About Matthew Pyne

Just a passionate O's fan from Pennsylvania. I miss Nate McLouth.

ESR Interview: Willy Yahn “Just Tries to Win”

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Matthew Pyne

Willy Yahn is an infielder drafted by the Orioles in the 25th round of the 2017 draft. He is currently playing for High-A Frederick, where he is hitting .306/.317/.488 in 32 games. He was kind enough to sit down with ESR’s Matt Pyne for an interview. Listen or read the transcript below. Matt: So Willy, you were a standout at UConn, did you ever get a chance to meet George Springer? I know you probably didn’t get a chance to play with him. Willy Yahn: Yeah, I met him a […]

Delmarva Giving O’s Fans Reason for Hope

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Matthew Pyne

When we think Low-A professional baseball, ‘excitement’ and ‘compelling’ probably don’t come to mind, but that’s exactly what the Delmarva Shorebirds have been in 2019. Off to a 24-4 start, the Shorebirds are starting to turn some heads. Mainly, they have been led by a young pitching staff full of recent Oriole draft picks. This list includes 2018 picks Grayson Rodriguez (1st Round), Blaine Knight (3rd round), and Drew Rom (4th Round). The Orioles are in full-blown rebuild mode, and to give fans any hope for the future, their lower […]

Baseball’s Boring Episode 32: The Bonilla Contract

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Matthew Pyne

Baseball’s Boring episode 32 w/Dennis Gilbert Tim Anderson is my favorite player. Oh yeah and we’re joined by Bobby Bonilla’s agent, Dennis Gilbert. Yawn.

O’s Early 2019 Advanced Analytics Leaders

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Matthew Pyne

A Quantitative Analysis of the 2019 Baltimore Orioles…so far Alright baseball nerds, time to do a bit of a deep dive into the 2019 Birds as they begin to integrate data and information or ‘analytics’ into their play. 2019 marks a new era in Baltimore, accompanied by a new regime. I had the pleasure of sitting in on a book signing and Q&A with Astroball’s Ben Reiter along with Orioles Assistant GM and Head of Analytics Sig Mejdal on Friday, learning some valuable lessons. First, analytical data doesn’t tell the […]

O’s Spring Training Sleepers

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Matthew Pyne

The regular season is only one month away. It sure doesn’t feel like spring yet, at least not in Maryland. Nonetheless, Spring Training games are here and players are stating their best case as to why they should make a big league club. Interestingly enough for the Orioles, they have many jobs open. Coming off a historically abysmal season, Mike Elias will eye diamonds in the rough that could make an impact in 2019. Below I’ve assembled a list of names of sleeper players to watch as Spring Training progresses, […]

Mike Elias Will Lead Orioles into Future

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Matthew Pyne

Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore

It took over two weeks following the World Series for the Orioles to find the right person to head their organization moving forward, but the patience may have paid off. Mike Elias, age 35, is a young, analytically driven executive with playing and scouting experience. Elias was in part responsible for drafting the likes of Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. He has quite the job ahead of him taking over for an Orioles team that won only 47 games this past season, with no international player pipeline, and an understaffed […]

Alex Cobb Turns the Corner – Now What?

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Matthew Pyne

Coming off arguably his best start since 2013, Alex Cobb appears to have turned the corner. Over his last six starts, Cobb holds a 2.02 ERA. During that span he has lowered his ERA from 6.41 to 5.09. Overall, it’s not what the Orioles expected heading into a four-year, $57 million deal. However, Cobb could provide the Orioles value, and here I’ll explore their options with regard to his future. 1. Trade Cobb this August Now, this is probably the unlikeliest of options, because he won’t bring much value […]

Taking Stock of the Orioles’ Revamped Farm System

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Matthew Pyne

We have seen a lot of change over the last month in what looks to be a shift in the Orioles’ mindset moving forward. If you believe Dan Duquette’s words, this shift focuses an emphasis on international scouting and international free agents, developing analytical and scouting resources, and spending on technology. These were the main bullet points he provided following the Manny Machado trade, and he’s echoed them over the past 48 hours or so. This should certainly give Orioles fans hope that…they’re finally becoming a competent organization? All jokes […]

Taking Stock of the Farm System (Pre-Trades Edition)

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Matthew Pyne

This Orioles franchise is a pivotal point, with a lame duck GM and an uncertain future. They don’t spend internationally, so they bank on nailing the draft each and every year. That’s not the best practice in my opinion – or anyone’s opinion for that matter. In fact, Jim Palmer seems to agree. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 2018 MLB International Signings Tracker https://t.co/3aIUdJTa3U — Jim Palmer (@Jim22Palmer) July 3, 2018 I’m here today to talk the O’s farm system as it sits now, before the trades that will – hopefully – be made […]