Posted by Z.R. Albright on January 3, 2012
Meet the newest Oriole: Jai Miller
The Orioles made two trades today. Both of which involved cash considerations. Neither of which will be billed as anything close to a blockbuster. In the first trade, the O’s acquired outfielder Jai Miller from the Oakland Athletics, who had designated him for assignment. Miller, in addition to having an awesome first name, is also ridiculously athletic. He signed a letter of intent to play both football and basketball at Stanford before choosing baseball out of high school. He has spent time with the Royals, Marlins, and Athletics encompassing 73 major league plate appearances. He has played nine seasons in the minor leagues, but is still only 26 years old.
Last season in 475 AAA plate appearances, he triple slashed .276/.368/.588, which was good for a wOBA of .410. He put up a Ruthian ISO of .312 in the hitter-friendly parks of the Pacific Coast League. Unfortunately, he also put up a Reynoldsian 37.7 K%. That is pretty much the book on Miller at the plate. He swings hard and misses often, but when he connects the ball jumps off his bat. Being a former wide receiver, he certainly has the speed to steal bases, and he showed that last season converting all 15 of his steal attempts. If he can steal bases with that kind of efficiency at the next level, he could be very valuable as a fourth outfielder/pinch runner.
I like this trade solely based on the fact that Duquette only sent cash to obtain Miller, who definitely has some upside. He will have to compete for a spot on the active roster out of spring training, but I could see him being useful at some point next season, whether in a fourth outfielder role or filling in for an injured player. I would not mind if the O’s gave him an extended look on the big league team at some point during the season. He has never really been given an opportunity to show what he could do at the Major League level.
In other news, Duquette also sent Brandon Snyder to the Rangers for cash considerations. This move, presumably, was made in order
Farewell Mr. Snyder
to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Jai Miller. Snyder was a former first round pick, being selected 13th overall by the Orioles in 2005. The first round of the 2005 draft produced an unprecedented amount of talented major leaguers including Justin Upton, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Garza, and Colby Rasmus. The Orioles however, took the forgettable catcher from Westfield High School in Virginia. Snyder eventually gave up catching and now mans the corner infield positions. He has put up solid, but not overly impressive numbers in the minor leagues. Snyder is only 25, but his offensive output will need to improve for him to be a useful corner infielder at the big league level. I like this trade because it removes some dead weight from the 40-man roster, and it continues to build the rapport that the Orioles and the Rangers have developed as trade partners.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Andrew McCutchen, Baltimore Orioles, Brandon Snyder, Colby Rasmus, dan duquette, Florida Marlins, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jai Miller, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton, Kansas City Royals, Matt Garza, Oakland Athletics, Ricky Romero, Ryan Braun, Ryan Zimmerman, Stanford University, Texas Rangers, Troy Tulowitzki | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on December 21, 2011
Associated Press
After being out of a major league job for almost ten years, Dan Duquette is attempting to re-build a hapless franchise from the ground up. The main items on the O’s shopping list were pitching, a backup catcher, a possible upgrade at both third base and left field, and more pitching. And Duquette has already begun shopping. He filled the backup catcher position by trading for defensive-minded backstop Taylor Teagarden. He signed Matt Antonelli and took Ryan Flaherty from the Cubs in the Rule-5 Draft in order to gain some depth in the infield, and recently, Endy Chavez was signed to a $1.5 million contract most likely to platoon in left field. As far as the pitching is concerned, the O’s claimed Darren O’Day off waivers, traded for Dana Eveland, and signed Japanese soft-tossing lefty Tsuyoshi Wada.
It seems that Duquette’s strategy is to bypass the name brand free agents, and instead reach into the bargain bin. And why not? Rally Cola is just as good as Pepsi, sorta. This is a smart thought process for a team that is far away from contending, and who under the former regime, swung and missed on many “name brand” free agents (I’m looking at you Vlad). None of these roster moves are particularly exciting, or even compelling really; But they are better than spending millions on a veteran “club house leader” that will have no significance on the rebuilding effort.
That being said, according to Jon Heyman, ”The Orioles appear to be in on the Fielder derby.” Whatever that means. I assume the Orioles will only sign Fielder if he decides to take a huge pay cut just for fun (or perhaps due to Baltimore’s vegetarian cuisine?).
So what should Duquette’s next move be? For starters, trading either Jeremy Guthrie or Mark Reynolds for prospects would be nice. But as far as acquiring major league talent the O’s need more pitching. Last season the pitching staff was less fun to watch than a Lifetime movie, ranking dead last in the MLB with a 4.67 FIP (Next closest team: the Reds at 4.37). Rebuilding or not, nobody wants to see that again. There are a few pitchers on the market that could be of interest to the Orioles:
Joe Saunders
Saunders, a former first round pick of the Angels, was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks. He is no ace, but he has thrown at least 186 innings in each of the last four seasons, and has at least been remotely productive. He doesn’t miss many bats (12.4 K% in 2011), but he has consistently outperformed his peripherals (Career ERA: 4.16; Career FIP: 4.65). Saunders would not be expensive, and would provide some innings while the O’s young pitchers try to figure out what the hell happened in 2011.
Wei-Yin Chen
Chen is another Japanese left-handed pitcher that the Orioles have an apparent interest in. Unlike Wada, Chen’s fastball is better than you would find at your average carnival speed pitch booth, sitting in the low 90′s. He also throws a changeup, splitter, and curveball. I’ve never seen the guy pitch, so here is a scouting report from someone who has. Also, here are Chen’s NPB stats courtesy of Wikipedia (who says its not a reliable source?):
| year |
team |
GP |
GS |
CG |
SHO |
W |
L |
SV |
hold |
W% |
TBF |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
IBB |
HB |
SO |
WP |
BK |
R |
ER |
ERA |
K/9 |
WHIP |
League ERA |
| 2005 |
Chunichi |
10 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
—- |
92 |
19.1 |
29 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
2 |
0 |
17 |
13 |
6.05 |
9.3 |
1.81 |
4.10 |
| 2008 |
39 |
14 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
6 |
0 |
12 |
.538 |
474 |
114.2 |
101 |
7 |
33 |
0 |
5 |
107 |
5 |
0 |
40 |
37 |
2.90 |
8.4 |
1.17 |
3.74 |
| 2009 |
24 |
23 |
5 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
.667 |
644 |
164.0 |
113 |
10 |
40 |
0 |
3 |
146 |
2 |
0 |
32 |
28 |
1.54 |
8.0 |
0.93 |
3.55 |
| 2010 |
29 |
27 |
3 |
2 |
13 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
.565 |
773 |
188.0 |
166 |
21 |
49 |
2 |
8 |
153 |
5 |
0 |
63 |
60 |
2.87 |
7.3 |
1.14 |
4.13 |
| 2011 |
25 |
24 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
.444 |
659 |
164.2 |
138 |
9 |
31 |
2 |
5 |
94 |
2 |
0 |
57 |
49 |
2.68 |
5.1 |
1.03 |
3.06 |
| Career |
127 |
89 |
13 |
8 |
36 |
30 |
1 |
14 |
.545 |
2642 |
650.2 |
547 |
50 |
159 |
4 |
21 |
520 |
16 |
0 |
209 |
187 |
2.59 |
7.2 |
1.0 |
Japanese pitchers are always sort of a wild-card, but if the price is right, the O’s don’t have much to lose.
Jair Jurrjens
The O’s have been rumored to be interested in trading for the 25 year old from Curacao. I like this idea much less than the other two, namely because the Orioles would be trading prospects to obtain Jurrjens, which is counter-productive to the whole rebuilding concept. However, he does have a career FIP of 3.88 in over 700 innings and two years of team control. Although the Orioles won’t be contending for those two years, there could be some value in Jurrjens as a trade chip after next season.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Cubs, dan duquette, Dana Eveland, Darren O'Day, Diamondbacks, Endy Chavez, Jair Jurrjens, Jeremy Guthrie, Joe Saunders, Jon Heyman, Mark Reynolds, Matt Antonelli, Orioles, Prince Fielder, Ryan Flaherty, Taylor Teagarden, Tsuyoshi Wada, Wei-Yin Chen | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on December 18, 2011
This is a quick post to let everybody know that I will be re-starting the Eutaw Street and Beyond site. I took some time off from posting to complete my first semester of college; however, I would like to start writing articles again. Look for something new soon!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on May 20, 2011
Over the last three days the Orioles have made a total of twelve official transactions, involving eight different players. This slew of roster moves is due to Cesar Izturis, Brian Roberts, and Derrek Lee all being placed on the DL. Izturis and Lee will be on the 15-day DL, while Roberts was put on the newfangled 7-day DL for players with concussions. To make the changes easier to understand, I will separate them by day, starting with Wednesday.
Wednesday May 18th:
Cesar Izturis placed on the 15-Day disabled list retroactive to May 13, 2011. Right elbow ulnar nerve injury; Brandon Snyder recalled from Triple-A Norfolk
Izturis has only amassed 29 plate appearances in the first two months of the season. That is not really a significant enough sample size for any statistical analysis of his season so far. However, I do not see what his role on this team is. Andino is now the backup middle infielder and neither JJ Hardy nor Brian Roberts are going to be taken out of the game in late innings for defensive reasons. Snyder on the other hand, had a line of .276/.342/.455 with a wOBA of .354 in Norfolk. Unfortunately in his first appearance of the season, while pinch running, he looked more like Dutch soccer star Wesley Sneijder, as he kicked a ground ball in between first and second to kill a rally.
Thursday May 19th:
Derrek Lee placed on the 15-Day disabled list retroactive to May 17, 2011. Strained left oblique; Brian Roberts placed on the 7-Day disabled list retroactive to May 17, 2011. Concussion-like symptoms; Chris Jakubauskus recalled from Norfolk and activated; Troy Patton recalled from Norfolk
The O’s needed bullpen help after using every available pitcher, as well as disrupting Jeremy Guthrie’s pre-start off day with a relief appearance in their 15 inning game against the Yankees. Jakubauskus and Patton both pitched Thursday, with a combined line of 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 4 K. Both Roberts and Lee have been ineffective in the early-goings. Neither have been better than a replacement level player, so hopefully a little time off will allow them to get going when they return.
Friday May 20th:
Chris Jakubauskus optioned to Norfolk; Troy Patton optioned to Norfolk; Ryan Adams called up from Norfolk; Nolan Reimold recalled from Norfolk and activated
Hopefully Patton and Jakubauskus went out for crab-cakes after the game, because they were shipped out of Charm City a day after being recalled. Taking their roster spots are Ryan Adams, making his major league debut, and Nolan Reimold. Adams was a second round draft pick in 2006, and has had no problem at the plate as a professional. He has hit well at each stop throughout the system, and had posted a .370 OBP in Norfolk. The knock on Adams is his glove. He is at best a below average defender. Reimold has not exactly been setting the world on fire in Norfolk (.329 wOBA), but he is on the 40-man roster. He was called up to help in the outfield since Luke Scott will be filling in at first base for the injured Derrek Lee.
Posted in Transactions/News | Tagged: Brandon Snyder, Brian Roberts, Cesar Izturis, Chris Jakubauskus, Derrek Lee, Nolan Reimold, Orioles, ryan adams, troy patton, Wesley Sneijder, Yankees | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on May 10, 2011
The Orioles have activated shortstop J.J. Hardy from the disabled list, and as a result, designated reliever Josh Rupe for assignment. Hardy was put on the DL on April 10 after injuring his oblique. In only 17 plate appearances before the injury, Hardy sported a .308 wOBA, and more importantly, looked great in the field.
Rupe on the other hand, was about as successful as Brittany Spears’s dietitian. He allowed five home runs in only 14.1 innings, while walking six, and striking out seven. His FIP (8.16) was higher than the amount of letters in his name (eight). The O’s had been carrying 13 relievers, so he was an obvious candidate to be moved when Hardy was activated. It is unlikely that any teams will claim him off waivers, so he will probably be sent to Norfolk.
One interesting aspect of this roster move is what to do with Robert Andino. Andino was excellent during Hardy’s absence. Starting at shortstop, he produced a .343 wOBA in 73 plate appearances. He also was impressive on the defensive side, both to the eye and advanced metrics, although the sample size was small. Aside from the stats, Andino has a noticeable confidence and swagger about him that provides some personality and energy to an Orioles team that has been struggling. Andino is likely going to be relegated to the bench once again, but hopefully Showalter can find him more at-bats throughout the week, instead of just one start on Sunday.
Posted in Transactions/News | Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, Buck Showalter, J.J. Hardy, Josh Rupe, O's, Orioles, Robert Andino | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on May 3, 2011
At a Glance
|
|
Baltimore Orioles
|
Kansas City Royals
|
|
W-L
|
13-14
|
15-13
|
|
PCT
|
.481
|
.536
|
|
Streak
|
L1
|
W3
|
|
Hitters’ WAR (AL Rank)
|
2.0 (11th)
|
5.9 (3rd)
|
|
Pitchers’ WAR (AL Rank)
|
0.9 (12th)
|
0.7(13th)
|
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, May 3, 8:10 PM: Brad Bergesen (RHP) @ Jeff Francis (LHP)
Wednesday, May 4, 8:10 PM: Jake Arrieta (RHP) @ Kyle Davies (RHP)
Thursday, May 5, 2:10 PM: Chris Tillman (RHP) @ Bruce Chen (LHP)
Royal’s Starting Lineup
1 2B Chris Getz*
2 CF Melky Cabrera**
3 LF Alex Gordon*
4 DH Billy Butler
5 RF Jeff Francoeur
6 3B Wilson Betemit**
7 1B Kila Ka’aihue*
8 C Matt Treanor
9 SS Alcides Escobar
On the DL
Royals: C Jason Kendall, RHP Henry Barrerra, RHP Robinson Tejeda
Orioles: SS J.J. Hardy, LHP Brian Matusz, RHP Justin Duchscherer
Posted in Recaps/Previews | Tagged: Alcides Escobar, Alex Gordon, Baltimore Orioles, Billy Butler, Brad Bergesen, Bruce Chen, Chris Getz, Chris Tillman, DL, Jake Arrieta, Jeff Francis, Jeff Francoeur, Kansas City Royals, Kila Ka'aihue, Kyle Davies, Lineups, Matt Traenor, Melky Cabrera, Probale Pitchers, Wilson Betemit | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on April 29, 2011
At a Glance
|
|
Baltimore Orioles
|
Chicago White Sox
|
|
W-L
|
10-13 |
10-16 |
|
PCT
|
.435 |
.385 |
|
Streak
|
L1 |
L2 |
|
Hitters’ WAR (AL Rank)
|
0.7 (12th) |
-0.7 (14th) |
|
Pitchers’ WAR (AL Rank)
|
1.1 (12th) |
3.5 (2nd) |
Probable Pitchers
Friday, April 29, 8:10 PM: Jake Arrieta (BAL) @ John Danks (CHI)
Saturday, April 30, 7:10 PM: Chris Tillman (BAL) @ Philip Humber (CHI)
Sunday, May 1st, 2:10 PM: Zach Britton (BAL) @ Gavin Floyd (CHI)
Monday, May 2nd 8:10 PM: Jeremy Guthrie (BAL) @ Mark Buehrle
White Sox Projected Lineup
1 LF Juan Pierre*
2 SS Alexei Ramirez
3 RF Carlos Quentin
4 1B Paul Konerko
5 DH Adam Dunn*
6 CF Alex Rios
7 C A.J. Pierzynski*
8 2B Gordon Beckham
9 3B Brent Morel
On the DL
Chicago: RHP Jake Peavy
Baltimore: SS J.J. Hardy, RHP Justin Duchscherer, RHP Chris Jakubauskas, LHP Brain Matusz
Posted in Recaps/Previews | Tagged: a.j. pierzynski, Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, Alexei Ramirez, Baltimore Orioles, Brent Morel, Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox, Chris Tillman, Gavin Floyd, Gordon beckham, Jake Arrieta, Jeremy Guthrie, John Danks, juan pierre, Lineup, Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko, Philip Humber, Starting Rotation, Zach Britton | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on April 26, 2011
At a Glance
|
|
Baltimore
|
Boston
|
|
W/L
|
8-12
|
10-11
|
|
PCT
|
.400
|
.476
|
|
Streak
|
L3
|
W5
|
|
Hitters’ WAR
(AL Rank)
|
0.5
(12th)
|
3.1
(6th)
|
|
Pitchers’ WAR
(AL Rank)
|
0.4
(13th)
|
1.6
(9th)
|
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, April 26th, 7:05 PM: Clay Buchholz (BOS) @ Zach Britton (BAL)
Wednesday, April 27th, 7:05 PM: Josh Beckett (BOS) @ Jeremy Guthrie (BAL)
Thursday, April 28th, 7:05 PM: Jon Lester (BOS) @ Brad Bergesen (BAL)
Boston’s Projected Lineup
1 CF Jacoby Ellsbury*
2 2B Dustin Pedroia
3 1B Adrian Gonzalez*
4 3B Kevin Youkilis
5 DH David Ortiz*
6 SS Jed Lowrie**
7 RF J.D. Drew*
8 LF Carl Crawford*
9 C Jarrod Saltalamacchia**
On the DL
Boston: RHP Junichi Tazawa
Baltimore: SS J.J. Hardy, RHP Justin Duchscherer, RHP Chris Jakubauskas, LHP Brian Matusz
Posted in Recaps/Previews | Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, DL, Lineups, Probable Pitchers, Series Preview | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on April 22, 2011
At a Glance
|
|
Baltimore Orioles
|
New York Yankees
|
|
W/L
|
8-10
|
10-6
|
|
PCT
|
.444
|
.625
|
|
Streak
|
L1
|
W1
|
|
wOBA (AL Rank)
|
.298 (10th)
|
.357 (1st)
|
|
FIP (AL Rank)
|
4.51 (12th)
|
3.77 (5th)
|
Probable Pitchers
Friday, April 22nd, 7:05 PM: CC Sabathia (NYY) @ Brad Bergesen (BAL)
Saturday, April 23rd, 7:05 PM: Freddy Garcia (NYY) @ Chris Tillman (BAL)
Sunday, April 24th, 1:35 PM: Ivan Nova (NYY) @ Jake Arrieta (BAL)
New York’s Projected Lineup
1 SS Derek Jeter
2 CF Curtis Granderson*
3 1B Mark Teixeira**
4 3B Alex Rodriguez +
5 2B Robinson Cano*
6 RF Nick Swisher**
7 DH Jorge Posada**
8 C Russell Martin
9 CF Brett Gardner*
On the DL
Yankees: C Francisco Cervelli, IF Reegie Corona, OF Colin Curtis, RHP Luis Ayala, RHP Phil Hughes, LHP Pedro Feliciano, LHP Damaso Marte
Baltimore: SS J.J. Hardy, RHP Justin Duchscherer, RHP Chris Jakubauskas, LHP Brian Matusz
Posted in Recaps/Previews | Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, DL, Lineups, New York Yankees, Probable Pitchers, Series Preview | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Z.R. Albright on April 20, 2011
After getting off to a sizzling hot 6-1 start, the Orioles have receded to the form that O’s fans have been used to for the past decade. Before bulldozing the Twins by 11 last night, the Orioles had lost eight straight. One main problem they have had is veterans such as Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero seemingly forgetting how to hit a baseball. However, that is not a huge concern considering that the O’s are unlikely to contend in 2011 anyway. The young starters are the core that will blaze the path for future success.
This year is huge for one youngster in particular, Chris Tillman, who needs to prove that he can live up to the hype. Tillman broke into the big leagues two years ago at age 21, after being sent to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard trade. He was about as good in his inaugural season as BP is at drilling for oil. He posted a FIP over six in 65 innings. He struggled with his command, which led to a 3.32 walk rate and a 2.08 home run rate. In 2010, he tossed 53.2 innings in the big leagues and “improved” to a 5.89 FIP, and that was aided by a .256 BABIP. So far in 2011, Tillman has a 3.70 FIP, and has struck out more hitters per nine (7.58) than in any other big league season. His walks are also down from the Nuke Laloosh-like level they were at in 2010.
The strange thing about Tillman is that he has been very successful in the minor leagues, and scouts love his stuff, and yet he has zero success in the majors. Since joining the Orioles farm system he has had FIPs of 3.41, 2.76, and 3.51 in Bowie and Norfolk. He struck out over nine batters per nine innings in two of those seasons, and never had higher than a 0.74 HR/9. He also threw a no-hitter last year at Norfolk just in case he wasn’t dominant enough already. Unfortunately, whatever success he has in the minors goes down the drain when he steps onto a major league mound. It is similar to Superman flying in to save the day, and then losing his powers upon arrival. Not good for the citizens of Metropolis, and not good for Orioles fans.
One interesting trend in Tillman’s statistics is his fastball velocity. The scouting reports state that Tillman’s fastball sits comfortable in the mid 90s and can run up to around 94 mph. His first year in the majors shows that perfectly, his average fastball was 92. Last season, it dropped to 90.5, and in limited time this season it has been at 89 mph. Not only is his fastball losing velocity, but all of his pitches’ velocity has gone down. This is an even bigger concern due to his history of below-average command. You simply cannot make a mistake with an 89 mph fastball. This may be a sign that Tillman is trying to control his pitches better, arm fatigue, or he may just be pressing due to his prior performances. Whatever the case, Tillman needs to have a good season to solidify his status as a future top-of-the-rotation starter. Improving fastball velocity would be a good sign. A better sign would be improved command. Both might mean a breakout season.
Posted in Other | Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, Chris Tillman, Derrek Lee, O's, Vladimir Guerrero | 1 Comment »
