TL;DR: The Orioles were a really good offensive team this year, and despite all the injuries were basically as good in the second half as in the first. The Co-HCs weren't the problem.

Edit for clarification: above in my TL;DR I failed to included my point about injuries being the cause for offensive decline in the second half of the season. The Orioles offense was worse in the second half. But it wasn't as much because of poor performances as it was injuries.

-.-.-

A lot of O's fans on here and other socials have over the past couple days been calling for O's Co-Hitting Coaches, Matt Borgschulte and Ryan Fuller to be replaced. And, despite the title of this post, I'm not suggesting that there are no good reasons for making that move. I am sympathetic to the pain that we all are going through, and public executions are a well tested and effective method of offering catharsis to a populous. Maybe that is reason enough.

What I am suggesting is that if the front office makes the decision to cut ties with the Co-HCs, it shouldn't be based on the 2024 Orioles hitting data.

Let's start with the team rankings.

In 2024 the Orioles were the 5th best offense in baseball by just about any collection of metrics that might try to assess overall performance: 5th in OPS and Runs, 7th in BA and Hits, 2nd in HRs, 4th in RBIs, 3rd in XBH%, 2nd in SecA.

They were 12th in OBP, 13th in K%, and 20th in BB%, showing their more aggressive approach that sought to punish opponents' pitching mistakes, while still managing to be slightly above avg at getting on base and avoiding strike outs.

"What about progress? Shouldn't good Co-HCs help hitters improve throughout the season?"

Well, I don't know if that's a valid assumption, given that the HCs also get to work with the players in Spring Training to help improve them before the season starts. But, for the sake of argument, sure let's assume that good Hitting Coaches should be able to make adjustments better/faster than opposing Pitching Coaches, leading to, at the very least, steady performance throughout the year.

Note: The Orioles played 96 games (59%) before the All-Star break, and 66 games after.

--- Pre-AS --- Post-AS ---

OPS: .764 | .731

OPS+ 114 | 105

Avg: .253 | .246

HRs: 149 | 86

HRs/G: 1.52 | 1.30

Barrel% 9.6% | 7.9%

HardHit% 43.0% | 40.9

wRC+ 117 | 111

So, what gives? Why did the team get worse after the All-Star break?

Well, the entirety of the offensive decline can be attributed to having to play Eloy Jimenez at DH for 33 games, good for a .586 OPS. He was awful with the White Sox and awful with the O's. But the reason he was in the lineup sinking the team's second half offensive numbers is because of injuries. Without Jimenez, the Orioles first and second half numbers are basically identical.

"What about Adley? What about Gunnar? They were a lot worse as the season wore on! The HCs should wear some responsibility for that."

It is true that a number of Orioles were worse offensively in the second half. But if Borhschulte and Fuller get the blame for the offensive struggles, then shouldn't they also get the credit for second half surges?

Like, yeah it sucks that Adley was a worse hitter even than Eloy Jimenez, but let's look at some OPS changes from before and after the All-Star break.

Adley -.195

McCann +.195

Gunnar -.157

Cedric +.202

Mounty -.093

Cowser +.090

Urías +.138

And I don't know how much weight should be put on the small sample sizes of post-trade performance, but Jimenez was marginally worse, Slater was marginally better, and Rivera was absurdly better (his OPS was .563 with Miami and .948 with Baltimore). Oh, and Austin Hays' OPS dropped .039 points after moving to Philly.

Now, there is an argument to be made that maybe the offensive philosophy isn't the best way to win playoff series or whatever, and I'm happy to have those kinds of conversations.

But the main takeaway from the O's offensive numbers from this year is that the Hitting Coach duo helped put together a very strong offense this year and were able to help more players improve offensively than the number who of players who couldn't retain their early season form or bounce back from their struggles.

My only gripe for this season. I’m totally fine with even just making the playoffs. But not as happy with losing two decent pieces for a pitcher who pitched … twice at mlb level ?with the os

The two games averaged only 1.77 million viewers while the Brewers/Mets and Astros/Tigers games averaged over three million viewers. Padres and Braves averaged 2.49 million viewers even though they were going up against the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday.

MLB Wild Card Series up 16 percent through two days - Sports Media Watch

For me resigning Burnes, signing a guy like Jose Iglesias or Miguel Rojas for their contact bat, especially against lefties, and those are two absolutely tremendous clubhouse leaders from what we hear. Or a even a Jurickson Profar. Utility who walks. Then there's stuff like making Gunnar an Oriole for life if they can, and of course getting new hitting coaches. Maybe a cheap, veteran lefty starting pitcher. Your thoughts?

For my fellow lingering O's fans who aren't quite ready to walk away from October baseball just yet, curious to get a poll on the fanbase's preferred allegiance for the rest of the postseason.

Personally, I want to see Padres/Tigers in the World Series, with the Padres finally winning their first and Manny getting a ring. I wouldn't be too upset if the Tigers won. They're gritty and feels like this year's "team of destiny." If both of them are out, I'll be pretty much done watching for the year.

Not including Yanks/Royals in the poll, for obvious reasons, and also not enough poll space. If you want to vote for them then put it in the comment section.

View Poll

I want that for us so bad man. My dad’s a Mets fan so been reveling a bit in their big comeback win tonight and there’s just this little twinge of sadness every time I watch the highlights. All I want is a playoff moment.

It’s what’s been so hard about the last two years (and 10 straight games tbh) it’s not just the failure to win the World Series, that’s hard to do, it’s that we haven’t even had anything in the playoffs to celebrate in 10 years. It’s still Delmon, Delmon is still the last true playoff moment the Os have had. Even in a season that ultimately ended in disappointment I’ll always remember where I was for that play forever.

I want to add to the HoF of moments that we all watch in the middle of winter for some happiness. We’ve barely even had real highlights the last two years (the hicks 2 rbi single and maybe the Ced HR this week) and I think that’s why the ends to the season are so tough, so disappointing especially when 2023 was full of so many fun regular season moments. This year I really thought we’d get one in the 9th in game one after the walk or, of course, with the bases loaded in game 2 but again nothing but bleak heartbreak.

I’m not even asking for a series win or a pennant (although why don’t we do that too that’d be a moment lol) I just want a game, a memory, that’s not just oh well they’re young and set for the future we’ll get em next year! Something that cuts thru all the arguing about the manager and the hitters and the roster and the payroll and just makes us happy, the whole reason I watch baseball to begin with. To have the sport I love, love me back.

I want to celebrate a clutch hit, a big play, a player finally coming thru, something, anything in the 2025 playoffs please. That’s all I ask. Provide me a new cherished memory.

TLDR: I want the orioles to win a memorable playoff game in 2025 and add a highlight to the fan vault

It all started when the Orioles had lost their All-Star closer right before the playoffs and for the 2024 season. An absolute gut punch to the roster, clubhouse, and front office. Then the team lost a crucial left handed pitcher in John Means right before facing a left handed juggernaut lineup, the Texas Tangers. The team had World Series hopes for the first time since 2014, but quickly learned they were inexperienced and lacked the payroll and trade deadline talent to match the best of the AL in a playoff setting where the leashes are shorter and the matchups weigh at all time highs.

After the 2023 season ended I was extremely frustrated. Not only at the Orioles performance, but at the format of the playoffs. Something about seeing your 100 win team lose all its momentum with a week off from playing and then be rewarded with an opponent that should have been the 3 seed if not for the MLB's obnoxious and broken seeding system. They got swept by the World Series champs. The excuses were easy and the future was still bright. I quickly learned that the playoff format was not the problem.

I arguably was more upset about how this 2023 offseason went compared to how the season ended. We lost some big veteran clubhouse guys in Kyle Gibson and Adam Frazier. They were never going to be re-signed, but the team still lost players and needed to replace them. This is where Angelos left his final stain on this franchise that was oozing with potential. Losing an all-star closer and a key starting pitcher in Means left more holes in the boat than even a front office with all of the answers could not keep afloat. They did their best to patch it up with the $10 million budget they were given, while other teams spent 10 times as much to compete.

Spring training started and the team lost Bradish. There was hope that he would be able to return, but everyone had a feeling he would not. There was no money to replace him either.

The season started and the team lost Wells after a shaky start to his season. The rotation was broken and there was no way to fix it. The lineup rallied and we saw several players make the all star team and it felt like the team was a trade deadline away from being postseason ready. And potentially ready to win the AL East again.

Then came the deadline. Eflin, Seranthony, Soto, and Rogers to band-aid the pitching staff. Eloy and other washed bats to replace the likes of Westburg, Kjerstad, and Mateo. Then Mountcastle and Urias got hurt. The team could not stay healthy. Every time there was progress, another player hit a setback and was placed in the IL. Grayson didn't make it back in time, and then ironically the team lost Cowser in its final game to a freak HBP.

There were a lot of critics of this deadline. Elias, Sig, and the rest of the front office seemed to have punt on the season hoping to play the field position game. Looking back on it, after how many things went wrong. After an offseason where our owner was more busy trying to sell the team than help it, can you blame them for not putting all of their chips in?

Westburg came back and tried to rally the team into thinking they could spark a hit streak again, but nothing changes if nothing changes. Whatever the hitting coaches were trying to do with this lineup in the second half, they broke them. Every at bat's approach felt like they were trying to be a hero. Like it was the 9th inning with 2 out down a few runs. Home run swings on balls and watching strikes down the middle. Shaking their heads, slamming their bats, walking back to the dugout just hoping forth at the next guy up would save them.

This season was truly heartbreaking to watch and if you're still reading this post it means you're just as depressed about it as I am the next day. There was so much hope to build upon from last season and the team took a step back. Players that kids look up to and see as superheroes looked like shells of themselves. You want to root for them, but you can feel their embarrassment too.

When I look back on this season, I want to be able to appreciate the fact that we got new ownership before it was too late. Before Adley and Gunnar's contracts ended and they were forced out like Manny. This season does not define who this team is. This season should instead be a wake up call to what we could have remained. There are players that will leave and there are players that will join us. I fully trust this front office and new ownership to turn this franchise around and make the critical decisions take us to the World Series one day.

You just have to believe that the Orioles Magic never left in the first place, it just needed to be funded. It's time for Rubenstein to show us what kind of franchise this is going to be.

We've all seen the posts stating that the Orioles need some veteran presence in the clubhouse and like everyone else, I agree. The one potential free agent on the list that I personally would like the most is Anthony Rizzo. He's not guaranteed to hit the market but I think it's doubtful that NYY picks up his team option. I will throw an asterisks in early on stating that I grew up in Chicago before Baltimore and still do follow the Cubs as well as the O's so I will try to limit my personal bias as much as I can. One other additional note: this move makes a lot more sense if ROH signs elsewhere.

Career Stats: .261 BA, 303 HR, 965 RBI, 781 BB, 4x Gold Glove, 1x Platinum Glove

2024 Stats: 92 games, .228 BA, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 27 BB, missed 62 games due to injury

There is no doubt that he is not the player he once used to be. Power numbers have been way down as he hit 32 HRs in 2022 down to 12 in 2023. You can especially see the power numbers drop as he is a lefty hitter who plays 81 games in the park that is designed to give lefties HRs. In addition, the injuries are a concern - 2022 - 130 games, 2023 - 99, 2024 - 92 games. At 35 years of age his best years are behind him. With his contract being a 17m club option I would be absolutely floored if the Yankees pick it up especially when they are going to back up the Brinks truck for Soto. This diatribe is also under an assumption that ROH goes elsewhere which of course who knows

So why would I want Anthony Rizzo on the team?

1. OPB - Outside of his rookie year with SD (41 games) he has had at least a .300 OBP. Rizzo has one of the better batter eyes in the league. He is even currently the MLB league leader in HBP. Quite frankly, the dude has shown he gets on base throughout his career. To have an elite understanding of the strike zone is something that's rare and hard to teach. However, after watching some of the swings and misses against KC, perhaps he could teach the Baby Birds a thing or two. 

2. Elite defense - The awards speak for themself. Rizzo was a defensive stud at first base throughout his prime. Rizzo has 69 (nice) errors in his career and 12 in the past three years in 304 games (.039 errors per game which is comparable to Mounty’s .03 errors per game). Although he is not the elite defender that he used to be, the Orioles don’t need him to be an everyday first baseman. When Mounty needs a day off there wouldn’t be a huge drop off in defensive production and in addition would allow Mounty to shift to right for Tony days off (or whomever is playing right field next year).

3. Affordability - He’ll be 36 in August and in the twilight of his career. One would think he would want one last crack at a title. I don’t see him costing more than 5m/year.

4. Familiarity with AL East - I know this isn’t football and does not have the same impact as bringing in a division rival but he’s played in the AL East the past three years. He knows the division and the inner workings of the dreaded Yankees clubhouse. Probably not a huge net gain but certainly not detrimental.

5. Clubhouse presence - Finally after all the previous rambling I get to the biggest point, Rizzo is a huge asset in the clubhouse. 

First off, time and time again you hear about how likable he’s a likable guy. I have never once heard a bad word about him. His teammates seem to love him and he seems to be the opposite of a distraction. He seems to be a strong glue guy and always has a smile on his face. He seems like a player that brings nothing but good vibes. 

Second, he has been through so much on a personal level. I’m sure many of you know that Anthony is a cancer survivor. His perseverance off the field is a real inspiration to many kids who are battling this terrible disease and he’s dedicated a lot of energy, time, and money to be there for those who are going through the same thing. I find it to be a remarkable story and one Orioles fans can relate to on a baseball level as we had to experience first hand one of our beloved players go through a similar situation. Rizzo has won the Roberto Clemente Award and Heart and Hustle Award and not only can he be an inspiration to the fans but he can teach the kids how to give back and make a difference in the greater Baltimore area outside of the game.

Third and finally, he has literally been in this exact position before with perhaps even more pressure to win a World Series than the Orioles. When Theo Eipstein was hired in 2011, the expectations were HIGH to say the least. After the 2014 season, there was real hype that the Cubs were actually a contender to end the longest championship draught in sports. To say the expectations were high in Chicago was an understatement. The Cubs in 2015 were said to have the best young core in the game. Where does that sound familiar? In 2015, they came up short being eliminated by the Mets so in 2016 expectations were even HIGHER to finish the job. Rizzo was a fifth year player in 2016 and was able to put up a .292 BA, 32 HR and 109 RBI in the regular season and had a .277 batting average with 18 hits, 3 homers, 10 RBIs in the postseason (despite having an awful NLDS). In the 2016 World Series the Cubs were down 3-1 to Cleveland. During game 7 the Cubs had a 6-3 lead in the eighth which they blew but thankfully there was the rain delay. The Jason Heyward speech happened during the pause in play and the rest was history. To say that this guy has faced pressure is an understatement. This guy lived the exact same pressure that the Orioles today are facing (if not more so) and learned how to handle it from great veterans like Jon Lester and Jason Heyward. I think he would be a huge asset to relate to our young guys as he has lived the exact situation the O’s see themselves in today. He’d be a great mentor to the kids and I feel like they would listen and look up to him and take his advice seriously. 

Fun Fact - do you know who was the first base coach for that 2016 Cubs team? None other than Brandon Hyde. Also doesn’t hurt that he already has a relationship with our manager.

Welp, thats my argument. Thank you for reading and if you didn’t that’s fine too. I was able to eat an hour of a slow day typing this up. 

Hi, everyone. Made a profile on here because I had to get away from the toxic website, Orioles Hangout. Supposedly, anyone who had any hope for this team is an idiot, according to the guy who runs that site.

Are we allowed to be positive and try to find silver linings here without being constantly attacked? Hoping to find a better place to talk about the O’s with real fans and not a bunch of crybabies who attack other fans because their team loses. Obviously there’s always room for improvement when you lose, but all of the bickering and insults over this loss are just too much for me right now when there are people in this country dealing with real problems. I really want to find a community that’s more positive. Is this it?

Any other former Orioles Hangout members in here who don’t feel welcome there anymore?

...and maybe a few new bench coaches.

Apologies in advance if these either aren't necessarily new or groundbreaking takes or if they have been aired out before in the last few days but I felt I needed to write out my thoughts to try and make sense of the last few years as an Orioles fan. (Also apologies in advance if my references are either incorrect or not 100% accurate - I don't really sift through the numbers/data all that hard so most of this is like 70/30 gut feeling.)

We absolutely need to sign veteran hitters.

• Comparing our roster this year (even without injuries) to the last 10 teams in the World Series in the last 5 years, or even our 2014 roster, and what stands out the most is the lack of actual seasoned veterans (and not Orioles "through the tough times" veterans.) And it really showed in the postseason last year and this year.
• Our 2023 season was supposed to be our young core "figuring it out" and without any weight on their shoulders they smashed expectations, then immediate got humbled in the postseason.
• Due to the slightly unexpected outcome of the 2023 season, loftier expectations were set on the essentially same young core. Sure we went out and got Burnes and throughout the year/at the deadline added a bit of support, but whether the new front office was ready or not (or if it was some combination of that plus the outgoing ownership), our actions implied that our young core was still going to need to figure it out down the stretch.
• The back half of the season was all the proof we needed to say that this was mainly a mental collapse: whether it's plate approach, situational hitting, trying to win it all with one swing, etc. it's incredibly obvious the team struggled to mentally adjust when the pressure continued to rise (division race with the Yankees, continued high expectations especially with prospects being called up, dealing with injuries etc.)
• We can definitely put a lot of this on our coaches, but IMHO when it comes to team sports coaching provides direction but it's up to the players to take that coaching and actually do something with it. Even just by looking at the body language of guys like Gunnar in the back half, they were all struggling simultaneously and couldn't collectively navigate how to piece it all together.
• My theory is that without veteran hitters (ideally with some playoff experience or at least deep season experience), this team just doesn't have the experience necessary to deal with September and October baseball.

Like I said, this isn't a nuanced take by any means and I probably spend way too much time writing all of this out, but I think my conclusion and realization over the last 24 hours has been: looking at how quickly we've turned it around as a club, and with such a young core, this is really only the beginning of our window and it's now up to the front office to actually complete the pieces to the puzzle.

We're in such an ideal state.

• Without injuries and without new signings, we have a solid pitching staff that can only get better through maybe a few off season additions.
• Our young core either continues to get better or it's still too early to completely determine their ceiling.
• If we add a solid veteran position player or two to provide offense and maybe a little mental coaching/just plain experience in the clubhouse come fall ball, maybe that's enough to let us score more than 2 runs in 2 games.

Anyway, this ended up being way too long and I need to get back to my day job.

See you next year O's fans.

Alright, in order to remove the sting of another failed postseason, lets have hope and guess at what we do in the offseason. As a cursed Orioles fan, the offseason has been the best part of the season for most of my life because they haven't choked or stood pat yet. Lets start with what we already know and who will be on the roster with known and expected contract values.

Value coming off the books (2024 Salary): $64.25M of $110M (doesn't include Kimbrel's buyout)

• Corbin Burnes - $15.6M
• Anthony Santander - $11.7M
• James McCann - $4M
• Austin Slater - $250K
• John Means - $3.3M
• Craig Kimbrel - $12M
  • $5M buyout for 2025
• Austin Hays - $4.1M
• Mychael Givens - $2M
• Cole Irvin - $1.8M
• Dillon Tate - $1.2M
• Tony Kemp - $1M
• Seranthony Dominquez - $1.5M
  • $8M Club option
• Ryan O'Hearn - $3.5M
  • $8M Club option
• Danny Coulombe - $2.3M
  • $4M Club option
• Cionel Perez - $1.2M
  • $2.2M Club option

Value on the books (2025 Salary): $40M

• Zac Eflin - $18M (FA 2026)
• Craig Kimbrel - $5M (Buyout)
• Felix Bautista - $1M (FA 2028)
• Chris Davis - $9.2M
• Alex Cobb - $4.75M
• Bobby Bonilla - $500K
• Eloy Jimenez - $1.5 (Buyout)

Estimated Arbitration Values (2025) per MLBTR:

• Keegan Akin - $1.4M
• Jorge Mateo - $3.2M
• Tyler Wells - $2.1M
• Kyle Bradish - $2.1M
• Burch Smith - ???
• Trevor Rogers - $2.8M
• Ryan Mountcastle - $6.6M
• Matt Bowman - $1.3M
• Jacob Webb - $1.7M
• Gregory Soto - $5.6M
• Dean Kremer - $3.5M
• Cedric Mullins - $8.7M
• Emmanuel Rivera - $1.4M
• Ramon Urias - $3.1M
• Adley Rutschman - $5.8M

So where do we go from here?

It looks like the roster will be fairly stable from the 2024 squad (for better or worse). The first order of business it to determine which arbitration eligible players will be tendered contracts and which club options will be exercised. Coulombe and Perez are good bets to have their options picked up for a total of $6.2M. I believe most of the Arb players will be tendered contracts with the exceptions of Mateo, Smith, and Bowman. The total estimated value of all the others is $42.5M. These add $48.7M to the 2025 value which eats up all but $15.5M from the 2024 payroll. Where does this leave the 26 man roster?

• INF (6): Henderson (L), Westburg (R), Urias (R), Mountcastle (R), Rivera (R), Holliday (L)
• OF (3): Mullins (L), Cowser (L), Kjerstad (L)
• C (1): Rutschman (S)
• SP (6): Eflin (R), GRod (R), Kremer (R), Povich (L), Rogers (L), Suarez (R) (although his contract situation isn't clear to me; technically he is pre-arb)
• RP (7): Bautista (R), Akin (L), Webb (R), Soto (L), Coulombe (L), Perez (L), Cano (R)
• IL (2): Bradish (R) (mid 2025 return), Wells (R) (early 2025 return)

This leaves 4 3 roster spots, all of which are position players. The starting rotation is probably the biggest question mark as 1 or 2 of those pitchers probably get bumped to the pen depending on whether the Orioles sign or acquire a top of the rotation arm. Povich could also start the season at AAA which would open another roster spot for a SP or RP. Pushing Suarez to the pen as an additional righty makes a tone of sense as we are too lefty heavy. If those 2 things happen, I would assume we go sign a lefty starter to take advantage of the LF dimensions. Robbie Ray (if opts out), Blake Snell (if opts out), and Max Fried are the best of the bunch and will all probably command high AAV contracts. Kikuchi or Heaney could be more cost effective options at 33 years old, although Ray is the same age. I would think with the huge number of SPs hitting the market, that these middle tier guys will only be able to sign 3-4 year deals with AAVs of ~$15M. Biggest personal fear here is that the team stands pat expecting Bradish and Wells to come back in early/mid 2025 and don't want to create a log jam by signing another SP. Please learn from 2024!

For the position players, we need a 2nd catcher. I expect us to sign/acquire another McCann type catcher that will play more than most backup catchers would on other teams. Danny Jansen and Carson Kelly are probably the best options with pretty low AAVs - something as low as $2M to $5M. Austin Barnes may become available which would be another solid option.

The outfield situation is a real headscratcher due to the double edged sword of having 3 lefties hitting in Camden yards that are also very susceptible to matchup nightmares. We need at least 1, if not 2, OFs that mash lefties. When I say mash, I don't mean mashed lefties in 2022, I mean now. Enough of these bargain basement, dumpster diving, know they're going to choke guys. Unfortunately, the market doesn't look great for right handed OF. Teoscar Hernandez will be too expensive and I doubt a huge upgrade of Tony. Mitch Haniger? Mark Cahna? Harrison Bader? Manual Margot? No thanks. Tyler O'Neil could be a good addition somewhere between $5-8M AAV if he could stay healthy. Jurickson Profar (S) is going to get paid and he is going to be a huge gamble due to his track record. His defense is questionable too, but maybe that's fine with Cowser and Mullins in the OF.

While I assume that Mountcastle is tendered, I could see a situation where he is not brought back due to his climbing arb value. The cost of a real improvement probably isn't worth the money (Pete Alonso). Prepare for another season of Mounty striking out a lot on low and away sliders.

Edits/Updates

• Mayo is not listed here and could be a replacement for someone like Rivera. He could also be a trade chip for a SP or OF.
• Dominquez is not included in the 2025 roster as I believe his option will not be picked up due to the cost for a setup guy and his HR tendencies. That money would be better spent on a starter or difference maker in the OF.
• Completely Missed Cano, which means the roster already has 13 on it invalidating any talk of adding a pitcher without removing someone.

TL;DR Summary
The team is largely unchanged but it needs 1 arm (TBD where), a backup C, and 2 Outfielders - preferably right handed hitters. With a modest payroll increase from 2024 ($10-$25M), we could add 2 difference making position players and a SP. The baby birds will be better next year, particularly Povich, Cowser, Holiday, and Kjerstad. This doesn't account for locking any young players up, but it is looking like that is not Elias' thing, so I am not holding my breath there.

The Orioles ranked fifth in BB% with the bases empty this season which is outstanding. With runners on base, the Orioles were 27th in BB%. And with runners in scoring position, the Orioles ranked 28th in walk percentage. Since opposing teams are aware of this fact, it's very easy to pitch to our hitters with men on base. They tell their pitchers to throw every pitch that dot the black regardless of the count. If they hit their target, it's a quality strike or a pitch that our hitters can't do much with. If they miss their targets out of the zone, our hitters are going to swing at it anyway and get themselves out. It's the reason why this team struggles so much with men on base. They never draw walks so they never get quality pitches to hit. I don't know if the hitters just lose their heads or are being selfish trying to get RBIs or if it's an issue with the hitting coaches giving them bad advice but it was the biggest problem that completely derailed this team's season.

I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders today. I love the Orioles and have for many years. I wanted so badly for them to make a deep run in the playoffs or at least avenge 2014 with KC. It didn’t happen and I don’t think it would have against the Tigers either. We were decimated by injuries and just spiraled after the break. I think it is quite an accomplishment to get 91 wins. Now let’s see what new owners will do this offseason and personally I am taking a mental break from baseball. It was a bumpy ride but we did win the season series against every AL East team (I think). Cheers and beers!

This feels fitting today. Bart Giamatti was the commissioner who banned Pete Rose and was the father of actor, Paul Giamatti.

https://mason.gmu.edu/~rmatz/giamatti.html

"The Green Fields of the Mind " It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone.

Somehow, the summer seemed to slip by faster this time. Maybe it wasn't this summer, but all the summers that, in this my fortieth summer, slipped by so fast. There comes a time when every summer will have something of autumn about it. Whatever the reason, it seemed to me that I was investing more and more in baseball, making the game do more of the work that keeps time fat and slow and lazy. I was counting on the game's deep patterns, three strikes, three outs, three times three innings, and its deepest impulse, to go out and back, to leave and to return home, to set the order of the day and to organize the daylight. I wrote a few things this last summer, this summer that did not last, nothing grand but some things, and yet that work was just camouflage. The real activity was done with the radio--not the all-seeing, all-falsifying television--and was the playing of the game in the only place it will last, the enclosed green field of the mind. There, in that warm, bright place, what the old poet called Mutability does not so quickly come.

But out here, on Sunday, October 2, where it rains all day, Dame Mutability never loses. She was in the crowd at Fenway yesterday, a gray day full of bluster and contradiction, when the Red Sox came up in the last of the ninth trailing Baltimore 8-5, while the Yankees, rain-delayed against Detroit, only needing to win one or have Boston lose one to win it all, sat in New York washing down cold cuts with beer and watching the Boston game. Boston had won two, the Yankees had lost two, and suddenly it seemed as if the whole season might go to the last day, or beyond, except here was Boston losing 8-5, while New York sat in its family room and put its feet up. Lynn, both ankles hurting now as they had in July, hits a single down the right-field line. The crowd stirs. It is on its feet. Hobson, third baseman, former Bear Bryant quarterback, strong, quiet, over 100 RBIs, goes for three breaking balls and is out. The goddess smiles and encourages her agent, a canny journeyman named Nelson Briles.

Now comes a pinch hitter, Bernie Carbo, onetime Rookie of the Year, erratic, quick, a shade too handsome, so laid-back he is always, in his soul, stretched out in the tall grass, one arm under his head, watching the clouds and laughing; now he looks over some low stuff unworthy of him and then, uncoiling, sends one out, straight on a rising line, over the center-field wall, no cheap Fenway shot, but all of it, the physics as elegant as the arc the ball describes.

New England is on its feet, roaring. The summer will not pass. Roaring, they recall the evening, late and cold, in 1975, the sixth game of the World Series, perhaps the greatest baseball game played in the last fifty years, when Carbo, loose and easy, had uncoiled to tie the game that Fisk would win. It is 8-7, one out, and school will never start, rain will never come, sun will warm the back of your neck forever. Now Bailey, picked up from the National League recently, big arms, heavy gut, experienced, new to the league and the club; he fouls off two and then, checking, tentative, a big man off balance, he pops a soft liner to the first baseman. It is suddenly darker and later, and the announcer doing the game coast to coast, a New Yorker who works for a New York television station, sounds relieved. His little world, well-lit, hot-combed, split-second-timed, had no capacity to absorb this much gritty, grainy, contrary reality.

Cox swings a bat, stretches his long arms, bends his back, the rookie from Pawtucket who broke in two weeks earlier with a record six straight hits, the kid drafted ahead of Fred Lynn, rangy, smooth, cool. The count runs two and two, Briles is cagey, nothing too good, and Cox swings, the ball beginning toward the mound and then, in a jaunty, wayward dance, skipping past Briles, feinting to the right, skimming the last of the grass, finding the dirt, moving now like some small, purposeful marine creature negotiating the green deep, easily avoiding the jagged rock of second base, traveling steady and straight now out into the dark, silent recesses of center field.

The aisles are jammed, the place is on its feet, the wrappers, the programs, the Coke cups and peanut shells, the doctrines of an afternoon; the anxieties, the things that have to be done tomorrow, the regrets about yesterday, the accumulation of a summer: all forgotten, while hope, the anchor, bites and takes hold where a moment before it seemed we would be swept out with the tide. Rice is up. Rice whom Aaron had said was the only one he'd seen with the ability to break his records. Rice the best clutch hitter on the club, with the best slugging percentage in the league. Rice, so quick and strong he once checked his swing halfway through and snapped the bat in two. Rice the Hammer of God sent to scourge the Yankees, the sound was overwhelming, fathers pounded their sons on the back, cars pulled off the road, households froze, New England exulted in its blessedness, and roared its thanks for all good things, for Rice and for a summer stretching halfway through October. Briles threw, Rice swung, and it was over. One pitch, a fly to center, and it stopped. Summer died in New England and like rain sliding off a roof, the crowd slipped out of Fenway, quickly, with only a steady murmur of concern for the drive ahead remaining of the roar. Mutability had turned the seasons and translated hope to memory once again. And, once again, she had used baseball, our best invention to stay change, to bring change on.

That is why it breaks my heart, that game--not because in New York they could win because Boston lost; in that, there is a rough justice, and a reminder to the Yankees of how slight and fragile are the circumstances that exalt one group of human beings over another. It breaks my heart because it was meant to, because it was meant to foster in me again the illusion that there was something abiding, some pattern and some impulse that could come together to make a reality that would resist the corrosion; and because, after it had fostered again that most hungered-for illusion, the game was meant to stop, and betray precisely what it promised.

Of course, there are those who learn after the first few times. They grow out of sports. And there are others who were born with the wisdom to know that nothing lasts. These are the truly tough among us, the ones who can live without illusion, or without even the hope of illusion. I am not that grown-up or up-to-date. I am a simpler creature, tied to more primitive patterns and cycles. I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.

From A Great and Glorious Game: Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti, © 1998 by A. Bartlett Giamatti.

Once I saw Gunnar swing at the first pitch in the first inning I knew we lost. Good pitching from the opposing team requires the first batter to take as many pitches as possible to see what the pitcher has going for himself . Westburg is a better number 1 batter - look what he did when he came to the plate. We may have great individual batting coaches yet we do not seem to have a team strategy.