How The Opposition Views The Orioles – Rays

The FanBall network is full of good bloggers, and one of the interesting things we thought we could do is have each blogger of one of the teams in the AL East answer a few questions about each other team. So I sent out my list of 9 queries about the Orioles, and I’ll be posting the various responses in a five part series (with the thoughts of another O’s fan at the end).

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Tags: Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, Garrett Atkins, Matt Wieters, Matt Wieters Facts, Mike Gonzalez, Nick Markakis, Orioles, Rays

Orioles Hitters By Zone

The extremely awesome Jeremy Greenhouse wrote a post recently looking at how well hitters did when swinging at pitches thrown in different zones in 2009. He mostly just looked at the best and worst hitters in each zone, but was kind enough to provide a spreadsheet with all of the data, so I thought I’d put something up for the various Orioles players.

The graphics show what percentage of a players swings were at pitches in each zone, and the run value of those swings. The middle zone is a one square foot area, and the other zones extend out as far as need be (indefinitely). The percentages are as shown, and the run values are color-coded based on the following rubric:

As a base for reference, the average batter was a slight plus swinging at pitches in the middle zone, and a minus elsewhere. Also keep in mind that the run values are totals, and so a +5 on five swings (or a 5% swing percentage) is a little more impressive than a +5 on twenty-five swings (or a 25% swing percentage). Though one would be inclined to regress the rates in fewer swings to the mean more to get an idea of true talent level on pitches it a zone, so that cancels that out to a degree. In any case, enjoy the pretty colored graphics.

First up, here’s Nick Markakis:

Nick’s +6.8 runs on pitches in the down-middle zone was 4th best in baseball, and his +6.3 runs on pitches middle-away was also 4th best. My intuition is that the pitches away are the ones he serves to left-field so well, and the pitches down are the ones he drops the bat on and pulls for some power. That he was actually at -5.5 runs when swinging at pitches that were in the middle of the plate doesn’t seem good though.

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Tags: Adam Jones, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Felix Pie, Garrett Atkins, Luke Scott, Matt Wieters, Miguel Tejada, Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold

How The Opposition Views The Orioles – Red Sox

The FanBall network is full of good bloggers, and one of the interesting things we thought we could do is have each blogger of one of the teams in the AL East answer a few questions about each other team. So I sent out my list of 9 queries about the Orioles, and I’ll be posting the various responses in a five part series (with the thoughts of another O’s fan at the end).

Today we have Darryl Johnston, who covers the Boston Red Sox at Sox Tea Party.

(I’ve included any additional comments I may have had in italics.)

(1) How good is Matt Wieters? (Can you put it in the form of a Matt Wieters Fact?)

Upon Matt Wieters’ birth, Baseball-Reference set his HOF likeliness to YES.

When Wieters’ career was over, fans came back to MattWieters.com and laughed at how low the expectations ended up being.

Scott Boras hired Matt Wieters as his agent.

MLB forces Matt Wieters to play with his eyes closed because when they are open it’s not fair.

Since there is no professional level above Major League Baseball, Matt Wieters will never be challenged.

The baseball team in Baltimore will now be referred to as the ‘Baltimore Wieters’ after the state of Maryland changed the name of the state bird.

Comment: Now these are some Facts. I’m going to have to add at least a couple of them to the site.

(2) How good you you think Matt Wieters will really be?

I want him to be really good because of the hype. It would be awesome for a ‘Matt Wieters story’ to unfold matching the expectations. If the AL East were to develop a new villain, it could easily be Wieters. How much would Baltimore fans like to have a player that the rest of the world is ‘sick of’?

Rays fans would get sick of him pretty easily I’m sure if he started hitting bombs in Tampa and stealing wins away. Everything right now with Wieters is novelty and fun, but that could easily change if the hype becomes a reality. The daydreaming would quickly be over.

Take a weekend series at Fenway as an example. Could you imagine how quickly he would be hated in Boston if he made a name for himself at Fenway Park? Let’s give him a storyline of the following:

Wieters hits a game-winning double in the 10th inning on Friday, hits two home runs into the bullpen on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Massachusetts and then glove-mashes Kevin Youkilis in the face on Sunday afternoon for Youkilis continuously jawing at his pitcher.

That’s a not unreal scenario and suddenly Red Sox fans would be like ‘F that guy!” I would imagine that MattWietersFacts.com would take a very sarcastic turn with an influx of new ‘fact’ submissions from New England.

I would love to see Wieters revolutionize the catcher position in a way that kids would want to play that position in little league. It wouldn’t just be sticking the fat kid behind the plate anymore. Kids would want to call games and hit home runs, just like Matt Wieters. He would be revered in Baltimore and the rest of the world would be split between jealousy and admiration. President Obama would utilize him for World Affairs.

Since we know this is going to happen anyway, I’m just stating the obvious about Matt Wieters.

Comment: That would be awesome, and I’m glad Darryl has already moved to the “acceptance” stage.

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Tags: Bard Bergesen, Matt Wieters, Matt Wieters Facts, Michael Aubrey, Miguel Tejada, Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold, Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees

If The Orioles Had Acquired Dana Eveland

[I wrote this post before Dennis Sarfate was passed successfully through waivers, and before Dana Eveland was traded to the Blue Jays for a PTBNL or cash. Given the cost, I think the O's should have been involved there. It's not exactly a big deal though. Though now pointless, I decided to publish this anyway based on the suggestion of Zach Sanders of MLBNotebook, who also thought of the title.]

The Oakland Athletics recently signed outfielder (and personal favorite) Gabe Gross, and to make room for him designated pitcher Dana Eveland for assignment. The Orioles similarly designated reliever Dennis Sarfate for assignment after having signed Miguel Tejada. Would a swap of the two players make some sense for the Orioles?

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Tags: A's, Dana Eveland, Dennis Sarfate, Orioles, Trades

How The Opposition Views The Orioles – Yankees

The FanBall network is full of good bloggers, and one of the interesting things we thought we could do is have each blogger of one of the teams in the AL East answer a few questions about each other team. So I sent out my list of 9 queries about the Orioles, and I’ll be posting the various responses in a five part series (with the thoughts of another O’s fan at the end).

Today we have Craig Williams, who covers the New York Yankees at The Blog The Ruth Built.

(I’ve included any additional comments I may have had in italics.)

(1) How good is Matt Wieters? (Can you put it in the form of a Matt Wieters Fact?)

I know what he’s looking for here and I hate to suck all of the fun out of this question but, this is my Matt Wieters fact: “Matt Wieters, while very talented, has not yet been Beast Mode certified.”

Comment: No fun indeed.

(2) How good you you think Matt Wieters will really be?

I have to agree with 99% of the baseball-following population in that Wieters has a chance to be an absolute stud – maybe even certified Beast Mode before too much time passes. He’s got the frame, skills and Minor League track record that suggest that he could and should start producing big numbers sooner rather than later. His .362/.425/.511 finish he had in September suggests the type of potential he has. I see the average and OBP coming down a little bit but I see the power increasing. We have to remember that he’s still young though. It is often hard to keep that in perspective when talking about these nitro-prospects because the hype is so loud that you can’t even hear yourself think. Luckily, I think the Orioles will let Wieters take any and all the time he needs to get completely acclimated.

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Tags: Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, Brian Roberts, Kevin Millwood, Matt Wieters, Matt Wieters Facts, Mike Gonzalez, Nick Markakis, Orioles, Yankees

How The Opposition Views The Orioles – Blue Jays

The FanBall network is full of good bloggers, and one of the interesting things we thought we could do is have each blogger of one of the teams in the AL East answer a few questions about each other team. So I sent out my list of 9 queries about the Orioles, and I’ll be posting the various responses in a five part series (with the thoughts of another O’s fan at the end).

First up is Paul Bruno from Jays Fan, the Toronto Blue Jays blog.

(I’ve included any additional comments I may have had in italics.)

(1) How good is Matt Wieters? (Can you put it in the form of a Matt Wieters Fact?)

Matt Wieters is Chuck Norris’ illegitimate son.

(2) How good you you think Matt Wieters will really be?

He has a chance to put up power numbers and hit for average and is blessed with size, reminding me of Joe Mauer.

Comment: I’ll take a Joe Mauer-lite.

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Tags: Blue Jays, Interview, Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Wieters, Matt Wieters Facts, Nick Markakis, Orioles

2009 O’s Retrospective: Jeremy Guthrie

In part forty-six of my almost 50 part series “Better Know An Oriole” (otherwise known as 2009 Orioles Retrospective), I take a like at starter Jeremy Guthrie… THE FIGHTIN’ BICYCLE RIDER*!

* For those that aren’t aware, Guts actually rides his bike to the stadium. It’s pretty neat!

Going into the 2009 season, I projected Guthrie to pitch 180 innings with a 4.15 ERA. I noted that he didn’t strike out a lot of batters, but that he seemed to have a knack for posting low BABIPs and ERAs that were below his FIPs. He was supposed to be the “ace” of the O’s stuff, and eat some innings while the younger guys get their feet wet in the majors.

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Tags: 2009 Orioles Retrospective, Jeremy Guthrie

Daniel Cabrera And The Ace That Wasn’t

It looks like Daniel Cabrera – the tall, formerly hard-throwing, always on the cusp of turning the corner and dominating, pitcher – is still kicking around, having signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera’s career hasn’t turned out quite the way many Orioles fans (myself included) had expected and hoped. I took a look at how D-Cab progressed - from his call-up back in 2004 to where he is today – over at MLBNotebook. An excerpt’s below; click through for the full version.

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Tags: Daniel Cabrera, MLB Notebook

Guys That Might Be Better For First-Base Than Garrett Atkins: Ryan Garko

The Seattle Mariners signed Ryan Garko yesterday to a one year deal for $0.55 M, that could go up to $1.075 M with incentives. The Orioles – you’ll recall – are going to be paying Garrett Atkins $4.5 M (or $5 M with incentives) in 2010. Both are right-handed batters who will be playing first-base for their respective clubs, though Garko is largely just a back-up (and might see some time at DH).

Let’s compare:

Atkins: .289/.354/.457 career line (all in the NL), .351 wOBA, 106 wRC+
Garko: .279/.351/.441 career (mostly in the AL), .347 wOBA, 113 wRC+

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Tags: Garrett Atkins, Ryan Garko

How Well Might Miguel Tejada Transfer To Third-Base?

Inspired by a FanPost at Talking Chop which looked at how players did defensively when moving from third to first, I thought I’d take a similar look at guys who played both shortstop and third-base to get an idea of what we can expect from Miguel Tejada’s transition this coming season. So I took to FanGraphs to pull off data for players who had at least 100 games played at each position, and looked to have played predominantly at third before moving and playing predominantly at short. There was still some overlap, but I think it works out OK. Doing that, I came up with a list of 8 players: Bill Hall, Juan Uribe, Jhonny Peralta, Jeff Keppiner, Michael Young, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, and Alex Gonzalez.

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Tags: Miguel Tejada