Post by BEANED1 on Apr 23, 2008 17:23:12 GMT -5
Who'da thunk it - the Orioles are NOT in last place. In fact, for awhile they were alone in first place. As of this writing - the red-hot Red Sox are in first...and the mighty O's have their claim on 2nd! lol
Don't get me wrong - the O's still have their share of problems....but those 2 big trades in the offseason are already paying off big.
Sherrill is lights-out as closer.
Luke Scott is red-hot with no signs of cooling off anytime soon - a true stud in LF.
Adam Jones is truly 'as-advertised', as his fielding is excellent in CF already, and his bat is starting to come around. While not up to speed as much as Scott - its truly just a matter of time with him....and the O's got a bonus with Jones' awesome attitude in the dugout.
Flamethrower Sarfate is awesome in the bullpen - not unlike Joel Zumaya was for the Tigers.
And then there's Albers - he's turning out to be an excellent lefty option in the bullpen or as a spot starter.
Other good things goin' on:
-Lefty SP Burress was taught a new pitch by ex-lefty Mike Flanagan in Spring Training. It's a 'drop-down curve' - where his arm drops a bit lower than normal - and it has proven extremely effective against lefty hitters. So, Burress is now a very effective 5th starter, having only one bad outing so far in April.
-Jay Gibbons is NOT an Oriole!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! This alone - getting rid of his negative presence in the dugout (he openly resisted taking infield practice before games last year when Trembly first came on as mgr...) might just explain the recent positive attitude that is permeating the O's dugout these days. I know I did a cartwheel when I got the news he was released. No longer must the O's endure the curse of Jay Gibbons. WOOOOOO!!!!!
-Jay Payton is NOT being negative...and in fact is coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit. This is good.
-Markakis is still awesome.
-even Millar, who has shed some major pounds, is being very productive...and from the cleanup spot! Who knew?...(shrugs shoulders...)
-Daniel Cabrera....is much improved. There - I said it. New pitching coach Rick Kranitz has succeeded where all others have failed. DCab is throwing in a more upright posture, like he did in the old days when he did things like 2-hit the Yankees. His fielding is better, too. Most important, though, he seems more professional - he is not letting things get to him and trigger his emotions. Where he used to fall apart at the seams after an error allowed a baserunner....now he actually has composure. BUT - credit also has to be given to Mgr Trembly, who, when talking with Mike Cuellar over the winter, exended an open invite to Cuellar to stop by spring training. As it turns out, this was a genius move, as Cuellar not only speaks Cabrera's language fluently, he knows more than a thing or two about how to be a successful major league pitcher in Baltimore. Anyhooo - the combination of Kranitz' improvement of DCab's mechanics...combined with Cuellar's effective communication and coaching.....well - this very well could be the year DCab becomes the Beast unleashed in the East.
Once again...who knew?
-Trembly, that's who. It is refreshing to hear the players talking about things like 'playing the game the right way' and 'team baseball'. This tells me Trembly has them all on the same page and working together to win. This guy was a catch. He's got the O's winning while Roberts is in a hitting slump.
-O's bullpen is finally the shadizzle. Gold star for the bullpen.
Ok, now for the not-so-good:
-Roberts is in a hitting slump - To me, I think his mind is all messed up from almost being traded many times to the Cubs this winter.
-GM Andy MacPhail, who has been rather awesome so far, has a tendency to bide his time and, well....just take too damn long to do stuff. The Orioles are better off because of him....but, if he had pulled the trigger on a Cubs trade, oh, say 6 weeks ago in mid-March,(....and in March rumor had it that Payton and Roberts could be headed to the Cubs for starting pitchers Marquis and Gallagher, SS Cedeno, and 2 more players, possibly including E. Patterson and a young pitcher....). OH WELL. Can't happen now - Marquis drastically improved the last 2 weeks of ST and Reed Johnson was picked up after he was released by the Blue Jays at the end of ST.
In my opinion, the O's waited too long. The Cubs now have Reed as their leadoff hitter, and he is proving to be gritty and good. The Cubs are winning big now. Poof - no trade will happen now. Roberts was awesome at the beginning of ST, thinking he'd be outta there likitysplit, and it showed in his ST play with lots of stolen bases and a high on-base percentage....now he's not so happy, even though the O's are winning.....but that could also be related to his best friend Jay Gibbons being given his walking papers. Here's hoping Roberts comes out of his funk in the very near future so that his trade value is raised to abnormal heights before the trade deadline.
-Starting pitcher Steve Traschel....well - he needs to not be on the O's anymore. He's stinkin up the joint.
Things I'd like to see:
Besides a run at the wildcard playoff spot(lol), which isn't such of a delusional idea as it was, oh, last month....I'd like to see the O's trade for some starting pitching - even if its for only like a #3 or #4 guy - or two. Guthrie and DCab and ....ok, you get my point. Loewen is wild and needs more AAA time. Traschel needs retirement. Burress is I think going to be a very good 5th starter. So - the O's really need 2 quality starters. Um...soon. Please.
-a new O's SS in the very near future. Please. Even if its Cintron, thats ok.
-in fact, O's need anyone not named Fahey or Bynum to be a backup utility guy.
Things I don't wanna see, although I'm happy for them:
Cubs SS Cedeno hitting a game winning RBI, then the following day a grand slam...like he just did...
Cubs Jason Marquis doing extremely well, like he is...
Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse, who the O's could have signed, having a great year, like he is....
Cubs prospect Patterson getting nominated to the Topps AAA team of the year 2008 as starting 2B....
OH WELL.
Still - there is reason for optimism.
- Albers may get promoted to starter status, so we'd only need one more SP....as well as the bullpen replacement for Albers(from AAA Norfolk?)
-When Brob comes out of his slump, I'm thinking the O's will win just a little more. The guy is a terror on the basepaths.
-Alex Cintron is reprotedly in Norfolk getting into baseball shape...next to Scott Moore, who despite having a dynamite ST, could not get his share of at bats once the season started. Hence, he is now in Norfolk. I truly hope that the O's plan to bring Cintron up the the O's as starting SS, as he his an awesome fielder with a little pop in his bat. Also, though, 3B/1B Moore is reportedly getting time in at SS and 2B in Norfolk...and when he originally signed with the Cubs it was as a SS. The O's could use a guy like him backing up all 4 infield positions - his lefty bat is powerful good. Dumping current nobody SS Hernandez and no-hit/marginal-fielding backup Fahey for Cintron and Moore instantly makes the O's a better team.
-While all this winning is a big plus....I'm actually looking forward to see who the Orioles will aquire before the trading deadline in August. This is definitely a season that will be keeping my full attention as a true fan of the black and orange. Go O's!
Don't get me wrong - the O's still have their share of problems....but those 2 big trades in the offseason are already paying off big.
Sherrill is lights-out as closer.
Luke Scott is red-hot with no signs of cooling off anytime soon - a true stud in LF.
Adam Jones is truly 'as-advertised', as his fielding is excellent in CF already, and his bat is starting to come around. While not up to speed as much as Scott - its truly just a matter of time with him....and the O's got a bonus with Jones' awesome attitude in the dugout.
Flamethrower Sarfate is awesome in the bullpen - not unlike Joel Zumaya was for the Tigers.
And then there's Albers - he's turning out to be an excellent lefty option in the bullpen or as a spot starter.
Other good things goin' on:
-Lefty SP Burress was taught a new pitch by ex-lefty Mike Flanagan in Spring Training. It's a 'drop-down curve' - where his arm drops a bit lower than normal - and it has proven extremely effective against lefty hitters. So, Burress is now a very effective 5th starter, having only one bad outing so far in April.
-Jay Gibbons is NOT an Oriole!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! This alone - getting rid of his negative presence in the dugout (he openly resisted taking infield practice before games last year when Trembly first came on as mgr...) might just explain the recent positive attitude that is permeating the O's dugout these days. I know I did a cartwheel when I got the news he was released. No longer must the O's endure the curse of Jay Gibbons. WOOOOOO!!!!!
-Jay Payton is NOT being negative...and in fact is coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit. This is good.
-Markakis is still awesome.
-even Millar, who has shed some major pounds, is being very productive...and from the cleanup spot! Who knew?...(shrugs shoulders...)
-Daniel Cabrera....is much improved. There - I said it. New pitching coach Rick Kranitz has succeeded where all others have failed. DCab is throwing in a more upright posture, like he did in the old days when he did things like 2-hit the Yankees. His fielding is better, too. Most important, though, he seems more professional - he is not letting things get to him and trigger his emotions. Where he used to fall apart at the seams after an error allowed a baserunner....now he actually has composure. BUT - credit also has to be given to Mgr Trembly, who, when talking with Mike Cuellar over the winter, exended an open invite to Cuellar to stop by spring training. As it turns out, this was a genius move, as Cuellar not only speaks Cabrera's language fluently, he knows more than a thing or two about how to be a successful major league pitcher in Baltimore. Anyhooo - the combination of Kranitz' improvement of DCab's mechanics...combined with Cuellar's effective communication and coaching.....well - this very well could be the year DCab becomes the Beast unleashed in the East.
Once again...who knew?
-Trembly, that's who. It is refreshing to hear the players talking about things like 'playing the game the right way' and 'team baseball'. This tells me Trembly has them all on the same page and working together to win. This guy was a catch. He's got the O's winning while Roberts is in a hitting slump.
-O's bullpen is finally the shadizzle. Gold star for the bullpen.
Ok, now for the not-so-good:
-Roberts is in a hitting slump - To me, I think his mind is all messed up from almost being traded many times to the Cubs this winter.
-GM Andy MacPhail, who has been rather awesome so far, has a tendency to bide his time and, well....just take too damn long to do stuff. The Orioles are better off because of him....but, if he had pulled the trigger on a Cubs trade, oh, say 6 weeks ago in mid-March,(....and in March rumor had it that Payton and Roberts could be headed to the Cubs for starting pitchers Marquis and Gallagher, SS Cedeno, and 2 more players, possibly including E. Patterson and a young pitcher....). OH WELL. Can't happen now - Marquis drastically improved the last 2 weeks of ST and Reed Johnson was picked up after he was released by the Blue Jays at the end of ST.
In my opinion, the O's waited too long. The Cubs now have Reed as their leadoff hitter, and he is proving to be gritty and good. The Cubs are winning big now. Poof - no trade will happen now. Roberts was awesome at the beginning of ST, thinking he'd be outta there likitysplit, and it showed in his ST play with lots of stolen bases and a high on-base percentage....now he's not so happy, even though the O's are winning.....but that could also be related to his best friend Jay Gibbons being given his walking papers. Here's hoping Roberts comes out of his funk in the very near future so that his trade value is raised to abnormal heights before the trade deadline.
-Starting pitcher Steve Traschel....well - he needs to not be on the O's anymore. He's stinkin up the joint.
Things I'd like to see:
Besides a run at the wildcard playoff spot(lol), which isn't such of a delusional idea as it was, oh, last month....I'd like to see the O's trade for some starting pitching - even if its for only like a #3 or #4 guy - or two. Guthrie and DCab and ....ok, you get my point. Loewen is wild and needs more AAA time. Traschel needs retirement. Burress is I think going to be a very good 5th starter. So - the O's really need 2 quality starters. Um...soon. Please.
-a new O's SS in the very near future. Please. Even if its Cintron, thats ok.
-in fact, O's need anyone not named Fahey or Bynum to be a backup utility guy.
Things I don't wanna see, although I'm happy for them:
Cubs SS Cedeno hitting a game winning RBI, then the following day a grand slam...like he just did...
Cubs Jason Marquis doing extremely well, like he is...
Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse, who the O's could have signed, having a great year, like he is....
Cubs prospect Patterson getting nominated to the Topps AAA team of the year 2008 as starting 2B....
OH WELL.
Still - there is reason for optimism.
- Albers may get promoted to starter status, so we'd only need one more SP....as well as the bullpen replacement for Albers(from AAA Norfolk?)
-When Brob comes out of his slump, I'm thinking the O's will win just a little more. The guy is a terror on the basepaths.
-Alex Cintron is reprotedly in Norfolk getting into baseball shape...next to Scott Moore, who despite having a dynamite ST, could not get his share of at bats once the season started. Hence, he is now in Norfolk. I truly hope that the O's plan to bring Cintron up the the O's as starting SS, as he his an awesome fielder with a little pop in his bat. Also, though, 3B/1B Moore is reportedly getting time in at SS and 2B in Norfolk...and when he originally signed with the Cubs it was as a SS. The O's could use a guy like him backing up all 4 infield positions - his lefty bat is powerful good. Dumping current nobody SS Hernandez and no-hit/marginal-fielding backup Fahey for Cintron and Moore instantly makes the O's a better team.
-While all this winning is a big plus....I'm actually looking forward to see who the Orioles will aquire before the trading deadline in August. This is definitely a season that will be keeping my full attention as a true fan of the black and orange. Go O's!
