Orioles manager Buck Showalter joined Jason La Canfora and Jerry Coleman on the B-More Opinionated podcast to discuss his team’s 2017 struggles, the upcoming offseason and the many roster decisions facing the club. Among the many topics discussed were the team’s catching situation, Showalter’s thoughts on a number of up and coming prospects in an improved Orioles system and the importance of improving the organization’s development of young pitching. Showalter quickly dismissed any notion that the team couldn’t compete with larger-market clubs for top-tier free-agent pitchers, calling it an “excuse” and emphasizing that the O’s need to develop their own pitchers more effectively. “Whether it’s [Kevin] Gausman, [Dylan] Bundy, [Hunter] Harvey — we’ve got to be about eight or nine [starters] deep,” said Showalter. Asked about Double-A right-hander David Hess, Showalter suggested that the 24-year-old could be a factor for the O’s at some point next season, noting a tendency to get stronger and improve as the season wears on. Showalter also candidly acknowledged the sting that’s felt from trading away some young arms (e.g. Zach Davies, Parker Bridwell) but dismissed the suggestions that there’s tension between him and general manager Dan Duquette.
The entire interview is about 18 minutes long and is an excellent listen for Orioles fans and fans of other clubs alike. A couple more highlights and some other notes out of Charm City…
- Showalter also heaped praise on several minor leaguers, including Hess, catcher Austin Wynns, infielder Steve Wilkerson, and outfielders Cedric Mullins, DJ Stewart and Austin Hays (the latter of whom made his MLB debut with the O’s in 2017). Showalter sounded particularly bullish on Mullins’ glove in center field and Wynns’ ability to help out behind the plate if needed, listing him right alongside top prospect Chance Sisco and stating that he “[doesn’t] spend a lot of time separating them” when thinking about the ways in which they can help the team down the stretch. Wynns, Showalter opines, is often overlooked because he’s 26 years of age and was a senior sign out of the draft, but the skipper sounded highly encouraged by his development. Both Wynns and Hess are candidates to be added to the 40-man roster as Rule 5 eligible players, and while Showalter noted it’s not his decision, his preferences on the pair seem rather clear.
- Showalter told La Canfora and Coleman that he hoped the front office would bring back his entire coaching staff in 2018, and MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports that that will indeed be the case. Per Kubatko, the entire coaching staff has been extended an offer to return next season. Kubatko notes that first-year pitching coach Roger McDowell was a popular target for criticism in Baltimore thanks to the rotation’s struggles, but Kubatko notes that several pitchers on the Orioles’ pitching staff have campaigned for the return of McDowell, who has a long track record as a successful pitching coach at the Major League level.
- Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun takes a look at the Orioles’ catching depth with the likely departure of Welington Castillo this offseason, noting that Baltimore can lean heavily on the combination of Sisco, Caleb Joseph and Wynns, the latter of whom Meoli lists as a candidate to be added to the 40-man roster (as Showalter suggested). Meoli notes that veteran minor league backstops Francisco Pena and Audry Perez are likely to test the waters of minor league free agency this offseason, making the potential addition of Wynns seem all the more plausible, on paper. It’s worth noting that Showalter did tell La Canfora and Coleman that he hopes Castillo “will find his way back to us,” and Meoli notes that there were no readily apparent concerns about his framing or game-calling abilities among the Orioles’ pitching staff in ’17. Nonetheless, it seems quite likely that Castillo, who slashed .282/.323/.490 with 20 homers and an MLB-best 49 percent caught-stealing rate, will seek a greater deal than his $7MM player option in 2018.
As good as Castillo was last year, the O’s might secretly hope he leaves because it will open up a spot for Cisco, a LH hitter on a team dominated by righties.
For that .736 AAA OPS babbbbyyyy!
Doubt that. Im not as down on Cisco’s minor league numbers because he’s learning how to catch and hit at an advanced level. It’ hard. Hopefully he’ll be alright hitting for us next year because I don’t think the defense is going to be there. Don’t need a lefty if its going to be a downgrade and its more likely than not Sisco is going to be a downgrade next season. Definitely defensively but like I said hopefully he can put up some offensive numbers. He has the right mix of obp contact skills and handedness to add something we really need.
Os will sign a bunch of trash SP this offseason, such is already known. Why not go overboard and have an 8 man rotation where Gausman and Tillman (assuming he re-signs) start every five days and then for the remaining three, you have two SPs (your Wade Mileys, Jaime Garcias, Hector Santiagos, etc) converted as long relievers go for 3-4 innings each. Your long relievers could also function as standard bullpen arms to get them some work in between “starts”, but no pitcher has to go through the lineup for that infamous third time.
SUCKS when I read that they have already reached out to Miley to bring em back on new deal after declining his 12mil$ club option….I don’t care if he plays for beer and gas money!!! Fans have already said goodbye to he and Ubaldo….WAS only thing they could celebrate after losing season, was never gonna see them on mound again in O’s uniform….STOP.
At the very least Duquette needs to go out and sign some different bums than the ones who just left. Miley and Jimenez should never even be considered on any level as candidates to return to BAL.
I have never understood why Angelos will spend so much money on a player like Davis or Trumbo, but won’t spend on pitching. It’s not Duke, he wants to win and then ride out of town asap. Angelos just overrides his decisions and makes dumb ones like Davis and Trumbo. Unfortunately, it sounds like Angelos is about to make another one and extend Jones for his age 33 season and beyond. Love the guy, but at 32 he is on the downside of his career. Let him go after his contract is up at the end of 2018.
Those kids look great, but the Sisco Kid is definitely a step up from Wynns. Having both of them makes Castillo a relatively expensive luxury when we don’t have the pitching to win it all. Can’t wait to see Hays FT in Baltimore, but it looks like there may be too many OF for that to happen in 2018. Mullins is all glove, no bat, but his glove is spectacular.
Have to agree w the assessment about Angelos not respecting the suggestions of his GM.
You are way off the mark about Cedric Mullens.. He is going to a Blue-Chip Major Leaguer; speed, glove, decent power, and hit for average. His throwing arm is decent, not exceptional. He is under-rated much like Trey Mancini was…don’t be sleeping on Cedric!
This is probably a conspiracy theory too far out there for even the dysfunctional front office of the Orioles, but I have wondered if some combination of Brady Anderson and Peter Angelos or Brady/Peter/Buck work around Dan Duquette on some deals. Brady was cited for his role in the Mark Trumbo deal and the first person Tim Beckham mentioned after his trade to the Orioles was Brady Anderson. Then again, Beckham never seemed like a Buck Showalter-type player … doesn’t seem real strong on fundamentals and will botch the routine plays.
But there is no way anyone can convince me Dan Duquette would ever have re-signed Chris Davis. That was all Angelos (and maybe Buck). Angelos will tell his GM that money can be spent on only on a certain player, in this case Chris Davis, and if it’s not going to be used on him, it will go back into Angelos’s pocket. Just think how Duquette could have used that $161M. The way Peter operates, he essentially picks the players, thus making him the GM. (Unless it is scrap heap pickups, which is what Duquette often seems to rely on.)
Not that Duquette should be given a free pass in all this. He has traded away way too many young starting pitchers.
Angelos doesn’t like paying for starting pitchers because they only play every fifth day. So I think that’s why he’s OK with paying hitters, especially ones who have already worn an Orioles uniform. Wish I were joking about this, but you can find an interview from 2006 (back when he was still giving an occasional interview) online with Stan Charles of Pressbox where he makes the comment about starting pitchers.
And then there were the past fiascos with Xavier Hernandez and Aaron Sele, which only served to make him bitter toward free agent pitchers. Then-GM Frank Wren signed Hernandez to a 2-year contract, which Peter voided after a physical revealed a partially torn rotator cuff. Hernandez filed a grievance and Peter had to pay him $1.75M. He never threw one pitch for the Orioles. And any Orioles fan knows how Peter refuses to eat money on a player (see Jimenez, Ubaldo), no matter how poorly they perform. It’s a sunk cost, but in Peter’s mind, he is still going to get something out of the player. Never mind that he’s helping to sink the team. So that whole Xavier Hernandez deal seemed to scar him forever.
Baltimore is either unlucky or has no scouting for Starting Pitchers. Buck Showalter knows how to get the most from the pen but with Starting Pitching like Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jiminez, Wade Miley, Bud Norris… These SPs looked good until they put on an Oriole uniform. They don’t give the O’s a chance.
The resigning of Mark Trumbo and Chris Davis does look rather suspect as an Owner’s Signing It is obvious to any Baseball man that they were both signed after they peaked. They are mostly, one dimensional. With their price tags, they must play everyday and block the development of other players.