Regular duty for Tejada
President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail addressed a question during the press conference that was directed at Miguel Tejada. He jumped in like a referee getting between two fighters, though he didn't wave his arms and remove Tejada's mouthpiece.
A reporter wanted to know whether Tejada would have any issues with moving off third base to make room for Josh Bell later this summer, if the situation presented itself. More to the point, would he accept a part-time role?
"The kind of deal that we struck here with Miguel, I don't know that I would anticipate making the commitment that we made to him and not have him play every day," MacPhail said. "I think you can put that one to bed. If he's healthy, he's going to be out there because that's the way he's going to insist on it. I think that scenario has been deemed unlikely by subsequent events.
"We didn't get Miguel with the idea that this is just going to be a few months and then Bell's coming in. That's not at all what we're thinking."
MacPhail said the controversies that hounded Tejada as he left Baltimore - they went unnamed, but we all got the reference - didn't cause him to hesitate before making an offer.
"He went through the process that he went through," MacPhail said. "He went through a large measure of scrutiny and I think handled himself well and satisfied those people that needed to be satisfied, and we've moved on from there. I was confident that that one had been put behind us."
During a later interview on MASN, MacPhail said the club most likely was done adding position players. The focus has shifted to pitchers, especially left-handers for the bullpen. That should reduce the number of daily questions I receive about guys like Jim Thome and Carlos Delgado.
 |
Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
That was a nice step in from AM. What a wacked question to ask on a welcome back to Baltimore O's news conference..People...the off season is coming about almost exactly as AM called it months ago on the playing it out till ST theme...I guesss Hendrickson and whom ever else left handed he is meaning could go right down to the last of the hot stove season before they sign. Time flies...ST around the corner. Did you hear any word today on any other pitcher that may be on the radar besides Bedard and Hendrickson?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll pass along whatever I hear. The Sun's reporting that they made a minor league offer to Ohman, but he hasn't accepted it yet. - Roch
Roch....How could Anita leave her job with MASN when she was still under contract ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She wasn't under contract. - Roch
Roch, Any news on the Orioles signing Jim Thome? Just kidding.
I'm curious what pitchers we come up with. Last year I was hoping Sean Henn would work out among others. I'm looking forward to having Mark Hendrickson back.
When will you know if there is anything new on the menu on the Yard?
Rich Hill agrees to minor league deal with Cards......Roch, I thought he didn't want our minor league deal.......Now he takes another teams minor league deal.......What's the story Roch ???
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can't speak for him, but I'm assuming he'd prefer pitching for a contender in the NL, if he makes the team. - Roch
I agree with Craig Dots, that was a crazy question and it's good that MacPhail saved Tejada from having to stumble through some answer. Wonder if they'll call on that guy next time? My guess is MacPhail likes the idea of keeping Bell at AAA the whole year and bring him up in September if he's doing well.
Hey Roch, did I hear the video right? It sounded like Miggy referred to MacPhail as "Lee", but I had a little trouble with the accent so maybe not.
Craig, I think it was a perfectly appropriate question. Josh Bell is in AAA and the heir apparent for the 3B job. If he's hitting well in Norfolk in July, there will be reason to bring him up. It's a fair question to ask because there is a reasonable possibility of the sequence of events occurring.
I've been pretty vehement in my support of this move, but even I think this question was fair game.
Roch...This is a comment from Andy about Tejada
"He went through the process that he went through," MacPhail said. "He went through a large measure of scrutiny and I think handled himself well and satisfied those people that needed to be satisfied, and we've moved on from there
Roch, I have often wondered who assists Andy when deciding to sign or not sign a free agent ? ...Above he states that Tejada, "satisfied those people that needed to be satisfied". I'm going to guess that Peter A is one of those, but, I'm interested in who has Andy's ear when he needs to kick something around ?...I'm not talking about scouts for young players....Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He's not referring to Orioles personnel. I believe he's referring to the legal process, the people who were questioning him, etc. But when it comes to signing a player, he'll seek input from a variety of people in the front office and organization. - Roch
Im glad to have Tejada back. Im ready to get this season started
$10M for Sheets? He didn't play at all last year. The A's payroll last year was only $60M so over 15% for a pitcher like that? Geez. Makes no sense at all.
Hey Roch,
What are the Orioles best options as far as lefty relievers go besides Hendrickson and Ohman?
Sam
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the list I posted yesterday:
John Bale (36)
Joe Beimel (32)
Alan Embree (40)
Mark Hendrickson (36)
Ron Mahay (39)
Will Ohman (31)
Horacio Ramirez (30)
Glendon Rusch (35)
Scott Schoeneweis (36)
Ron Villone (40)
Jamie Walker (38)
- Roch
Hi Roch,
Do you know how much money the O's have left to spend for 2010?
Do they have a set payroll like other clubs?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't think there's a solid figure. - Roch
We've got Miggy back, now completing trade with Astros. Now let's bring back Bedard to complete the "STEAL of THE DECADE" in MLB!!!
Cheers!
Not crazy about those comments. If Bell is deserving of a call up, they should not let a guy who wont be here in 3 yrs block his path
I asked in a way earlier post why we dont trade for a big time clean up hitter. you gave a pretty good answer by saying its not worth giving up good young talent. But for a lefty reliever (one that has proved to be necessary on this team) dont you think its now worth giving up somebody. You know doing a trade for the real deal. Its not like we would have to give up Tillman and Snyder for Feliciano or anything. Party Agreed?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not sure who's the "real deal," but there are enough lefties available on the market. - Roch
The Tejada move has been a lightning rod for lots of people, and has made me think even more about what it means to be a fan. My post a few days ago portraying Miggy as an abusive ex coming back into our lives underlined how similar fandom is to a romantic relationship: We start out full of hopeful idealism about what might be, then typically segue into greater realism as we live with the person day to day, and sometimes it’s a disaster, leaving hurt feelings all around. That was Miggy. Some people are full of confidence it will be different this time, while others of us are skeptical.
Along those lines, people here have compared Tejada to Brian Roberts, but I think there’s a big difference between these two cases. When Brian was implicated he admitted it immediately, and David Sequi and Larry Bigbie both immediately jumped in to defend his character. Years ago I watched Tejada in the clubhouse defensively answering a steroid question and knew he was lying. And then he continued to lie, all the way up to Capitol Hill. When eventually confronted with proof that he had bought human growth hormone, he finally admitted it but claimed he had thrown it away. Hey, we all make mistakes. Mature, honest people admit them. I’m not saying he should have been ruled out on this basis (there were plenty of other reasons to rule him out), only that I’ll have more trouble rooting for him.
Mark C.: You and I are on very similar wavelengths regarding both Miguel’s likely success at third and his demonstrated character. I’ve pounded on the former issue a lot, so I’ll try to restrain myself on that count here. And I’m not into moralizing about steroids/HGH or character issues when it comes to athletes. I don’t idolize them as human beings so I don’t feel the need to tear them down when they disappoint me. But I don’t like people who repeatedly lie regardless of whom they hurt. Roger Clemens and Pete Rose are pitiful human beings and I could never root for them. Tejada’s not quite in the Liar Hall of Fame with those guys, but it does make me wonder how much Andy values character.
Dr. Tom: I got my WAR data from CHONE at http://www.baseballprojection.com/war/t/tejam001.htm. I think it was Rob Neyer who several months ago compared projection systems and concluded that CHONE had the best record, at least as far as projecting team performance, but this isn’t a projection issue and you’re absolutely right that FanGraphs has Tejada at 2.6 for last year. I knew the systems were different, but didn’t realize they could be *that* different. I’ll look into it at some point when I have more time, but a quick perusal suggests FanGraphs doesn’t include some things that CHONE does, like baserunning and GIDPs, and doesn’t adjust replacement value by league. In the meantime I appreciate the heads-up. Let me know what you think.
sheets: Thanks for the shoutout. I hope you had a good time at FanFest. How’d your son do?
baron: When we were growing up, nobody understood the importance of on-base percentage, except maybe Earl Weaver, who knew how precious every out was. Nowadays OBP is arguably the most important non-combination stat, with most gurus giving it the edge over slugging percentage, and Miguel is a good example of why. Yes he batted .313 last year, but add his 19 walks and subtract his 29 GIDPs and his effective on-base percentage is actually lower than his batting average, about .295. I assume hitting into a double play is actually worse than making two separate outs, since it effectively kills a promising inning, but I’m not sure about that, and I don’t want to freak people out by talking about win shares. I’m in enough trouble already.
Look, I don’t enjoy being an apologist for advanced stats. I know they’re not everyone’s thing, and as I’ve said many times I’m still very much learning about them myself, and happy to be brought up short, as Dr. Tom did above (maybe). A year ago I wasn’t quoting WAR or OPS+ or ERA+ because I didn’t know enough about them. But I was curious, and I have friends who made fun of me, and the more I studied the data the more convinced I became that the new stats are significantly more useful than the ones we grew up with. Still, if advanced stats don’t blow your skirt and you want to think that Tejada is a good player because he hit .313 last year, be my guest.
PV: Thanks. Baron is an easy person to be respectful toward, because he’s such a good guy and because he has so much respect for others. I wish there were more Barons, and PVs, on this blog.
mstrchef13: I know people are excited about Tejada, so I’ll try to take your advice from this point and shut up about him (although we all know how good I am at that endeavor). You’re of course right that this isn’t the end of the world. All these moves have cost is one year of money, so if it’s in the budget to overpay for Tejada, then fine. Go team. On a personal note, good luck with your family situation – I’ve got one of those too. And don’t let the trolls get you down. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a crucial member of the advanced class here, and I’m very glad you’re around, and furthermore that you’re a teacher.
Roch,
If Bell is tearing up AAA, and Tajada is having a good year. Do you think Andy would consider trading Isturz, and moving Tajada back to SS to make room for Bell.
I know that's a lot of speculation, but just wanted to see if you got the feeling that that could be an option?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MacPhail said Tejada won't play SS. - Roch
Hey TacoBill -- I think you're right. It sounded like Miguel called AM "Andy" at first -- then the 2nd time he called him by name, he sort of looked a little unsure and I think he did call him "Lee" that time. -- You know I thought Miggy seemed nervous in that conference. English is not his first language, so I think it's not easy for him to express his feelings in great detail sometimes; but I started to get the sense that he's sincerely feeling humble and grateful for this opportunity to come back and do something with the Orioles as a team that didn't happen his first time around. He managed to put up great numbers and received plenty of individual attention from 04 to 07; but now, he said in that interview "It's not about me this time." Let's take him at his word. Let's give the guy a chance to be what we hope for as a team player and a catalyst toward excellence on the field. I'm tired of hearing folks say we have no chance at anything but 4th place. Miggy's telling us it's different now. Let's believe him --- Have a little faith ... there's might be magic again after all. Orioles magic might just rise again when we give this team our hope instead of our suspicion and fear.
Orioles magic ... Feel it happen!
Hey Roch, It is getting tight for many of the remaining free agents. Girardi is quoted today in New York as saying it is unlikely that Damon will join the Yankees this year. Looks like Damon held out for big money and lost. Others are in the same boat. It will be very interesting to see how many players sign for big discounts in the next few days. Some money is better than no money.
During a later interview on MASN, MacPhail said the club most likely was done adding position players.
Translation: The O's have blown their offseason budget. Time to tighten up the wallets. Oh that's right, there is a new ticket tax. LOL
I think people are getting too excited over Bell to begin with. The only reason he looks good is because our system is so void on position players. Bell needs to work on improving his game, not pushing to get to the majors before he's actually ready. They still need to resolve his switch hitting and there's question marks about his defense.He at least needs a whole year at AAA to show he can handle a variety of pitches.Snyder's problem is he has to play half his games in a park that knocks balls in the gaps down. He changed his approach last year to hitting home runs because of this and his swing got screwed up.
Signing Atkins for third wasn't a bad idea,moving him to first, not so brilliant. It's entirely possible Snyder could have given you the same numbers at 1st that Atkins will give. I hope they can find a way to keep Aubrey on this team for pinch hitting,that means they need to trade Wiggy.
Hendrickson is LH but he's not a lefty specialist which is what the o's really need. They can move Berken or Hernandez to the bullpen for long relief,they don't need Hendrickson for that.Then there's Koji who i think will be on the Dl most of the season.
I assume you're not the goober who asked that question!
Hey BaltJohn, part of the reason Hill may have decided on the Cardinals is for a chance to work with their pitching coach Dave Duncan. He's considered by many as the best in the business. If Duncan can't turn this guy's career around, it may be time to prepare for a second career.
Andy jumped in to save Tejada from forgetting how to speak english, ala Sammy Sosa at the congressional hearings all those years back. :)
Roch,
Now that Thome is off the board, Do you have any idea who the Front Office is eyeing to fill the cleanup hitter spot? Obtaining a true cleanup hitter and front of the rotation starter was a crucial priority at the end of the season with both Trembley and Andy. We are still searching for both.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thome was never in the Orioles' plans, so having him off the board means nothing. MacPhail said he wanted to add "bats," which he's done. - Roch
The part about his comments that scares me is this:
"The kind of deal that we struck here with Miguel, I don't know that I would anticipate making the commitment that we made to him and not have him play every day,"
I hope this isn't taken to mean that if Miguel is not running out ground balls, hitting into double plays or not fielding his position Dave Trembley HAS to play him everyday. I always worry about contracts and management that deem a player HAS to play regardless of the effort.
Batting Tejada in the number 2 hole is going to be great for a number of reasons this year. Batting his 199 hits behind Roberts will help him with his Double play issue. Roberts will spend most of his time on second with all the doubles he hits or he will steal second eliminating the double play. With Brian on second most of the time Tejada will be able to drive him in or move him over. Our offense looks pretty good this year. Just hope the young guns can hold their own.
Tejada handled himself very well during the press conference, and I was glad AM stepped in to address the Josh Bell question.
While Bell is clearly the heir apparent, as MacPhail stated, we all know things happen, e.g., injuries, etc., that present opportunities. Tejada's contract is for one year, and I believe the O's have committed to him, and he's earned that commitment.
However, if his performance turns out to be terrible, which is unlikely, and if Bell performs as anticipated, then young Mr. Bell will get his shot.
In the meantime, he should hone his skills at AAA.
Welcome back Miggy, especially after hearing the sincere endorsements from Roberts and Markakis - their support convinced me that Tejada's "attitude" issues stemmed solely from the frustration borne of losing.
This 2010 club has the potential to do something special this year.
Let's make it happen.
Where is hobgood on this list? Our signability pick! Look at all the players taken after him who is on this list!
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/01/25/the-top-100-prospects-of-2010-1-25/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F01%2F25%2Fthe-top-100-prospects-of-2010-1-25%2F
Hey Roch,
What's the chances that Tejada (or Millwood for that matter) are traded before the deadline if the O's are out of it and either or both are playing really well? Is that how Andy might get around a part time Tejada if Bell comes up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both are possibilities. - Roch
Roch,
2 questions, What do we have to do to get the Hot Stove show on MASN TV, and how long before you team up with Scott on the Fan in the afternoon?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neither one is going to happen. Sorry. - Roch
I bet Tejada is trade at the one of the two trade deadlines to a contender for prospects making room for Bell and giving other like Wigginton a chance to play as he enters free agency again.
Thanks for the link Paul. I am VERY surprised that Hobgood is not on the list.
Andy said it was a great pick, so he must be right. Right?
LOL
Hey Paul,
thanks for posting the link... really liked the description for Arrieta:
"The Orioles are clearly headed in the right direction and have plenty of young arms on the way. Many of them are polished, like Arrieta. Baltimore fans should expect to get a good look at the hard-throwing right-hander at the big-league level in 2010."
Cool that we have 4 guys in the top 55 who will all start AA or above.
Paul & Brummie: I'm not sure I put too much into those rankings.. according to them Tillman isn't in the Top 100 either, so you tell me, is that a good list?
Roch,
I respecfully disagree with you. Both Andy and DT said specifically adding a legit cleanup hitter was one of high priorities. They also said they wanted to add a "front of the rotation" SP for the rotation. Milwood is clearly not a "front of the rotation" type pitcher at this stage of his career. Plus we only signed him to pitch 6 months for us.
As a few on here mentioned, until we hold this FO accountable for their words and actions, they will continue to conduct business as normal. And in the meantime, business as normal equals the Orioles forever entrenched in the basement of the AL East
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I quoted MacPhail last year saying he wanted to "add bats - plural." - Roch
Why do the O’s just grant people starting jobs? Sure Miggy would be the front runner for 3B, but why not make every position an open competition every year? Why even make comments that Miggy is here to start & play every day, no questions. You’re supposed to keep these guys on their toes & working all the time in order to maintain their jobs. Not only are they competing against other teams, they should be competing for jobs within he org against one another. This is what the Ravens do,,,they win. The O’s don’t.
Also, where there any reporters who dont work for MASN at that press conference? I take it WNST wasnt invited to participate ??
I knew the LOL would be back.
Did anyone confirm if Nick Markakis joined the Taliban or not? That thing is glorious. Its time for the O's to lift the facial hair ban. Lets these kids be kids
So, garland signs a one year deal for $5.3 million. That's ok, we've got ....... oh, forget it!
That "list" is one man's opinion of who he feels are the top 100 prospects. If you look closely you'll see it is populated with mostly 20 somethings. Matt Hobgood just came out of high school. So, one man values older players, many of whom were drafted several years ago, over Hobgood. Big Deal! Time will tell what is true. Many of you just spend hours scouring the 'net looking for negative press to back up your endless whining. Do me a favor, PLEASE!!! Find a new team to "root" for.
Go O's!
Is there any prohibition of having the PTBNL actually be the player you traded away initially?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's allowed. - Roch
Roch, Now that the infield it seems we'll have an issue to deal with regarding our logjam at first base. We have Snyder, Aubrey, and Hughes to go with Wiggington and Atkins. I'm not saying these guys are all keepers, but I was hoping we could give one of the younger guys (eg Aubrey) significant time at the majors so the other two could rotate between 1st and DH at AAA. It'll be interesting to see how this is handled.
Paul(aka Jack) and Brummie, can you both change your tune. I took a quick look at this list so I could be wrong but most of the players on this list are not from last years draft, especially the top 50. Jake A for the O's came in at 48 and he is one of of our better pitching prospects and Zack B came in lower than Jake. Why in the world would you expect Hopgood to be on this list, oh that is right you are just trying to make a stupid point. Please use some real facts and real to when trying to prove a point. Your list really doesn't prove anything about Hobgood or the pick for that matter. I just wish both of you could stop posting to this board with your same of complaints. I know this are not perfect and I do not agree with all of the O's decision but I can at least open my eyes and see some of the good as well. Try it for a change....... But again your list proves nothing, nice try.....
Where is hobgood on this list? Our signability pick! Look at all the players taken after him who is on this list!
Ignoring capitalization of proper nouns and good grammar for the moment, could you provide the list of all the players taken after Hobgood in the June 2009 draft that are on this Top 100 prospects list? How many of them were in high school last year?
To recap well-known other lists, Hobgood is Orioles prospect #5 in both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus (trailing Matusz, Bell, Arrieta, and Britton, all very significant prospects). He's a very solid prospect, and if you want to play the "cheap" card you should also cede the point that we used any "savings" we got from paying him slot to sign some high-ceiling guys in later rounds.
By signing Meggy doesn't fix the problems the Orioles have. If the Orioles starting pitching can't keep us in games by giving up tons of runs by the second inning, then signing anouther position player doesn't matter. Orioles need pitching pitching pitching.
Is there a real possibility that Bedard is coming back? I've heard little or no mention of him, his progress, or other potential suitors for his services this off season.
Cereal Blogger said:
Why do the O’s just grant people starting jobs? Sure Miggy would be the front runner for 3B, but why not make every position an open competition every year? Why even make comments that Miggy is here to start & play every day, no questions. You’re supposed to keep these guys on their toes & working all the time in order to maintain their jobs. Not only are they competing against other teams, they should be competing for jobs within he org against one another. This is what the Ravens do,,,they win. The O’s don’t.
Also, where there any reporters who dont work for MASN at that press conference? I take it WNST wasnt invited to participate ??
Cereal,
Do you really believe the things you type? Really? Or are you just jealous you haven't received much attention lately? Well here it is ...
The Ravens have open competition for all of their positions? Really? You think Ray Lewis and Ed Reed fought it out during training camp for their starting positions? Really? Did Jeter fight off whatever prospect they have at short? Were CC's spring training numbers just good enough to edge out Phil Hughes to be the ace?
Are you seeing the ignorance in your comment? Good.
So, please, in the future, get attention by saying something intelligent rather than competing with our clowns for most ignorant comment of the day. It's clear they've put far more effort into their work. You didn't even include "LOL."
January 27, 2010 11:11 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William in Blacksburg, Va said:
Cereal Blogger said:
Why do the O’s just grant people starting jobs? Sure Miggy would be the front runner for 3B, but why not make every position an open competition every year? Why even make comments that Miggy is here to start & play every day, no questions. You’re supposed to keep these guys on their toes & working all the time in order to maintain their jobs. Not only are they competing against other teams, they should be competing for jobs within he org against one another. This is what the Ravens do,,,they win. The O’s don’t.
Also, where there any reporters who dont work for MASN at that press conference? I take it WNST wasnt invited to participate ??
Cereal,
Do you really believe the things you type? Really? Or are you just jealous you haven't received much attention lately? Well here it is ...
The Ravens have open competition for all of their positions? Really? You think Ray Lewis and Ed Reed fought it out during training camp for their starting positions? Really? Did Jeter fight off whatever prospect they have at short? Were CC's spring training numbers just good enough to edge out Phil Hughes to be the ace?
Are you seeing the ignorance in your comment? Good.
So, please, in the future, get attention by saying something intelligent rather than competing with our clowns for most ignorant comment of the day. It's clear they've put far more effort into their work. You didn't even include "LOL."
-----------------------
William, Well put. I don't really have anything to add except to be a bit more specific for Cereal's benefit.
Top Ten Miguel Tejada on-the-field accomplishments:
* 2002 American League Most Valuable Player
* 2005 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
* six-time All-Star
* two-time Silver Slugger Award winner
* most American League RBIs in 2004 (150)
* most American League doubles in 2005 (50)
* most National League doubles in 2009 (46)
* best AB per strikeout ratio National League (13.2)
* single-season RBI leader for the Orioles (150 in 2004)
* fifth most consecutive games played in majors (1,152)
Miguel Tejada has earned the right not to compete for a position. Period.
Oh, one last point to Cereal. You say the Ravens win because they compete for positions. William's already addressed this, but consider these Oriole facts:
* in 1966 the O's won the World Series, but players like Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson didn't compete for positions
* in 1970 the O's won the World Series, but starters like Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar didn't compete to make the rotation
* in 1983 the O's won the World Series, but players like Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray and pitchers like Mike Flanagan and Scott McGregor didn't compete to make the team
And since you brought up football, none of the four quarterbacks who vied for MVP this season (Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Philip Rivers) were required to compete to win their positions.
Just sayin'....