Head ver to ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot for this week’s episode of The Camden Highball podcast, where Pat Holden and I talk to Matthew Kory from Baseball Prospectus about the Orioles, Red Sox, and the rest of the AL East.
Direct Link to Article –> The Camden Highball –> Talkin’ AL East in the Year 2015
Yesterday, the Orioles made a very unsurprising trade with the Dodgers, sending the recently designated for assignment Ryan Webb and minor league catcher Brian Ward to Los Angeles for minor league catcher Chris O’Brien and right-handed pitcher Ben Rowen. The Orioles roster crunch in the bullpen meant someone had to go (we can probably expect another one to go soon too), and Webb (who for whatever reason fell out of favor with the Baltimore front office) was the odd man out. What made this trade so confusing though was the inclusion of the Orioles 2015 Competitive Draft Pick (number 74 overall). Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a deeper dive into this trade, trying to figure out just what the Orioles were thinking.
Direct Link to Article –> Orioles Pull Off a Confusing Trade With the Dodgers
The Orioles continue to command the AL East, with several media outlets giving them over a 99% chance to not only make the playoffs, but to win the division. With the playoffs in mind, Baltimore made a couple of transactions (through trades and expanded rosters) to not only help finish the season strong, but to also improve the team for the postseason. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Orioles blog Camden Depot, I take a quick look at these roster moves and how they’ll help the team moving forward.
Direct Link to Article –> Quick Thoughts on Recent Roster Changes
Ryan Webb has been one of the best relievers in the Baltimore bullpen this year. So when the Orioles traded for Andrew Miller at the deadline two weeks ago, they naturally made room for Miller on the roster by designating Webb off of the 25-man roster (technically a different action than optioning him to the minor leagues, but essentially the same thing). It was a curious move at the time that has only become more curious by the fact that he’s been down in AAA for the entire time. Today at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I try to figure out why.
Direct Link to Article –> Why is Ryan Webb Pitching in Norfolk?
There hasn’t been too much to report on last week in the minor leagues. Oh wait, there was a trade that happened, and there seemed to be a lot of people that didn’t appreciate my take on it. Other than that, the Norfolk Tides cooled off a bit after an extremely hot 3 weeks and we saw some position player pitching in Norfolk, as third baseman Cord Phelps took the mound in extra innings on July 31 against Toledo. Phelps didn’t last long, pitching 0.1 innings, while giving up two hits and the game-winning run. The fact that the game ended quickly after Phelps entered the game was probably for the best.
Norfolk also saw the additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Ryan Webb to the Norfolk roster, as Jimenez was there for a rehab assignment (he won’t be there long), while Webb was designated off the 25-man roster (similar to being optioned and different from being designated off the 40-man roster – it’s confusing I know, so you can read more about it HERE). I don’t understand the move by the Orioles to send Webb to AAA, as he has been their third best reliever this year, only slightly less valuable than Darren O’Day. It puzzled me enough that I went on a mini-twitter rant about it the other day. Continue reading
About one week ago, the boys over at MLB Trade Rumors indicated that the Orioles were one of four teams that were interested in Heath Bell, which prompted the following reaction…
I’m almost positive they’re joking RT @mlbtraderumors: Orioles, Mariners Among Four Teams Interested In Heath Bell http://t.co/yZQbt2zsOb
— OriolesProvingGround (@OriolesPG) May 16, 2014
Turns out the Orioles weren’t joking, as they signed Bell to a minor league contract two days later. It’s not like the Baltimore bullpen doesn’t need help. They are currently have the 5th worst FIP in all of baseball (or 26th best if you’re an optimist), and have barely been better than replacement level as a group (0.3 fWAR). Additionally, the bullpen only strikes out 18.0% of batters faced, which places them 28th in baseball (not good). Ryan Webb, Darren O’Day, and Zach Britton are the only relievers who can be trusted at this point, so taking a flier on Bell isn’t the worst idea. Continue reading
Last week we looked at what the Zips projection system over at Fangraphs thought the Baltimore Orioles position players were capable of in the 2014 season. Comparing those projections to the wins (fWAR) the team received at each of the offensive positions in 2013 resulted in the 2014 Baltimore offense to be worth 4.7 wins worse than the previous year’s team. Today we’ll take a look at the pitching staff and see if we can bring that number back into the positive.
Starting Pitcher
2014 Zips Projection
In 2013, Baltimore starting pitchers as a whole were one of the weakest parts of the roster. The starters combined for only 7.4 fWAR, which placed them 24th among all major league starting rotations. Much of that production came from Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, and Miguel Gonzalez. Scott Feldman and Bud Norris also added about 1 win each in a little less than half a seasons worth of work for the Orioles. Other than that, 9 other pitchers produced anywhere in between 0.5 fWAR (Jason Hammel) and -0.8 fWAR (Freddy Garcia). I looked at how the starting rotation fared in depth at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot earlier in the offseason, so if you would like a more detailed analysis, you can find it here. Continue reading
Yesterday the Orioles made the signing of right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Webb official, after Webb passed his physical. Webb signed a 2-year, $4.5 million contract with the team. Other than the Jim Johnson trade and signing a bunch of AAAA players (guys who are too good for AAA, but not good enough to be a major league regular), the signing of Webb has been the most significant addition for Baltimore so far this offseason, which seems to be leaving most of the Baltimore fan base a little restless as numerous free agents are off the board and the winter meetings are beginning to wind down. Since Webb has played his entire major league career in San Diego and Miami, most of you have probably never seen him pitch. With that in mind, I am providing a first look of Ryan Webb over at ESPN Swetspot Network Orioles blog, Camden Depot. He may be their first “major” free agent signing, but hopefully he’s not their last as the team has multiple holes to fill.
Direct Link to Article –> A First Look at Ryan Webb
Orioles Proving Ground 