I recently had the opportunity to hear Orioles manager Buck Showalter speak to a group of baseball fans during a presentation at Calvert Hall. During his one-on-one interview session with local sportscaster, Keith Mills, Buck delivered his usual one-liners and interesting comments about the state of the Orioles and life as a big league manager.
Two things stood out to me that day. First, Buck discussed his desire to manage a roster as well as farm system that consists of players that have flexibility and maneuverability. To be able to have a roster of players that can play multiple positions (Flaherty, Pearce, McLouth, Davis, etc.) or pitch in different roles (Matusz, Hunter, Steve Johnson, etc.) is a luxury for any manager. Being able to use this type of roster effectively is something Buck does very well. The Orioles have carefully managed their current Opening Day roster as well as the farm system to be able to have major league talent on call at the AA and AAA levels when needed. If and when injuries or ineffectiveness strike the roster throughout the season, Buck and Dan Duquette have players like Danny Valencia, Trayvon Robinson, Conor Jackson, Travis Ishikawa, Zach Britton, Mark Hendrickson, Jair Jurrjens, Freddy Garcia and others with major league experience ready to be recalled. The difference for the Orioles now is organizational depth and players who can have an impact when brought up to Baltimore.
Secondly, Buck has confidence in all of his players and truly believes in their talents. When asked why the Orioles didn’t pursue the top tier of free agents in the off season, Buck stated that he liked his roster and was more than willing to go to battle with the guys currently in the organization. He expects a lot from his players and believes in their ability to compete for 162 regular season games and into the playoffs. Buck is excited to have a full season and to see the production from Nolan Reimold, Manny Machado, Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Jason Hammel and others who spent time on the DL last season. Just as important as his belief in his players, is the fact that the players (and Orioles fans) also believe in Buck. Coming to work each day for a boss who believes in you certainly has made a difference for the Orioles!
As Orioles fans, we should appreciate what we have with Buck in the managerial role. He’s a proven winner and the Orioles organization made the right move when they hired him.
