on pitchers that can help now. The future is a bit brighter than anyone thought just last year at this time.
I'm curious why we keep speaking about Lou as a reserve outfielder? i know we have Scott out there, but Lou is a few years younger and is showing that he can possibly hit for a better average then Scott...shouldn't we consider keeping him in the lineup everyday in some way? And stop looking at him as an extra outfielder? Why have waste a good bat on the bench..doesn't make sense to me.
Come guys, as great as a story as it would be, I have as good a chance of stealing Gisele Bundchen from Brady than the O's do of landing Mark Teixiera. It doesnt make sense to pay anyone 20% or more of your payroll ($20MM per over 8 years my guess) if you're not a serious contender. 2009 could be a redo of 1989 if we're lucky, but now we have TB to deal with as well as BOS & NYY. Plus if we even had an league average pitching staff, we'd be battling the SOX's for the wildcard. If I'm right then why is Montanez a 4th outfielder? I have to assume the likelihood we resign Millar arent any better than 20% right? If no Millar, then Huff becomes the everyday 1B and Montanez is better than Scott in the OF no? Scott is the DH 3 times a week, plays LF 3 times a week and sits the other. If Montanez struggles, then you goto Reimold and declare Montanez a 4th OF. I only wish we had these guys a couple of years ago when we were running Brandon Fahey out in LF. Man that was bad!
I also noticed Ray's comment. Yes, we need better bench players, and return to the 4-man bench because our options are limited in extra-inning games or these crucial times where we need power or speed off the bench and we simply don't have it in Quiroz, Cintron, or Fahey if he were here.
Gee, you would have to look hard for the nicest manager in baseball. You would think that Joe Torres has had a long time managing, obviously, and would have to be ejected at least once.
I honestly don't know so I'll take a shot in the dark. It's gonna be...
Washington Nationals' Manny Acta?
Now, onto other topics... Lou needs to be in the line-up, period. Last night was a perfect example. He played all the way to the 7th, and then Payton was put in as a pinch runner in that inning. That's exactly what Dave needs to do. Play Lou Montanez for 7 innings, and then put in Payton because all Payton is good for is just to be a bench player now, as a pinch hitter/runner/defense. And, yes Lou can flat-out hit. He could have had one more hit last night if he hadn't hit that line drive to Griffey Jr., but it was a good hard swing, which I liked.
I would go with Huff/Guthrie for 1st half, and Mora for 2nd half MVO. Could you have said that Huff could be the first 30 home run hitter in a very long time for the Orioles at the start of the season? Okay, he has 29 but he can get that elusive 30 at any time now. I would keep Huff, and tell Kevin Millar "sorry but we need to clear space for Mark Teixiera, and clear his contract." So we would have Huff and Teixiera and Scott and Mora and Markakis and Roberts and Jones and Wieters. That's a pretty strong line-up if Huff/Scott/Mora continue what they did in this second half for next year.
But.... unfortunately, the pitching is just in hell right now, and we need to find many ways to get the pitching into heaven, so to speak. So, we might have to try to find a way to go after a free agent pitcher and Teixiera at the same time - which would be VERY bold for this organization. With that said, this off-season is very important for Andy MacPhail and the Orioles more than ever with the serious lack of pitching and that one man, Mark Teixiera, waiting in free agency.
Roch--Is Montanez going to play winter ball somewhere this year? If defense is his problem then I would think a winter playing CF everyday would benefit him.
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I'll ask him the next time I see him. It certainly makes sense for him to play all three spots if he's going to be a reserve next season. - Roch
After the playoffs would be a perfect time to find out how "ready" Reimold is. He's made it through the season healthy which I believe was the organization's top priority. I see no reason why he and Lou couldn't both be on the roster next year.
Which brings me to another point. Our bench. It's essential to get our pitching staff to the point where we can have a four man bench. Too many times the manager has been restricted this year due to a bench that's severely lacking. Quiroz off the bench is essentially uselss. He can't run and you wouldn't use him as a pinch hitter. Wouldn't Baltimore be a good place for Greg Zaun to finish his career. I don't know his contract status for next year, but he could easily catch a 1-2 days a week and depending upon the makeup of our team be used as a DH now and then.
Also, we have zero speed on the bench. I've cringed several times recently when in late innings of a close game DT fails to pinch run for guys like Ramon, Huff, and Millar. I expect Ramon and Millar to be gone next year, but having a guy who can play infield and outfield, with some speed, and who can hit a little can be invaluable.
Lou certainly can flatout hit. The ball jumps off his bat and it's good to see that DT has finally decided to put him in the lineup on a consistent basis. It now looks as if they were trying to showcase Payton for a trade, but I have to think that he's one of those guys who can be overexposed when playing everyday.
As for Montanez' defense. Let's face it, he's no Jack Cust. So I think he'll be fine with work.
My quess on the manager - Joe Torre.
I think you're right on Roch with Montanez being much more ready for the majors than Reimold. Reimold has a canon in the outfield, but, while he has had a nice year at AA, there is little to suggest he could come up here and hit like Montanez has. I think Montanez makes the team next year as a fourth outfielder and maybe take a look at him and Scott at first base to see if they can play there as well. Both can DH some too. Millar should be gone but Huff isnt' that great at first. Reimold should prove himself at AAA and get a call up if he does. I'm excited to see Snyder and Rowell at Bowie. Snyder has had a very nice year and Rowell is very young but still shows nice potential. We need at least one of them to become a solid major leaguer.
Going back to a post from yesterday, I don't think Wieters makes the opening day roster next year. Not that he couldn't, I just think they'll wait until May or June to bring him up and won't eat Ramon's contract. He's had a good enough year offensively that they shouldn't.