Direct from Columbus: Times, new, Calcaterra.
ST: Last Friday, you joked that some Orioles fans get peeved at you for a lack of positive remarks about the now-perennially struggling team. Nick Markakis is a bona fide star, which you acknowledge, but are there any other players who’ve shown promise under GM Andy McPhail’s leadership? For example, I think Adam Jones has loads of potential, but even though he’s young and still learning, he sometimes betrays his talent by loafing in the field or making base-running mistakes (an O’s specialty). Any encouragement you can offer for this woebegone franchise?
CC: It’s funny, because I’m really hard on some teams, but I’ve never really gone after the O’s in that way. I think the readers’ problem with me is that I rarely say anything at all about Baltimore. But that’s because they’re in that not-too-good-but-not-hopeless gray area that makes a team’s essence hard to capture in my daily recaps. The Marlins are in the same boat, as are the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Rockies. Greatness inspires me, so I write a lot about the Dodgers and Red Sox. Audaciousness inspires me, so I write a lot about the Yankees and Rays. Drama and neurosis inspires me so I write a lot about the Cubs, Mets, and Angels. Finally, futility inspires me, so I write a lot about the Nats and Padres, Indians and Royals. The Orioles may be in last place, but they’re pretty decent for a last place team, and I do think there’s a good future in Baltimore, so right now, they just kind of bore me.
As for that future: They won’t have Huff and probably not Melvin Mora next year, but everyone else in the lineup will be back, with the young (read: good) ones all a year older and wiser. I could see the offense taking a major step forward next year. The rotation has kind of been a disaster, but there is a lot of help on the horizon in the form of Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz and some others. In fact, there may be a starting surplus in 2010 and 2011. While none of them look like top-of-the rotation guys, they’re in much better shape than they’ve been in recently. If I had to guess, I’d say that the Orioles will be frisky next year and straight-out contending in 2011.
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When did the O's officially move out of the futility category?
I kind of understand Craig's argument, but I can't relate to anyone who finds the Orioles boring.
2010 was the year I circled a couple years ago when I realized virtually their entire roster was set to become free agents after 2009 (Hernandez, Huff, Gibbons, Roberts, Tejada, Mora, Bedard, Walker, Baez, and Bradford were all signed through 2009).
The Orioles have done a decent job of moving some of those guys for younger talent, but more importantly, they've appear to be having a lot more success/luck when it comes to player development.
This trade deadline represents the last chance for MacPhail to cash in whatever expensive veteran talent is left. I won't hold my breath, as MacPhail always seems to make a lot fewer trades than I hope/expect.
But 2010 looks to be the first year in a long time where the major-league ready talent should be deep enough that I won't endorse signing veteran stopgaps.
When people started saying things like "if they got some hitting, the O's might have something" rather than "if they got some pitching, hitting, defense, and whatever else is necessary to win ballgames..."
As a Red Sox fan, I still look forward to series against the Orioles, since they're still the division's punching bag, but I can see circumstances where that might change.
Doesn't the latter part of your post answer this question?
But I agree that it's hard to see the Orioles as boring. Obviously I'm a fan and biased, but they have an exciting young OF, a potentially great young catcher, they've brought up 5 interesting prospects so far this year (Bergensen, Reimold, Wieters, Berken, and Hernandez...6 counting Uehara), and have three more excellent young pitching prospect who will be in the majors later this year or early next.
I knew Hayley Mills. I respected Hayley Mills. You sir, are no Hayley Mills.
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