Giving the Orioles a free pass on not walking enough

During their Friday at Faidley’s baseball segment before Birds games at Camden Yards on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour, Luke Jones and Nestor go baseball nerd analytics on why the Orioles aren’t walking much but still winning with a productive offensive attack.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

talked, hit, walk, orioles, baseball, ball, baltimore, year, homeruns, chris, player, numbers, base, pitch, cedric, slugging, run, power, luke, hitter

SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor J. Aparicio

Nestor J. Aparicio  00:00

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Welcome home we are W n s t test Baltimore, Baltimore positive or positively in the epicenter, the heart of crabcake Landia. here in Baltimore. We’re at work Lexington market the new Lexington market. We’re fayliss. Luke, I should tell you and I’ve grabbed my lottery tickets here in a minute. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery, friends at Liberty pure solutions, making the water clean, as well as Jiffy Lube, multi care, big appreciation for all they do to keep us running here. But Nancy Devine where we do the show, I’m looking across the street at parks fried chicken, which has moved out in the market here a pack of street 20 feet away from playing in traffic, quite frankly, right at the front window. Beautiful new space here everything they brought everything over to families but on the wall. Nancy sort of stares at me that Luke Have you ever met Nancy?

Luke Jones  00:48

I don’t think I have I don’t think so I

Nestor J. Aparicio  00:51

don’t think you had the privilege. And but she was here. I’ve seen her twice in the last month she was here for the big red crab races we did out here she was here for the big opening. There’s another big opening where the mayor’s come the daytime ribbon cutting is next like Wednesday or Thursday. I’m sure she’ll be here for that Mr. Bill’s had some health issues, but he was here as well. She struck sort of a light, but I brought her over here I was eating a crab cake place was packed the night of the grand opening. And I brought I brought her over here and I said look, this is where my set is going to be now. Because we want to get the original family sign in and faintly see foods a little high up but we’re trying to make it work. And I said when I do my show now every time I do my show, I’m looking right at you. Because she’s on the wall here bigger than life have a big Baltimore magazine thing. And she said we need to redo the picture. So I’m going like this.

Luke Jones  01:39

I’m just gonna say she’s smiling so it’s not as imposing right? You better

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Nestor J. Aparicio  01:44

talk about my crabcakes Luke’s Luke’s halfway through a crabcake here and some French feet north from your french fried dude. Yeah, I can order your Oh get some fries look jumps here. We’re we’re here doing sort of I wanted these to be live and pregame and tonight starters and we have Suarez and and then we find that like they’re gonna do something with means today. There’s there’s Prescott, there’s all this stuff. I want to use this as our Nerd segment for you. You would admit you’re a nerd.

Luke Jones  02:12

Isn’t every segment my nerd segment Correct.

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:15

That’s good. So the baseball nerd and you and the statistic analytical? I wouldn’t say that’s not my thing right? You do know that in the 25th anniversary brought to you by curio wellness. I did the scoreboard page for eight years of my life every night picking the loop lead this loop leaders mean anything to you. I say loop leaders That’s what they always call it see you didn’t even know that Sporting News always called it the loop. Okay, the loop counters a batting leaders with a loop. It’s called the loop a while loop and a loop. I mean, I

Luke Jones  02:46

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remember looking in the paper all the time and

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:50

teaching you baseball you know when it came to corners right you know what a Baltimore chop is right? You need to know what the loop leaders. So I used to do the loop leaders in because if you don’t know nobody knows. I mean God, that’s weird. I thought you knew that the scoreboard patriots say the loop leader. So I was an analytical nerd. Every Sunday paper we had all the averages. My dad bought the sporting news, my dad love nerdy and Ted Williams and batting 406 and nine zones are played and the art of hitting and my dad used to buy me these little view masters with Rod Carew showing how he came through the zone. Right. So I love all of this. But my press credential was taken 18 years ago and I will talk to batting cages in the coaching. I will do any of that. I wish I did. You’re that guy, but a stat hit me. When I was away over the weekend, you know, I was a little sleep on the Oreos up in New York. I I thought that the game was in Chicago was in Baltimore and I had a brain fart earlier in the week. And then I thought Sunday was Monday because everybody did because it was a holiday and they played on Monday, they started a new series against the Red Sox. And he came and felt like a Sunday. And I had to do radio with you. And I’m like, Alright, I’m gonna get caught up. Get caught up on everything I missed over the weekend just watching the games on my app. And I wound up instead of on the individual stats, I went to oracle.com You’re welcome. I went to orioles.com and teamStats popped up first, instead of individual, right? So I’m like, Alright, teamStats they must be number one and a lot of things there. Number two in almost everything in the Yankees are number one. So I started nerding I’m proud because I don’t get the Sunday paper anymore. Right? You know, so like, you have to seek this out. Right? So I started nerding the team stats and I’m like how many homeruns do we have John Martin will be happy with me because of the Maryland lottery by the way, five, five large for Gunnar Henderson The other night of the Maryland lottery. So I started nerded out and the thing that struck me was that this team’s not walking. Yeah. And that the Yankees are walking and other teams walk and we they win so much. Once they stopped we mentioned plate discipline or patience on this. We I don’t think you’ve said it three. He times this season we’re at the third bowl. And I’ve mentioned it but we haven’t done a whole segment on it, but it hasn’t. Well because they’re winning every night. Well, because

Luke Jones  05:09

they’re leading well, okay, we can talk about their last and walks and they always go, I’m gonna get my lottery ticket. They are, you know what their first in though is they are first in the American League and slugging percentage, which shocked me is not only homeruns but that is also doubles. That is also triples which the Orioles have a lot of teams

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:28

moving the fence back would add, it would take in Quebec, some

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Luke Jones  05:32

of that and a lot of it’s just that they have a really athletic lineup top to bottom. I mean, you have a six foot three shortstop who hits for power. And unlike Cal Ripken, the comparison ends there. Got a 102nd run. I mean, he can really run so I mean, you have that so they hit for a lot of power. And First things first, before we get into wachsen. And look, I broken it down. It’s actually very simple. Why the Orioles are last in the American League and walks why now it is so simple. But there’s also a caveat to it. And I’m gonna get to that, but I think we need to understand because I should

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:06

have gotten to crap. Yeah, because you’re just going to talk and educate. Well, it’d be great. I

Luke Jones  06:10

hope I’ve got to teach a little bit okay. For for first of all we need to understand and I’ve mentioned this in passing a number of times, but Joshi had a longtime friend of wn S T used to talk to him all the time. He has a baseball newsletter that he writes, and I believe it was Wednesday or Thursday of this week as we’re entering this Tampa Bay series in real time. He talked about it offense is really down around baseball, and we’ve talked about that off and on over the last everybody throws

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:38

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100 miles an hour. Everybody’s especially Oh, we are very few pinch hitters, talked about specialists like that.

Luke Jones  06:43

We’ve talked about three true outcomes, walk, hit or walk. strikeout homerun, right, we’ve talked pitcher,

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:48

snap batting is a little weird, that offense would be you know, at least half the league. That’s kind of weird.

Luke Jones  06:54

But what we’re finding this year and this is where it’s relevant that the Orioles are first in slugging homeruns. And power is way down. I mean, it really is you look at the run scoring environment. And it’s always important to recognize that we baseball loves its numbers, right? And we try to compare across eras. But you know very well 1967 was a very depressed run scoring environment. They made changes, right?

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Nestor J. Aparicio  07:18

We had a 112 era, Sam McDowell, think about what you guys want

Luke Jones  07:23

to Triple Crown hitting what Bob Gibson, Frank Robinson the year before, Triple Crown hitting what I mean, you know, so they made changes, different runs going environment then say 1998 In the midst of the steroid era, and homeruns being what they were at that point in bandbox, ballparks. Yeah. And expansion is always a big 164 1960 was our alley. 1961 was expansion. You had Maris mantle and Jim genteel by the way, but you know, so you always have these eras of baseball, where you have to be cognizant of run scoring environment. So a big thing that people are talking about, but maybe don’t realize on a night by night basis, because you just look at counting stats, or you just look at average, and you say, Oh, well, he’s hitting lower than he did last year, or oh, he’s walking less than he did last year or his power numbers aren’t as good. The Orioles power numbers are really good. And relative to what you’re seeing in baseball, where it is depressed. And there’s been talk about baseball not being as lively Palmer talks about the baseball every year, sometimes is it? Is there some hyperbole at work from on a year to year basis? Sure. But there’s data that you know, they talked about drag of the ball and all kinds of different things that they try to theorize about, you know, a few years back when they were in the midst of the Orioles being really terrible homeruns were way up and the ball was really lively. Well, there’s

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:39

also 90 degrees and humidity to that factors into July and

Luke Jones  08:44

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August. And there’s that however, remember a few years back, the humidor treatment of baseballs remember that was a Colorado thing. That’s that’s been standardized. So you know, they’re trying to make things on a loving level playing field as much as you can teach people about

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:00

that. That’s not familiar, that has to Palmer talks about cholera.

Luke Jones  09:06

I mean, I don’t know all you know, it has to do with humidity and trying to have the ball basically act the same way in every environment understanding that, yes, different ballparks different dimensions.

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:16

Hitting a homerun, I can tell you the humidity in my basement is different than the humidity upstairs that changes everything.

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Luke Jones  09:21

And that was something that’s you know, in Colorado with the air being so thin the ball has been crazy. For years, you know, with homerun numbers, why no one wants to pitch for the Rockies unless you pay him a ton of money. So look, I’m not gonna sit here and say that I have all the answers in terms of why offense is down as much as it is but it’s down. So when you’re understanding that it’s down in your understanding that the idea of playing small ball we’re getting multiple hits, eating multiple hits, the score runs is going to be more problematic then so the idea is almost like thinking about it from a lottery standpoint, from a gambling standpoint, looking at odds, you know, the Orioles had these guys who hit for power and And I think they’re trying to take advantage of that now. And they also run

Nestor J. Aparicio  10:04

which brings that risk reward to Yeah, well, we’re in a different era where you get to pick off throws, right to pick off throws, if you’re Mateo, you’re on third base after a walk. Right,

Luke Jones  10:13

right. stolen bases are up around baseball. So so there that’s there’s a factor there. But I think it’s been interesting because you see the oils, numbers being what they are. And people are saying well, that they’re not drilling walks anymore. But first of all, we need to clarify something. This was not a team that led the league in walks last year or anything like that. They were pretty, pretty average. Overall, when you look at the collect, if you look at the aggregate and the same way, I’ve talked about the Ravens running game in the aggregate and now years

Nestor J. Aparicio  10:40

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ago, they took more walks, right they I mean, the Chris Davis factor, Adam Jones didn’t walk. Many guys are too Hardy yet. Marcus, Chris Davis, and they’ve never had a team full of guys. Yeah, exactly. machine the useless era after Moneyball where that, that became one of the great level planks, you know, OBP became something we talked for sure, sure. So

Luke Jones  11:01

So So what do you have? Like I said, offense is down. You know, it hasn’t necessarily been because of strikeouts and walks. It’s been more so the ball doesn’t seem as lively as it was a year ago. That doesn’t mean that baseball fundamentally did anything deceitful, though. We’ve certainly talked about years where the baseball you kind of wonder, but so you’re kind of looking at it from a standpoint of trying to score runs a standpoint of trying to maximize your offense? I think I’ve said this to you. It’s been talked about it’s I don’t know if it’s common knowledge, but the Orioles. They’re analytically minded, right. I mean, I think people have heard that. They use technology I mean players have that allow you

Nestor J. Aparicio  11:39

to think that they’re more aggressive as a franchise in whatever way that would be their analytic, because they treat all of this like the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, right? Like, they’re never going to come clean with any of this right? It’s to the point of thinking like we have hitters that we don’t really want Adley rutschman To walk, that’s an opportunity loss to some degree. We want him to swing the bat

Luke Jones  12:02

well, and since you you just kind of spoiled it for me. I’m going to break this down very simply, when you look at where they are from a walk standpoint. I can go through and you can see right here I have have it right here all I listed. He was a school teacher man, he has penmanship. I have the walk rates because the counting numbers are a little bit tougher to deal with when you’re talking about one season. That’s a third of the way through compared to last year. But you go through and I’ll give you the numbers in a moment. But let’s go through the Orioles regulars. I’ll save Adley rutschman For last Gunnar Henderson walk rate last year 9% of his plate appearances, his ball crates up and we talked about this a little bit. Gunner got off to such an amazing start. I think pitchers are pitching him a little more carefully now. His walks have gone back up. So

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Nestor J. Aparicio  12:45

it was also guys behind him in the lineup protecting him to some degrees. So you don’t want to walk. Yeah, to some degree. Look at him. He’s as good as a double, although he’s

Luke Jones  12:52

at a Adley rutschman behind him all year and Hadley returns is, is having a great year so so you always have those factors, but his walk rate is up. Ryan O’Hearn is more than doubled his walk rate. I mean, he’s striking out as much as he walked last year, that was not the case. He was much more swing and miss and he’s still an ascending player at age 30. I think he’s 30 Now,

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:10

so you guys get it late. Well, it’s not 55 I’m still trying to

Luke Jones  13:14

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get in with the right organization, quite frankly and nothing against Kansas City being in the right different voice different technology. Absolutely. They very much protect him against left handed pitching. He barely ever sees lefties but his walk rate way up. mountcastle Walk rate is down. Now castles never walked. We’ve seen periods for a month or two second half of last season was the

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:34

greatest example. They want him swinging the back. Yeah,

Luke Jones  13:37

I mean, I think here’s the difference. You don’t just want guys swinging the bat. You want guys to make good swing decisions, right? And that’s not just oh, it’s a strike. I swing it’s a ball I will I’ve that’s my pitch you want to look for and these guys know they they have heat maps they have it breaks down where they’re really best hitting the ball, and you don’t

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:56

swing at that pitch you can’t handle well come on coaching. Now identify that pitch and don’t swing Exactly,

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Luke Jones  14:03

yes. Now if it’s two strikes, that’s a different the equation changes but yeah, so So there’s all of that and look, we could really get deep into the weeds there to the point

Nestor J. Aparicio  14:11

I already status this week that it’s so nice to talk about these buddies. But

Luke Jones  14:16

anyway, continuing So Alan on the show this week, so mountcastle walk right down West birds walk right almost identical to it was last year Couser barely played last year. His walk rate is higher than Austin Hayes’s walkway, Walker, it was last year as the primary left fielder Cedric Mullins. There there’s a problem in terms of swinging at bad pitches. Yeah. And I don’t know how much of it that yes, that’s part of it. Good Cause I also think pitchers are challenging him because he’s not swinging the bat. I mean, you could go up there and like I could go up there and say, You know what, I want to draw walks they’re gonna throw it right down the middle of me because they know I’m not gonna

Nestor J. Aparicio  14:50

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crush it though. He’s a guy get hit home run every right. Well,

Luke Jones  14:54

he has that ability. We’re not seeing him do it with the same with the same frequency and of course worse, he’s not walking anymore. striking out pops out too much. I mean, we’ve talked about Cedric a lot. I don’t want to belabor the point but walk rate definitely down. Part of it is probably bad swing decisions and part of it is, you know, after a while, Pinterest see you’re hitting under 200 They’re gonna they’re gonna challenge you. They’re gonna go after you to the point we the opposite of what Gunnar Henderson has been right? You have a guy

Nestor J. Aparicio  15:20

that you’re going to swing at your pitch and still not be able to hit it. Yeah, yeah. So there’s some of

Luke Jones  15:25

that Santander is walk rate is down a smidge. I mean, when you’re looking at these numbers. Last year, it was 8.4% 7.7%. That’s statistical noise at this point that that difference is not meaningful.

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Nestor J. Aparicio  15:37

And not to his overall lack of productivity. Exactly. So

Luke Jones  15:40

So really, it comes back to two guys. I already mentioned Senator says Cedric Moen. So Adley rutschman. Last year, had I think I want to say Finish with 92 walks. I think that was the overall total, he walked in 13.4% of his plate appearances. Now that’s well above average, the league average last year was I think, right around eight and a half. I was gonna say okay, so you know, and obviously it varies from year to year, but 13.4% Last year, this year, his walk rate is 5.3%. I mean, that right there alone is about for a third of the season. You’re talking roughly

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:16

20 walks versus opp versus last year.

Luke Jones  16:20

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on base percentage. I don’t have his numbers in front of me. He’s hitting better than last year, right? That’s the thing. Yeah. His batting average is up. Yeah. His slugging percentage is up. Percentage doesn’t go up on your walk. Yeah, exactly. So. So now, here’s where we look at this, my

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:35

dad would be so proud of rutschman

Luke Jones  16:37

alone, that’s about 20 walks there for a third of a season that’s roughly 20 walks, if you added 20 walks to the Orioles total right now, now, they still wouldn’t be leading the league. But it would be much more in line with where it was last year, which was roughly middle of the pack. So that’s where we look at this and say, okay, in the aggregate, they’re not walking as much. I think you’d like to see some course correction there. I think privately, they would say that at the same time. You look at Adley rutschman, statistics, his average and slugging away up. He’s on pace to hit more home runs. Is it bad that he’s walking that much less than he did last year? Probably to some degree, but not nearly as much as

Nestor J. Aparicio  17:16

we’ve talked about at all because they’re winning. And they’re winning, because he’s hitting the ball not because he’s walking. That’s

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Luke Jones  17:21

the thing. And this is where we need to remember and look, you’re talking to a self professed nerd, you called me a nerd at the beginning of our segment here, walks are good. At the same time walks are one base, right? If you are slugging that’s yes, it can be one base, but two bases, three bases, four bases. So oh, that’s where the real value. If you’re really asking me, what would I rather if I can only have one or the other? What would I rather do get on base at a high rate or slug it at the highest rate, I’m probably taking slugging because you can be a 400 on base percentage guy. But if you’re only a singles hitter, that’s still valuable, don’t get me wrong. But you might have a guy that profiles as you know, he walks but not at that same clip, but hits for a lot more power. That’s a much more valuable player. So so there’s nuance to this. I mean, as as is the case with anything, we look at numbers. And we make these quick conclusions a lot of times and yeah, I wanted and I saw this just like anyone else. And really, it comes down to two guys. It’s really Adley rutschman, who is hitting for more power and very productive and his overall, you know, his op s and all that is up from where it was a year ago. Keeping in mind, the run scoring environment across baseball is down. So again, that’s what makes what Gunnar Henderson is doing this year that much more impressive. makes what athletes doing that much more impressive because of cross baseball power is down. So you know, I think there’s a middle ground here. I think if Adley rutschman For the rest of the year. I don’t think necessarily the best approach for him is his walk rate to go back up to 13%. Because John Smoltz, I think it was small to call the games in the postseason, I was at the ballpark. So but I think part of the commentary team, whether it’s small or whoever was talked about the fact that athlete needed to be a little more aggressive, and at times was taking too many pitches. And I think there was a little bit of that. And I think, for someone with a knowledge of the strike zone that he has, as a hitter and as a catcher, right? He’s aware of this, you’re not going to suddenly go from a 13.4% walk rate, a guy who walks 92 times a year to suddenly a guy who’s on pace to walk 35 times, right. I mean, you’re not going to have that much of a shift. Yeah, as you get older, some of your skills might decline. But you know, it’s not as though he suddenly lost the ability to draw walk. He’s clearly being more aggressive. And the numbers bear out that it’s it’s worked out. I think that for him as the season goes on, probably finding a middle ground. They’re finding a sweet spot. I don’t know maybe we’ll walk right. That’s more in line with where Governor Henry Henderson is right now, which is right around 11%. If he does that, and continues to Maine, remain aggressive on hitters pitches that he can drive there. And you’re talking about a guy who’s really well, to

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:02

him walking is getting on base and who’s batting behind him, right? Like him being on base is fundamentally a good thing. Yeah.

Luke Jones  20:09

And keep in mind when he’s when his batting average is up, and he’s hitting for more power he’s getting on base that way. It’s just it’s not drawing walks in the same way. So you know, I mean, it’s, look, could they stand to walk a little bit more? No question about it. I don’t think there’s any debate about that. But again, when you look at the numbers, it’s really two guys. I mean, like I said, Gunnar Henderson’s walking at a higher rate than he did last year. O’Hearn is way up. You know, I mean, it’s really rutschman, who I think is more of a deliberate approach at the plate to be more aggressive. And Cedric Mullins who we’re talking about right now, I mean, is he going to be an everyday player? Is he going to be still on the major league roster by the end of the year? Or is it going to be sent in? seemed

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:50

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like this was like a Jonathan scope sort of looking like going from an all star to being a Trump, you know, a troubled major league player at 30. And a guy that’s got great tools. You know, the guy that great baseball sensibilities are bad, and he didn’t get by on being sloppy, and just raw ability to some degree, you know, a lot

Luke Jones  21:10

of it does speak to, it’s a difficult game. And like I said, offense is really down. So you have other teams around baseball. Now, they might not be as famously known players as Cedric Mullins, which not famous around the league, but he’s been an all star has been a 3030. Player. But go look at this. I mean, we talked about this a few weeks ago, when Arizona came into town, Corbin Carroll was the toast of the National League last year, go look at his numbers. He’s been horrible. It was first exciting player in the postseason last year, this year. So one, it’s a testament to Gunnar Henderson, no sophomore slump for governor. I mean, he’s graduated from rookie of the year to MVP status. But it’s difficult. And again, we’re seeing that across baseline. And it’s not to make an excuse for any individual. These guys know Cedric Mullins be the first to tell you he’s not performing this year. But it’s tough. Those guys out there are throwing with crazy velocity and crazy spin, crazy break on the ball. I mean, all that. And now when you look at the approach, and this has been something we’ve talked about, fundamentally, for 10 plus years now, with pitchers throwing as hard as they can, with as much spin with as much vertical and horizontal break on the ball. Shifting was a big part of this, too. Now, we’ve eliminated that to some degree, although you can still shift a little bit, right. I mean, you just can’t go across second line extending out from second base. But you kind of look what’s your best approach, you know, and you, you hit the nail on the head right away when I said how, you know, the idea of playing small ball and avenue to string together multiple hits to score runs, that’s probably not the best, the most optimal approach with what baseball is today. I’m not saying there’s not a place for that at all. That’s not what I’m saying at all, but in a big picture capacity. If you have guys who can SLOG and you gotta have guys who can drive the ball and you know, but this

Nestor J. Aparicio  22:50

is also team if you get guys on the on the base pass, these guys can run the base. Absolutely. This runs the base as well that if they get guys on base, it creates havoc pitchers work out of the stretch, and the to pick off thing. I don’t know who, to me, that’s almost dumber than the guy on second base the demand for it, man, you know, right.

Luke Jones  23:09

I mean, it’s tough. I mean, I mean, look at Corbin burns, I mean, the one thing you can say about Corbin burns, it’s pretty awful at holding runners, right? I mean, that’s changed. But he’s talked about going back to last year, even in Milwaukee, he was always a guy who worked very slowly, you know, the pitch clock pitch counter has obviously changed that. For him, he viewed it through the lens of am I going to be so concerned with runners and try to slide step which you know, you don’t see many guys do that anymore. And that’s really going to impact my ability to face the hitter and get the hitter out. He views it through the lens of okay, if someone does get on, I don’t want to just automatically give them second base. But if it happens, I want to make sure I’m still focused enough on the hitter that I’m not getting up to single up another another hit or another home or home run in the process. So you know, there, there’s hidden costs all this you know, I mean, you just said it. I mean, the two disengagements we can all remember three years ago, numbers of times 20 years ago guys thrown over to first base seven times. I mean, you talked about the time between each pitch I mean talk about something that’s slowing the game down. I mean, that’s absolutely did so you know, we want to speed up the game. And we’ve done that and I think the overall outcome for that has been very positive for baseball but you do have hidden hidden costs with that you’ve talked about

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Nestor J. Aparicio  24:30

it. You can’t pick your guy off on the third time you Mazal hand them second and

Luke Jones  24:33

that’s and that’s kind of the thought and we’ve even seen I mean Corbin burns at one point just dropped the ball yeah at one point in a start earlier this year. It was it was gonna be a third disengagement which God is gonna get second base anyway if you don’t pick them off. So So you see different things like that but you made the point about base running. I think the biggest key for the Orioles is not stolen bases. I think they are so good at just taking the extra bass. I think you look at the reeds they get and this is something they focus on in spring training. You get See hours before the game not not that they’re all out there at the same time running bases, but they run bases during batting practice. You get reads, you understand angles, you understand how the outfielders hard that ball was did the outfielder get behind the fly ball that he keeps picking up the third base coach? Oh, that’s that’s part of the too. So yeah, but so for me, the stolen bases are naturally part of that. But I think they are just so good at taking the extra base. I mean, Brandon Hyde was asked about it earlier this week. And he said, other teams know that you better be on your P’s and Q’s with how you feel how you’re hitting the cut off, man, all those different things because they know that we will eagerly take an extra base if you give us an opportunity to to do it. Not to mention guys are just fast, and they’re able to do it. So you know, this is all all of this is said not with the idea that the Orioles offense is perfect or beyond reproach, or there aren’t improvements that need to be made. We’ve all seen the offense fall off some in May from the month of April. But I’ll remind everyone going into this weekend’s play. They’re second in the American League and run scored per game behind Cleveland and the Yankees are kind of right there as well. So even with this approach, where yeah, probably not be nice to have Adley rutschman bump up the walk rate to doesn’t have to be where it was last year, but then expected to go down to well, but that’s the sweet spot if he can find a middle ground to you know, from 13% to 5%, can he get to 10% and still maintain?

Nestor J. Aparicio  26:27

What are those eventual hits are those eventual outs?

Luke Jones  26:33

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And that’s part of it. Look, I mean, it’s this is really hard what they do, and you can appreciate this. I know, you know, it was years ago, but my biggest thing, and look, I’ve been in sports media now with you for a long time now. And I don’t say this with any level of disdain or disrespect for fans. But when you are around these guys on a daily basis, whether we’re talking the NFL or major league baseball, which are the two sports, obviously, that I’ve covered most extensively, you really do come to a new appreciation for just how challenging it is. And I don’t say that in a way for anyone to feel sorry for them. They’re making millions of dollars, right? I mean, even the the league minimums making way more than I’ll ever make. But it is truly challenging. And I think I’ve, if there’s something that I’ve hope I’ve gained in the media, it’s a humility to recognize how challenging that is not that I won’t criticize a player,

Nestor J. Aparicio  27:21

but also realize how much smarter they are than we are. But no question. I mean, there’s no doubt about so

Luke Jones  27:25

that that doesn’t mean criticism isn’t warranted. That doesn’t mean that questions aren’t warranted. That doesn’t mean what we do but at the same time, be done with a way of recognizing that it is really challenging what they’re trying to do and respect the and that’s why i That’s why I said you look at you know, someone could anyone could look at baseball reference and see that the Orioles are last and walks and say oh man, these guys are free swinging from there. You know what, I just got

Nestor J. Aparicio  27:49

it me and it wasn’t something that by the way, I don’t get the game notes.

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Luke Jones  27:53

I don’t even get the media really. But like I said, it’s really, for anyone wishing to meaningful differences. It’s really two guys. I mean, Adley rutschman way down. But we’ve talked about that his power has gone way Mullins is getting less bad. Mullins is just struggling in general. Yeah. And an offer one, this Mullins

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:10

thing doesn’t project because he won’t get the next 150 at bats. If the next 150 bats go this way. He just won’t Yeah, and with options, and I don’t mean options for him to go to the minors I mean options for the organization on it just to have other players that are waiting in line. Well, that’s where I said this is crowded, but

Luke Jones  28:29

but this is where I said and now Couser could end up replacing him essentially but for for now. Kaiser has replaced Austin Hays, colon cancer walks at a higher rate than Austin. Shoulders compete you win. So that’s what I said like, again, you look at their own base percentage. You look at their walks. Yeah, it’s down from last year. Now. The numbers are there. Anyone can see that

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:46

8

guy’s eating oysters.

Luke Jones  28:47

But when you but when you break it down, it’s really just been a couple players and one of those players is having a great season. I mean, he’s having he’s on pace to have a season that’s would rival gostrey Andis at his best or Chris Boyles back in 1992 93.

Nestor J. Aparicio  29:03

History and as my father was rolled over guards of faith who said gostrey and it’s

Luke Jones  29:06

funny. So the pressbox attendance at the ballpark. You know, they have a daily trivia question just that they do amongst themselves and you know, fun Orioles thing. So every once in a while when they’re stumped The Last of Us reporters. I was asked the other day, it’s like they said, Okay, our question was who was the Orioles? all time leader in homeruns by a catcher.

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Nestor J. Aparicio  29:29

all time leader for homeruns via catcher. Um, that’s treon those like, I mean, I hoyles Somewhere in there. Hold on a second. How many there are Williams was not the catcher long enough. weeders hit some home runs. I mean, he was here. He was up there. Yeah. weeders up here a little while. Ah. I mean, come on. What am I meant? It’s not Rick Dempsey. I mean, I’m trying to think of who am I missing here? Not Terry Kennedy. It’s not Bob Melvin. Chris Doyle. So it wasn’t Charles Johnson it was going through every Catcher in the history of the team here.

Luke Jones  30:07

Chris wills Chris Moyles

Nestor J. Aparicio  30:09

All right well that got that was side gate and Senate. Oh that wasn’t bad.

Luke Jones  30:13

8

Yeah All right and I didn’t know off the top of my head and I do is you got

Nestor J. Aparicio  30:17

the whole list your oils first responders weeders Dempsey Elrod, Oh Mickey Nettleton I should

Luke Jones  30:22

call Mickey Tuttle. 58 he was he was only in Baltimore for

Nestor J. Aparicio  30:28

Barron Lopez John is Charles John Williams rutschman is already Katt Williams there. Joseph Caleb Joseph at 31. overrides many Severino, Lawler Fordyce Kennedy. Where’s Jeff? Tackett Dan, all right. Geez. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m,

8

Luke Jones  30:49

anyway, you brought up Gus Triana. So I thought oh man,

Nestor J. Aparicio  30:52

I was just talking about don’t get at 16 Oh, bronze looking at man.

Luke Jones  30:56

I’ve said this to you before though. Another example. Chris Boyle is one of the most underrated players in Orioles history. We don’t appreciate how good he really was for a fiver.

Nestor J. Aparicio  31:05

8

I told you why I appreciate Chris oil. I think you have but humor me Chris foils. So summer 1993. As you can well imagine it was a little different. And this is what I would say Mr. Rubenstein 3031 years ago, there was a palpable energy around downtown on a daily basis. I was broadcasting for five lights street above the McDonald’s buildings gone now right at the corner lighting. I mean, the literal center of the city, lighten Baltimore boom up in the sky, fifth floor. So 93 we had moved over to the Radisson Lord Baltimore, and everybody in the cities trying to get all star game tickets. Right. And I guess I had some people in the front office I knew but nobody really had tickets. I mean, like it was really, really hard to ticket. Sure, sure. But I knew players. And at one point, David Siggy was going to like hook me up and this and that things happen whatever. And Chris Moyles was in the locker room early 230 In the afternoon, Dick Bosman was in there. l Rob probably cow senior who I still never spoke to because I was always intimidated by cows danger. And Chris was in there and I’m like, Hey, man, I’m looking for all stroking tickets for my buddies. Not scalping. I just want to like get my buddies in my second year radio third year radio but second second season radio and Christmas Hey man, that’s pretty good Chris by the way. Pretty good. That’s

Luke Jones  32:26

a good I’ve only met him a couple times but yeah, I remember what it was tickets

Nestor J. Aparicio  32:29

for your buddies look man I got a couple of seats are not really good seats but you can have them and I’m like we’re not gonna have you know her 50 bucks or whatever but you know I’ll have for you we want them tomorrow I’ll give and how many you need. I said well, I mean I guys so I got four you want them all? Yeah, so I cool Chris coils get in I didn’t even sit in the seats right I sat in the I had the press

Luke Jones  32:53

coils who should have been an all star that year. Up to he got screws phenomenal that he screwed.

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Nestor J. Aparicio  32:58

Well, we all I mean, that was the whole CD guys didn’t go look at CD. Go look

Luke Jones  33:02

at I haven’t in front of me right now. So 310 416 585 was a slash line. That’s crazy for Grand

Nestor J. Aparicio  33:09

Slam bombs to win games is the bet. So I love Chris So John Rafa. Letus Kevin Eck, swish Morrison and Mike fountain sat in those seats and they were literally section three ATA row 21 There were five seats from the top there all the way at the end sat up but the interesting part of that seat where the fencings beside you all the way at the top, is they had the front row seat for Free Willy when the free Willie sign guy was climbing the scoreboard. They watched him climb the scoreboard because they were the ones watching like through like they were a little concerned like terrorism, you know, crazy crazy guys climbing the stanchion. You know, they made movies about that and 70s like Black Friday and stuff. So Chris coils will always be a man of my heart 31 years later, and he didn’t hook me up he wouldn’t even matter like a girl just about my body’s getting into the ballpark because that’s what you do blood on blood. It’s like a Bon Jovi song. You know what I mean? Absolutely. So if they had a good time that night and Randy Johnson and John Croft and Kirby pocket and what else happened at night anything else happened?

Luke Jones  34:16

8

What was it Pudge? You hit the ball, they got stuck in the wall, correct. The ball got stuck in the wall. Barry Bonds was ready to pay it play the carom And how old were you? Nine. I was not quite not quite 10 Nine years old. Yep. I turned 10 that October you somewhere. I didn’t I did not go to the All Star game and I just watched it at home somewhere. There’s

Nestor J. Aparicio  34:34

footage of the Home Run Derby which was taped, delayed. And I literally watched the entire home run derby sitting next to Mark McGwire that’s fun in the American League dugout and they all knew me there the ushers the cops, they all knew me. And when everybody else was getting thrown out of the dugout to leave. I just sort of stayed and I literally watched Most of that home run derby from the dugout, or from the cork right in front of the dugout area was Maguire in the derby that year. Look, why was Oakland A’s Jersey right so I think he was in it. Juan Gonzalez. Griffey, right. Gonzalez and Griffey were you know, kids all his hero participated. He was that he wasn’t with us that he wasn’t with Lawson Yeah. Okay. Piazza was in it and got shut out. I remember that right. But Griff nationally, Riff might have been in an ego I’m thinking of the bonds the bonds probably he

Luke Jones  35:35

was in it. I think he was. I don’t know was it was there some social that you had to participate? One One of them might have been Juan Gonzalez and Griffey obviously put on the show. Griffey, it’s a warehouse. Gonzalez hit the facing of the upper Coast

Nestor J. Aparicio  35:46

reduce. Do you know that? Oh, yeah. The balls, you know, that’s right.

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Luke Jones  35:49

I’m okay with them juicing the balls for the Home Run Derby.

Nestor J. Aparicio  35:52

I know this for a fact, because Greg beat Jeanne, the late Greg BGT. Was the batting coach. Yeah. Who? Greg was great man. Greg would teach me stuff like up at the cage. What do you want to know today? What do you want to learn today? You see him, he’s dropping his hip. He’s dropping his hip. And, you know, like, I it was it was an education, but he pitched he said I throw to Chris oil, Sam horn every day. They all try to hit the second deck. Every left handed hitter tries to hit the warehouse every right handed hitters trying to get up on the second tag. Nobody’s complacent Chris was the strongest I’ve ever seen. He kid Sam horn can’t do it. Maybe hit on a hop at best. Cal Ripken is a big man. He can’t do it, you know. And he said to cease, 14 of them get hit up there on the same day. He said the balls came out of the oven. He said the balls literally which they would warm the balls. Derby I’m

Luke Jones  36:41

okay with that for the derby. Just just can’t do that target game. who

Nestor J. Aparicio  36:45

8

joins us here we are. We’re fadeless and we’re giving a PacMan scratch off. So I’m gonna have the Lucky Seven soon. We’re doing this crab cake tour. A lot of places we’re going to be at. We’re going to be state fair. Next Thursday. We’re going to be at Cooper’s in North antimonium maze chapel. I will be eating the gumbo there. I promise you that. That’s on Tuesday. We’ll be back down to Cooper’s on Fleet Week on the 14th. So Luke and I are gonna have a little respite this month from families on the 14th and the 28th. We’ll be back at it here together in July. Of course he and I do it almost every single morning talking about the Orioles talking about the Ravens OTAs we got all of these Lamar is not around John’s pissed. Yeah, John’s got sent me text this year, but how it is that Lamar is not coming. I mean, that was so three years he didn’t he didn’t

Luke Jones  37:28

say very much the other day, but the fact that he didn’t say very much the other day kind of said what he wanted to and

Nestor J. Aparicio  37:33

now they’re trying to screw with the whole training camp the mess with the coaches summer. I don’t want to I know we got to wrap here. Don’t worry. So Bill’s over here. I gotta we gotta wrap

Luke Jones  37:44

I will say this. And I’m not the only one who said this. If the NFL pas idea of this is what they want to go to an 18 game schedule, then they’re more lost than I thought. I mean, really. And believe I’ve already seen Tamara

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Nestor J. Aparicio  37:59

Smith made $8.7 million. I’ve already seen a number of players

Luke Jones  38:03

say they don’t like this concept whatsoever. But even if they do, that’s going to be what the you want the owners concession to be to take 18 games. There’s no hope for him. If that’s what it is.

Nestor J. Aparicio  38:17

There it is. Here’s Luke Jones. He’s Baltimore Luke, you can find him out on the interwebs you can find me out on the interweb we’re together at Baltimore positive.com We appreciate everybody’s support. As we go into summertime talking baseball around here, Bill Henry Comptroller of the city of Baltimore. It’s gonna be you’re talking about where all the money goes. As I sit in the beautiful Lexington market. We really do love coming down here so not going to be here for a couple of weeks. I’ll be looking forward to get back here in early July. I am Mr. He’s Luke. We’re wn St. am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive