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 the hottest topic in baseball this week, and it has a local tie. After being handed an eight-game suspension, Brian Matusz allows us to talk about “foreign substances” in a way that we’ve discussed deflated footballs for months.
I use that comparison because I’ve heard some say the two are nothing alike. Those people couldn’t be more wrong. They are exactly alike. Both are cheating, both are wrong, and at the same time, both probably don’t have much of an impact on the actual result of the game. There’s a debate to be had whether or not pitchers should be able to use something to better grip a baseball during the game. Many have spoken in favor of such a move. Rosin doesn’t do enough for pitchers. Buck Showalter has addressed it, Red Sox manager John Farrell has talked about it, and a number of other figures have brought up the fact that “everyone” uses “something” and perhaps it should be regulated and made legal.
There have even been discussions about the differences between the baseballs used in Japan’s professional league (which are apparently a little tackier) and MLB balls, which are rubbed down with “Mississippi Mud” before games. Former Oakland A’s pitcher and current ESPN analyst Dallas Braden, went as far to explain the many ways that he cheated (his words) to get an advantage while on the mound during a segment earlier this week on “Baseball Tonight.”
Something has to be done. Matusz joined the Brewers’ Will Smith on the suspension block because of foreign substances this month. The discussion needs to happen.
2. Matt Wieters is scheduled to return to the Orioles next week, and I’m still trying to decide how I feel about it. It’s not that I don’t want a healthy Wieters to return to the lineup, providing an extra dose of offense and a sound defensive glove behind the plate. It’s more that I don’t want to see Caleb Joseph forced into a backup role, because he’s been so solid this season and really hasn’t done anything to deserve losing his job.
Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a Wally Pipp situation here. Wieters has a track record and everyone knows his contract situation. Something has to be done with Wieters to figure out what’s going to happen for his future. Before the season, I said Wieters would play under 100 games as a catcher and end up taking a qualifying offer (or similar one-year deal) with the Orioles to come back in 2016 on a “make-good” contract. I still believe that. Even with an agent like Scott Boras, I really think Wieters has to prove himself as one of the game’s top catchers in order to get the type of mega contract he and his representation will desire.
Perhaps Wieters come back and hits the ground running. He hits, he’s able to catch on a more consistent basis and a a higher level than people believe is possible and he proves us all wrong. That’s very possible. There’s also a good chance that Buck Showalter feels the need to slide Wieters into the DH role every now and again, throwing off the whole dynamic of the rest of the lineup.
What happens to Jimmy Paredes if he continues to hit? Does he find a position in the field to play if Wieters is a DH? What does this mean for Steve Pearce, Delmon Young and some other corner outfielders going forward? The return of Wieters brings a lot of questions, when I feel like it should be bringing answers.
3. Ubaldo Jimenez has been the Orioles’ best pitcher this season. That’s something you might have to repeat a few times to grasp, especially if you watched the right-hander play for the O’s last year. It’s true though. Among the starters, Jimenez has been the most consistent and most impressive. After another solid outing Wednesday (and I’ll still call it solid after a few defensive mishaps allowed the Astros to score three runs in the seventh inning), he’s moved his ERA to 3.14 and even more than the stats, is pitching with a confidence we didn’t see last season. He’s been able to escape jams when he gets into them. He gets more movement on pitches than we’ve seen in years.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Jimenez’s game this season has been his K/BB ratio. He’s struck out 47 while walking just 14 on the year. I don’t like to toot my own horn often (really), and it’s still (fairly) early in the season to proclaim this type of thing, but I predicted Jimenez would have a bounce-back season. It really wasn’t the boldest of claims considering it isn’t hard for him to be better than his abysmal 2014. It’s just nice to see him stepping up and pitching well, and most of all consistently.
4. There have been many “hot takes” early in the season about the best division in baseball. This is something that seems to fluctuate most years, but over the course of a long baseball season, it all tends to even out. When you go to look at the win percentages of each division this early in the season, you’ll find that the American League East is the “worst” of the bunch. Jesse Spector of “Sporting News” has a different take this week, and it’s an interesting one.
Spector used the Pythagorean record, which takes runs scored and allowed into account when determining an “expected” record for teams. By that theory, the AL East is actually 4th of the six divisions. Regardless of the quality of each division, I think it’s important to note that the Orioles aren’t in any kind of a position to be freaking out in late May. Memorial Day tends to serve as the first real barometer of where a team stands during a baseball season, and if that’s the case the O’s are just fine. Because of the mediocre division, the Birds aren’t going to find themselves out of the race anytime soon.
The story would be way different if they were in the AL West, where the 21-23 record would have them seven games out already. Luckily, the Rays, Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays don’t pose any threat to run away and hide. It’s all about striking distance.
5. I’m getting sick of hearing about how bad Chris Davis has been this season. I feel like the legend that is Davis’ 2013 season has warped fans into this delusion that he’s supposed to hit 50 home runs every season. I’m not just bringing this topic up because he hit a pair of home runs on Wednesday, either. I actually began writing this portion of my piece before Davis hit his first homer of the game. Davis is going to strike out a lot this year. He’s already proven this, and could even be on a record pace. We’ve come to expect it, not just from Davis but from most MLB players these days. Strikeouts are a big part of the game nowadays, and Davis has perfected them. He’s also going to hit his fair share of homers, like he did Wednesday.
The other thing that people don’t often take into account his that he’s going to provide a pretty solid glove over at first base. I said at the start of the year that this would likely be Davis’ last season in Baltimore. I still believe that, but it doesn’t mean you dump him to the curb in May when he struggles. It doesn’t mean you call up Christian Walker or play Steve Pearce at first base and completely relegate Davis to the bench.
If the right trade comes along at the July deadline, I’d consider dealing Davis to get something back. I’m not making any panic moves with him though. It’s just not worth it.
6. If I would’ve told you the Orioles would start Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson in both ends of a doubleheader at the start of the season, you would’ve first asked me which street those guys were pulled off of and then you would’ve called me crazy. That’s been what the Orioles have had to go through with their starting rotation this season.
As I mentioned, Ubaldo Jimenez has been the most consistent part of it, which tells you a lot. Bud Norris has been injured (and very bad) while Chris Tillman has even missed some time with his back injury (and has also struggled at times). Perhaps there’s a need for an injection of youth into this rotation. I’m not proclaiming Tillman should be removed, but Norris is definitely a candidate for the bullpen once he’s healthy.
Players like Wright, Wilson and Oliver Drake have appeared over the last week-plus and been impressive. Small sample size aside, these are the types of prospects the team will need to rely on for depth going forward. The return of Kevin Gausman (hopefully to the rotation as well) gives the team plenty of options going forward this season, and beyond. It’s important to remember that the O’s could lose Norris and Wei-Yin Chen during the offseason as free agents. The time has come to start thinking about the future, while also dealing with the present.
7. While Major League Baseball denies that the Orioles will travel to Cuba to play an exhibition game this season, it’s likely going to happen at some point. It’s no surprise that the O’s have interest in returning to Cuba, where they played against the national team in 1999. We’re going to get all political here for just a moment, but most people know the U.S. has made efforts to normalize relations with Cuba over the past few months. This latest development is just another step in that process.
MLB is clearly taking it easy and not wanting to step on the toes of the U.S. government when making this type of thing happen. It’d be fairly idiotic for the O’s to attempt to play an exhibition in the middle of this season, similar to what they did in May of 1999 at Camden Yards. Unless they want to send a bunch of minor league players down to Havana, or wait until after the season, it makes no sense for them to try and play a game in the 2015 calendar year. Once the page turns to 2016, I could easily see the O’s popping down to the island country to play a game or two during spring training.
What went on in 1999 was surreal for many because of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. I don’t think it would be fully accepted by everyone if it happened again, but perhaps some have now warmed to the idea.
8. I wasn’t going to write about Alejandro De Aza in this space, but then he was designated for assignment on Wednesday. This is a move that makes sense, but isn’t any less disappointing in the long run. De Aza will likely be traded or given his outright release, moving on to another organization. When the O’s acquired De Aza at the tail end of last year, I really liked the move. It’s not that De Aza could’ve been a long term option in the corner outfield, but a solid stop gap.
He didn’t get it done with the bat, and frankly didn’t look as good defensively as I would’ve expected either. Some will question why David Lough gets to stick around over De Aza. Simply put, it’s defense. The play Lough made to end Wednesday’s win over the Astros showed it. If he doesn’t make that play, the Astros tie the game and hand Zach Britton a blown save.
As Buck Showalter said yesterday, De Aza isn’t the last player this will happen to. The O’s have plenty of outfield depth. De Aza was unfortunately very expendable.
