Where there's a Will...
I bet you thought I was going to say Will Ohman.
According to a tweet (there's that word again) from FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi, the Orioles have signed left-handed reliever Will Startup to a minor league contract.
No word on whether he'll receive a spring training invite, but I'd ship him in bubble wrap.
Startup, 25, missed the entire 2008 season and most of 2009 with injuries - he reportedly underwent Tommy John surgery - but he's posted a 2.70 ERA in four minor league seasons. You can check out his stats right here.
This article, which ran three days ago, indicates that Startup probably will be assigned to Double-A Bowie. (Ignore the part about the Orioles reporting to Fort Lauderdale for spring training. Somebody didn't get the memo.)
The Padres released Startup, who attended the University of Georgia, three weeks ago. The Orioles watched him throw in Florida and signed him.
They're still in the market for a left-handed specialist. His arrival doesn't change anything, since he's ticketed for the Eastern League.
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
What in the world is a Startup?
Roch--OK. Will Startup was Will Shutdown in 2008 and most of 2009. You know, my dad loved the Bing Crosby rendition of "Don't mess with Mr. In Between."
I suppose, if he's ready to go in spring training, we'll hear Rick Kranitz say "Gentlemen, start your engines."
That's a pretty good name Roch, but maybe not for a reliever.
I bet college never prepared you for citing tweets eh?
Roch-
I have franchised Markakis each of the last 2 years in my fantasy league. You can only franchise a player 2 times after the year you drafted him.
My question is, if you were bidding on him, in a league in Baltimore where everyone goes hard after O's, would you invest a decent amount in him?
Is this the year he takes the NEXT step into the elite company? Whats your hunch?
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I don't play fantasy baseball, but he needs to be more consistent this year. Would be nice to see a little more power out of him. - Roch
the san jose giants should have signed him. He really belongs in Silicon Valley.
Adding to the inventory..........
Or as I like to call it "shopping on a shoe string budget!"
Despite someone spreading rumors on at least two boards about which Will this might be... ;)
Startup isn't such a bad pickup. He's only 25 and has a decent pedigree. And prospects I would think...
God fake job Roch..you had me....Will Startup...what a name..sounds like a car commericial....hope he is good....never know...we may see him down the road...
Greg said:
What in the world is a Startup?
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Something the O's bullpen will do after this guy comes into the ballgame with a three run lead and blows it in the eighth.
Of course I'd rather have Ohman as that's what the fans would same in the same situation above...Oh-Man!
This one is free. Y'all gotta pay for the next one.
Okay, I can't resist it... with it being so cold oustide, I hope my car "Will Startup"...
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You should have resisted. :-) Roch
Roch,
No I didnt expect you to say Will Ohman.
That would have caused the Orioles to spend some money. Just like with Hobgood, they took the cheap route with this signing. When will they learn you get what you pay for. They sign all of these "lightning in a bottle" type players and each year the results are the same. AL East basement!
We are nothing more then the Pirates of the American League. The true laughing stock!
A reliever named Startup? Is that right? Can't they find a guy named "Lightsout" or "Shutdown"? Hey, I hope he's healthy and can add to the overall organizational quality for 2010 and beyond.
The Super Bowl is over and the Sun still has nothing about the Orioles on their front page of the sports internet section.
I guess they only put what the readers want to see. And not many around here are anxious to see this years Orioles. Cant say I blame the Sun.
This year I am predicting another 90 plus losing season. But we signed Will? GO GET ANDY.....Your such a GREAT GM
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What did the Orioles do yesterday that would warrant a front-page story? - Roch
Brummie_Oriole said:
Adding to the inventory..........
Or as I like to call it "shopping on a shoe string budget!"
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Clever, if only you were able to get past your "I hate Andy blinders" and realize this is a low risk move that adds to depth in the minors. If he is horrible, no big deal, but if he is great, well then it is a steal.
Also, correct me if I am wrong but I don't see you in Sports Management or anything so perhaps it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Oh wait, too late!
Roch
If he sticks with the O's will he come in from the Bullpen to the Rolling Stones song "Start Me up"? Sorry I had to go there...
I hope he makes it just for the blog entry titles.
Dude you don't play fantasy baseball?!?!11 sajdgklaj;sitgsafdgkja;
I wait all year for this fantasy season!!!! Cmon man! : )
Wait, wait, I take that back. It never crossed my mind that you probably have enough on your hands. You know, covering a Major League Baseball team?
I can see where fantasy baseball might get in the way of some things. Lo siento Senor Roch!
Honest to God, some people on here are really irritating to read sometimes. The Orioles sign a guy to pitch in AA and you whine that he's not Cy Young. He's just a guy to fill out a minor league bullpen; every team signs guys like him. Grow up.
Hey, at least Will has the perfect entry song - "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones.
Seriously, the guy was pretty good before his injury. He could be our lefty specialist in 2011. It's always good to have these guys around.
It's good to see that Brummie and Paul are their normal chipper selves this morning.
Paul said:
The Super Bowl is over and the Sun still has nothing about the Orioles on their front page of the sports internet section.
I guess they only put what the readers want to see. And not many around here are anxious to see this years Orioles. Cant say I blame the Sun.
This year I am predicting another 90 plus losing season. But we signed Will? GO GET ANDY.....Your such a GREAT GM
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What did the Orioles do yesterday that would warrant a front-page story? - Roch
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But he is a writer he should know Roch, no my fault thats Bummie... LOL Not!
I wonder what strange family history occured that you end up with the last name of "startup"
My picks for the final 3 spots is:
The Claw
Kam
Sarfante
I'd say he's a longshot at making the club this year.
Hey Roch, you know the Mons Venus is only about and hour form where you are in Sarasota.... So, you've got that goin for you.
K. So we signed a guy to pitch in Bowie. K. Doesn't Bowie need pitchers on a fairly regular basis? Without anyone to fill a roster spot, regardless of how great/terrible they are (and I'm not judging this guy, I've never seen him pitch ---and neither has Paul/Jack/Brummie, for that matter, not that it stops them from judging, right?), the team can't go into the season with a bunch of position players and ...Jason Berken. I can't help but cringe when I see Berken's named mentioned alongside David Hernandez. Poor David. What'd he ever do to deserve that? Jeez.
Every organization, and that includes the Sawx and the MFY, has "filler". Every organization. Trenton and Portland have filler, too. Really! They do. Otherwise, if everyone that every team signed was so awesome, they wouldn't be sitting on a minor league roster, would they?
Trenton has Professional MiLB Filler. Noah Hall (Almost my age and in Double-A? Which could have been mistakenly written as "Almost my age and in AA" and I'm not a rumor-starter). Wilkins Arias (Hi, I was 28 and playing in the Florida State League). Portland has some pretty average guys that will be later traded for a big-name free agent. Don't get too attached to the red "B", dear Ryan Khoury (Average as Average gets. And struck out 5x in 2 games vs Harrisburg. Go BabyNats!). Blaine Maxwell (First, Blaine is not a name, it's a major appliance. Second, he's pitched terrible each time I've seen him. Especially when "terrible" = "Oliver Perez"). Bryson Cox (Hi, I have trouble striking out guys, but that's okay. I'll look good in a Mets jersey one day.)
I know that smart people already "get" this. And that the unsmart ones won't/can't read this far.
What I like about this kind of minor deal is that you didn't see a lot of these kinds of moderate depth type of signings during the last decade. He might not amount to much on the major league level, but constantly being in a "Stock Up On Pitching" mode is what the org needs.
In response to:
Bonzi said:
Honest to God, some people on here are really irritating to read sometimes. The Orioles sign a guy to pitch in AA and you whine that he's not Cy Young. He's just a guy to fill out a minor league bullpen; every team signs guys like him. Grow up.
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You really have to disregard these guys, they have absolutely no clue about how to run a major league "organization". They, (or he, if its really the same person), don't realize that the Orioles have 8 (I believe) minor league teams that also need to field a product, with depth to rest, and substitute players, to complete their season. Could you imagine what the payroll would be if any of these guys were gm? $350-$400million? More? That wouldn't set this franchise back at all. They think that every acquisition is the Oriole's statement signing. The intelligent fan, and these guys that are working around the clock to deliver these blogs, and pretty much the rest of baseball can see that the Orioles are doing the right things now, to bring this franchise back to prominence. You can't buy every single free agent, just because they will add production to your club, there are sooo many variables that go into these things, financially, among other things that just really prevent that type of thing from being feasible. Thanks for the blog Roch, enjoy Florida, getting excited for baseball! Hope we can win very soon, and make these blog trolls go away......