Archive for January, 2015

Orioles Acquire Travis Snider, Gain Additional Depth

Posted in Offense, Offseason, Trades with tags , , , on January 29, 2015 by oriolesprovingground

On Tuesday the Baltimore Orioles finally decided to do something this offseason by acquiring Pirates outfielder Travis Snider for minor league left handed pitcher (and Baseball Prospectus #9 Orioles prospect) Stephen Tarpley, along with a “player to be named later”, which is rumored to possibly be minor league left handed pitcher Steven Brault.  Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a quick look at what the Orioles have in Snider and what they gave up to get him.

Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Acquire Travis Snider, Gain Much Needed Depth

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Chris Tillman: Good Pitcher, Not an Ace

Posted in Pitching with tags , , on January 26, 2015 by oriolesprovingground

The question of whether Chris Tillman is an ace is not a new subject.  However, previous attempts at analyzing his “ace-hood” have focused on his FIP and WAR (Fangraphs version).  Since those statistics rely on aspects of pitching that he doesn’t excel at (strikeouts, walks, and home runs), it’s not really surprising that he’s fallen short of ace status.  While Tillman’s FIP has never been that impressive, he has done a good job at preventing runs.  With that in mind, today I take a look at whether Tillman can be considered an ace based on his run prevention over at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot.

Direct Link to Article –> Chris Tillman: Good Pitcher, Not an Ace

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Did Jonathan Schoop Make a Subtle Adjustment in the Postseason?

Posted in Offense with tags , on January 9, 2015 by oriolesprovingground

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop had a tough 2014 season at the plate.  The combination of his aggressiveness, poor pitch recognition, and pull tendencies led him to be the worst hitting second baseman (minimum 450 plate appearances) in all of baseball by wRC+.  However, it’s possible that he made a small (but important) adjustment during the postseason that could be a good sign of things to come in 2015.  Today over at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a look at what that adjustment may be.

Direct Link to Article –> Did Jonathan Schoop Make a Subtle Adjustment in the Postseason?

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My (Hypothetical) Hall of Fame Ballot for 2015

Posted in Hall of Fame, Offseason with tags , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2015 by oriolesprovingground

Similar to last year, I put together my picks for the Baseball Hall of Fame, you know if I actually had a vote. I went through a lot of things leading up to my actual picks in last year’s piece, including my stance on whether players who have used (or are suspected to have used) steroids belong the Hall of Fame. My views have not changed at all since then, so I will direct you to that article if you’d like to see it or reacquaint yourself. Additionally, since many of the players I would have voted for did not get in last year, my stance on their inclusion has not changed. For a complete list of players on the 2015 ballot, click here.

LINK –> My (Hypothetical) Hall of Fame Ballot for 2014

I will add though that the rules have slightly changed, in that players can only stay on the ballot a maximum of 10 years, rather than 15. Any player who was on the ballot between 10 and 15 years at the time of the rule change was allowed to stay on the ballot for a total of 15 years. Essentially, with an ever-increasing ballot of worthy players, this rule change screws Tim Raines, Mark McGwire, and possibly Edgar Martinez.

Here’s my ballot for 2015. Continue reading →

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Delmon Young Returns to Orioles, Makes Blogger Sad

Posted in Offense, Offseason with tags , , on January 1, 2015 by oriolesprovingground

My first post of the new year is over at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, and it’s about the recent signing of Delmon Young.  The good news is that there’s nowhere to go but up!

Direct Link to Article –> Delmon Young Returns to Orioles, Makes Blogger Sad

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