tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post9171853996982197859..comments2024-01-06T02:22:33.000-05:00Comments on Camden Depot: Who Were The Five Biggest Surprises For The Orioles In 2016?Jon Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-29355470972058251492016-10-07T18:13:18.969-04:002016-10-07T18:13:18.969-04:00Matt K, true I did realize I was nitpicking but yo...Matt K, true I did realize I was nitpicking but you didn't mention Tillman. Considering it was starting pitching that was the only reason the O's were picked last in the AL East and Tillman was not expected to be much better than last year even though he had shown it before. I was watching one around mid-August when Tillman was 15-4 and they said the O's were like 20-4 in his starts and I looked up and they were 16 games over .500 in the standings. That made me realize just how much better Tillman was doing than expected. It rated a big surprise for me. For every other pitcher except second half Bundy and Gausman, they were completely dependent upon the O's offense for wins (of the 8-7 variety).<br /><br />Pip, yes, Gallardo's statistics were declining and something like 10-12 with a 4.50 ERA could be expected. However a 5.50 ERA and time on the DL this year (not in the third year of his contract) were completely unexpected developments. And, yes, the contract was inexcusable.Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-79138680849996104682016-10-07T16:55:56.904-04:002016-10-07T16:55:56.904-04:00Roger, Gallardo's Stats gave every indication ...Roger, Gallardo's Stats gave every indication he would be as bad as he indeed was. They were all declining, and didn't stop. <br />And the medical issue that led to a 2 instead of a three-year deal made his acquisition all the more inexcusable.Pipnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-78638587170846687862016-10-07T15:59:18.570-04:002016-10-07T15:59:18.570-04:00I think you're nitpicking, but that's fine...I think you're nitpicking, but that's fine. Tillman had shown before he had this kind of performance in him, but it was about putting it all together. No one thought Trumbo would lead the American League in home runs. Relief or not, Bundy and Kim were certainly surprises. Brach being an all-star was definitely a surprise. Gallardo being THAT bad? OK, fair enough. Also, that's fair about Hart; he would have been No. 6. <br /><br />Matt Kremnitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15693430925266947705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-85469699563151066632016-10-07T15:11:03.117-04:002016-10-07T15:11:03.117-04:00Surprises, huh? I'm not sure you picked the b...Surprises, huh? I'm not sure you picked the biggest ones. Based upon discussions here at the Depot, I'd have to rank Chris Tillman as a big surprise. He was even on the edge of Cy discussion before his injury. We expected Trumbo to hit HRs just maybe not that many. <br />The biggest surprise with Trumbo was how many line drives he hit to RF in the 1st half. Wish it had continued in the 2nd half. Brach, too, was expected to do well just not that well. Bundy and Kim fall more into the category of "blessed relief". We all thought we knew they could perform as they did and hoped they would but had no confidence. I see Caleb as the biggest surprise. He may have had some regression coming from losing playing time but nobody expected that poor a hitting performance. His injury must still be affecting him - has to be. Gallardo had to be a surprise, too, in that there was nothing in his record pointing to as bad a performance as he had for the season. We didn't expect too much performance but we certainly got less. Also, Hart should be higher on the list. Granted he was only a LOOGY but he sure was a good one. I wonder how many more games the O's would have won if you subtracted Matusz at the beginning of the season and had Hart from April. And, even as much as his minor league record gave us hope, no one expected Mancini to respond so well during his "tryout". O'Day's injury was a big surprise too. Seems to me like Tillman, Gallardo, Joseph, Bundy, and Kim would be my biggest surprises. Followed by O'Day, Trumbo, Hart, Bourn, Mancini.Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-54994671246083228922016-10-07T10:31:37.077-04:002016-10-07T10:31:37.077-04:00Yes, it's defense first, but having an absolut...Yes, it's defense first, but having an absolute zero at catcher matters. I don't think there's any way Joseph is THAT bad again, but even something close is worth worrying about. He's a good pitch framer, but not one of the very best in the game. He'll surely break camp with the team, but I'm not sure we an pencil him in for regular work.Matt Kremnitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15693430925266947705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-82811296856755621192016-10-07T09:54:20.944-04:002016-10-07T09:54:20.944-04:00Doesn't Joseph's defense compensate for hi...Doesn't Joseph's defense compensate for his awful bat? He still had 2.4 Dwar( or something close) and catcher is a defense-first position anyway. Bringing back Hundley, as some have suggested, would be hugely foolish.Pipnoreply@blogger.com