Organizing my top picks
The editors at Baseball America have requested that I submit my choices for the Orioles' top minor league player and pitcher for 2009, and the unheralded individual who took the biggest leap forward to perhaps emerge as a prospect.
I told them it would have to wait until I gave up a few home runs to the Boston Red Sox.
Now that I'm able to concentrate, I've decided that corner infielder Brandon Waring is the top player in the farm system after batting a combined .274 at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, and leading the organization's minor leaguers with 27 homers and 96 RBIs.
Waring is the Carolina League's Player of the Year after hitting 273 with 35 doubles, 26 homers and 90 RBIs in 473 at-bats with the Keys. His last 24 at-bats came with the Baysox.
You don't need Ryan Freel in Baltimore to appreciate the Ramon Hernandez trade. Waring was a beast in the minors. Justin Turner hit .300 at Triple-A Norfolk and had his contract purchased yesterday. Hernandez is batting .249 with five homers and 36 RBIs in 77 games with the Reds and hasn't played since July 16 because of a knee injury that required surgery.
Brandon Snyder was my midseason pick for top player, but he struggled at Norfolk after moving up and batted .248 with two homers in 73 games.
As for the No. 1 pitcher, I'm going with left-hander Brian Matusz. His seven starts in the majors don't eliminate him from consideration.
If you combine his starts at Frederick and Bowie, he's 11-2 with a 1.91 ERA in 19 games covering 113 innings, with 87 hits allowed, 32 walks and 121 strikeouts. Opponents batted .211 against him.
Matusz was more dominant at Bowie, going 7-0 with a 1.55 ERA in eight starts. He walked 11 and struck out 46 in 46 1/3 innings, and opponents batted .189 against him.
Frederick's Zach Britton deserves to have his name tossed into the discussion after going 9-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 25 games, with 55 walks and 131 strikeouts in 140 innings.
It's probably easier to argue the biggest leap forward. I'm going with Caleb Joseph, the "other" catcher in the system when the season began who batted .284 with 23 doubles, two triples, 12 homers and 60 RBIs in 380 at-bats with Frederick.
The average is a little deceiving. Joseph hit .156 in August and was 0-for-14 in September, so he staggered to the finish line like (insert Sidney Ponson joke here). Joseph hit .333 in April, .316 in May, .338 in June and .341 in July.
Feel free (or freel fee) to agree or disagree with me. Today shouldn't be any different.
You can play against everyone or create your own league - and it's Free!
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
The magic number is now EIGHTEEN
Eighteen more loses and the O's will be in the elite class of organizations who have lost 100 games in a season.
Is it achievable? Absolutely. Last night was a painful game to watch. It highlighted many players who simply "GIVEN UP"
This team lacks direction. More importantly, it lacks the culture to not only play with the top dogs, but even compete with the lower tier. We are NOT a small market team to the contrary of what Ole Pete and Andrew try and sell to the fans. We are in this predictament because they have chosen the route of trying to contend with rookies only. There are quality FA out there. Do you build a team off of FA - Absolutely NOT! But you need to have the right mix of veterans and rookies to develop a culture of winning as players retire or move on. We lack this culture!
Andrew is Ole Pete's perfect choice to lead this team to 100 loses. He is a budget man who can hold out for a large trade package. He is not a leader or a GM who can make the bold decision in a timely manner. Both DT and Andrew operate in a defensive manner. And with this last sentence, is why we will be the PERRENIAL DOORMAT of the American League!
What an honor for you, Roch, congrats.
Can't argue with Waring being the #1 position player. I would have to put him behind Matusz, Tillman, Erbe, Bell, Arrieta, Hobgood and Brittion. Your analyst on Joseph is correct, he is a catcher and this was by far the longest season in his young career. Snyder did struggle to in AAA, maybe a super-sub, for now. Biggest mover, how bout Cooney, pitched lights out after the first month, even better in AA when he was promoted. Lebron also reestablished himself as a top level prospect, K ratio is awesome, although walks were high. Other position players, Avery, Hoes, Henson and Angle.
One announcer I would like to see gone is Hunter.
He is so far up Andrew and Ole Pete's butt it is rediculous!
He is the most biased announcer I think I have ever saw.
Come on Jim, when they play lousy and Andrew continues to make the moves he does....TELL IT LIKE IT IS!
Good morning Roch. I'd like to recognize Vito Frabizio of the Bluefield Orioles. Seventy innings pitched and only 23 earned runs. Not too shabby.
One question and maybe you've answered this before. Is Michael Flacco of Bluefield related to Joe Flacco of the Ravens?
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Yes, they're brothers. - Roch
I'm glad you did not forget about Zach Britton. I think he will eventually be in the rotation next year. Is Xavier Avery on your radar Roch. I have not seen his final numbers but it seems like the potential is there.
No way to argue with Matusz, probably the best pitcher in the minors this year. Josh Bell--.295, 20, 76 at AA all year compared pretty favorably to Waring, but can't argue with choosing him given the numbers he put up. I hope he can continue to do it as he moves up. So do the Tides start next season with Bell and Snyder on the corners? Waring at AA, ready to hopefully move up when Snyder (hopefully) moves up a la Reimold/Wieters?
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If Snyder doesn't make the club out of spring training, that could be the arrangement. - Roch
Caleb sure helped his cause this year, that's for sure. But, Roch, do you have any idea why the plug was pulled on his blog? There's no way he suddenly decided to stop without organizational input, which I find somewhat disturbing. I mean, the guy was a blogger, which makes you, like, brothers. Well, in a really big family.
Are you free to comment, even just to speculate? I mean, how are we ever going to catch the Red Sox without our own Curt Schilling?
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I never heard why he stopped. - Roch
I wouldn't give top billing to Waring. A 23-year old hitting in A ball is nice, but not really indicative of a top prospect. Slightly a cop out, but I'd tab Josh Bell as our top minor league player. His combined AA stats include a near .300 batting average, 20 HR, and a .378 OBP. Really nice numbers for a 22-year old kid in AA. Otherwise, I agree completely: Matusz, hands down, and Caleb Joseph is a nice choice.
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Just so there's no confusion, this isn't the award for top prospect in the system. It's who had the best season. Bell wasn't here long enough to deserve it. He spent most of the year in the Dodgers' system. You can't compare his numbers at Bowie to what Waring did this season. - Roch
You could at least throw some love at Erbe for his season, especially since he had more starts in the minors than Matusz.
I guess Josh Bell didn't play enough games in our organization to get a nomination. It doesn't matter, you can't really argue against Waring at this point. He's the winner, hands down.
If Snyder, Wieters and Caleb all end up on the team at the same time, we could experiment a little. Caleb and Wieters could each practice some first base with Snyder getting some more practice at 3rd. We could play them at catcher, first and third every day. We wouldn't need a backup catcher, nor would we need to worry about losing the DH. Even though Snyder has had shoulder issues in the past, he could still be the emergency catcher and even handle a spot start here and there. Could be fun at the very least. Yes Roch, I had too much time on my hands this morning.
I have to agree with you Roch. Fans tend to forget the Ramon H deal when they complain about MacPhail's deals so far. Turner COULD be our 3rd baseman out of Spring Training next year and in 2 yrs I see Waring as a factor on the ML roster, maybe as a 1st/3rd/DH guy. Joseph, in say 3 years, could give the Birds a reason to shift Weiters out of the catching spot if his bat delivers as expected. Matuse had a great year all around. Who, last June, would have expected him to even BE in Baltimore by now, let alone hold his own against ML hitters? Brandon Snyder seems to have needed an adjustment period at every level, but he HAS adjusted. I think he will start next year in Norfolk and by this time next year he will be in Baltimore taking a lot of abuse B/C he is going thru his adjustment here. Not everyone who does well in the minors makes it at the ML level, but I think Snyder and Waring will become solid ML ball players in the future.
You've got to like those results. Good picks Roch.
I still don't understand why you don't give Widlansky any love.
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And I still don't understand why you keep saying I don't. Go back and look. You his agent? I'm glad Boras didn't get him, too. - Roch
Waring had a nice season, but you can't put him over Snyder, Bell, Arrieta or Britton, IMO. You mention Snyder as a comp, but Snyder is a year younger than Waring and spent the bulk of his season two levels above Waring. I'd go..
1. Arrieta/Britton
2. Britton/Arrieta
3. Bell
4. Snyder
5. Waring
Assuming that Riemold was called up too early to qualify, Widlansky hit .340 in Frederick with an OBP of .395. Not the power numbers of Waring and maybe not as close to the majors, but a heck of a year.
BTW, do you think we could just forfeit the rest of the games? They'd go down as 9-0 losses, which is not much diff. than last night. We'd be giving up a few wins (maybe) but it's be a lot less agonizing.
I concur
Big deal Waring is 23-24 & is playing in AA / AAA. Dont try to sell me on that trade, he's playing against kids 2-3 years younger than him. Stop drinking the cool aid Roch. Your supposed to be a critic
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Cool aid? So you took a worn-out expression that stopped being clever five minutes after someone came up with it, and you misspelled it. Brilliant. "Critic" isn't my job title, though I can be critical. He's 23 and ended the year in Double-A. It's conceivable he could be in the majors next season, perhaps a Sept. callup if not sooner, at age 24. Yeah, he's washed up. What was I thinking? - Roch
what, no Billy Rowell? I kid, I kid. The only thing about Waring is that he's 24 and playing A ball... that might not make him a top prospect, but I digress Roch.
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He's 23. I'm not saying he's a top prospect, but he's the player of the year in this system, and he could be in the majors by the time he's 24, depending on what happens next season. - Roch
A fan posted a very good question. Why do the rookies the O's seem to call up always struggle compared to other organizations?
A simple explanation and common denominator...
They all are introduced to a "losing" culture at the ML level. They learn play just good enough to lose. There are no leaders on this team thus they tend to spin on a table like a top without guidance.
DT doesn't know how to win and is there anyone on this team who has played in the "big show"
NO.....nobody wants to come to a team who lacks direction and the desire to win!
Roch - As most unheralded individual what about Frederick Keys first baseman-outfielder Robbie Widlansky. Steve wrote about him the other day. He batted .340.
Omg it's tough to watch the O's play the Wankees and Red Sux. Go O's!
I agree with you on Waring. The guy might not have the average, but he hits a lot of home runs, and he is getting better. Could he be our version of Mark Reynolds? That guy leads the league in strikeouts, but is close to the top in HRs and OPS. But I also think Josh Bell should be in the mix as well. He didn't come over till late in the season, but the guy showed what he can do and why the Dodgers valued him so much.
My position players (in terms of potential) would go:
Bell
Snyder (still has some kinks to work out, but just crushed AA, and could be the starting 1B next year)
Waring
As for the pitchers, its not so easy in my opinion. I don't think Matusz is a prospect anymore, because I doubt he will be visiting the minors ever again. He is just too good. That leaves Britton, Brandon Erbe, Steve Johnson, Jake Arietta, and Troy Patton. Contrary to certain person's opinion, I think Hobgood will be in this list eventually, but he has some maturing to do. And you also can't forget Jim Miller. He might be a reliever, but he's a darn good one
My pitcher list goes like this:
Erbe
Arietta
Britton
Patton
Miller
Johnson
I also want to go out on a limb here and say that the O's will have an 85 win season next year. IF, and I repeat, IF they can get consistent starting pitching (Guthrie, Tillman, Matusz and Bergesen can do that) that keeps them in games next year, and the offense doesn't have as many streaky hitters (Huff, Mora, Scott, Roberts to name a few) that keeps the pitchers thinking that they can win the game, and the bullpen finally comes through with some better additions next year, I think they can do it.
That's a lot of ifs, but the major factor is the pitching, which I think we can all agree will be better than this past year.
2009 2010
Guthrie Guthrie
Uehara Bergesen
Hendrickson Matusz
Simon Tillman
Eaton Arietta/Patton/FA
Go ahead and tell me which is better?
The Orioles Acquire Sean Henn
The 28 year-old southpaw has yet to experience big league success
Pretty sad when the above sentence is the one which introduces him to his new organization. I guess this is part of the annual "we are going to do everything possible to improve our starting pitching" rhetoric.
I can't believe there are still fans who believe this BS. But again, there are a few who still think the world is flat....lol
Talking about the Hernandez trade made me think about the three big trades pulled off by this administration. Hernandez, Tejada and Bedard. These have been pretty impressive trades.
Bedard: On the DL at least three times in two years.
Hernandez: Low average, low power numbers, on the DL, and oh by the way, rotten defensively.
Tejada: Doing just fine, except he's aged four years in the two years he's been gone.
For this group of underachievers, the O's have hauled in a group of players who are either helping now at the major league level, or will very soon:
Jones - Tillman - Mickolio - Butler - Bell - Johnson - Patton - Scott - Albers - Sarfate - Costanzo - Waring - Turner
Of course, all of these guys aren't going to turn out to be significant major league contributors. But, that's 13 players. Some are already doing it (Jones, Tillman, Scott), some are on their way and have a bright future (Mickolio, Bell, Waring, Turner), and some are still question marks (Johnson, Butler, Patton, Costanzo). But, over all, what a haul. (Good God, I sounded like an attorney for OJ.)
So, the question is, how can people still be critical of our GM. For these deals, he should have worn a mask and carried a weapon.
Nice choices. I might have gone with Josh Bell, Matusz, and Waring as the biggest surprise, but it's tough to argue against your choices.
roch ????? 2010 opening day.....Guthrie,Bergensen,Matusz,Tillman and Arieta.....Johnson,Ray,Sarfate,Micklio,Albers,David Hernandez,Hendrickson,Bass and Free agent lhp. 1b-Brandon Snyder 2b-Roberts ss-Isturis 3b-Free Agent c-Weiters dh-L.Scott/Wigginton lf-Riemold cf-Adam Jones rf-Markakis Utility-Turner,Moeller,Pie and Andino........Later in season-Brandon Waring-3b/dh Josh Bell-3b Britton-lhp Gamboa-rhp steve johnson-rhp Erbe-rhp Jacobson-rhp
I wish I could make it back up there this year for one last game. Looks pretty unlikely though as I'm going on vacay next week to lol another beach -- live at the beach and go vacation at another, hmmmm.
Ugly, ugly game last night, I was almost glad my laptop is out of commission temporarily so that I didn't have to read the chicken little comments...I did almost get hit by a car that ran a red light on the way home, got a very nice severely sprained shoulder thanks to my remarkable relfexes. Better than the alternative but still YOUCH.
Just sayin.....Don Baylor,Davey Johnson,Bobby Valentine,Bob Melvin,Jim Fregosi or Robin Yount......Trembley must Go!!
Would you compare Waring to an Adam Dunn type? We need that kind of power coming this way soon.
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I don't think he's got that kind of power. I'd hope he's better defensively. - Roch
Hey Roch, seems you could use a hug. We need one of the ladies to volunteer!
Roch, you cover the team so you're obviously in a much better position to judge the talent in the organization than I or most who leave comments here, but off topic; why do you think Michael Aubrey isn't getting much playing time? I'm not saying he's the first baseman of the future, but what's the harm in playing him there the rest of the way to see what he can or can not do? What's the point in bringing him up just to sit? Fiorentino has been here for 3 games and already has a third of the AB's that Aubrey has, while playing a position that the O's are set for the future.
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I really don't know. I figured he'd play more, though I know they also want to evaluate Luke Scott at first. That doesn't explain all the starts for Ty Wigginton at first. - Roch
Thanks to all who responded to my question about bench coaches for Earl Weaver. This is a great forum Roch for like minded baseball fans....Orioles types that is. Thanks again all.
My Top 10 O's prospects (if Matusz and Tillman can still be included)
1) Matusz
2) Tillman
3) Erbe
4) Waring
5) Britton
6) Bell
7) Snyder
8) Mickolio
9) Hobgood
10) Avery
Roch,
What have you heard about Waring's defense, and at what position?
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Haven't heard much about it. Not a Gold Glover by any means, and they're trying to get him more comfortable at first base. But I haven't seen him. - Roch
I'll agree with you on all three players, Roch. Man... these MacPhail trades with Bedard, Tejada and Hernandez are all looking really good, aren't they?
OK, that was like watching a bad ST game last night. The O's players seemed just as interested too.
Lambert was quite unimpressive. He is a right handed Bruce Chen & throws darts up there, the hitter gets a very good look at the pitch coming. A guy throwing 88 max, can't show them the ball that long. Anyway, that would be a waste of a 40 man slot. It's obvious now why Detroit waived him.
The C that got in late is another waste of a 40 man slot on the roster.
Is nothing sacred anymore?
City police arrest 4 in theft of Ripken's No. 8 statue
Overnight incident at Camden Yards captured on surveillance video
9:44 a.m. EDT, September 9, 2009
The full-sized statue of Cal Ripken Jr.'s No. 8 in front of the Camden Yards baseball stadium was stolen overnight, and Baltimore police said they have arrested four males in the case.
City police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the statue has been recovered, though many details, including whether it was damaged, were not immediately available. Names of the suspects and additional information about how the theft was pulled off are to be released later today.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, according to police.
Guglielmi said the men got away in a pickup truck. They are not Baltimore residents, the spokesman said.
Roch:
No disrespect intended, but Waring and Matusz are no-brainers.
But what about Robbie Widlansky as the "biggest leap forward" choice? How high was he on the minor league depth chart at the start of this year? Not very. He was old for High A ball (24), but he led the Carolina League in batting avg (.340)in his second year of pro ball.
Roch-
The four guys stole the "8" statue and left it in the back of their pick-up? Brilliant! Does this pre-qualify them to work in the Orioles front office?
Roch-The four guys stole the "8" statue
these guys move into 3rd place behind roberts and jones for most times caught stealing this year.
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Nicely played! - Roch
Good picks, Roch. I can't argue with any. Another big mover that I haven't seen mentioned is Pedro Florimon. He had a great first half and a poor second half, but he went from a non-prospect to someone who at least has to be considered. He'll be the SS at Bowie next year and with the O's SS situation, he's another good year away from being in the ML picture.
Waring and Matusz.
Now onto the bigger picture. Jack: I agree 100 per cent. Check out Henn's stats from the past few years. He had a 14.21 ERA in the minors in 08. PAINFUL.
This team will continue to be "easy wins" for the Red Sox and Yankees until the culture and mindset at the Warehouse changes. I heard one Yankees fan refer to playing the O's like having a detox weekend at a health spa- a chance to rest, get healthy and improve yourself before taking on real world challenges again.
It is downright pathetic when a series against the O's is now compared to a "health spa weekend".
Last night's loss was a further embarassment to this team and city. Andrew needs to be held accountable by the fans and media. He needs to be forced to admit he made mistakes this year and overestimated the talent on this team. No more cream puff pre screened interviews on MASN, Andy.
Jack said:
One announcer I would like to see gone is Hunter.
He is so far up Andrew and Ole Pete's butt it is rediculous!
He is the most biased announcer I think I have ever saw.
Come on Jim, when they play lousy and Andrew continues to make the moves he does....TELL IT LIKE IT IS!
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Yes! Mr. Hunter, please do tell us about the Hernandez deal, the Sherrill deal, the Bedard deal, the Tejada deal.... I would love to hear more about these deals.
Roch said to me:
Cool aid? So you took a worn-out expression that stopped being clever five minutes after someone came up with it, and you misspelled it. Brilliant. "Critic" isn't my job title, though I can be critical. He's 23 and ended the year in Double-A. It's conceivable he could be in the majors next season, perhaps a Sept. callup if not sooner, at age 24. Yeah, he's washed up. What was I thinking? - Roch
I say:
Pardon my cliché expression, do you prefer "homer" or "blind loyalist"?? What do you suggest I read day to day to find an unbiased opinion? You’re a company employee selling a product similar to the garbage Billy Mays used to sell. Minus the beard & 10-15 years you may even look like him a little bit. Seriously, I appreciate your blog & enjoy it. I’m just tired of the local media being soft on Angelos & the O’s. They are a dumpster fire of an organization. Angleos runs the team like Castro runs Cuba. Maybe he learned a few things from him when they hung out?? He owns half of the local media that covers him & bullies the other half. Why doesn’t he allow players to speak w/ WNST & other objective entities? He’s running a cash cow operation. Keep pushing the hype & the sheep will come. It’s fascinating how O’s fans have almost become prisoners & victims of their own beautiful stadium. Hype, hope, history & a beautiful stadium will keep the fans coming & Angelos loaded w/ cash. The fans will continue to suffer year after year.
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If you think I'm a blind loyalist and homer who's selling a product, you clearly have your own agenda and will complain no matter what you read. And feel free to stop reading this blog. I wouldn't want to subject you to more of my propaganda. Now I'm going to write an entry about how the Glenn Davis trade actually favored the Orioles. - Roch
Unheralded individual in the O's minor league system?
Eddie Gamboa - pitcher. Started 2009 at Delmarva (in 18 games 1.86 era), and moved to Frederick at mid-season (in 14 games 0.55 era), and got to Bowie at seasons end (7 games, 0.00 era). He was at Bluefield in 2008, so he climbed the ladder quickly.
Robbie Widlanski - outfield. From a fair Delmarva season (.222) in 2008 he jumps to league batting champion and all star with the Keys.
Roch - Do you think there is room for Joseph on the team with Wieters already being in place and another half dozen or so catchers hanging on around in the minors, plus Moeller already being the back up? Maybe he becomes part of a trade for that big right handed bat everyone wants.
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He could be a backup or move to another position, but there's still plenty of time to make that decision. He still has a lot to prove. - Roch
I think it's hard to argue with Roch's picks...
Snyder struggled at Norfolk which hurt his numbers, Bell wasn't here long enough, the rest of the upper-level hitters spent most of the year in Baltimore and Avery, Hoes & Welty were mediocre in the pitching dominated SAL league.
Matusz was the best pitcher in the minors this year but his service time might dis-qualify him (I'd say this shouldn't be given to anyone who wouldn't qualify as a rookie the following year, Matusz has pitched 37.2 innings this year and the limit is 45 to be considered a rookie the following year). If Matusz wasn't an option then the obvious choice would be Britton. He has some good looking numbers but what really stands out to me is the 3.38 GO/AO average. After watching all the fly balls fly out of the yard this year, it would be nice to have another ground ball pitcher with Bergessen to mix with the power arms of Tillman & Arrieta.
Roch,
1. I have been trying to come up with better choices for the best season; unsuccessful so far.
2. If I recall correctly, a long while ago, Brummie gave you permission to confirm that Brummie and Jack are two different people. I assume you could do that because they have different e-mail addresses. Anyway, if you did confirm their "separateness," I missed it.
Are you comfortable confirming or reconfirming for me and especially for RichD?
3. Caleb Joseph closed his blog in response to a suggestion by someone in Player Development. I have adopted Caleb as my favorite minor leaguer for all the reasons that most of you know about from reading any one of several articles that have been written about C.J.
However, I think the concern of the Orioles is understandable (similar to Jake Arrieta's blog). Caleb wrote about topics, which were fascinating for fans; unfortunately in his enthusiasm he touched on some things, which had the potential for causing the organization embarrassment, e.g., description of fields and clubhouses in Carolina League; answering questions about his teammates. I feel badly that I asked him about Billy Rowell; Caleb's answer was very circumspect, which revealed that he has good judgment, but, without meaning to, Caleb could have written something better left to the Orioles' discretion to publicize.
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They have two different e-mail addresses. - Roch
In my opinion, I still think Jack and Brummie are the same person or were side by side in school. The last few weeks they both have mis-spelled the same words the same way and used the word then in the wrong manner ie:( the Yankees are better then the Orioles), instead of better than.
Just thought I mention this.
I do like to read what he or they have to say, it gives me a different perspective.
Roch,
How about a mention for the player who received the least credit for his performance in the minors?
Robbie Widlansky
Carolina League batting champion
Jim Carter
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I've mentioned him before in this blog. He had an outstanding season. He also was born Nov. 6, 1984. Brandon Waring was born Jan. 2, 1986. Yet, some readers think Waring's numbers should be thrown out the window because he was too old for the league. That part confuses me. - Roch
Roch,
I couldn't agree more with your picks. Though it's hard to pick against Britton and his great season, Caleb Joseph was batting between .315 - .345 most of the year, batting in the middle of the lineup and playing almost everyday for the Keys. He also handled a very young pitching staff and played very well defensively. There's no real holes in his game.
And for those who love Caleb Joseph, join his fanpage. I just saw it on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caleb-Joseph/123774156779
Cereal Blogger said:
Roch said to me:
Cool aid? So you took a worn-out expression that stopped being clever five minutes after someone came up with it, and you misspelled it. Brilliant. "Critic" isn't my job title, though I can be critical. He's 23 and ended the year in Double-A. It's conceivable he could be in the majors next season, perhaps a Sept. callup if not sooner, at age 24. Yeah, he's washed up. What was I thinking? - Roch
I say:
Pardon my cliché expression, do you prefer "homer" or "blind loyalist"?? What do you suggest I read day to day to find an unbiased opinion? You’re a company employee selling a product similar to the garbage Billy Mays used to sell. Minus the beard & 10-15 years you may even look like him a little bit. Seriously, I appreciate your blog & enjoy it. I’m just tired of the local media being soft on Angelos & the O’s. They are a dumpster fire of an organization. Angleos runs the team like Castro runs Cuba. Maybe he learned a few things from him when they hung out?? He owns half of the local media that covers him & bullies the other half. Why doesn’t he allow players to speak w/ WNST & other objective entities? He’s running a cash cow operation. Keep pushing the hype & the sheep will come. It’s fascinating how O’s fans have almost become prisoners & victims of their own beautiful stadium. Hype, hope, history & a beautiful stadium will keep the fans coming & Angelos loaded w/ cash. The fans will continue to suffer year after year.
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If you think I'm a blind loyalist and homer who's selling a product, you clearly have your own agenda and will complain no matter what you read. And feel free to stop reading this blog. I wouldn't want to subject you to more of my propaganda. Now I'm going to write an entry about how the Glenn Davis trade actually favored the Orioles. - Roch
September 9, 2009 11:30 AM
Roch, you made me LOL in my office. I have to agree with CB on some of his points though. NOT the ones about you being a homer or company lackie, I know better than that, & you don't look anything like BillY Mays! However the points about PA , the press in town & which ones get access, & the overall operation of the team aren't off by much. I have been annoyed at some of that myself the last few years.
Oh, one other thing, tell your old friends at the Sun thanks a ton for sticking us with Mease! He is covering the Skins for the Post too, furthering the pain... the guy didn't look too happy doing his training camp reports.
Brandon Waring is "waring it out".He finished with better stats than some of the big league Orioles. And you're focused on the fact that he is 23y.o.? Sounds like they need him!