A tale of two men leaving the Orioles organization

You talk about something good happening to a guy who flew under the radar - well, it happened yesterday. Longtime Orioles minor league coach Butch Davis was hired by the Minnesota Twins as their first base coach.

Seeing reaction on Twitter, it is clear that Davis had a lot of fans among O's minor league staff and players. They are thrilled he is returning to the show - his eight-year major league career, which included parts of the 1988 and 1989 seasons with the Orioles, ended in 1994 - after spending 20 years in a variety of roles on the O's farm.

The last two years, Davis served as a coach at Double-A Bowie. About a week ago, Bowie manager Gary Kendall got a call from Twins general manager Terry Ryan asking about Davis.

"I told him about the many pluses of having Butch in your organization," Kendall said last night. "He is so engaged in what he does and he is so determined. I told Terry all the pluses about him. He's just a relentless worker. I am so, so happy for Butch and his family.

"Butch never got caught up in titles or labels. He was a faithful Oriole employee and he told me the hardest thing about taking the job was the 20 years he amassed with the Orioles."

And it was 20 seasons that Davis served the organization. He had been around so long that he worked at Triple-A Rochester.

While Davis most recently helped players like Dariel Alvarez and Christian Walker get better, Kendall said he would work just as hard with a kid who had no chance to ever see the big leagues.

"It didn't matter to Butch whether he was teaching baseball in Sarasota (with the rookie league players) or in Triple-A because he's done it all," Kendall said. "That is the kind of heart and spirit you need. People like him help make our organization strong.

"Butch would work just as hard with a third-string player as with anyone else on the club. It was about putting in a day's work. If I had a kid and dropped him off at a field with Butch Davis, I'd feel good about it. The Minnesota Twins made a great choice."

Meanwhile, reactions are still coming in about Nelson Cruz agreeing to a four-year deal with the Seattle Mariners.

The Orioles lose a player who led the majors in homers, and was a force on the field and in the clubhouse. Some fans can't understand the O's not going the extra mile for Cruz, while others felt four years was too long for a player who is 34.

Before you think the Orioles can't replace Cruz - and they may not find someone to hit 40 homers - keep in mind that the 2013 Cruz-less Orioles outscored the 2014 O's. So did the teams in 2012 and 2011.

2011 - O's scored 708 runs
2012 - O's scored 712 runs
2013 - O's scored 745 runs
2014 - O's scored 705 runs

But I wonder if some fans feel like a friend of mine. He said last night that his take was that Orioles management has proven itself during three winning seasons and he is confident they'll have a plan in place to handle Cruz's departure. He remains confident the Orioles will continue to win.

Right now, we don't know if Nick Markakis will return, and if he does, whether he will be joined by Torii Hunter, Melky Cabrera or even possibly Matt Kemp.

What is the fan confidence level in the O's front office making the right move or moves to keep the team on top in the American League East?

Duquette event: Speaking of the O's brass, fans in the Baltimore area can hear O's vice president Dan Duquette speak later this week at Camden Yards.

"An Evening with Dan Duquette," takes place Thursday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Dempsey's Brew Pub. Duquette will take questions just four days before the Winter Meetings. Proceeds benefit the Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation and the Orioles Charitable Foundation. For information, call 410-727-1539, ext. 3033 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..