SB Nation - Brad Bergesen

Saturday Bird Droppings

Stacey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:00:34 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Your Off-Season O of the Day: Alfredo Simon (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

First, your hot stove news, including a few stories that were linked in the comments of yesterday's Open Thread. The Mariners and Chone Figgins have agreed on a 4 year, $36M contract and the Orioles have re-signed Chad Moeller for the 2010 season. Marco Scutaro is now a Red Sox, having agreed to a two year, $12.5M contract with an option for a third year, and Placido Polanco signed with the Philles for three years, $18M.

Throwing Strikes With Brad Bergesen
The Bowie Baysox caught up with Bergy to ask him a few questions about Thanksgiving, his leg, and his toughest opponent. -Stacey

WSBA-AM talking with Orioles
Don't fear, York County residents, the O's will be on the radio in 2010. -Stacey

Nets beat Bobcats to snap record 0-18 run
The O's 1988 record is safe for another year as the Nets defeated the Bobcats 97-91 for their first win of the year. -Stacey

Keys President Named Minor League Executive Of The Year
Ken Young, President of the Frederick Keys and owner of several other minor league teams, oversaw improvements to the Keys stadium and that, combined with the young prospects, led to the Keys leading the Carolina league in attendance in 2009. -Stacey

Jeff Fiorentino: 2010’s Ryan Langerhans?
FanGraphs thinks that Jeff Fiorentino could be a league average center fielder and that a team would be smart to sign him over Scott Podsednik or Rick Ankiel. -Stacey

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball
John Sickels rates the top 20 prospects in the O's minor league system. A very fair assessment, I think, though my favorite comment is about Steve Johnson (ranked #12): "Might get overlooked because of his boring name." -Stacey

Jorge Says No! | Hypothetically Speaking: The Adam Jones Contract Extension
Even though we're only in December, Adam Jones has to be one of the offseason's biggest losers so far. Jones narrowly missed out on being arbitration eligible, losing the final "super two" spot to Mike Fontenot of the Cubs. ...This sets up the ideal scenario for Jones and the Orioles to come to terms on a contract extension. The Orioles can lock up Jones before his price tag becomes too large and Jones can get a raise in 2010 and a nice amount of guaranteed money for the future. (hat tip to Dempsey's Army for finding this) -zk

Holiday announcements from the Shorebirds All kinds of holiday goodness at Arthur W. Perdue stadium today from 10 a.m. to noon, including pictures with Santa AND Sherman the Shorebird. -Stacey

Old Mill rides backup running back to Class 4A state title
Ok, so it's not O's related. It doesn't have anything to do with baseball, even. But Old Mill Senior High, my alma mater, took home the its first state football championship last night at M&T Bank Stadium against Wise High School. Old Mill won 17-16 in a hard fought game that saw their star running back injured in the first quarter. Congrats to the Patriots! Go red, white, and blue! -Stacey

Thanksgiving in Birdland - 2009

Stacey — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:00:14 -0000

There are a lot of things to be thankful for in Birdland this year. More than any year in recent history, I'd say. After years of futility, years of floundering, the Orioles are almost respectable again. They're not there yet, but it's close. I can feel it. To get there the Orioles need to show marked improvement from the teams over the past decade and they also need to prove they can compete with the rest of the teams in the AL East. Will it ever happen? I'm certain part one will. Part two is currently a mystery. But the pieces are starting to come together.

This team is getting younger, and it's getting better. Chris Tillman (21). Brian Matusz (22). Brad Bergesen (23). Adam Jones (23). Matt Wieters (23). Felix Pie (24). Nick Markakis (25). Nolan Reimold (25). That's a hell of a core, and that doesn't even take into account the young guys still in the minors. There could be injuries, there could be busts, but that is potentially the nucleus of a championship team. There are a lot of pieces that need to be added to it, of course, but it's there.

The Orioles used to be the worst kind of bad team, because not only were they bad, they were old and expensive too. That is no longer the case. Melvin Mora and his $8M/year are gone. So is Jamie Walker ($4.5M). Danys Baez (>$7M), gone. Ditto Aubrey Huff ($8M). After reaching a payroll of over $93M in 2007 that resulted in a paltry 69 wins, the 2010 Orioles currently have obligated less than half of that.

It's easy to look at where the Orioles are now and who is ahead of them in the division and feel discouraged. But another viewpoint is this: the Orioles have a young team that's full of talent and they have money to spend. They have a GM in Andy MacPhail who has proven that he's capable of showing patience, making big trades, identifying potential high-reward players, and sticking to his plan. How he'll handle Free Agents signings (impact FAs, not players like Mark Hendrickson) remains to be seen, but MacPhail has done so many things right so far that there is reason to believe in him.

Catch me any other day and I'll have a little more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the future of the Orioles. But it's the time of year to give thanks, so let's put that other stuff on the shelf for today and thank Wieters for the direction this team has taken.

The Changing of the O's - Pitching

Stacey — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:55:23 -0000

Every starter for the O's since 2007, with number of starts in parentheses. Only Guthrie has survived. 2010 is the list of starters currently in the O's system who could make the rotation at some point. I didn't include Koji or Hendo as they'll hopefully be in the bullpen the entire year. One thing I'll say for the O's in 2009 is they cut down on the slop (Adam Eaton excepted).

2007 Baltimore Orioles	2008 Baltimore Orioles	2009 Baltimore Orioles	2010 Baltimore Orioles
Daniel Cabrera (34)	Daniel Cabrera (30)	Jeremy Guthrie (33)	Jeremy Guthrie
Erik Bedard (28)	Jeremy Guthrie (30)	Jason Berken (24)	Brian Matusz
Jeremy Guthrie (26)	Garrett Olson (26)	David Hernandez (19)	Brad Bergesen
Steve Traschel (25)	Brian Burres (22)	Brad Bergesen (19)	Chris Tillman
Brian Burres (17)	Radhames Liz (17)	Rich Hill (14)	Jake Arrieta
Garrett Olson (7)	Chris Waters (11)	Chris Tillman (12)	Troy Patton
Adam Loewen (6)	Steve Traschel (8)	Koji Uehara (12)	David Hernandez
Jon Leicester (5)	Brian Bass (4)	Mark Hendrickson (11)	Jason Berken
Radhames Liz (4)	Adam Loewen (4)	Adam Eaton (8)
Jaret Wright (3)	Dennis Sarfate (4)	Brian Matusz (8)
Victor Santos (3)	Matt Albers (3)	Alfredo Simon (2)
Victor Zambrano (2)	Alfredo Simon (1)	Chris Waters (1)
Kurt Birkins (2)	Lance Cormier (1)

A boatload of postseason awards

KLSnow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:41:50 -0000

Because I've been away for a few days I've fallen behind on a couple of things, including the unveiling of the SBN and IBWAA postseason awards. My apologies. Let's start with the SBN Awards:

If you read any of the other SBN baseball sites, you may have seen some of these, but if you don't, they're new to you. Two BCB writers contributed to each of the NL awards: I had one vote, and TheJay had the other. I'll publish my ballot below the results, and leave it up to TheJay to decide if he wants to post his.

SBN NL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Jim Tracy	Colorado Rockies	24	1	2	125
2	Tony LaRussa	St. Louis Cardinals	3	7	10	46
3	Fredi Gonzalez	Florida Marlins	2	6	5	33
4	Joe Torre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	9	2	29
5	Charlie Manuel	Philadelphia Phillies	-	3	5	14
6	Bruce Bochy	San Francisco Giants	1	1	1	9
7	Bobby Cox	Atlanta Braves	-	1	4	7
8	Bud Black	San Diego Padres	-	1	1	4
9	John Russell	Pittsburgh Pirates	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Jim Tracy
2. Fredi Gonzalez
3. Joe Torre

I have no other comment on this award, except this side note: Nine of sixteen NL Managers received at least one vote, meaning more NL managers were acknowledged than not, and yet Ken Macha didn't appear on a single ballot.

SBN NL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Tommy Hanson
2. J.A. Happ
3. Casey McGehee

It was a tough year to be an NL Rookie - McGehee's performance might have rated higher in other years, but this season he was overshadowed by a bunch of high-impact players.

SBN NL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadephia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

My ballot:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Adam Wainwright
4. Chris Carpenter
5. Dan Haren

The SBN ballot only asked for three pitchers, but I also voted in the IBWAA awards, which required five. The IBWAA completed their slate of awards today, naming their MVP and Cy Young Award winners for both leagues. Here are their results:

IBWAA NL Manager of the Year:

1. Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies
2. Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 (tie). Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants
3 (tie). Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins

IBWAA NL Rookie of the Year:

1. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
2. Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins
3. J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies

IBWAA NL Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Troy Tulowitzski, Colorado Rockies
3. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Executive of the Year:

1. Dan O'Dowd, Colorado Rockies
2. John Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Cy Young:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
4. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
5. Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves

IBWAA NL Most Valuable Player:

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
4. (tie) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
4. (tie) Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
6. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
10. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The SBN MVP award balloting will be unveiled tomorrow. Follow the jump for the AL awards for both SBN and the IBWAA.

IBWAA Cy Young and MVP Awards have yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, in the AL:

SBN AL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Mike Scioscia	Los Angeles Angels	9	8	3	72
2	Ron Gardenhire	Minnesota Twins	9	5	1	61
3	Don Wakamatsu	Seattle Mariners	6	3	8	47
4	Joe Girardi	New York Yankees	2	4	2	24
5	Ron Washington	Texas Rangers	1	4	4	21
6	Terry Francona	Boston Red Sox	1	1	3	11
7	Jim Leyland	Detroit Tigers	-	2	4	10
8	Joe Maddon	Tampa Bay Rays	-	1	1	4
9	Ozzie Guillen	Chicago White Sox	-	-	1	1
10	Trey Hillman	Kansas City Royals	-	-	1	1

SBN AL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

SBN AL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	C.C. Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

IBWAA AL Manager of the Year:
1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
2. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Joe Girardi (New York Yankees)

IBWAA AL Rookie of the Year:
1. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
2. Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
3. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays

IBWAA AL Comeback Player of the Year:
1. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
2. Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners
3. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

IBWAA AL Executive of the Year:
1. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees
2. Tony Reagins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers

IBWAA AL Cy Young:
1. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
4. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
5. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

IBWAA AL Most Valuable Player:
1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
2. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
3. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
4. Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
5. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
6. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
7. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
9. (tie) Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
9. (tie) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

SB Nation Awards: 2009 American League Rookie of the Year

Jesse — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:16:21 -0000

Next round of the year's awards!

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

I feel pretty good about these results too because, if I remember correctly, I voted pretty closely here too. I want to say I went Andrus-Bailey-Porcello. Beckham's year was underwhelming, Wieters was disappointing considering the hype and, as the tally shows, there were really only two choices for top pick.

My only question: RICK PORCELLO IS JUST 20 YEARS OLD!

Okay, so it's not a question...

Poll

Of the top five, who would get your vote for AL Rookie of the Year?

Elvis Andrus, SS, 20 yrs, 541 PA, 17 2B, 6 HR, 33/39 SB, .267/.329/.373

57 votes

Andrew Bailey, CL, 25 yrs, 83.1 IP, 91 K, 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

58 votes

Jeff Niemann, SP, 26 yrs, 30 GS, 180.2 IP, 125 K, 3.94 ERA, 1.35 ERA

9 votes

Rick Porcello, SP, 20 yrs, 31 GS, 170.2 IP, 89 K, 3.96 ERA, 1.34 WHIP

69 votes

Brett Anderson, SP, 21 yrs, 30 GS, 175.1 IP, 150 K, 4.06 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

17 votes

210 votes | Poll has closed

SBN Awards: Rookie of the Year awarded to Elvis Andrus and Tommy Hanson

Stacey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:39 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Elvis Andrus, SBN's AL Rookie of the Year. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

Below are the results for Rookie of the Year as voted by the SBN baseball writers. Elvis Andrus, the slick fielding shortstop from Texas, narrowly beat A's pitcher Andrew Bailey in the American League and Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson solidly won in the National League.

My votes in this category were as follows: Elvis Andrus, Brad Bergesen (the only one to give our boy a vote!), and Gordon Beckham. duck was even more of a homer than me as his votes were for Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters, and Elvis Andrus.

Andrus wasn't too mighty with the bat, hitting just .267/.329/.373, but his fielding was so impressive that he ended 2009 with a WAR of 3.0.

My vote for Brad Bergesen was a sentimental one, for sure, but I do think he deserves the recognition. Despite not throwing a pitch after July 30th (thanks a LOT, Billy Butler), Bergesen still ended the season with a WAR of 2.3. There's no doubt in my mind that if 3E1N hadn't gotten in the way of the Butler line drive that he'd be much closer to the top of this list, if not number one.

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

Check out the National League list below the jump. The results for Cy Young voting will be posted tomorrow.

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

2009 SBNation Awards: Rookie Of The Year

Al — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:40 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Randy Wells had a fine rookie year and finished sixth in SBN rookie balloting.

View full size photo »

Count me as one of those surprised at the SBN Rookie of the Year balloting. Neither J.A. Happ nor Chris Coghlan, the two players named at the top of the BCB ballots, won. Tommy Hanson is a deserving recipient, no doubt, but I was sure that Happ was going to win. The third-place vote I gave Randy Wells is, admittely, a homer pick.

The AL balloting, for which BCB had no vote, was very close, with only two points separating the top two. If I did have a vote for the AL ROY, it would have gone to Gordon Beckham.

BCB ballots:

Al: 1) J.A. Happ 2) Tommy Hanson 3) Randy Wells      
Mike: 1) Chris Coghlan 2) J.A. Happ 3) Tommy Hanson

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

Five Questions: Right Off Russell's Jeff Pilson

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:30:08 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Luke Scott and his mighty, Tiger-killer bat loom large over the next four games. Will he demolish Tigers pitching yet again?

Browse more photos »

With the Orioles visiting Detroit for the next four games, we're playing "Five Questions" with Jeff Pilson of Right Off Russell to learn a little bit about the opposition. The last time the Tigers played the O's, the two teams split a four-game series in Baltimore, but the big story was Luke Scott's five homers and 11 RBIs (and 1.500 slugging average) against Detroit pitching.

We were supposed to do some Q&A with ROR before that series back in May, but my mind went blank and I forgot to respond to them in time. Fortunately, we got another chance to do so this week, and swapped questions over the weekend. ROR's posted my answers to their Tigers queries, which you can read here.

Bless You Boys: Are you generally happy with what the Orioles received for George Sherrill? Were you hoping they could've made more deals at the trade deadline, selling off players like Aubrey Huff or Luke Scott?

Right Off Russell: In a word, yes. It is hard to say how good Josh Bell and Steve Johnson will be, but they are both having good years and Bell especially is highly regarded. The Orioles need help at the corner infield positions and Bell fits that bill. Johnson also is the son of former Oriole (and former Tiger), now broadcaster, Dave Johnson. So the trade is a homecoming of sorts for him. Anytime you can turn a thirty something reliever into 2 young, legitimate prospects it is a good thing. Sherrill was very good during his time here and will be missed, but he was a left-handed specialist/set-up guy forced into a closer role. It also makes the Erik Bedard trade look that much better.

As far as other trades, I am not sure the O's were trying to move Scott that aggressively. They have a few more years of contract control over him. I am sure the O's shopped Huff, but no one was willing to give up enough. Huff has struggled some this year and his value may not be high enough. He could net the O's a draft pick or 2 if he leaves via free agency, or he could also be re-signed and be an Oriole for a while. I would like the Orioles to try and get something in return for Danys Baez, but I am not convinced there would be any takers.

BYB: As you might imagine, Tigers fans are terrified of Luke Scott and hoped to get him in a trade, if for no other reason than he wouldn't be able to kill Detroit pitching anymore. What are you expecting from him in this series, and has there ever been any explanation offered as to how he looks like Barry Bonds when facing the Tigers?

ROR: This is perfect timing for a series against the Tigers because Scott is struggling. If there is one thing I have learned in Scott's time with the O's it is that he is very streaky. Scott will have stretches where he is on everything and all he hits are line drives. Then he will go through equally long stretches where he can barely get the ball out of the infield.

My only guess as to why he has produced so well against the Tigers is timing. When the Orioles hosted the Tigers in late May Scott had just come off the DL, but it was like he did not miss a beat. Scott launched into a hot streak that lasted through most of June. July and early August have been different stories, however, so I am concerned that Luke's mastery over Tigers pitching may be put on hiatus this series.

BYB: What's been the perception in Baltimore of Nick Markakis this season? Was more expected from him, or are his numbers pretty much in line with the kind of player he's been over the past four years?

ROR: Markakis' numbers are in line with what he has produced during his first 3 full seasons, but I think many around Baltimore are waiting for him to take that next step. I find it hard to criticize a guy who is hitting around .300 and is on pace to drive in 110 runs, while playing stellar defense in right field. I think the concern around Baltimore is that he may never be much better than what we see now.

It may be a case of scrutinizing too closely, but at times Markakis looks over-matched against top-tier fastballs in a way you would not expect a superstar to be. He may not have the type of bat speed needed to go from a .300, 20-25HR, .800-.850 OBPS guy, to a .325, 30-35HR, .950 OBPS type guy. So yes I think more is expected from Markakis, but he is a victim of his early success. Markakis is still only 25 and has better years ahead of him, but how much better and for how long is the question.

BYB: David Hernandez looked great in his debut against the Tigers back in May. And his numbers have been good in virtually every one of his appearances since then. Is he being counted on to be an important part of the 2010 starting rotation?

ROR: At this point, yes. Hernandez will have to compete with other promising young arms next spring, but I believe he has shown that he can be a major league starter. There has been some debate about whether Hernandez' stuff would play better as a late inning reliever, or as a starter. When Hernandez commands his fastball, which has good late life up in the zone, he is tough. Hernandez also has a good slider and an improving change-up. The change-up, should he keep improving with it, is the pitch that will keep him in the rotation.

BYB: The Orioles have some exciting young players, especially in the outfield. But who are some guys O's fans are really excited about seeing in the future? Or are you still blinded by looking directly at the hope that is Matt Wieters?

ROR: Matt Wieters' star does shine pretty brightly, but not so much that we cannot see the rest of the supporting cast. Detroit fans will get a good look at two other guys we have been eagerly anticipating. Chris Tillman, who made his major league debut last Wednesday is scheduled to start in the series opener. Tillman was the other main piece in the Erik Bedard trade, along with Adam Jones.

Then it looks like Brian Matusz, the Orioles' first round draft pick from last year, will make his debut on Tuesday night. Matusz is a left-handed starter with four good pitches. He started out well in high A ball, then was promoted to AA and has dominated. Matusz will be the fifth rookie starting pitcher this year to go along with Hernandez, Tillman, Jason Berken, and Brad Bergesen. Bergesen has been our best started this year, but was put on the DL after taking a line drive off the shin in his last start. There are a few other arms sprinkled through the minors. The Orioles hope for the future is resting most heavily in its pitching.

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Thanks once again to Jeff for taking the time to answer our questions. Check out Right Off Russell over the next four days to get the opposing view on this series. They also have an account on Twitter, if you'd like to follow them that way.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Trevor Hoffman still doesn't untuck, but it's nice to see him celebrating a Brewer victory anyway.

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Some things to read while getting your MST3K fix.

Today's biggest news is, without question, the health of Corey Hart. After complaining of abdominal pain during Saturday's game and again on Sunday, Hart left the clubhouse before yesterday's game and ended up having an appendectomy in San Diego last night. Hart will be placed on the DL and is expected to miss a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily wonders if losing him might be the last straw for the Crew.

Hart will be replaced on the roster by Bill Hall, who returns to the team after just a few days in AAA. Hall was 4-for-8 in AAA entering play yesterday, but went 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in a doubleheader last night. Hall and Frank Catalanotto are expected to platoon in right field while Hart is out.

At least one Brewer starting pitcher on the DL is getting closer to returning: Dave Bush threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday, and could head out on a rehab assignment as soon as the end of this week. Jeff Suppan, meanwhile, is complaining of "fatigue" in his strained oblique muscle when he throws. He's not expected to miss much more than 15 days, at any rate.

With Bush and Suppan still out, the Brewers made one minor move at the trading deadline, picking up Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers in exchange for Vinny Rottino. There's plenty of reaction from all over the web on that move:

Gordon Edes of Yahoo listed the Brewers as a trade deadline loser.
Right Field Bleachers notcied Tim Kurkijian's disappointment with the Brewers as well.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Vargas has more value than Rottino.
Rottino and the Brewers parted with no hard feelings. Rottino will be assigned to the Dodgers' AA team.
Tim Dillard was returned to AAA to make room for Vargas on the roster.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff says that, if Doug Melvin was going to acquire a stopgap fifth starter, he at least should have acquired one he hasn't had before.

Here's the first few paragraphs of Anthony Witrado's story on Vargas from this weekend:

The last time Claudio Vargas was in a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, he was packing his belongings and trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

That was during spring training last year right after Vargas, who wasn't pitching poorly, was released by the club because, get this, they had an abundance of starting pitching.

How times have changed.

Actually, after two slow-moving appearances where Vargas allowed four baserunners and two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, maybe times haven't changed that much at all. It could always be worse, though: The Brewers could sign Sidney Ponson, who was recently designated for assignment by the Royals and surfaced in Speculationville.

The Brewers managed to win just one of three games over the weekend in San Diego, and are digging themselves a pretty deep hole in the NL Central:

Cool Standings gives the Brewers a 7.6% shot at making the playoffs.
Adam McCalvy noted that the Cardinals are on pace for 88 wins, and the Brewers would have to go 37-21 (36-21 following yesterday's win) down the stretch to reach that mark.
Vegas is giving the Brewers 50-1 odds of winning the World Series.

With that said, Tyler Maas has ten reasons to keep watching the Brewers down the stretch.

As the Brewers pitching continues to struggle, the calls continue to come for Bill Castro's head, but Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com says firing Castro would be the wrong decision.

Prince Fielder made some very impressive defensive plays over the weekend, but still came in 15th of 16 NL first basemen in Baseball Digest Daily's defensive rankings. The good news for the Brewers: Craig Counsell finished first among second basemen.

In the minors:

Alcides Escobar has missed a few games recently to attend to a family matter. I've heard his wife is giving birth to a child, but don't have a source to confirm it. He's expected to rejoin the Sounds tomorrow.
Escobar ranked eleventh on Jonathan Mayo's list of baseball's top 50 prospects. (h/t Larry Stone)
Mat Gamel ranked 13th and Alcides Escobar 24th in Project Prospect's Top 25.

With Friday's trade deadline, it's been a busy weekend on the transaction wire:

Blue Jays: Placed reliever Scott Downs on the DL with an injury to his left big toe.
Braves: Acquired Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman.
Giants: Placed outfielder Andres Torres on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Designated relievers Winston Abreu and Mike Gosling for assignment.
Mariners: Designated first baseman Chris Shelton for assignment.
Marlins: Acquired Nick Johnson from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher and placed Burke Badenhop on the DL with a sore neck.
Mets: Designated Robinson Cancel for assignment.
Orioles: Placed pitcher Brad Bergesen on the DL with a bruised shin.
Padres: Released Mark Prior.
Rangers: Placed Ian Kinsler on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Rays: Signed reliever Jeff Bennett and added him to their 25-man roster.
Red Sox: Acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers.
Reds: Acquired Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays for three minor leaguers and traded Jerry Hairston to the Yankees for a minor league catcher.
Rockies: Acquired Joe Beimel from the Nationals for two minor leaguers and placed reliever Juan Rincon on the DL with elbow stiffness.
Tigers: Acquired Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners for Luke French and a minor league pitcher.
Twins: Acquired Orlando Cabrera from the A's for a minor league shortstop.
White Sox: Acquired Jake Peavy from the Padres for Clayton Richard and three minor league pitchers.

Some parents pick their children's names out of baby books or name them after relatives. Not everyone does it that way, though: Here's the story of how the parents of Astros rookie Bud Norris got his name off a beer can.

On this day in 1997, Jeromy Burnitz hit a pinch hit home run for the second straight day. The Brewers lost both games to the Mariners.

Happy birthday today to Justin Lehr, who pitched in 39 games for the Brewers in 2005 and 2006 and turns 32 today.

Drink up.

Orioles Intend To Keep Mark Hendrickson

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:50:20 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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According to Ken Rosenthal and John Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, the Baltimore Orioles have changed their position on left-hander Mark Hendrickson, and the team is now electing to keep the veteran lefty.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Orioles were talking to the Rockies about a deal for Hendrickson, but that deal appears to be off at the moment, which is about par for the course for this time of year.

According to a source in the story the Orioles have decided that they want to keep Hendrickson to protect their young pitchers, and following the injury to Brad Bergesen last night, the Orioles may use Hendrickson to replace him in the rotation temporarily.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Mark Hendrickson	5-4	33	7	0	0	0	1	64.0	74	41	33	11	21	45	4.64	1.48