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Author Archives: Matthew Pyne

About Matthew Pyne

Matthew Pyne

Part time podcaster, part time blogger. I love my Orioles as much as the next person, but mainly I just like the duck

Ryan Mountcastle Doesn’t Get the Call-Up

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Ryan Mountcastle certainly turned heads this year in his debut at AAA. At only age 22, Mountcastle led the International League in hits and total bases, but no other major offensive categories. However, he may have been the most consistent hitter in the league, thus earning him 2019 International League Most Valuable Player honors. Mountcastle is the first Norfolk Tide to win the award since 1997. Many consider this to be a major step forward for the former 1st Rounder, but looking deeper into the numbers, this may not be […]

Who (Else) Could be on the Move for the Birds?

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Mychal Givens on the mound looking in.
A Quantitative Analysis of the Birds Before the Trade Deadline We’re now past the halfway point of the 2019 MLB Season and trade rumors are already swirling. I don’t expect Mike Elias to be as active as Dan Duquette was at this time last year, but I do expect two or maybe even three Orioles to be dealt. I’ll take a look at eight potential trade candidates and show where they rank in advanced statistics. Front Offices value the advanced data much more in the modern day, along with contract […]

David Lebron Loves Going Against the Best

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David Lebron pitches.
David Lebron, pitcher, a 26th-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers, acquired by the Orioles in February and now playing for the Frederick Keys, was kind enough to sit down with me this week. Matt: So David, you grew up in Miami-Dade County, is that correct? David Lebron: Yes Matt: So, with that area being such a talent-rich area, do you think that drove you to succeed? Lebron: Yeah no doubt. I mean, growing up, we’re playing a lot of good talent down there. It kind of brings out the […]

Playing the Slots with MLB Draft Picks

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Gunnar Henderson fields.
Adley Rutschman still hasn’t signed, which could be causing some apprehension in Birdland. The reality is, Rutschman is signing. For how much of a signing bonus has yet to be determined, but it will probably land in the $8 million range (slot is $8.4 million). Bobby Witt Jr. signed for his full bonus (nearly $7.8 million), breaking Casey Mize’s $7.5 million record. This gives the Beverly Hills Sports Council (Adley’s representation) some leverage in negotiations. But no matter the figure, Adley will sign and become a member of the Orioles […]

Who Will Orioles Draft with First Overall Pick?

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men sitting at draft tables in large open room decorated with sports stuff
Oriole fans are eagerly anticipating Monday’s First Year Player Draft as Baltimore will make the 1st Overall Pick for only the second time in franchise history. This pick could very well define the Mike Elias era and the rebuild overall. More than likely whoever gets drafted 1.1 will immediately be the face of the Orioles for years to come. This guy will be billboard material and a guy people will rally around, watching his every move as he ascends through the Orioles system. Elias recently said he and his staff […]

ESR Interview: Willy Yahn “Just Tries to Win”

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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

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Blaine Knight pitches.
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 […]

O’s Early 2019 Advanced Analytics Leaders

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Trey Mancini gets ready to field.
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

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Mike Yastrzemski leads off first base.
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

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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?

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Alex Cobb of the Orioles pitches.
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

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Ryan Mountcastle swings.
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)

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Ryan Mountcastle prepares to field.
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 […]
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