Earlier this morning, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko downplayed the Orioles’ reported interest in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, but that’s far from the only Orioles chatter that’s circulating this morning. Here’s the latest out of Baltimore…
- Orioles director of Major League administration Ned Rice has been hired away by the Phillies, reports Kubatko, who notes that Rice will serve as an assistant of sorts to president Andy MacPhail. Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes (near the bottom of his column) that Rice will be an assistant GM with the Phillies. With his new organization, Rice will be reunited with MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak, both of whom he knows well from the trio’s days in the Baltimore front office last decade.
- Kubatko also hears that a move from left field to right field for Korean signee Hyun Soo Kim is out of the question due to concerns over his arm. Additionally, he notes that Kim’s contract does not allow him to be optioned to the Minors without his consent, and the contract also allows Kim to become a free agent after his two years are up. Per Kubatko, Kim could have received a longer contract worth a larger guaranteed sum by remaining in Korea, but his desire to play in the Majors outweighed the immediate financial opportunities in his home country. (Additionally, I’d note that with two strong years in the Majors — or even two competent years — Kim would be poised to earn significantly more than he could make in Korea.)
- First base prospect Christian Walker tells Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun that he can’t help but follow the club’s pursuit of free agent Chris Davis and wonder about how either outcome would impact his future with the organization. Still, Walker tells Encina that his primary focus is on preparing for the 2016 campaign and returning to the Majors, where he’s received a small taste of 31 plate appearances. Walker, 24, has an impressive .292/.360/.488 batting line at the Double-A level but has struggled a bit more in Triple-A, batting .257/.327/.424. Walker, as Encina notes, fell out of Baseball America’s Top 10 Orioles prospects this season. He came in at No. 17 on Fangraphs’ recent breakdown of the Orioles’ prospects.
- In another column, Kubatko reminds that the Orioles left right-hander Mychal Givens off their 40-man roster last winter, leaving him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. Any club could’ve had Givens, he notes, and the Orioles are fortunate to have retained his promising arm. Givens, a converted shortstop, struggled with his control in 2014 but had a breakout year in 2015 when he recorded a 1.73 ERA with 12.4 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings at Double-A. Givens, 25, made his big league debut last season in Baltimore and posted strikingly similar numbers: a 1.80 ERA with 11.4 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in 30 innings. A change in arm slot and more experience on the mound helped the former infielder take his game to a new level, Kubaatko writes. http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/12/givens-not-assuming-hes-in-bullpen-in-2016.htmlGivens tells Kubatko that he’s not merely assuming that he’s won a spot in the 2016 ’pen — though I’d wager that’s a safe assumption.
The Os bullpen IMO was the best in the division before the Chapman trade. The division bullpens are stacked. I’d rate it Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, Tampa Bay, then Toronto. Toronto’s bullpen looks like it could be pretty decent too with the emergence of Osuna.
I would flip Baltimore and Boston. Kimbrel, Uehara, and Smith is a pretty good back 3. Britton, O’Day, and Matusz are a good trio but not as good as Boston’s IMO
I’d put Givens as the Os 3rd best bullpen arm. The. Os bullpen isn’t just 3 hardthrowing pen arms. They’re all really good, and not just hard throwers. Givens will emerge this year.
Givens already busted out on the scene last year, the average fan might not have taken notice, but he made regular followers of baseball take notice….
Those 30 innings he pitched were pretty darn great…He had almost 40 strike outs, along with an ~6.5 to 1 K/B ratio..Which he also totaled out about a 33% K percentage, and he also only gave up 1 HR.
His splits were not really all too great, especially against lefties, and he also had quite a bit more success away then at home, but he really did not pitch in too many high leverage situations, and we are looking at a fairly small sample size…
Regardless, by all accounts, and advanced metrics, he should be able to closely sustain and resemble his numbers and level of production across the board; albeit, while still allowing some regression for when teams see him more, and after pitching in more high pressure situations.
I’m betting the Orioles are insanely happy, he is still on their team, given he wasn’t plucked away in last year’s Rule 5…Although, he did make major strides over the past season.
If he can become more solid against lefties, then Baltimore’s top 3 guys, Givens along with O’Day and Britton, can easily rival most teams top 3 pen arms, with maybe the exception of the Yankees, which is just absurd!!
Regardless of the Yankees talent, Baltimore will come out with easily 5 talented arms in Bach, Givens, Matusz, O’Day, and Britton, and whomever else they get to fill out the rest of the pen…
To me that is the 2nd best top 4-5 in the AL, depending on Bach’s success, but unfortunately for the Orioles it is also the 2nd best top 4-5 in the AL East…With the Yankees also having Chasen Shreve and possibly Ivan Nova as their long man…Nor discount the Red Sox pen, which is now headlined by The Condor himself, Craig Kimbrel…
Givens is definitely a prospect hardcore Os fans have known of for a while now. He was a prospect who was threatened to get pushed off the radar a couple years ago. When the first news came out of him becoming a reclamation project as a pitcher, the odds of reaching the majors werent in his favor.
He’s technically played the majors, but he hasn’t yet emerged yet on the national stage. And in spite of a good first few turns, it’s not guaranteed major league success. You only do that by sustaining several turns around the league, against the best batters, late in games with the game on the line. That’s a process.
You mention that he’s susceptible vs. LHPs. Well, that’s very common with side- and sub-armers. O’Day is a rare exception. Maybe he can learn a few pointers from him? But the final product isn’t assured yet. Many arms make a good first impression, but start to ebb once the league becomes familiar with him.
I’m in Wait-and-see mode, but I can see why Showalterr loves him. A side-armer is a great complement to a pitching staff, who can really throw off batters after seeing over-the-top or 3/4 slots all game. Seeing a sidearmer who throws that hard is unheard of.
Well said and spot on
It’s close but Uehara has shown some signs of slowing down and the Os also add Brach and Givens. Matusz is their 5th best reliever. They also have Bundy, their #1 prospect, starting the season out of the pen.
But also Tazawa of the Sox has also showed signs of dominance when hes not hurt. Will probably be a future closer somewhere once he hits free agency.
Mychal Givens is a side-arming RHP who can touch 100 mph. He’s almost a harder throwing version of Darren O’Day.
I believe Givens is a right hander, as evidenced by the picture and BaseballReference
can you be optioned to the majors?
I think the author meant minors, but I could be wrong