Thursday Thoughts: Awakening from Winter’s Slumber

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.

This week in the 2016 debut of the “Thursday Thoughts,” I wake up from a long offseason hibernation to catch up on some of what’s been happening with the Orioles since last fall. With spring training around the corner, it’s time to stretch out the arm and start some long toss…

1. Yovani Gallardo

Perhaps the most obvious and talked-about Orioles story recently involves a player who isn’t even on the team. Yovani Gallardo has become a hot topic for many who believe the O’s either should, or shouldn’t, go after the right-hander in free agency. As you know, signing the 29-year-old Gallardo would cost the O’s the 14th overall pick in June’s draft.

I don’t have a ton of confidence that the Orioles can do a whole lot with the pick. They haven’t had a whole lot of success in that department in recent years. In fact, in the last 15 seasons, the O’s have had a total of four first-round picks become legitimate major-league contributors to the organization (Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz, Manny Machado). To be fair, that number doesn’t include Kevin Gausman only because we’ve yet to see him really produce a “full” season of starts. Everyone believes he can be the fifth of that group. But that group also includes Matusz, who was highly thought of as a starter and has amounted to nothing more than a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.

The point remains, the O’s don’t do a whole lot with their picks. They haven’t been able to develop highly-rated talent. None of this means they should rush out to grab Gallardo and give up the pick though. Gallardo is a player who I believe is in decline. His strikeout rate has dropped over the last few years and he’s not a difference maker.

The issue facing the Orioles is that if it’s not Gallardo, who exactly is it? Who is the team’s fifth starter?

2. Corner Outfield Depth

Perhaps the other most glaring need for the Orioles is a second corner outfielder. If the O’s are going to sign Gallardo, they might as well go all-in and sign someone like Dexter Fowler to play right field. I have never believed the team would go into the season with Nolan Reimold and Joey Rickard (I’ll pause and give you a minute to look that name up) as their leading candidates to man that spot. There’s just no way after spending so much money in other places that it would make sense allow that to happen. It also never made sense to think that Chris Davis or Mark Trumbo would be the everyday right fielder. The way Buck Showalter values defense, that thought never seriously crossed my mind.

3. Hyun-soo Kim

While we’re talking about the outfield, perhaps the thing I’m most looking forward to as spring training draws near is seeing Hyun-Soo Kim in action. I fully recognize that expectations need to be managed when a player comes over from Asia. It’s rare that you see someone come in and make a massive impact.

Still, there’s something about Kim though that tells me he will be a positive addition. The O’s didn’t break the bank to get him, and I think there’s value there. I hope he can be what Jung-Ho Kang was to the Pirates last year. I hope he can play left field every day and provide a substantial bat in the lineup.

4. Chris Tillman

Perhaps the most frustrating part of this offseason, aside from there being no live baseball to watch, has been having to read articles stating that Chris Tillman will have to have a “bounce back” season if the Orioles want to be successful in 2016. I fully recognize that these types of articles or blog posts have to be written to fill the time during the winter, but I must have seen at least two a week during this offseason.

Is this really what we’ve boiled down the Orioles rotation to? Chris Tillman bouncing back? If that’s all it’s going to take for them to be better, the O’s warts aren’t as glaring as any of us believe. Does Tillman have to pitch better? Sure he does. But so do Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez and frankly Kevin Gausman.

And by the way, the team still has to find a way to replace the production from its best starter, who left to play for the Marlins. There’s absolutely no guarantee Tillman gets any better. I’d put money on him never being as good of a pitcher as he was, say, in 2014. It’s not like he doesn’t know he needs to pitch better, but sometimes that’s not up to the player.

5. Ticket Prices

Ticket prices are a topic that’s hard for me to really comment on, but I’m going to do my best. As many know, I don’t live in Baltimore or even Maryland. I don’t buy season tickets and have no real skin in the game. It was really disheartening for me to see how much bellyaching there was over the Orioles raising ticket prices earlier this week, however. Some acted like the Orioles were making fans pay $100 for a nosebleed seat after failing to win for 14 years. That’s simply not the case.

It’s almost like those who complain about ticket prices don’t understand the economics of baseball. When teams win, the price to see the games typically go up. The more amazing thing is that most don’t realize the O’s still have a top-ten most affordable ticket in all of baseball. And that’s a team that has won more games over the last few years than any other in the American League. It’s only the third time the O’s have made an across-the-board ticket price increase in the last 12 years, and it’s by an average of 20%. Some teams bump ticket prices by 50% after successful runs like the O’s have had.

The real question becomes, would you rather pay a little more to see a competitive product, or pay less to see 14 years of losing?

GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld

6. Chris Davis’ Contract

I’ve been in hibernation mode this offseason and haven’t really commented on the Orioles handing out the largest contract in team history. I was extremely indifferent to the team bringing back Chris Davis, and really remain that way.

Like virtually everyone, I had zero expectation that the team would bring three out of their four big free agents back. Once Matt Wieters returned, I never thought Darren O’Day would be back. Once O’Day was back in the fold, I knew Davis was gone. Signing Davis is just fine. He has to produce in order for it to be great, like any large free agent signing. From a sentimental standpoint, like many, I’m happy he’s back because it’s a joy to know that any time he’s up at the plate, he has a chance to send a ball off the warehouse. That’s exciting and brings an element to the lineup that many teams don’t have.

7. Mark Trumbo, Designated Hitter

The signing of Davis really didn’t make much sense to me when paired with the offseason’s other big move, trading for Mark Trumbo. I went on the record early on as being against acquiring Trumbo, but what’s done is done. I just didn’t see what he added to the club, especially when Davis was still in the mix. It’s not that the team gave up a lot to get Trumbo, it’s just that he’s a one-trick pony. He hits the ball far. That’s about it.

Buck Showalter isn’t going to send him out into right field to dance around. With Davis back, he’s not even going to send him out to first base all that often (I hope). What puzzles me the most about this, is the fact that Showalter doesn’t like to use his designated hitter’s spot up. If Trumbo plays 110-120 games as a DH this year, I’ll be surprised (and happily). Showalter typically likes to use the DH spot to rotate position players in to give them a breather or to fit a hot bat in the lineup. This was most obvious last year when Jimmy Paredes was hitting the cover off the ball and was stuck to the DH role because all of his fielding gloves had been hidden. The same should be done with Trumbo.

8. Oriole Bird On Twitter

Perhaps the most minor move of the offseason took place off the field. The Orioles added a Twitter account for the Oriole Bird (@OrioleBird). This is a very silly thing to get excited about, but humor me briefly. If you follow most professional sports teams on social media, you’ll know that they typically do a good job of interacting with fans and the other teams. It’s all in good fun and makes for a fun experience on Twitter. The Orioles have previously been pretty bland on Twitter, but adding an account for the Bird gives them a better chance to “tweet” up a storm. I know that “Orioles Twitter” has a special place in its heart for the Fake Oriole Bird that lingers out there, and I’m no exception. But there’s room for both. I’m happy the team is entering the world of having fun on social media.