Kuzul

On Sept. 1, the roster for every baseball team in the MLB expand for the last month of the season. For some, it doesn’t change much; those are the teams that are in pennant races. 

However for teams that are already looking towards 2011, like the Baltimore Orioles, the occasion allows the team to look at the prospects who could possibly be the future of the organization.

Though the Orioles are on a bit of a roll (they are about to finish with a winning record in the month of August for the first time since 2003), manager Buck Showalter will certainly look to take advantage of the opportunity to see his youngsters in action before next year’s Spring Training.

Here are some of the faces you could see over the next month; some of them may seem familiar.

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The nation’s capital is in mourning after waking up to the news that its savior, Stephen Strasburg , would be out for not only the remainder of this season, but also all of 2011 because of a ligament tear that will require Tommy John Surgery.

Its hard to sugar coat the news because of how important Strasburg is to the Nationals. But before you jump off a building or do anything drastic, know that Strasburg will return in 2012 in dominating fashion.

While no small issue, the torn ligament that Strasburg suffered isn’t the career death sentence that it was 40 years ago. Ever since the procedure was preformed on Tommy John (hence the name), it has an estimated 85 to 92 percent chance of complete recovery.

Obviously that still means there is a 15 percent chance that Washington’s future ace will never be the same, but it’s better than this being a career ending injury.

If the scientific facts don’t console the weeping DC natives, then they should look up some of the pitchers that have had this surgery: Josh Johnson, Chris Carpenter, Billy Wagner, Tim Hudson and Francisco Liriano.

Every single one of those pitchers has had to go through what lies ahead for Strasburg and the end result is that they are some of the best hurlers in the game.

In fact, you could make the argument that guys like Hudson were actually better after they were fully healed from the surgery.

What makes Strasburg a guy that will comeback just as strong is his repertoire of pitches. People are dazzles by his 100+ mph fastball, but that isn’t what has led him to dominating baseball’s best hitters.

Armando Benitez had a 100 mph fastball too. Ask any Mets or Orioles fan about him and you’ll realize that throwing hard doesn’t always translate into success.

No, it was his changeup and curveball that make him exceptional as a pitcher.

Both of his off speed pitches are clocked in the low-80s, meaning that there is a ridiculous 15 to 20 mph difference between his fastball and changeup. That is what made the dazzling heat so powerful – the fact that a batter had to be ready to face both speeds.

Now, lets say that he doesn’t get back to triple digits when he throws his fastball, will it really matter? He will always throw hard (although I think his mechanics might need to be tweaked to make his wind up less volatile), so let’s assume he still pitches in the mid-to-high-90s.

That makes his fastball still amongst the best in baseball. His changeup will still be devastating as it is still 10+ mph slower than his fastball, and his curveball is probably one of the best in the league.

The bottom line is that velocity can make you a good pitcher, but it doesn’t make you great. To be great, you need a handful of pitches that can keep batters guessing. Strasburg, at the age of 22, already has that and his fastball is just one of those pitches.

When he comes back, whether his fastball tops out at 95 or 105, he will be amongst the best pitchers in baseball and racking up the K’s just like he did this season.

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Today is a good day for Orioles fans everywhere. An amazing win last night would normally be the explanation for this good feeling, but the reason I woke up with a smile on my face this morning was what happened at 11:57 PM—the signing of Manny Machado.

To say that the Machado deal wasn’t nerve-racking would be a lie. From 11:50 to when the deal was announced at 12:03, I was on BaltimoreSun.com and refreshing the page every 10 seconds hoping that there was different news.

The funny thing about how anxious I was is that I was actually anticipating this very timeline. Whether it be with Stephen Strasburg, Matt Wieters, Bryce Harper, or Machado, agent Scott Boras likes to have his clients push the deadline to the max. Hell, the fact the Machado signed three minutes before the deadline might be the earliest a Boras client has signed all year.

Now that the deadline has past, the Orioles management can rest knowing that they were brilliant in signing its draft picks. Overall, the O’s signed 39 of 49 draft picks, including eight of their nine picks in the first 10 rounds. The only player that elected to not sign was Dixon Anderson, who will return to the University of California.

Not only did the Orioles sign Machado yesterday right at the deadline, they were able to come to terms with seventh round selection Matt Bywater earlier in the evening.

While the Machado deal was a lot more dramatic, the Bywater signing was a bit more surprising because unlike with Machado—who the Orioles were expecting to eventually sign—we had been told that negotiations with Bywater were over and that he seemed content with returning to Pepperdine.

For teams like the Orioles, being successful in signing picks isn’t just important, it is vital to compete. Unlike the Yankees or the Red Sox, the Orioles don’t have the funds to go out and sign big names for hundreds of millions of dollars. Because of that, the Orioles’ success relies on management’s ability to draft well, sign its picks, and develop them into stars.

Five years ago, the ability to win using this formula seemed impossible; however, ever since the Rays did it in 2008, it seems more and more possible.

With the Showalter era beginning, fans can only hope that the days of drafting in the top 5 are done.  Until that is the case though, the O’s need to take advantage of the opportunities available by drafting well and signing those picks.

Like what you see? Follow on on Twitter @Caffscorner or visit my blog.

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In the month of August, the Orioles, under new manager Buck Showalter, have become one of the hottest teams in the league.

MASN is getting its best rating all year, and fans are already starting to tune back in. However, the recent buzz in the big leagues has masked the success of a familiar name in AAA Norfolk: Nolan Reimold. 

After a tremendous rookie season was shortened by an Achilles tear, many thought Reimold would come back strong and be amongst the team leaders. Unfortunately for the organization, Reimold found it more difficult to come back than was expected and once he did, he was not even close to the same guy fans watched last season.

Reimold was eventually sent down to AAA to work on his issues, but it only got worse there. In May, Reimold batted .122 and questions of whether he would be able to rebound were floating around Baltimore.

The Tides tried just about everything, including trying him out at first base. Reimold now switches back and forth from the outfield to first. However, none of that mattered until August.

Since August 1, Reimold has turned it on and is looking a lot like the guy that was on pace to be the AL rookie of the year in 2009. He is batting .333 with two home runs and nine RBIs this month and is starting to get back into the discussion of being called up.

Although there are tons of theories on why he struggled in May, June and July, the best explanation is that he was rushed back after his surgery on the torn Achilles tendon. Throughout Spring Training, Reimold was seen limping and was shuffled in and out of the lineup to help his foot rest. He was so focused on being able to play on opening day, that he didn’t realize that it was in his best interest to wait until he was truly ready. 

While getting sent back down is never a good thing, there is a silver lining in the situation. With the emergence of Cory Patterson, the O’s now have four solid outfielders (Patterson, Felix Pie, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis). With that big of a log jam, finding a spot in the outfield for Reimold would be tough. By being in AAA, Reimold has been able to work on switching to first base and might be able to avoid further cluttering the Orioles outfield.

The original hope of the Orioles was that Brandon Snyder would be the guy to fill that void, but Snyder has been up and down this year and the certainty of him contributing to the big league club has diminished. If Reimold can learn the position, then he can provide another option for the team’s future at first base. 

Assuming Reimold stays hot throughout August, there is no doubt that he will be one of the first people called up when rosters expand on September first. When that happens, it will be interesting to see if he can be the player we all thought he could be.

Like what you see? Read my blog Caff’s Corner or follow me on twitter @Caffscorner

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All right, who else is confused?

Over the past week, the Orioles’ team that we have seen show up hasn’t been what we have become accustomed too. Granted, I’m not complaining, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not intrigued by the change.

The reason is simple: Buck Showalter. However, the recent success has nothing to do with any changes he has made or even anything he has said to his players. It is the players’ collective fear of his reputation that has turned the Orioles into one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Before Buck arrived in Baltimore, the Orioles were struggling in just about every department. In spite of this, the mistakes that seemed to be the most obvious were those of a team with poor baseball IQ. 

Completely preventable things like terrible fielding and dumb base running have cost the O’s 5-10 games this year alone. Add in the inability to hit with runners and scoring position and you have a basic understanding of why Baltimore is no longer seen as a baseball town. 

Despite watching this all season, are we to believe that the Orioles have somehow learned to fix these things in a week? Not quite. 

Players in Baltimore know what Buck Showalter is about. He believes in clean baseball as the way to turn around an organization. If they want to keep their jobs, they need to stop making the mistakes that made Baltimore the worst team in baseball, and start playing like the team that was predicted to win 80 games this year. 

No longer do they have Dave Trembley to coddle them or the idea that Juan Samuel is an “interim manager” to hide behind. Showalter will be Baltimore’s general for the next three years and if you get on his bad side, you can be sure that you will be back down in Norfolk before the next day’s game.

With “fear” motivating the O’s to succeed, they are the team that they should be. The question of how long it lasts is a different subject. Will it last the rest of the year? More importantly, what does Buck do when the players become comfortable again?

I’m not sure anyone can answer those questions, but regardless, have fun watching the Orioles until this string of good performances is over. We haven’t seen good, clean, fundamental baseball like this in a decade.

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For those fans still holding on in Baltimore, tonight will be the beginning of yet another “new era” for the organization, as the team plays its first game under manager Buck Showalter. 

While the looming hire of Showalter was perhaps the worst kept secret in all of sports over the last month, the fact that the deal is finally done now means that the (re)rebuilding process can begin now rather than come spring training.

This difference is rarely felt in other sports, but baseball is one sport where it isn’t just helpful, it is vital. 

The reason that baseball is unique in this way is that baseball teams get to expand their rosters every Sept. 1 to basically call up anyone they like to the 40-man rosters. 

The ability to call these players up and see how they do against top-level competition can give managers an insight into their potential before next year’s Spring Training. 

For Showalter, this opportunity to see what he has in his farm system could possibly shave off a year in his rebuilding plan.

Although there is certainly no doubt that Showalter will want to use the rest of the season to assess talent, there is one thing that could prevent a blown up roster—Andy MacPhail willingness to have the 2010 Orioles go down as one of the worst teams in baseball history.

At 32-73, the Orioles are on pace to lose 111 games. To put that in perspective, only four teams since 1940 have tallied that many. 

Accumulating that many losses in a season would be an even bigger shot to the reputation of MacPhail and his so-called “plan.” The question now becomes, “Will the Orioles risk entering that realm in order to try and better their future?” 

Either way, guys like Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Matt Weiters will all stay staples of the rest of the Orioles’ season. The people whose playing time could be sacrificed will be the veterans like Kevin Millwood, Ty Wigginton, and even Luke Scott. 

If the Orioles are smart, they will give this season to the dogs in order to look at younger guys. If it works, then the season will be forgotten (the Detroit Tigers 119-loss 2003 season was quickly forgotten when they made it to the World Series three years later).

In this scenario, don’t be surprised to see guys like Brandon Snyder, Chorye Spoone, Chris Tillman and even recent acquisition Rick VandenHurk getting some time in Baltimore for strictly scouting purposes. Even Zach Britton (who is not currently on the 40-man roster) could get brought up from Triple-A, he is certainly deserving of it.

Those names are all in addition to Josh Bell and Troy Patton, who were both called up as a result of the Miguel Tejada and Will Ohman trades.

However, in an age where records rule everything, the Orioles could very well decide to play the older vets and try to scrape one or two more wins out of the season. If they do, they could manage to sacrifice the 2011 season before it even starts. 

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This weekend, baseball fans from all over the country will flock to the very small small town of Cooperstown, New York, as baseball forever enshrines three into the Hall of Fame.

After this weekend, Andre Dawson, Whitey Herzog, and Doug Harvey will forever be able to say that his name is in the same catagory as Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

In honor of this occasion, let’s take a look at some of the players that we see every day that have a shot at being given the same honor one day.

The way that I chose my 25 isn’t just based on a players current resume’, but also what I see their potential being. There are many players on the list that are in their early-20’s that have just burst onto the scene and are included because I see them as truly special. That being said, it will take those youngsters 10-15 more outstanding years to make it to Cooperstown and there is so much that can happen to prevent that.

I have changed my mind on these about 50 times over, and it’s possible I missed someone. Let me know what you think.

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The Baltimore Orioles may have the worst record in baseball, but the team we have seen over the last month or so is one that is very different.

It has been very mercurial (sweeping two teams, but getting swept in two others in the past six), but Orioles baseball has been much more entertaining recently.

Here are some reasons not to give up just yet on the team that just loves to test its fan’s patience.

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Part of being the team with the worst record in all of baseball is that you become a huge seller right before baseball’s trade deadline.

As the team who fits that role, it is no surprise that the Orioles have been talked about these past weeks as being potential sellers for teams that are in the playoff race.

In return for these veterans that the Orioles currently own, team management will look for prospects who can possibly help the team in the future.

Andy MacPhail has always said that he won’t make trades just to make them, but with several older veterans on a team that has already looked towards next year, it is hard to believe the O’s will be inactive.

Now, without further ado, here are several Orioles that could be valuable to other teams.

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When Chris Tillman was demoted for the second time in his career on June 22, he had the feeling that he just didn’t belong with the ball club.

Whether his teammates felt the same way or not, Tillman’s numbers certainly showed that his thoughts weren’t unwarranted.

At 0-3 with a 8.40 ERA, Tillman seemed to be having trouble translating his success with AAA Norfolk to Baltimore and he was struggling to figure out exactly why the gap in performance existed.

However, Saturday’s start against the Texas Rangers was a sign that all of that might be a thing of the past.

Coming into Saturday evening, the attention could not have been focused less on Tillman. In fact, the giant last-minute crowd was focused on the pitcher of the opposing team-Cliff Lee, who was making his first start in a Texas Rangers uniform after being traded for the day before.

While Lee certainly didn’t deliver the stellar outing the fans were expecting, that didn’t mean that they didn’t get to see someone throw a gem.

Tillman used the evening to deliver the finest pitching performance of his young career.

7.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs and 3 strikeouts.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he actually took a no-hitter into the seventh where it was ended by a harmless grounder through a gap.

Not only did Tillman do more than enough to get his first win, but he provided that signature “I have arrived moment” that members of the organization have been waiting for.

Tillman has had a couple good starts in his time in the big leagues, but nothing that has indicated that he can dominate batters at the highest level.

This was that indication.

If you read my article on all of the Orioles young pitchers, you know that Tillman’s failures mystified most because of his domination in AAA.

Batters in AAA are obviously nowhere near the level of major league players, but when a pitcher discards them with ease like Tillman did, the struggles at the next level can usually be attributed to a lack of confidence.

When this situation occurs, all it takes is one solid performance to put the player in the zone.

This scenario could be exactly Tillman’s issue this season, especially since Tillman said he felt like he didn’t belong in the majors before last night’s start.

After out-dueling one of the best pitchers in baseball to beat a very good Texas team, don’t be surprised if Tillman’s confidence shoots sky high and he goes on a nice little run of quality starts.

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