tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post4921807599513863672..comments2024-01-06T02:22:33.000-05:00Comments on Camden Depot: The Orioles Are Still Andy MacPhail's TeamJon Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-6507121971345351462016-08-06T17:05:01.362-04:002016-08-06T17:05:01.362-04:00That made me laugh. I know what you meant. Stephan...That made me laugh. I know what you meant. Stephan Crane had a poem about that."there was a man with tongue of wood...."<br />I think your most telling comment was that when the team is Duquette's, he won't be restocking it from the minor leagues.<br />That made me laugh, too.<br />You've said elsewhere that Dan Disdains scouting and drafting, and his actions certainly bear that out.<br />I detest his getting players about whom the best thing he can say is,"he's a qualified major leaguer."<br />Pipnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-554121731499032872016-08-05T15:10:46.429-04:002016-08-05T15:10:46.429-04:00I figured I would just tag this here instead of re...I figured I would just tag this here instead of replying to various people on various places where this article appeared.<br />1) I was not anti-MacPhail. You can actually read my progression here. On Dec 31, 2010, I said it was time for MacPhail to go and that he likely did not have the skillset to take the Orioles to the next level. Before then, I liked most of the idea of the plan. My post that day explains well why I decided to no longer endorse him as the head of the Orioles.<br />2) This post is not to diminish Duquette or inflate MacPhail. This post simply notes where the players originated. There are many paths to take from there and I had no interest in exploring those paths right now. This was simply a "look at how most of the major pieces come from the MacPhail era". That Duquette does not have much of a presence here, as mentioned, could be by design.<br />3) While this club is MacPhail's team and as I noted in the column, there is no compelling reason to assume that MacPhail could have produced the success that Duquette has had with this club.<br /><br />This article is amazing in how it is a Rorschach test for readers. Jon Shepherdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-52413058284476097342016-08-05T13:00:43.836-04:002016-08-05T13:00:43.836-04:00I think you can come up with a couple statements: ...I think you can come up with a couple statements: 1) When this team becomes sourced by Duquette's regime it will have great trouble sourcing it from the minor leagues. 2) The column above does note whether Duquette had a direct role in extending or reacquiring players. That is why I did that. 3) I explicitly noted that Duquette needs to be given credit for retaining the players he did.<br /><br />I am unsure where you are going with your comment. <br /><br />Also, Cubs in 2015 got just as far as the Orioles did in 2014.Jon Shepherdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-10599877932190993552016-08-05T12:57:57.956-04:002016-08-05T12:57:57.956-04:00I would think Davis should be considered more of a...I would think Davis should be considered more of an Angelos guy than a Duquette guy.Matt Kremnitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15693430925266947705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-67461975041235492132016-08-05T12:06:32.513-04:002016-08-05T12:06:32.513-04:00I dunno. I think Duquette will replace or re-sign...I dunno. I think Duquette will replace or re-sign as needed. At what point do the existing players belong to Duquette? I figure by signing Davis long term, he is now part of Duquette's team. Same with Manny if he re-signs. Who belongs to Duquette now? Gausman? Bundy? Joseph? Givens? Cisco? Mancini? Manny and Schoop are so young that they should be a part of the team when it's Duquette's team. Kim could be a long term piece - the first two years is a tryout. Pitching is the hardest part of the puzzle. It's too soon to judge Duquette on that score. Right now the pieces are in place to be competitive. I think the O's are one star pitcher away from being dominant (in addition to Gausman and Bundy). Maybe that's Sedlock. IF he becomes the star pitcher that puts the O's over the top then Duquette is a genius. The Braves dynasties of the 90s did not begin with Maddux, A. Jones, or C. Jones on the roster. They brought in expensive free agents - Terry Pendleton, Greg Maddux, Fred McGriff and a new closer every year (before Wohlers). Duquette has brought in more affordable free agents with generally good results - Cruz, Trumbo, Kim, Pearce, Brach, Worley, Miguel, Chen. No huge stars but solid contributors. The O's are in first place against all odds. How much better does Duquette have to be to be successful? The Cubs haven't won a WS yet. The O's came within a whisker of going to the WS.Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-51716962273360258882016-08-04T14:13:07.069-04:002016-08-04T14:13:07.069-04:00Is the last paragraph appearing for anyone or are ...Is the last paragraph appearing for anyone or are you all in the chorus? :)Jon Shepherdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-43202238466574662262016-08-04T12:54:20.057-04:002016-08-04T12:54:20.057-04:00I agree with the above and would add one more thin...I agree with the above and would add one more thing. The Cubs have been competitive for two years. The O's have been competitive since 2012. You may think the Cubs are a better team now but the O's have the most wins of any franchise in MLB since 2012. That is one heckuva good caretaker.Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-8335920539651460752016-08-04T10:56:26.808-04:002016-08-04T10:56:26.808-04:00A couple things that I find interesting about thei...A couple things that I find interesting about their respective situations. For the Orioles organizational structure, the big faces in player acquisition are primarily Duquette and Showalter. With the Cubs, you have Jed Hoyer and Joe Maddon as well as Theo Epstein. Do Jon Lester, John Lackey, and David Ross sign with the Cubs if Epstein is somewhere else?<br /><br />Also, from 2012 to 2014, the Cubs drafted in the top 10. All three of those players are with the big league club--Almora, Bryant, and Schwarber (although Schwarber is injured, he is a great hitter).<br /><br />The O's on the other had, haven't drafted in the top 20 since 2012, when they grabbed Gausman with the 4th pick. That was also Duquette's first draft.<br /><br />So to me they are in completely different sitations. Duquette never had the opportunity to draft inside the top 20 picks, not to mention the top 5, where you should be able to get a near ML ready player or a bonafide future star.<br /><br />I think of it like this: MacPhail raised the ceiling of the club. He built the potential, and Showalter helped realize that potential. Nick Markakis is no longer our best player--Manny Machado is. Duquette raised the floor of the club. <br /><br />Well, outside of Ubaldo Jiminez, of course.Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538079974356311755noreply@blogger.com