Andrew is out this week on vacation, so Karl Magenhofer decided to fill in for Thursday Thoughts. He doesn’t have quite as many thoughts as Andrew usually does – he has four. So instead of a nod to Cal Ripken Jr., let’s call this a nod to Earl Weaver, but with fewer obscenities and less yelling than Earl would have liked. – Tyler

1. I work with a lifelong Orioles fan who is Kevin Gausman’s number 19,0000,000,081st fan. He hates the guy. He’s been saying for the last year and a half that he’ll never figure it out.

I’m starting to worry that he’s right.

That puts a major crimp in the positivity displayed by Orioles management this season. Tillman has been the guy they thought he would be; last year looks like the exception and not the rule. But the rest of the rotation is filled with question marks.

2. A real killer has been watching the Cubs pitching staff the last two years. It’s not just Jake Arrieta; it’s everyone else that used to wear orange and black, too. Tsuyoshi Wada, Jason Hammel and Pedro Strop…oh my. The Dexter Fowler was just the ugly cherry on top of the sundae of my disdain for the otherwise lovable Cubs.

Prospect Intel

3. You may have seen some capsules floating around claiming to know something about each draft pick. I can tell you from watching him that the one on 4th rounder Brenan Hanifee was close. He’s got a decent fastball, an above average slider and a need to develop a 3rd pitch. Using high school numbers to project anything beyond a prep career is a fool’s errand, but I’ll do it anyway.

At any level before the majors, you better be tearing it up if you expect that talent to translate to the big leagues. Brenan did his job in that respect during his senior year at Turner Ashby High School. He posted a sub 1.00 ERA and racked up buckets of strikeouts. Last time I saw him, he tossed a one hitter in a playoff game. He’s got a big frame that should suit him well moving forward. He’s also one of the best HS football wide receivers I saw play this past year as well, which shows you just how athletic he is.

No Trade for Trumbo

4. On Hot Take Tuesday, Ryan Blake argued that the Orioles should trade Trumbo in July to try to pick up a pitcher. The Orioles would be selling high, for sure, if they decided to package Trumbo in a deal. But who on earth would part with the level of pitcher the Orioles need? No one has extra pitching, and no one trades established players for established players anymore. That was last en vogue in the 1970’s.

No contending team is going to trade a stalwart of their starting rotation, but let’s pretend this is a viable option. On the surface, the idea makes some sense…if you don’t account for the lack of depth on the Orioles bench.

I don’t really believe in WAR, but the R (replacement) part of that acronym would be a huge drop off from Trumbo at the plate. You lose both Trumbo’s immense production at the plate and the protection he gives the rest of the lineup.

Ryan says the move will allow for more Nolan Reimold. Say that out loud and your family will have to get you out of the nut house. I don’t have a problem seeing more of Kim, but selling me on Reimold and Yaz? Good grief.