This is a weekly column that dives into eight random thoughts about the Orioles/MLB. Why eight? It’s a nod to Cal Ripken Jr. of course. That, and doing 2,632 of these would be a little overboard. – A.S.
1. It’s obviously a light week for the Orioles, but at least we have an All-Star Game to talk about, right? The O’s had a good, if mostly quiet showing in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Adam Jones was 0-2 with a strikeout starting in left field, which was weird to see, while Manny Machado laced an RBI double in two trips to the plate, which was nice to see. He also nearly homered off Clayton Kershaw, which would’ve been even cooler to see. He was his usual impressive self at third base, which was, well, usual to see. Zach Britton made his All-Star debut and struck out one while allowing one hit and committing an error in 0.2 IP, which was just another something to see. Darren O’Day didn’t even pitch, which reminds me that the All-Star Game isn’t the exhibition it used to be. The fact that the game “means something” still bugs me, and a lot of the players as well. Kershaw and Buster Posey were among those to voice their concerns over the fact that because of a game in which Kris Bryant and Brock Holt were playing left field for each team in the late innings, the World Series will open in an American League stadium this October. It’s all just weird.
2. Seeing Machado in the Home Run Derby on Monday was fine, but the new format for the Home Run Derby was fantastic. Look, it wasn’t perfect, but it was WAY better than it has been in the past. The event has been too long in the past, but the clock fixed it. I’m also interested to see how baseball builds off this. They can continue to improve the Derby in a number of ways.
First of all, don’t go back to the original idea of a 5:00 round. Leave it at 4:00 like they did on Monday (only because of the threat of weather). Also, scratch the idea of bonus time. If you hit a home run, you hit a home run. I don’t care that it went 425 feet, or 450 feet. The 30 seconds of bonus time added drama at times, but it also took some of it away. I was super excited to see Todd Frazier win the Home Run Derby only because it was a cool moment for the home crowd. Otherwise, it’s just a fun exhibition that everyone enjoys.
GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld
3. Wesley Wright, we hardly knew you. No, really, we hardly knew anything about the left-hander who was designated for assignment on Tuesday. He’s made two appearances for the Orioles after signing for $1.7-million in December. I don’t quite understand what the O’s thought they were getting in the offseason for that price if they were just going to DFA Wright after he’s now healed from his left trapezius muscle injury. He hasn’t been impressive during his minor league rehab stint and the Birds don’t feel they have a place for him in the bullpen. Wright joins the likes of Everth Cabrera, Delmon Young and Alejandro De Aza as players who have been jettisoned from the team this season.
With the money spent on those players, perhaps the O’s could’ve gone out and paid for an actual corner outfielder this past winter instead.
4. There’s a narrative that I’m super tired of in sports. It’s perpetuated mostly by lazy sports radio hosts, and mostly on a national level, but it’s getting really old – hearing people discuss how Major League Baseball is going to “inject youth” into the game or “get the kids interested” in the national pastime is nothing more than code for, “I have nothing else to talk about because baseball is the only thing going on in sports right now and I don’t really follow it that closely.”
Baseball is doing just fine. We’ve known for years that there has been a passing of the torch that’s taken place from players like Cal Ripken Jr. and Derek Jeter to young guns like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and even Manny Machado. What we’ve heard even more is that there needs to be emphasis placed on getting inner cities involved in baseball and getting kids interested in playing. These things are already happening. Baseball doesn’t have a problem with a lack of youth involvement. There isn’t a problem with interest either. Baseball is healthy, and it’s just fine. Pace of play has been a big topic with this, somehow catering to the suggestion that “kids these days have short attention spans” and want a clock on the game.
Baseball doesn’t need a clock. It needs people who love the game for what it is. Part of what makes baseball so great is that it DOESN’T have a clock. Let’s stop trying to re-invent the wheel here.
GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld
5. It’s probably time for Buck Showalter to bring Chris Davis back to first base. Now that we know that Davis is likely not a trade candidate this July, there’s no reason to keep playing around. Plus it might give the O’s a chance to get away from Chris Parmelee here and there. Davis isn’t lighting the world on fire this season, but he’s been much better than his 2014 campaign. If they are going to make any sort of a push to the playoffs, his bat will be needed in the lineup. Perhaps normalizing his routine and avoiding the idea that he’s a solution in the corner outfield will help with that.
6. It snuck by many, but O’s prospect Dariel Alvarez won the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Monday night in Omaha, Nebraska. The Norfolk outfielder is ranked as the team’s #5 prospect by Baseball America, but could be the most useful as the season winds down. This could be the team’s right fielder of the future. The 26-year-old is having a very nice season and just might push his way on to the roster in the near future. I’d keep an eye on his progress, especially if the Orioles desire a corner outfielder that they didn’t go out and acquire in the offseason.
7. I’m very interested to see how the Orioles rotation shakes out the rest of the season. It obviously looks like Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman will start the second half as the five starters, but will they stay? Bud Norris is an easy replacement if something happens to the first five, but we all know the struggles he’s seen this year. There are other candidates like Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and perhaps even Zach Davies, who played in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday.
There’s always a small chance the team acquires someone from outside the organization, but don’t go dreaming about Johnny Cueto or any other big name. Perhaps Ian Kennedy, who the O’s have been linked to in the past, could be a candidate. Injuries will likely play a role, but performance is key for the current pitching staff. They will have to step up and be better if the Orioles want to repeat as AL East champions.
8. The Orioles are going to come out of the gate tomorrow with a nine-game road trip that will go a long way in determining what they do ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline. Detroit, New York and Tampa are all in contention and also have big questions about where they are going before July 31. Once the O’s return to Baltimore (to welcome Nick Markakis and the Braves), it will only be a few days before the deadline. They are going to have a good idea of where they stand not only in the division by then, but also in the wild card hunt. Most of the players have had a few days now to rest and recoup, so hopefully they come out of the gates firing on all cylinders and ready to rip off at least a 6-3 road trip and get back to Camden Yards in position to strike for first place.
