World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966

American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996

Monday, October 16, 2017

Columns:

How the Orioles should use the playoffs to influence their starting rotation rebuild The Sun 10/16

How the back end of the Orioles roster came to define their 2017 season The Sun 10/14

This, that and the other MASNsports.com 10/16

Still waiting on decision regarding Orioles coaching staff MASNsports.com 10/15

Asked and answered: The readers respond MASNsports.com 10/16

First offseason edition: “10 questions for O’s fans” MASNsports.com 10/15

Orioles Prospect Austin Hays Not Shying Away From Big Stage PressBoxOnline.com 10/16

To Improve Starting Pitching, Orioles Must Be Willing To Make A Trade PressBoxOnline.com 10/16

Breaking In With Cal Ripken, Orioles Trainer Richie Bancells An Iron Man In His Own Right PressBoxOnline.com 10/16

Orioles Roster Review, Part Five: The Nine Best Orioles PressBoxOnline.com 10/13

Orioles Roster Review, Part 4: Solid Contributors PressBoxOnline.com 10/12

Tap-In Question: Which fan base has it worse right now, Orioles or Nationals? BaltimoreBaseball.com 10/14

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rotation-rebuild-20171016-

story.html

How the Orioles should use the playoffs to influence their

starting rotation rebuild

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

October 16, 2017

With the MLB playoffs in full swing, it's been part amusing and part morbid as I’m watching

each game and series to try to conceptualize how the Orioles would have gotten their requisite 27

outs with the pitching staff they assembled this season.

Their starts were already shorter than any other team in the American League, averaging 5.22

innings per start. But that would be even more abbreviated in a high-leverage situation like the

postseason, where managers go get their starters at the first sign of trouble.

While it's fun to fantasize about Mychal Givens pitching in the third inning in October, there's no

use for a team that didn't ultimately sniff the playoffs. What these playoffs are good for,

however, is advice for how the Orioles should rebuild their rotation with next October in mind.

Reliability:

The first concern is to find someone for whom six or seven innings isn't a big struggle, especially

considering how short the leash gets in October. Of the four remaining playoff teams, only

the Houston Astros — buoyed by Cy Young winners Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander —

have seen the average length of their starts go up. Everyone else has dropped by over half an

inning, which would bring the Orioles into the fourth inning of an average playoff start if

everyone were to decline at the same rate.

This would mean over five innings of relief in high-stress situations every game, something that's

untenable. The Orioles’ pursuits need to take them to someone who doesn't have trouble getting

through an order a third time, and with the stuff and pitchability to carry them deep in a playoff

start. For the regular season, deeper starts will mean a fresher bullpen come October. But it puts

a different onus on that once the postseason starts.

Velocity matters:

Other than Kevin Gausman, whose velocity is sometimes seen as his biggest developmental

hurdle, and Dylan Bundy, the Orioles didn't have many hard-throwing starters last year. That

should change somehow, and it'll probably have to be from the outside.

According to Baseball Savant, the Orioles' average fastball was a middling 92 mph last season,

and the playoffs have shown that both for starters who begin games and those who come out of

the bullpen, velocity is at a premium. The Yankees have had entire games where there were no

fastballs below 95 mph thrown. The Orioles, I'm sure, had the opposite this year.

A focus on raw stuff that can play in any situation and doesn't have to be as perfect as the Orioles

pitchers have been recently would make things much easier come October.

Flexibility in roles:

That the pitchers need to be able to play in relief as well could be the biggest separator in

October. Big-name starters have faltered in big relief roles all month long, but there's always

been the willingness to be there and to take the ball. The Orioles have had starters who have been

finicky about their routines and how long it would take to warm up in relief, complicating things

in the regular season.

Gausman and Bundy, who both have relief experience, are the types of pitchers who would take

the ball at any time and have the stuff to be effective in an emergency relief appearance. Whether

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the pitchers the Orioles bring in this offseason are the same way will go a long way toward

determining the team's success.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-backend-roster-20171013-

story.html

How the back end of the Orioles roster came to define their

2017 season

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

October 14, 2017

While the Orioles’ roster maneuvering can become a punch line over the course of a six-month

season, with constant changes required to keep the pitching staff afloat, this year's bevvy of

transactions actually tells a pretty coherent story.

From their Opening Day roster to the bloated one at the end of the season, the last one or two

spots on the Orioles roster traces the team's path from contention to despair, then back to

relevance before a September collapse.

Whether it's a luxurious array of bench options or a short bullpen, how the Orioles used the back

of their roster is a unique way to examine a season that eventually went sideways.

Opening Day: With left-hander Wade Miley battling illness late in spring training and Chris

Tillman shelved with a shoulder injury, the Orioles broke camp with three starting pitchers. That

left room for Oliver Drake and Vidal Nuño as the seventh and eighth men in the bullpen and

Craig Gentry on the bench. It was a luxury that only lasted a week, but they didn't lose with such

a deep roster over the first four games.

April: The Orioles were spared a "tough decision" when Joey Rickard injured his finger sliding

into second base right before they needed to activate Miley on April 10, but Drake didn't last

much longer, as he was designated for assignment on April 13 as the team added Stefan Crichton

to the roster.

Crichton went down for a day to make room for the fifth starter, Alec Asher, but was back up

again a day later when Zach Britton went on the disabled list with a wrist strain. Jayson Aquino

came up to make a start the following week, giving them a seven-man bullpen, but April was a

good stretch for the Orioles, who finished that month 15-8.

May: Once the calendar turned, the Orioles' fortune soon followed. The final week of April

featured some brutal games by the long-relief corps in New York that foreshadowed what was to

come. They remained at seven relievers because they only needed a fifth starter four times before

Tillman was activated on May 7, but once he was, the bullpen went down to seven players as

Rickard returned and they kept a five-man bench.

Things had worked out well to that point, with a league-best 22-10 record. Shortly thereafter, that

began to bite them. In the ensuring three weeks, they added nine pitchers for 18 games, even

with three days off, and they went into a pitching funk that would border on historic. Britton was

back on the disabled list, and the only constants were Brad Brach, Darren O'Day and Mychal

Givens. By May 17, they were back to a seven-man bullpen and a shorter bench without Gentry,

which lightened the options on that front. But there was plenty of churn outside those three.

Everyone else churned through the three remaining bullpen spots. The Orioles ended the month

27-24, just three games above .500.

June: Richard Bleier had begun to stick in the bullpen by that point, so there was a little less

turnover on that front, but not much better results. The short starts meant pitchers came in and

pitched on the day they were added and left the next day, and the back end of the roster didn't do

much to help things out. The team infamously allowed a record-setting five or more runs in 20

straight games. That corresponded with 10 pitching moves, and the team was hampered by a

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shoulder problem for O'Day as well. Without the back end of their roster being an asset, they

went 12-16 for the second straight month and went into July limping.

July: As all that was happening, Miguel Castro and Bleier had become assets in long relief, and

the July 5 activation of Britton brought some roster stability. Once he was activated, the Orioles

didn't make a pitching call-up for a full month.

That meant the Orioles could add an asset to their bench in the form of infielder Johnny

Giavotella, who didn't play much but represented at least a strong backup infield option without

J.J. Hardy or Ryan Flaherty. They added Gentry in the final weekend of the month as Mark

Trumbo went on the disabled list, but it was otherwise a stable month.

However, the back end of the roster didn't give them much. Hyun Soo Kim made four starts

before he was dealt to Philadelphia in a trade that brought in Jeremy Hellickson, while Giavotella

made two starts despite being on the roster for nearly a month. That didn't give much flexibility

or depth to a lineup that was still trying to find its groove, and the 12-14 month reflected that.

August: The second-last full month of the season brought a renaissance in the form of shortstop

Tim Beckham and a torrid month for the offense in general, though the roster didn't exactly

stabilize with that. The move of Chris Tillman to the bullpen meant the Orioles essentially had a

six-man bullpen for the entire month once Trumbo returned on Aug. 9. It was a good six with

Britton, Brach, O'Day, Givens, Bleier and Castro (plus Tillman, sporadically), but by the end of

the month, that was stretched thin.

They didn't benefit on the position player side from having the short bullpen, though. By mid-

month, they needed to add Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander after his elbow/shoulder

rehabilitation, and he didn't get much game action in that span. Flaherty returned as an insurance

policy all over the diamond, but he didn't get much time either.

By the time Sept. 1 roster expansion came, the Orioles bullpen was longing for reinforcements.

Nonetheless, they went 17-12 in August and pulled themselves back into contention.

September: The Sept. 1 call-ups helped provide plenty of options both in relief and on the bench,

but it was the cost of five months of playing short on both fronts that contributed to the Orioles

wearing down and going 7-21 from that point on.

Having a light bench meant the team's regulars weren't spelled with a day off often, and the

struggle of having to stay afloat all season caught up with them. They ended up using the extra

roster spots for a six-man rotation to give some rest to the starting pitchers, but they were taxed,

too.

A long season tends to provide receipts, and the Orioles got theirs in September.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/10/this-that-and-the-other-145.html

This, that and the other

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

October 16, 2017

Four teams have managerial vacancies and none of them are expected to interview Orioles bench

coach John Russell.

Lots of names are surfacing as candidates for jobs with the Red Sox, Tigers, Mets and Phillies.

Alex Cora is a popular one. It seems like only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Russell never seems to be given consideration despite annual endorsements from

Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

Russell spent three seasons as Pirates manager from 2008-2010 and his teams compiled a 186-

299 record. They weren’t good, finishing in last place every summer, but Russell oversaw a

rebuilding project.

Showalter often points out Russell’s impact on the franchise, and the sacrifices made, as it

became a winner again under Clint Hurdle. Doing the dirty work won’t usually get you a statue

outside the ballpark.

In Russell’s case, it may not get him another opportunity. It may not get him another interview,

which is a shame.

* José Bautista will become a free agent again and he’s still a villain in Baltimore. Let’s just

assume that his agent won’t be pestering executive vice president Dan Duquette at the Winter

Meetings.

The Blue Jays re-signed Bautista to a one-year deal worth $18.5 million that also included a $17

million mutual option in 2018 and $20 million vesting option in 2019. He played in 157 games

and batted .203/.308/.366 with 27 doubles, 23 home runs and 65 RBIs.

Seems like a smart pass by the Orioles.

Bautista owns a career .362 on-base percentage in 14 seasons. The drop this year was startling.

* Anyone out there still disappointed that the Orioles didn’t make any attempt to re-sign Wei-

Yin Chen?

The left-hander was 46-32 with a 3.72 ERA in four seasons with the Orioles. Easily one of

Duquette’s finest acquisitions. A straight-up bargain at three years and $11.3 million, plus a

$4.75 million club option.

The Orioles knew that Chen sought a four-year deal in free agency and would get it. They

weren’t going to match such an offer.

Chen exceeded their expectations when the Marlins gave him $80 million over five years.

The deal included a vesting option for 2021 worth $16 million and a provision allowing him to

opt out after the second season.

It’s hard to imagine Chen walking away from the $52 million remaining on his contract. He

registered a 4.96 ERA in 22 starts last year and was limited to nine games (five starts) this

summer due to left arm fatigue and his second platelet-rich plasma injection to promote healing

of the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

Chen hadn’t pitched in relief since 2011 in Japan.

The Orioles may have gotten his best years in the U.S.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/10/this-that-and-the-other-145.html

* The failure to re-sign Nelson Cruz, however, remains one of the club’s most glaring mistakes.

Cruz received a four-year deal from the Mariners. The Orioles wouldn’t go beyond three,

expressing concerns about his age and history of leg injuries.

Maybe Cruz will break down next summer, but I doubt it. And I’d gladly take the first three

years.

Remember how Cruz’s offensive production was supposed to decline while playing half of his

games at Safeco Field? He’s crafted a .292/.368/.557 slash line with the Mariners, has hit 126

home runs and has driven in 317 runs.

Cruz also provides valuable leadership in the clubhouse. You know all the stories about his

relationships with Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado, how they still view him as a mentor as

well as a close friend.

The fourth year was worth it.

* Jim Thome’s name came up Saturday during “Wall to Wall Baseball” on MASN, which led me

to look up the players that the Orioles traded to the Phillies in exchange for the veteran slugger.

I had some time to kill during a commercial break.

The Orioles sent minor league pitcher Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino to the Phillies on

June 30, 2012. Remember them?

Thome appeared in 28 games and batted .257/.348/.396 with five doubles, three home runs and

10 RBIs in 115 plate appearances. He went 1-for-3 in the wild card game in Texas and 1-for-12

in the American League Division Series against the Yankees.

Thome spent almost two months on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck.

I remember that there were some concerns in the organization about losing Lino, a promising

catcher praised for his skills behind the plate.

So whatever happened to Lino and Simon?

Lino, now 24, is a career .234/.308/.350 hitter in eight minor league seasons. He spent this

summer in the Cardinals organization after signing as a free agent and receiving a spring training

invite, appearing in a combined 80 games with Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.

Simon, 27, made it to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2014, posting a 9.42 ERA and 2.023 WHIP in

10 relief appearances. The former fourth-round pick out of the University of Arizona pitched for

the independent Lancaster Barnstormers in 2015 and New Britain Bees in 2016-2017.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/10/still-waiting-on-decision-regarding-orioles-

coaching-staff.html

Still waiting on decision regarding Orioles coaching staff

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

October 15, 2017

The Orioles apparently haven’t made a final decision on their coaching staff for next season.

There’s been no confirmation on returns or changes.

The situation needs to be resolved soon with contracts expiring at the end of the month. Then

again, the Orioles have been known to move slowly on such matters.

No one claims that Maryland is all about crab cakes, football and quick resolutions.

Manager Buck Showalter has stated that he wants everyone back and he passionately defends

first-year pitching coach Roger McDowell, whose status came into question while the rotation

posted the worst ERA in club history.

Showalter grew agitated with the speculation and storylines concerning McDowell. It was a sore

subject.

First baseman Chris Davis praised McDowell, hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh and third base

coach Bobby Dickerson during an interview earlier this month. And he wasn’t the only player

concerned that some members of the staff could take the fall for the team’s dismal finish.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette couldn’t offer any assurances on the final day of the

season that the group would remain intact.

“All those things with the coaches and the staffing, all those things need to be addressed,” he

said, “and I think you have to look carefully at them when you don’t have a strong year and see

if there are some adjustments that you can make.”

Showalter said on the same day that he didn’t want to process to drag along and leave the

coaches in a state of uncertainty.

“I don’t like, this time of year, that these guys four weeks from now don’t have contracts,”

Showalter said. “They have families, kids, whatever. Whatever someone has in mind or we have

in mind, I want it to come to fruition quickly. I wish it was already done.”

* Left-hander Tanner Scott started yesterday for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall

League and gave up an unearned run and a hit in two innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.

He threw 30 pitches, 17 for strikes.

Scott committed a throwing error on an attempted pickoff and also unleashed a wild pitch. He

packed a lot of activity into two innings.

Jesus Liranzo followed Scott to the mound and was charged with five runs and five hits in 1 2/3

innings. He walked two batters, threw a wild pitch and surrendered two home runs.

Liranzo created quite a buzz in spring training and Showalter hinted that the young right-hander

could reach the majors this season, but he went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 31 games

(12 starts) at Double-A Bowie over 65 innings. He walked 43 batters and struck out 75.

This wasn’t the progress anticipated from Liranzo, 22, after he registered a 1.05 ERA and 0.79

WHIP in 16 relief appearances last season at low Single-A Delmarva and a 3.38 ERA and 1.07

WHIP in 11 games with Bowie.

The Orioles put Liranzo on the 40-man roster last November to protect him in the Rule 5 draft.

He’s still working to lower his walk totals.

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The first four pitchers used yesterday by Salt River came from the Orioles organization. Left-

hander Luis Gonzalez retired all four batters he faced and Keegan Akin followed with a scoreless

inning, walking one batter and striking out one.

Anthony Santander went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He had two hits, two RBIs and an outfield

assist the previous night.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/10/asked-and-answered-the-readers-

respond.html

Asked and answered: The readers respond

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

October 16, 2017

Yesterday in this space, we asked the readers to answer a few Orioles questions. Today here is a

look (as of late last night) at how you answered. Not everyone answered every question or in the

manner asked, but hey, we had some fun reading the responses.

Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins?: Right-hander Dylan Bundy was the easy winner here,

getting 21 votes to seven for Kevin Gausman. Alex Cobb, a pending free agent, got three votes,

while Chris Tillman and Brad Brach got one.

Unless MLB Network’s Brian Kenny is able to “kill the win,” I guess we will continue to count

them for starting pitchers. Personally, I don’t see wins as all-important, ranking well down the

list of ways to evaluate a starter. But, hey, I picked the question, right?

One stat I don’t see get cited too often is winning percentage in games that pitcher starts. On the

2017 Orioles, the team had better than a .500 winning percentage for only one pitcher that made

four or more starts. That was Bundy. They went 16-12 (.571) in his 28 starts.

Which player will get the most starts in right field?: Your overwhelming choice here was Austin

Hays, who got 22 votes. Adam Jones, who would have to be moved off center field, got four

votes. Mark Trumbo got two. Jayson Werth got one, as did J.D. Martinez, Joey Rickard and Trey

Mancini. Is Hays ready to get the nod in right field? It will be interesting to see how this question

gets answered between now and opening day. Even if the team doesn’t see him as the starter

come April, he could still be the right fielder of the future in Baltimore.

Better candidate to have a bounceback year: Chris Davis or Trumbo?: You like Davis by nearly a

two to one count over Trumbo.

Which free agent pitchers should the club pursue?: The readers really, really like Alex Cobb,

who went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays. There were 22 posters

that said the Orioles should pursue Cobb. He figures to be costly, but maybe he’s not at the level

where we know the Orioles just won’t go. Perhaps his previous Tommy John history will bring

the price down a bit and his final number is doable for Baltimore. We’ll see on that.

Ten readers mentioned Lance Lynn, who went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals.

There were a few votes each for Jason Vargas and Shohei Otani. Other names mentioned

included Yu Darvish, Andrew Cashner, Jake Arrieta, Tyler Chatwood, Jhoulys Chacin, Miguel

Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jiménez and Tillman.

Who will lead the Orioles in homers next year?: Manny Machado got 14 votes and Davis got

nine. Others that got votes were Mancini with five and Jonathan Schoop with four. There was

one vote each for Trumbo and J.D. Martinez.

Rank these Orioles prospects from best to worst: Alex Wells, Cedric Mullins, DJ Stewart, Ryan

Mountcastle: This one was interesting. I basically gave each player four points for a first place

vote, three for second and so on. Under that format, and with not everyone voting on this

question, Mullins won a close vote over Mountcastle, with Wells third and Stewart a distant

fourth.

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Choosing between these numbers, what is the chance Machado will be an Oriole in 2019: 5

percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 95 percent?: Since Machado is under team control

through 2018, it is obvious what this question is asking. You seem to have a rather heavy lean

toward Manny being a goner with five percent getting 13 votes and 20 percent finishing with

nine, the second-most votes. But there were a few more optimistic among you as four voted 50

percent, five voted 75 percent and three voted it as a 95 percent chance that Machado will still be

on the team in 2019.

What is the chance Zach Britton will be an Oriole in 2019: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75

percent, 95 percent?: The same question was asked about Britton, who is also under team control

through 2018. With Machado, 65 percent gave that a 20 percent or less chance. With Britton, 62

percent were at 20 percent or less. There were 15 that voted only a 5 percent chance, eight at 20

percent, nine at 50 percent and five at 75 percent. No one voted Britton staying beyond 2018 as a

95 percent chance.

What is the chance Tillman will be an Oriole in 2018: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75

percent, 95 percent?: Since Tillman is a pending free agent, this question is asking if the O’s will

re-sign him and what percentage the chance for that happening in 2018 is. And 46 percent of you

put that chance at 75 percent or better while 85 percent voted 50 percent or better. You feel there

is a good chance the right-hander will return. Six voted 95 percent, 10 at 75 percent and 13 voted

50 percent. There was one vote for 20 percent and five at 5 percent

What question should I ask you next time?: Here are some of the answers.

* On a scale of one to 10 how would you assess Dan Duquette’s body of work?

* Can you be a fan of the team and advocate a rebuild?

* Will Buck Showalter be back in 2019? Will Duquette be back in 2019?

* Who are your favorite and least favorite Orioles of all time?

* Will the O’s swing a whopper trade for a starting pitcher?

* How can the Orioles build a more balanced lineup with more left-hand hitters and higher OPS?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/10/first-offseason-edition-10-questions-for-os-

fans-2.html

First offseason edition: “10 questions for O’s fans”

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

October 15, 2017

It is time for the first edition of the offseason of “10 questions for O’s fans.” Feel free to answer

one, two, three, any amount or all 10.

Here are today’s 10 questions:

1. Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins?

2. Which player will get the most starts in right field?

3. Better candidate to have a bounceback year: Chris Davis or Mark Trumbo?

4. Which free agent pitchers should the club pursue?

5. Who will lead the Orioles in homers next year?

6. Rank these Orioles prospects from best to worst: Alex Wells, Cedric Mullins, DJ

Stewart, Ryan Mountcastle

7. Choosing between these numbers, what is the chance Manny Machado will be an Oriole in

2019: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 95 percent?

8. What is the chance Zach Britton will be an Oriole in 2019: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent,

75 percent, 95 percent?

9. What is the chance Chris Tillman will be an Oriole in 2018: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent,

75 percent, 95 percent?

10. What question should I ask you next time?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/10/first-offseason-edition-10-questions-for-os-fans-2.htmlhttp://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/10/first-offseason-edition-10-questions-for-os-fans-2.html

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/10/16/orioles-prospect-austin-hays-not-shying-away-

from-big-stage

Orioles Prospect Austin Hays Not Shying Away From Big

Stage

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

October 16, 2017

Orioles outfield prospect Austin Hays didn't have to wait long for his big moment.

In just his second start in the majors (and his seventh game overall), on Sept. 16 at Yankee

Stadium, the 22-year old hit a two-run home run to right-center field.

Earlier in the game, Hays singled for his first major league hit, and he also drew a walk.

"It was definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders there, [got] the monkey off my back," Hays

said after the 9-3 loss to the Yankees. "Get the first hit and carry it into a couple more good [at-

bats] and putting a good swing on a good pitch to hit that last [at-bat]."

Hays was called up to the majors Sept. 5 and got his first start Sept. 9. After going hitless in his

first seven at-bats, he had two-hit games in three of his next five contests.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter started Hays in the Orioles' final 15 games, and while he ended

the season in a 2-for-22 slump to finish with a .217 average, a home run and eight RBIs, there

were many reasons for optimism.

"He's got a nice confidence about him, but not without respect for what's going on," Showalter

said. "There's not a lot of deer in the headlights for him. That's been good to see."

Throughout the season, Showalter monitors every player in the team's farm system, and he was

eager to take a look at Hays, who played in seven spring games for the Orioles in March.

Hays put up strong numbers at Class-A Fredrick and Double-A Bowie in 2017, combining to hit

.329 with 32 home runs and 95 RBIs. He was named the organization's Minor League Player of

the Year.

After being called up to the Orioles, Hays started seven games in center field due to Adam Jones

being bothered by sore legs and played right field in the other games.

Jones has campaigned for better defensive outfielders to play beside him in left and right field. It

wouldn't be a surprise if Hays and Trey Mancini, who successfully converted to the outfield from

first base this year, flanked him in right and left field, respectively, next Opening Day.

Hays made a positive impression on Jones.

"The first thing I'm going to do is not put any restraints on him, like telling him, ‘Don't do this,

don't do that,'" Jones said. " … He's got the five tools. You see his numbers. I know they were in

the minors, [but] you put up numbers, you put up numbers. That means you have the potential to

do something.

"By just seeing him here, plus-arm, plus-speed, and I think he just has to, like anybody else, play

here in the big leagues, play here and get the reps. He's doing a very good job. I think he's having

really good at-bats, aggressive swing, aggressive approach. ... Next year [he'll] find himself

fighting for a job in spring training. I like what I see so far."

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette was especially proud of

Hays' success. He often pointed out that Hays was the first player from the 2016 draft to play in

the majors.

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"Very rarely do you see a player come into professional baseball and hit as effectively and

efficiently as Austin did," Duquette said.

While Hays, who is barely a year out of college at Jacksonville University, wasn't intimidated by

the major league spotlight, the youngster did admit to being taken aback by at least one thing.

"The biggest surprise was how nice everyone is," Hays said. "You're not sure how it's going to be

coming in. You don't know if you're going to be accepted. A lot of the guys are a lot older. I'm

still experiencing everything. A lot of the older guys put an arm around me and … they've been

very helpful to me."

Hays also appreciated some of the perks that come with playing in the majors.

"It's nice not to sit on a bus until four o'clock, five o'clock in the morning, travel all through the

night and then turn around and play a game," Hays said. "The food's a lot better. You feel a lot

better all the time because your diet's a lot better than it was in the minor leagues, where you're

just getting your hands on whatever you can because you're starving."

Hays knows he'll have to produce for the Orioles to continue enjoying those benefits. Showalter

believes Hays can do that.

"He's actually played a lot more under control than I was expecting from what I was told,"

Showalter said. "Just little things like … not diving after a ball that you're 10 feet away from.

Sometimes you get a little overzealous and try to make something that's not there. He's engaged.

That's good to see. He's not aloof with this, and I think he understands what this opportunity

could mean for him."

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/10/16/to-improve-starting-pitching-orioles-must-be-

willing-to-make-a-trade

To Improve Starting Pitching, Orioles Must Be Willing To

Make A Trade

By Dan Connolly / PressBoxOnline.com

October 16, 2017

For the Orioles to have any chance of competing in 2018, they need to get better starting

pitching.

You know it. I know it. Dan Duquette, the club's executive vice president of baseball operations,

knows it. So does manager Buck Showalter.

The Orioles' group of 11 starters in 2017 combined for a 5.70 ERA, the worst mark in franchise

history. It was the worst rotation ERA in baseball since the Colorado Rockies posted a collective

5.81 in 2012.

Six Orioles combined for 148 starts in 2017, and four of those guys likely will not be part of the

2018 rotation: Wade Miley, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jeremy Hellickson and Chris Tillman, who may be

the only one with a slight possibility of returning.

That means there are likely to be three openings in the Orioles' upcoming rotation, with only

Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy guaranteed spots.

Duquette is hopeful at least one slot can be filled internally, with Miguel Castro and Gabriel

Ynoa as leading candidates.

But those guys are fifth starters or swingmen, at least at this point in their young careers.

What the Orioles really need are two veteran pitchers who can be closer to the top of the rotation

than the bottom.

And how do they get them?

That's the difficult part; the question that can't be answered right now.

"I don't know where they're going to come from, but we'll have some good starting pitching,"

Duquette said of the 2018 team. "That was the job in 2012, to go out and find some starting

pitching and we were able to sign [Wei-Yin] Chen and we picked up Miguel Gonzalez, and

Chris Tillman emerged. That really propelled the team from the second division to the first

division and then we were able to stay there since until this year, when our starting pitching

failed us."

During his tenure in Baltimore, Duquette has looked just about everywhere for starting pitching:

Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, Korea, the waiver wire, the farm system, trades and free agency.

And I'm sure the same will happen this winter. He is tireless when it comes to searching.

But to find legitimate starters who can step into a major league rotation and do the job, Duquette

has two primary options.

One is free agency. But that is, frankly, often a stroke of desperation for the Orioles.

Under managing partner Peter Angelos, the club has been hesitant to spend major money on free-

agent pitchers. The philosophy is that most pitchers who hit the open market are in their 30s and

have thrown an exorbitant number of innings or already have suffered serious arm injuries. So,

the long-term deals it would take to acquire their services are risky investments.

History supports that philosophy. Rarely does a long-term contract to a free-agent pitcher pay off

for the length of the deal. The Orioles had never gone more than three years for a free-agent

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starter until Duquette convinced Angelos to sign Jimenez to a four-year, $50 million contract in

2014. The thought was that Jimenez was exceptionally durable, had just turned 30 and had

figured out his mechanical problems with a great second half in 2013 for the Cleveland Indians.

Well, we all know how that turned out.

Physically, Jimenez held up throughout the deal, but he was 32-42 with a 5.22 ERA in four

mostly shaky seasons. And you have to wonder if that failed experiment will prohibit the Orioles

from going back to the four-year well in the future.

The good news, I suppose, is that there are few pending free-agent pitchers this offseason worthy

of four-year or longer deals. Ex-Oriole Jake Arrieta and Los Angeles Dodger Yu Darvish are; no

one else seems to be on first blush. There are some intriguing names such as Alex Cobb, Lance

Lynn, Francisco Liriano and Jason Vargas, but they all have warts. Plus, knowing that half their

games are spent pitching in Camden Yards, you figure the Orioles will have to overpay to win

any bidding war.

That, then, leaves the trade market.

It's the obvious direction to go for the Orioles -- and maybe any team at this point.

The Cleveland Indians had the best rotation ERA in the American League this year. They had

five pitchers make at least 20 starts this season; four of those were acquired via trade. The only

one who wasn't was Josh Tomlin, and he had the worst ERA of that group.

The New York Yankees had the AL's second-best rotation ERA. They had six pitchers make at

least 10 starts. The acquisition breakdown of those six: Two homegrown, one MLB free agent,

two acquired through trades and one an international professional signed as a free agent.

The Tampa Bay Rays are always vaunted for their ability to develop starting pitching. Well,

three of the five who made at least 15 starts for the Rays this year were acquired via trade.

As coveted as starting pitching is, it's also the most difficult commodity to evaluate. Of the top

10 ERA leaders among qualified AL starters this year, eight have been traded at least once. To

be fair, a few of those -- Chris Sale, Sonny Gray and Justin Verlander -- were dealt by their

original teams for rebuilding purposes. Others, though, such as Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco

and Drew Pomeranz, were given up by their original organizations without throwing a pitch at

the major league level.

So, those diamonds are out there. Duquette just has to find them. And he's done it before.

Remember, this is the guy who twice traded for eventual Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.

The flip side, of course, is Duquette has to have something to trade, something a team covets

enough to give up a starter with talent and/or upside.

He has that in third baseman Manny Machado and relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach, all

free agents after 2018. But Duquette has said he wants to hold onto those three as part of the core

for next year's team.

That's admirable, but maybe not possible if he truly is committed to improving the rotation for

2018. The farm system is improving, but was not deep enough to put together a package for a

legitimate ace (the way the Boston Red Sox did for Sale last winter).

There really aren't a whole lot of options here. Duquette is going to find starting pitching any

way he can -- but the most logical route is to trade for it. And, as we've seen before with

Duquette -- with most GMs, really -- trades can easily blow up on you, too.

It's an unenviable position for a team to be in, but it's where the Orioles' rotation, and some

misfiring moves, has put them.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/10/16/breaking-in-with-cal-ripken-orioles-trainer-richie-

bancells-an-iron-man-in-his-own-right

Breaking In With Cal Ripken, Orioles Trainer Richie

Bancells An Iron Man In His Own Right

By Jim Henneman / PressBoxOnline.com

October 16, 2017

They arrived within days of each other in Bluefield, W. Va., the trainer and the infielder, starting

careers that took different paths but traveled in the same direction. It was June 1978 and newly

married Richie Bancells was starting his first season as an athletic trainer, arriving on the scene

in time to hand Cal Ripken Jr. his first professional uniform.

Only in their wildest imaginations could either have predicted where those careers were headed,

but almost 40 years later the similarity between the two is as undeniable as it is incredible. On

his way to the Hall of Fame, Ripken would set an all-time record by playing in 2,632 consecutive

games (3,001 total).

Quietly by comparison, Bancells launched a 34-year career, the last 30 as only the third (and

longest-running) head athletic trainer in Orioles history (Eddie Weidner, 1954-1967, and Ralph

Salvon, 1968-1987, preceded him). Bancells' tenure covers more than 5,500 regular-season

games, which means that even with a few absences, Bancells has almost certainly seen more

Orioles games than anyone in the organization's history.

(In the interest of full disclosure and personal interest, I have been part of the discussion in the

past about seeing the most O's games. It was a suggestion I was happy to accept. I have also

known Richie since his first day on the job and told him this summer I thought there was a new

leader in the house. I did some homework, and my approximation is that I've seen about 5,400

games, dating to the first year, 1954, which by my count is second -- but still counting.)

Bancells, who will turn 62 in November, announced his retirement Oct. 1, the last day of the

2017 season -- and five days shy of the 16th anniversary of Ripken's last game.

"Even as you say that, it's hard to believe it's been that long -- and that I've been here that much

longer than he was," Bancells said a few days after his retirement became official.

Bancells and Ripken, as it turned out, each played prominent roles in the career of the other.

Bancells was on call through most of Ripken's record-setting streak -- and Ripken was

instrumental when Bancells introduced some then-controversial weight training programs.

Before earning his degree from Miami's Biscayne College (now St. Thomas University), which

was on the same grounds as the Orioles' minor league complex, Bancells served as an assistant

during spring training in 1977 and 1978. After his trial run, he interviewed with the late Clyde

Kluttz, former director of the O's minor league operations, for a job in the organization, not

really knowing when, or where, it might happen.

"When I came back for a second interview, Clyde told me I had the job and to report to Bluefield

in June -- and I had to tell him I was getting married June 10," Bancells said. "He told me,

‘That's OK, you have two days to get to Bluefield.'" So we got married in the Chicago area

[Evanston, Ill.], and then spent two days driving to Bluefield. After all these years, I still owe

Carol a honeymoon."

After being drafted by the Orioles in the second round, Ripken signed his contract (June 13) the

day after Bancells had reported, and within days their professional and personal friendship was

on a fast track.

"I stayed in Bluefield for a second year in 1979," he said, "so Cal jumped me when he went to

[Class-A] Miami, then I got ahead of him and went to [Triple-A] Rochester [where he stayed

four years] and he went to [Double-A] Charlotte -- but Cal beat me to the big leagues [in 1981]."

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As president of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Association from 2007-2013 and a

member of MLB's Medical Advisory Committee, Bancells has been involved in many training

innovations during the years. He has long been a proponent for proper nutrition in the clubhouse,

where sandwiches and fast food have given way to dietary programs run by professional staffs,

and also proper strength and conditioning programs.

In that role, he introduced weights to the Orioles' training regime for the first time -- and credits

Ripken for helping advance the program.

"Cal was the first athlete I knew who had an interest in the body," Bancells said. "He would quiz

me about a lot of things -- we had a lot of discussions."

It turned out that support helped on a couple of fronts. He doesn't recall the year, only that it was

the early 1980s, but Bancells remembers the reception the first time he walked into the Orioles'

locker room with a set of weights he figured could help players with shoulder problems. "It was

as though I was bringing poison into the clubhouse," he said, now able to laugh at the memory.

He was, in effect, also the Orioles' first strength and conditioning coach, a position rare in those

days but now routine at every level of baseball.

Anyone who was around the Orioles in those days knows that the biggest opponent of weights in

the clubhouse was none other than Cal Ripken Sr.

"I don't know if [Cal Jr. and Cal Sr.] ever talked about it, I never asked," Bancells said, "but it

helped that Cal Jr. was a believer. There was a lot of skepticism -- but Ralph [Salvon] was in

favor, and I think the fact that I had a young icon like Cal Jr. helped. I think it would've

happened eventually, but it made it a lot easier."

Despite their differences of opinion when it came to weights, Bancells and Cal Sr. had a unique

relationship.

"He really took me under his wing," Bancells said. "He treated me like his son -- maybe

sometimes like a son who was misbehaving. He didn't like the misbehaving part (weights), but

he was great with me."

When Bancells came aboard as Salvon's assistant in 1984, the Orioles' training room at Memorial

Stadium was roughly the size of what now serves as the staff's office at Camden Yards. But as

barren as it was, that room was typical throughout the game.

"I remember my first road trip was to Cleveland and Detroit [which had the smallest visitors'

locker rooms in baseball] and thinking, ‘This is the big leagues?'" Bancells said.

But times have changed, and just like strategies, so have training and treatment methods.

"It's better to stay in shape year around than try to get in shape in spring training -- Cal Jr. was

one of the first to buy into that," said Bancells, noting that it's now a 24/7 job almost 12 months a

year.

There would also seem to be some pressure of doing what's best for both the player and the club,

but as Bancells said to MASN's Gary Thorne in a recent interview: "I always tell the player that

whatever I'm telling him, I'm telling management, so everybody's getting the same information."

The demands of the job, coupled with the travel and his desire to enjoy more time with Carol,

their three children and seven grand children, prompted Bancells to retire. When he asked to

speak to manager Buck Showalter the morning before the last game, it wasn't because he'd made

a sudden overnight decision.

"I was about 80 percent sure when we went to spring training," he said, "and when Carol had to

have surgery this year (she's doing fine now) that made it 100 percent. But I didn't know how to

handle it -- there's no blueprint for something like this. I didn't want to say anything in April

because I didn't want players wondering about me because I wasn't going to be back.

"I think a few guys -- Darren [O'Day], J.J. [Hardy], Tilly (Chris Tillman) had an idea, and I think

Buck did, too. When I went in to talk to him I said, ‘I think you know why I'm here,' and he

asked me, ‘Are you sure?' and when I told him I was, it got a little emotional."

Fittingly, Bancells asked Showalter if he could address the team because he's always felt the

relationship with the players was the best part of the job.

"Buck said some nice things, and I got to tell [the players] that I was leaving. I do think some of

them were shocked," Bancells said later.

Throughout Bancells' career, there were plenty of highlights -- and some lowlights. It would be

hard for anybody to have a tougher first year than Bancells. His first year as the club's head

athletic trainer was 1988 -- which started with the Orioles losing 21 straight games and ending

with a 54-107 record. The next year was the "Why Not?" season, so that was a quick intro to the

roller-coaster ride ahead.

Bancells has only missed a half-dozen games during his career, for the weddings of his children

("we got lucky with the births," he said) and this year while Carol was recovering from her

surgery. Throw in spring training and postseason games and the total climbs to more than 6,000 -

- more than enough memories or seventh-inning stretches to last a lifetime.

If you push him, and it takes some prodding, Bancells will admit to a personal highlight.

"It would have to be Cooperstown, [N.Y.], 2007, when Cal mentioned me in his [Hall of Fame]

acceptance speech," he said. "The funny thing is I wasn't going to go because I didn't think I

should be away the whole weekend, but Cal had invited me and my family, and I had people

telling me, ‘You have to go. ... You have to do this.' When he mentioned my name, I wasn't even

sure what he said. It was surreal and emotional."

From Bluefield to Cooperstown, Richie's ride with Ripken is the journey of a lifetime, but there

are many more than two characters in this play. The memories have been and continue to be

mostly about the relationships.

"Eddie [Murray] called me [the day after my retirement was announced]," Bancells said. "Those

are the kind of things that mean the most to me. I can't believe the number [of former players]

who call -- only now sometimes they want to talk about hip or knee replacements, stuff like that,

or about their kids. When they had the 25-year reunion and brought back the first team to play in

Camden Yards ... seeing all those guys, just sitting and talking it was great. Those are the kind of

memories that mean the most -- and the ones I'll take from this job."

As for any future reunions, they will only get better for Bancells. After 34 years with the Orioles

and 41 seasons in the organization, he can be a full participant -- the one with the longest tenure,

the one with the most, and best, stories to tell.

Enjoy, my friend.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/10/13/orioles-roster-review-part-five-the-nine-best-

orioles

Orioles Roster Review, Part Five: The Nine Best Orioles

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

October 13, 2017

In the final part of a five-part series on the Orioles' roster, we look at the team's nine best players

in 2017. In the first part of the series, we looked at the replaceable position players, the second at

replaceable pitchers, the third at players who could help in 2018 and the fourth at solid

contributors.

Short and Sometimes Sweet:

Shortstop Tim Beckham: August was the month of Beckham. After he was acquired at the July

31 non-waiver trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, Beckham had 50 hits in his first month,

the second-most in club history.

In September, however, Beckham had only 16 hits and hit .180, finishing the season sidelined

with a hamstring injury.

The Orioles are hoping the 2018 Beckham is closer to the one they saw in August than the

September version.

Beckham is planning to work with third base coach Bobby Dickerson on his fielding this

offseason. He made nine errors in 49 games at shortstop for the Orioles.

Better and Better:

Right-handed pitcher Mychal Givens: While it's debatable whether a relief pitcher's won-loss

record is all that important, it's still worth noting that Givens has an 18-3 mark during his first

three major league seasons to go along with a 2.75 ERA.

This year, the 27-year-old made impressive strides against left-handed hitters. In 2016, lefties hit

.366 against him, but this year they hit .184.

He walked fewer batters this season, and while his strikeouts were down, he still fanned more

than 10 batters per nine innings.

Quietly Returning to Form:

Right-handed pitcher Darren O'Day: In the season's final two months, the soon-to-be 34-year-old

sidearmer had a 1.14 ERA. Through the season's first four months, his ERA was 4.91.

O'Day, who has been on the disabled list three times since the start of the 2016 season, has two

years remaining on a four-year, $31 million contract.

He's sixth on the club's all-time games pitched list and should move up a few spots next season.

Soon to Be Gone?:

Catcher Welington Castillo: Castillo is widely expected to decline his $7 million player option

for 2018 and cash in as a free agent.

Even though he was twice on the disabled list, Castillo still hit a career-high 20 home runs in 96

games. His .282 average was his best, too.

He threw out 49 percent of runners trying to steal on him, the best in baseball, and should have

plenty of suitors this offseason.

Great Rookie Year:

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Left fielder Trey Mancini: A year ago, it was uncertain Mancini would even make the team, but

thanks to his diligent work in learning the outfield, he made the Orioles' leap of faith look good.

Mancini set a club rookie record with a 17-game hitting streak and was second only to Jonathan

Schoop with an .826 OPS.

While he's not fast, he had four triples, the most on the club since Nate McLouth had four in

2013.

Fulfilling His Promise:

Right-handed pitcher Dylan Bundy: In his first full year as a starter, Bundy was 13-9 with a 4.24

ERA.

Because Bundy had never pitched this many innings, Orioles manager Buck Showalter often

gave him extra rest, and it paid off. In six starts with six or more days of rest, Bundy was 3-1

with a 2.68 ERA.

On Aug. 29, Bundy threw a 4-0, complete game against the Seattle Mariners, striking out 12. It

was one of the most dominant Orioles starts in years.

What an August!:

Third baseman Manny Machado: Machado was named the American League Player of the

Month for August, narrowly beating Beckham.

Machado hit .341 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in August. Unfortunately, he hit under .250 in

four of the five other months, and as late as July 6 he was batting just .215.

His defense took a step back, too. Though there were still dozens of impressive plays, he made

14 errors.

Mr. Consistency:

Center fielder Adam Jones: For seven straight seasons, Jones hit at least 25 home runs and driven

in 70 runs. His .285 average equaled the second-best of his career.

Jones has a year remaining on his six-year, $85.5 million contract, and it may be the best signing

in club history.

Most Valuable Oriole:

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop: I voted for Schoop, Jones and Machado in the Most Valuable

Oriole balloting, and the choice wasn't hard.

Schoop continues to grow as a player and was rewarded with his first All-Star selection. He hit

32 homers, trailing only Machado (33) on the team, and led the Orioles with 105 RBIs.

Like Machado, Schoop's defense slipped a bit. He made a career-high 15 errors.

NOTE: Orioles pitchers are scheduled to report to Sarasota, Fla., for the beginning of spring

training Feb. 13 . Position players will report Feb. 18, and the Orioles' spring home opener is

scheduled for Feb. 23 against Tampa Bay. They'll play 16 home games. Twelve will start at 1:05

p.m. and four have 6:05 p.m. starts.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/10/12/orioles-roster-review-part-4-solid-contributors

Orioles Roster Review, Part 4: Solid Contributors

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

October 12, 2017

In the fourth of a five-part series on the Orioles' roster, we look at the team's solid contributors.

In the first part of the series, we looked at the replaceable position players, the second at

replaceable pitchers and the third at players who could help in 2018.

Nice Bounce-Back:

Catcher Caleb Joseph: A year ago, Joseph was an Orioles' punch line. He had 132 at-bats without

an RBI. In 2017, Joseph had 28 RBIs and was solid defensively.

The bad news for Joseph was that baserunners had a field day when he was behind the plate. He

threw out a career-low 18 percent (10 of 55) of runners attempting to steal on him.

But pitchers like throwing to Joseph, and whether Welington Castillo or rookie Chance Sisco is

paired with him in 2018, the team's catching shouldn't be a problem.

Nice Second Half:

Right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman: Gausman had a rough first half (5-7, 5.85) followed by a

much better second half (6-5, 3.41). In a season in which the Orioles' starting rotation was

undependable, the 26-year-old teamed with Dylan Bundy to give the Orioles a good 1-2 punch

later in the season.

Gausman acknowledged he tried too hard to live up to his selection as Opening Day starter -- an

honor he admitted he didn't deserve -- which may have contributed to his first-half struggles.

The Orioles' hope they can get two strong halves from Gausman in 2018.

Lots Of Strikeouts, But Still Threats:

First baseman Chris Davis: Davis missed a month with an oblique injury but still managed to

strike out 195 times in 128 games. Many of those strikeouts were on called third strikes, and he

vowed to work hard this winter to improve.

Davis still hit 26 home runs, his sixth consecutive season with at least that many, and though his

play at first base wasn't as strong as in the past, it was generally fine.

Designated hitter Mark Trumbo: Trumbo led the major leagues with 47 home runs in 2016. That

was 13 more than he'd ever hit in a season before.

It was expected that there would a dropoff, but few expected it to be so significant. Trumbo had

23 homers, and his 65 RBIs were far off his 108 in 2016. He's also a liability in the field.

Not Quite An All-Star:

Right-handed pitcher Brad Brach: In 2016, Brach pitched so well during the first half that he was

named to the All-Star team. This season, he didn't pitch badly, but his stats weren't near those of

last year.

Brach saved 18 games when Zach Britton was hurt, but the 31-year-old blew six saves. His ERA

rose from 2.05 in 2016 to 3.18.

His strikeouts were down and walks were up, but Brach was still an effective bullpen piece.

Hurtful Year:

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Left-handed pitcher Zach Britton: It would have been hard for Britton to match his amazing 2016

season, when he converted all 47 of his save opportunities -- and he didn't.

Britton had two stints on the disabled list with a strained left forearm, wiping out almost all of

his first half, and he ended the season sidelined with a knee injury.

In between, Britton saved 15 games but saw his American League-record streak of 60

consecutive saves come to an end.

Nice Surprise:

Left-handed pitcher Richard Bleier: Bleier led the Orioles with a 1.99 ERA. He did give up

nearly a hit per inning, but allowed just 10 of 45 inherited runners to score.

Bleier's not a strikeout pitcher, but he doesn't walk many, and in a tough year for the club, he was

an unexpected contributor.

Tough To Duplicate:

Left-handed pitcher Donnie Hart: In 2016, fresh out of Double-A Bowie, Hart allowed one

earned run in his first 18.1 major league innings. Hart, who had three stints at Triple-A Norfolk

this season, had a 3.71 ERA with the Orioles in 2017.

Hart could have been placed in the replaceable pitchers category, but there's no obvious

replacement on hand for him.

While it wouldn't be a surprise if the Orioles signed additional left-handed relievers during the

offseason, Hart has a decent chance of staying with the team in 2018.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/10/16/tap-question-fan-base-worse-right-now-orioles-

nationals/

Tap-In Question: Which fan base has it worse right now,

Orioles or Nationals?

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

October 14, 2017

I had a weekend to contemplate my entry for the Tap Room today, and, well, I couldn’t quite get

beyond what happened in the baseball postseason.

Somehow, the Washington Nationals got through the Stephen Strasburg controversy, won Game

4 at Wrigley Field and then still lost the National League Division Series to the Chicago Cubs at

home.

And the pesky New York Yankees, who are supposed to be a year or two away, knocked off the

invincible Cleveland Indians and are in the American League Championship Series against the

pre-ordained champion/sentimental favorite Houston Astros.

I love baseball. Just love it.

No professional playoffs are as much fun to watch — maybe the NHL’s, but hockey doesn’t

really pick up steam for me until the Stanley Cup finals.

Anyway, while following this week’s baseball action, I was stunned by the aftermath in

Washington involving Nationals fans. Watching several video pieces, it just seemed like they

aren’t bitter that their exceptionally fine team exited the playoffs early again, the way Orioles

fans seem to be at the end of every season.

No, it just seems like Nats fans are now numb to it. They are now expecting for the worst to

happen and resigned to heartbreak – and that’s a bad place to live.

Consider that the Nationals have won 95 or more games and the National League East in four of

the past six seasons, and have never won a playoff series in their history.

The Orioles haven’t had close to that kind of in-season success recently, but they’ve at least

advanced to the ALCS once in the last few years (2014).

In their 13 seasons of existence, the Nationals have only had two years in which they have had a

worse record than the Orioles – in 2008 and 2009. Those years, the Nats were the worst in

baseball, had the top pick in the following draft and landed Strasburg and Bryce Harper, twice-

in-a-lifetime talents.

And yet they’ve never won a playoff series, and have lost three of four in the final game. It made

me wonder whether it’s more difficult to be a Nationals fan than an O’s fan these days.

Certainly, the Nationals are better set up for the immediate future, even though they’ll potentially

lose Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Gio Gonzalez after the 2018 season. But they have stars

such as Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon and Strasburg locked up for several more

seasons.

The Orioles’ future is a little cloudier after the 2018 season – heck, even the 2018 season is a bit

murky until the front office figures out what to do with a sketchy rotation. So, it’s not all cookies

and cream for Orioles fans either, obviously. And let’s not forget that the Orioles finished in last

in the AL East while the Nats won the NL East.

Still, the question seems appropriate: Which fan base has it worse at this moment?

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/10/16/tap-question-fan-base-worse-right-now-orioles-nationals/http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/10/16/tap-question-fan-base-worse-right-now-orioles-nationals/

The one that is basically assured a good team for the next few years, but seemingly has a black

cloud around it or the one that has made the playoffs every other year in the past six but hasn’t

made the World Series since 1983?

I’d say the Nationals are in a better spot to win in the future, but, at this moment, Nats fans are in

a worse situation because their team – and all of the city’s sports’ franchises – are viewed as

underachievers.

I’ll be interested to read what you have to say in the Tap Room today, since most people here are

O’s fans, but many are jaded, too.

So, have at it.

Tap-In Question: Which fan base has it worse right now: O’s or Nats?