For the third year running, our good pals over at Bird’s Eye View are hosting their BEVy Awards, and once again they’ve graciously asked us to participate. You can check out our categories and voting results from last year here, and listen to their entire 2014 show here.
Some of last year’s great categories ranged from the on-field variety (Best Hold of 2014, Dan Duquette Reclamation Project Award), to the silly (The Zany Orioles Quote Award), to the downright ridiculous (The Luis Ayala Memorial “Most Likely to Bang Your Girlfriend Award.”)
Our contributions included the Forgotten Man award and the “Why Are You Breaking My Heart Like This, Just Let Me Love You!” Award. We’ll be resurrecting those honors here in 2015, with their names changing ever so slightly to honor last year’s recipient.
In 2014, it was the “Alex Burnett Memorial” Forgotten Man, named in honor of 2013’s winner, Mr. Burnett, who succeeded Randy Wolf on the trophy.
Likewise, engraved in the the 2014 “Why Are You Breaking My Heart Like This, Just Let Me Love You!” trophy was the name of Jim Johnson, who inspired the honor with his 2013 performance.
This year, the awards are again named after last year’s honorees. And away we go…
The Ramon Ramirez Memorial Forgotten Man
This award is for the player who you are LEAST LIKELY to remember when you think back upon the 2015 Baltimore Orioles. Ramirez ran away with last year’s award, racking up 65% of the votes to beat such names as Jemile Weeks and Preston Guilmet. He pitched just 1.0 inning in 2014, 1/3 of an inning less than the previous year’s winner, Burnett.
Could this finally be the year a non-pitcher takes it home?
The nominees:
Ryan Lavarnway – The backup catcher for the first two months of the season (it doesn’t feel like that long, does it?), Lavarnway was DFA’d on May 26 after going just 3/28 (.107) at the dish. He caught on with the Atlanta Braves, where he’s played in four games and gone 3/11. He might be at a disadvantage in this category because fans tend to remember guys that we intensely dislike, and “LeWrongWay” may fall victim to that.
Everth Cabrera – It was between Cabrera and Rey Navarro for this spot, but with Navarro still in the organization, the nod goes to the guy who kept J.J. Hardy‘s seat warm for 29 games, hitting .208/.250/.229 in the process. That .229 slugging percentage is higher than only Lavarnway (.143) among non-pitchers this season. Cabrera was DFA’d on June 5, released on the 13th, and as far as I can tell, still doesn’t have a team. Like Lavarnway, Cabrera may be remembered for being so awful, which could hurt him in the voting.
Cesar Cabral – Unlike in years past, the O’s don’t have a bevy (heh) of short-stint relievers who end up leaving early in the year. Instead, they’re mostly like Cabral, who though he pitched just 1.0 inning so far this season, is still in the organization. He pitched on June 6 and 7 before being optioned back to Norfolk to make room for Nolan Reimold.
Eddie Gamboa – The knuckleballer was indeed with the Orioles for two days back in April (4/11-13), though he never made it into a game. The 30-year-old minor league veteran has a 3.05 ERA at Norfolk, and like Cabral, is still on the 40-man roster, so we could see him again. For now though, he seems like the frontrunner for this particular award.
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Our next category:
The Chris Davis “Why Are You Breaking My Heart Like This, Just Let Me Love You!” Award
After his monster 2013 season, Birdland was crazy about Crush. Crush then crashed back to earth in 2014, becoming basically just another Mark Reynolds-type hitter. He’s rebounded a bit here in 2015, but it’s painfully obvious that ’13 was indeed the outlier, and Davis’ career year by a long shot. Our expectations are lowered, so Davis won’t be a nominee here this year. Instead, we have a whole new group of disappointing Orioles to talk about.
The nominees:
Steve Pearce – After hitting .293/.373/.556 with 21 home runs in a breakout 2014 campaign, Pearce has clunked back to earth in 2015. Though he’s done everything Buck Showalter has asked of him in the field, playing first base, outfield, and even second base at times, Pearce has just been completely unable to get his bat going. As of today, he’s at .233/.301/.384 and six HR, in just under half the number of AB he had last year (338 to 159). Pearce’s roster spot could be in jeopardy moving forward, though his versatility could keep him around.
Chris Tillman – Remember all that “Chris Tillman is our ace” talk? Seems pretty silly now, huh? After racking up 20 consecutive starts of allowing three ER or fewer to end 2014, Tillman has already allowed four or more ER seven times in 16 starts this year, and his ERA sits at an awful 5.57. Several times the Birds have handed him big leads only to watch him still struggle to get deep into the game. In Toronto a couple weeks ago, he got all of one out after being handed a 7-0 second inning lead, leaving with the score 7-6 in the second. However, there may be a bright side – as long as the O’s keep him away from the Blue Jays, maybe things aren’t so bad:
In four starts this year versus Toronto, Chris Tillman is 0-3 with an ERA of 15.00. In his other 11 starts, he is 6-4 with a 3.50 ERA.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) July 4, 2015
Bud Norris – Big Bad Bud. Bud the Stud. Names that O’s fans were calling Norris in 2014, as he was whiffing Mike Trout and grabbing his crotch on the way to a 15-8 record and 3.65 ERA. This year, it’s “Bud the Dud” and “Butt Norris,” as he’s battled bronchitis and ineffectiveness, going 2-8 with an ERA near 7 through 11 starts before being demoted to the bullpen just this past weekend. His first appearance from the bullpen was a good one, though it was against the light-hitting White Sox. As the Birds’ second-highest paid starting pitcher, Bud needed to be better this year. Like Tillman, Norris was a victim of the Blue Jays, allowing 17 ER in 5.1 IP against the Jays in April. He seems like a really cool guy who is very easy to root for, which makes it that much harder to watch him struggle like he has.
Dylan Bundy – Bundy is a special case, but finds himself as a nominee nonetheless. The “can’t miss” prospect has been shut down again, this time with shoulder calcification, and is looking more and more like a certified “bust” as a Baltimore Oriole. He last appeared for the Birds way back in September 2012, and Tommy John Surgery had him on the shelf for 2013 and most of 2014. He was pitching well this year, but the shoulder issues surfaced and nobody knows when he’ll be on a mound again. His contract dictates that he be on the 25-man roster to start 2016, and everyone who wanted to trade him over the last few years now looks pretty smart in retrospect. Dylan Bundy, you’ve broken our hearts.
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