Our expert panel discusses what’s in store for Orioles this summer

We don’t convene two generations of WNST ballpark reports often enough but when Allen McCallum and Luke Jones join Nestor to talk Baltimore Orioles baseball, it’s always a good day on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. The trio navigate Opening Day and beyond from Costas Inn in Dundalk with a resounding: “Play ball!”

Nestor Aparicio, Allen McCallum, and Luke Jones discussed the Orioles’ 2023 season prospects. They reminisced about past World Series memories, including the 1983 and 1989 wins. They debated the Orioles’ current roster, highlighting potential strengths like the young players Heston Kjerstad, Jeremiah Jackson, and Kobe Mayo, and the importance of a reliable bullpen. They also discussed the impact of the World Baseball Classic on players like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The conversation concluded with optimism about the Orioles’ potential to compete in a weaker AL East, predicting a win total in the high 80s.

Harlem Globetrotters and Orioles Memories

• Nestor Aparicio shares his obsession with the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1970s, influenced by Wide World of Sports.
• Nestor recounts meeting Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon, including a memorable encounter with Curly Neal at WNST.
• Allen McCallum and Luke Jones discuss their experiences with the Harlem Globetrotters, including Allen’s vivid memory of the 1983 World Series.
• Nestor reminisces about attending Game 1 of the 1983 World Series and the emotional experience of the Orioles winning Game 5.

World Series Memories and Family Connections

• Allen McCallum shares his emotional connection to the 1983 World Series, including his father’s reassuring words.
• Nestor recalls attending Game 5 of the 1983 World Series with his father and the excitement of the Orioles’ victory.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum discuss their favorite World Series memories, including the loud environment of Game 3 in 1996.
• Nestor reflects on the significance of the 1983 World Series picture taken from the upper deck at Veteran Stadium.

Orioles’ Bullpen and Pitching Concerns

• Nestor Aparicio and Allen McCallum discuss the importance of a reliable bullpen for the Orioles’ success.
• Allen expresses concern about the bullpen’s ability to hold leads and the need for reinforcements at the trade deadline.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum debate the potential of young pitchers like Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers.
• Nestor and Allen discuss the impact of injuries on the Orioles’ pitching staff and the need for depth.

Young Talent and Potential Impact Players

• Allen McCallum highlights the potential of young players like Heston Kjerstad, Jeremiah Jackson, and Kobe Mayo.
• Nestor and Allen discuss the challenges of integrating young talent into the Orioles’ lineup.
• Luke Jones emphasizes the importance of having a balanced roster with both established and emerging players.
• Nestor and Allen reflect on the impact of signing Pete Alonso and the potential for other young players to step up.

Orioles’ Division and League Competition

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the competitiveness of the American League East.
• Allen McCallum believes the Orioles have the potential to emerge as a contender in a weaker league.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum discuss the importance of health and performance from key players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.
• Nestor and Allen reflect on the impact of the World Baseball Classic on the Orioles’ young players.

Orioles’ Offseason Moves and Future Plans

• Nestor Aparicio and Allen McCallum discuss the Orioles’ offseason moves, including the signing of Tyler O’Neill and the potential acquisition of Ranger Suarez.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum debate the importance of long-term contracts and the potential impact on the Orioles’ future.
• Nestor and Allen reflect on the significance of the Orioles’ $19 million investment in a number four starter.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum discuss the potential for trades and the importance of flexibility in the roster.

Orioles’ Path to the Postseason

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the Orioles’ potential path to the postseason, including the importance of a strong start.
• Allen McCallum emphasizes the need for a reliable bullpen and the potential for young players to step up.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum discuss the importance of health and performance from key players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.
• Nestor and Allen reflect on the impact of the World Baseball Classic on the Orioles’ young players and the potential for a strong finish.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss their final thoughts on the Orioles’ chances for the 2023 season.
• Allen McCallum believes the Orioles have the potential to be competitive and could emerge as a contender.
• Luke Jones and Allen McCallum discuss the importance of health and performance from key players.
• Nestor and Allen reflect on the significance of the Orioles’ offseason moves and the potential for a strong finish.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Orioles preview, Opening Day, World Series, bullpen concerns, young players, health, strike zone, pitching depth, defense, trade deadline, World Baseball Classic, Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman.

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SPEAKERS

Allen McCallum, Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Welcome home. We are W n s t am 1570 taci, Baltimore. We’re Baltimore positive. I’ve been ripping my Harlem Globetrotters scratch offs apart. Alan is here. Luke is here. I’ve got a blue one and a gold one. Alan, you’re not on a W NSC employee, so you can have number oh six here if you want. Thank you. I don’t know it’s what six represent to you. What does six media? Yeah, yeah. We can do that. We can do that whole thing here. I make Luke number five, but he can’t have one. That’s Joe Flacco and Brooks Robinson, so I’ll take that one.

Allen McCallum  00:31

The Globetrotters prominently featured in Marty supreme, one of the best picture noms for this year. Did you ever see the Harlem Globetrotters? No, never, not in person. No, I did my

Nestor Aparicio  00:43

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I was obsessed with them because they were Wide World of Sports, yeah, and they were colorful, and they were black and I wasn’t. And it was 1972 73 and Howard Koco sells, why? World of Sports. And they would always, when they would tape them, they would tape them in like Japan or like Africa or, like, in places where people didn’t speak English, and so a lot of the communication would be humorous because they didn’t even speak English. So, like, it had humor built into it. But I was obsessed with geese and with metal arc and with curly Neil, and I had the program, and my dad took me down, and I always wanted to be the one that got the confetti dumped on me or the water, whatever, as a kid and when I grew up. And this will lead into my Orioles press pass not being available to me. It’s a guy named Mark fine that runs the Orioles marketing department. He’s from Baltimore. I had only met him once in my life, before Adam Schefter and I and he did our 30 ballparks tonight at City. I want to call it Shea Stadium, Citi Field in Queens. And Mark fine brought curly Neal to wnst that you guys know so well in the studio. And Curly Neal came in in red, white and blue, with a basketball, and his beautiful bald head glistening, kind of like my forehead is here at Costa city, Dundalk, and sat in the studio and spun a basketball for me and autographed and gave it to me and took a picture. So I have a picture in front of the wnst sign. It’s probably 2000 in 234, it was in that range, and that was like a thrill for me. And I met metal arc lemon at an event that Lenny Moore did at Martin’s West. And Meadowlark and Bo Derek are the only people that have ever taken a picture with me and frowned and looked the other way. So I have this picture metal arc. I can get Bo Derek doing that. But, yeah, but metal walk, meta walk, I loved you, man. So anyway, I had curly Neil on and Mark fine brought curly Neil to my studio and then denied me my press credential four weeks ago because I’m not a real media member. So how does it feel to be denied? Alan McCallum, tell me,

Allen McCallum  02:56

pretty used to it these days. Yeah. Do you remember

Nestor Aparicio  03:00

1983 because you’re an old fart like me, not so much like him, the week of the World Series, two weeks before, really, I

Luke Jones  03:08

can tell you, October 2 was a week before

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Allen McCallum  03:10

Lamar hoy. I’m sure, I’m sure I’ve shared this on the air with you before, but my most vivid memory of 1983 was that the Orioles lost the first game. I was

Nestor Aparicio  03:20

not is. I mean, I went to game one. That was a bad day.

Allen McCallum  03:23

1989 was the year that I just became, died in the will, indoctrinated into baseball obsessed, but I was always a fan. And they lost game one, and we were going, my dad and I took me to ice to the giant to get ice cream, the giant on Liberty Road. That’s not there anymore. It’s just breaks my heart to get ice cream because they were our my uncle couple, my uncles were coming over. They’re gonna watch the game. My dad used to sit on the floor and eat peanuts on Sundays for football and base, nice.

Nestor Aparicio  03:54

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They make a mess. No, he’s really, really good about her, a mess, man,

Allen McCallum  03:59

you know he and he cracked the shell and everything. But we were walking in, and I was like, Dad, can the Oriole still win the World Series? Because they lost game one. He’s like, of course they can. And I was really, really nervous. I was really worried. And they, they went on to win and and take care of business. And I just remember you in 83 I was 11. I was 1111. You were born to 72 Okay, so I just my dad saying, of course, they can just get just filled me with this confidence and and the Orioles,

Nestor Aparicio  04:32

your dad, when they beat the Phillies

Allen McCallum  04:34

that night, gave five. I was with the whole family. Was there, yeah,

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Nestor Aparicio  04:38

I mean, my dad and I were in the upper deck. We had a seat up under the Liberty Bell in Section 751, right field. Line couldn’t have been any higher up for game five, and in the sixth inning, we knew we were gonna win, and the stadium was emptying out in Philly because they’re losers. And that felt good. 40 years later, didn’t feel nice. I was in Philly, though that felt good, so we went down and literally, you guys have both peed in the wnst Studios many, many times. The picture from 83 of Scott McGregor and Cal Ripken and rich dower and Joe Nolan’s in that picture as I remember it is crazy enough. How would I know that, but not Nolan rhymes. Incidentally, Mr. Nolan Ryan, bold, bring her upper last week. He did bring that up last week.

Luke Jones  05:27

On me. What did I bring him up? What was that? Even over one year wonder, Oh, you know, I think it was talking about Jordan Westberg, where I’m like, Man, I’m afraid he’s starting to

Allen McCallum  05:36

turn Nolan Ryan mold Adam Jones and Nick mark a so, I mean, I’ve never been as excited about an Orioles outfield.

Nestor Aparicio  05:44

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Turned out okay. So the moment the Orioles won the World Series, my dad and I were in the 500 level, and if I had a veteran stadium map, we were right above the dugout, between home plate and first base, like almost a picture that was taken from ground level, that the Baltimore Sun picture that was on the wall that we were above it. Okay, so the moment it happened that it ended, that picture is on the wall for a reason, for sure, Mike Gibbons brought me down to the Babe Ruth Museum and said, Pick anything you want. And I’m like, Holy shit, that picture looks like my me and my dad took it like that from my eyes. It’s just we were a little higher up, but like, that’s what I saw. And so that picture lives deep in my soul, and my dad and I we, you know, there were 3000 Oriole fans in the stadium, you know, at the end of the night, and the Phillies fans had all left. All I remember is very scattered, because it wasn’t one of those things where all the Orioles fans went down to the dugout like we did in Foxborough or whatever, you know. And I remember leaving, and my dad almost got us killed. We parked in the spectrum lot. JFK was still there, and we parked in the spectrum lot, and my dad was, like, speaking to my my my son, my dad’s grandson, is leaving, Dundalk, enjoying your gyros. Hey, man, gyros are good over here. Dundalk, he’ll come to a great place to get a gyro. And my dad, like, started a fight with a Phillies fan car getting the 76 Malibu. Let’s get the hell out of here.

Allen McCallum  07:24

You know, my dad is no longer with us, but neither is mine, because of reasons like that almost got me killed so many of my best baseball memories with my dad, cow breaking the record, Delman Young’s double in the in the post. Were you at the game with him that day? Oh, my god, yeah, I couldn’t talk for a week. But we were just

Luke Jones  07:44

loudest environment I’ve ever been in. We were in

Allen McCallum  07:48

left field, in the upper deck, and I’m telling you, I never thought Camden yard, I mean, Memorial Stadium, would shake. Camden yard shook there.

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Luke Jones  07:59

I thought the press box was coming down. Man, it was, there was a second and a half where I like looked because it felt like it was swayed.

Allen McCallum  08:06

Has it been tested? But my veteran stadium memory, but I’ve had a few, but my first one was with you, because that was, that’s the all i That was the one All Star game I went to. You went

Nestor Aparicio  08:16

to the 96 All Star game with you. You and I were together with Cal. Got his jaw broken nose. Oh yeah, that is correct. I witnessed it.

Luke Jones  08:24

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I was 12, going on 13 at the time. That was, like, traumatizing. That cow got his nose

Nestor Aparicio  08:33

broken live radio that night on the field, you’re like, and I was in the America Hernandez was the one who did it, absolutely from the White Sox, absolutely on the

Luke Jones  08:45

NBC, did the game. And I remember they even had video of you can just see, I mean, he lights them up, and cow just goes, boom. It’s hilarious.

Nestor Aparicio  08:54

Cow didn’t think it was funny. Yeah, probably not to this day, yeah, Ryan Ripken laughing

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Luke Jones  09:02

about that, although Ryan

Nestor Aparicio  09:03

might, Luke is here. He didn’t hurt him, and we’re here at Costas, um, you know, on the baseball side, even just telling those stories. Luke has no experience with that at all, but you had a lot experience with your father. The one thing none of us are going to do with our dads again to see a World Series. My kid would have a chance, but he wouldn’t want to go to game five. We wouldn’t be able to afford wouldn’t be able to afford it. So you’re like, yeah. So now you’re like, even when they win the World Series, it won’t be able to go or it’s gonna cost a billion dollars, whatever seems unlikely. Well, let’s talk about that and what the pathway to that is. And I guess just level said he wants to talk about the strike zone and the computer system. We don’t have

Luke Jones  09:41

to do that right now. Yeah, we think it’s interesting. I think there’s a lot of strategy that’s going to go into that.

Allen McCallum  09:47

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I think, I think the ABS system could really revolutionize the game and impact how it’s played on the field. And I great conversation piece right this minute. I can’t. Tell you exactly how it’s going to happen, but I’m really curious to see. And you know, I think what will emerge is that certain pitchers, certain catchers, certain hitters, will get the go ahead from their dugouts to do it, and others will be

Luke Jones  10:14

kiboshed, who has, I was saying this to Nestor off the air veto pub, who has the absolute elite of elite vision, right? Who has the processing speed in their brain, their brain, that whole chain that they know, the strike zone? There are plenty of players who anticipate the strike zone very well, but who knows it? And I think this is literally going to be a skill, and I’ve actually seen like will Carroll, longtime baseball scribe, his sub stack, he was actually he opined that He wonders if the best pitch framers as catchers will end up being the best at challenging just because they have there’s something about the way that they’re

Nestor Aparicio  10:55

able to no one would be able to know better than a catcher, right? You would think, if you

Luke Jones  10:59

would think, but there might be certain hitters or certain pitchers who are just blessed amongst the blessed

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Nestor Aparicio  11:05

in the old days. And when Tom Kapp would come on with us 35 years ago, you came on me 30 years ago, Alan, and you and I, to some degree, have discussed it, Luke, but it’s not our lane. It was much more of a lane for Coach cap or for, you know, analysts in the 90s and Jim Palmer, and this is really true about Mike Messina and Mark Messina, when I talk baseball with them, who’s the umpire? Absolutely, who’s the umpire, sure, who’s the umpire. So you have a low strike zone, high strike and that was real baseball 30 years ago, when I would sit here on a daily basis and take phone calls and but people that know baseball Well, you know, scout the umpire, you know, and back in the day, managers would scout the umpire. Right now, I that part of it, that little piece of it’s different, you

Allen McCallum  11:53

know, at back in the day, the leagues were different, because in one league, you had the sort of shield, so it was a high strike, and then you had the protectors, and it was, it was a lower strike, and that National League got the lower strike, and that’s gone. So, I mean, it’s, it’s much more neutral in terms of that, and it really just becomes how an umpire sees the strike zone.

Nestor Aparicio  12:16

Was one of the reasons they beat up the Braves and beat up some of the pitchers in National League is saying, you know, you wouldn’t get those calls. And yeah, I mean, Yankees, Red Sox, don’t get those calls.

Luke Jones  12:25

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Yeah, for the year. For years, the NL umpires were known for having bigger strike zones. The NL was the pitching despite the fact that the pitchers had to hit. The NL was the pitching League, and the American League with the DH also,

Allen McCallum  12:36

but and the National League had all those dome, cookie cutter dome, no doubt, astro turf fields and Bill for speed, you had more Fenway parks and short porches, more in the American League. So I mean it, yeah, it was a much more, very defined and

Luke Jones  12:53

really like all of that, right, yeah, all right.

Nestor Aparicio  12:57

On a prosperity level, I guess today is my days. I’m doing a little getaway time here as we get through St Patrick’s Day and up on opening day, and as people listen to this might be another injury, might be an addition in the bullpen, whatever. But as it stands right now, deficiencies betting on the Orioles, and we don’t bet here. You can listen to fan for that. Bet on them, bet against them, believing in them, not believing in them, as constructed. Could they win a World Series as constructed? Could they catch fire, make a deal? Will the young players move on? Will the pitching be good enough? Can they pub and be augmented? Can they get holiday back earlier? What kind of managers Albernaz going to be? Does it even matter? Does managing even matter anymore? The money that Rubenstein and arrogant, forget Bob lead and I forget the sales, forget the tickets, forget all the mass and forget the strike. Sure, I don’t want to talk about any of that. Can the team win? Can this team win? And what’s the pathway to that, and what’s in the way of that internally and then externally, where the Dodgers, the Yankees like all that

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Allen McCallum  14:05

to go on. So let me say this, at the beginning of 2026 there will not be many teams that I would say will can win the World Series right now, as they’re built, the Dodgers might be a notable exception to that. A lot of it’s going to be about health. A lot of it’s going to be and I think this is really important for the Orioles, that I’ve come to believe that you need to have a bullpen at the beginning of the season that will not implode during the first half. But what you do to assess it at the trade deadline and bring in hot arms. I don’t know if anybody will be fresh then, but hot arms to full to complete your bullpen will help you get to the postseason. Now the rest is about is Shane BA is going to be what he’s what everyone’s saying he’s going to evolve into, and is Kyle Bradish going to be able to pitch enough innings? Be what we think he’s going to be in is Trevor Rogers going to give up seven runs every couple of days? Or is he going to be closer to what we saw last year when his Yari was under two? I mean, all those, all those things, you know, everybody says, Oh, the Toronto Blue Jays are they’re going to win the division, because they won the World Series last year. Like, okay, they finished last the year before Bob, a shett is one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s gone. Anthony Santander was going to be the guy that was going to back up. Vladimir Guerrero. He’s gone as much as everyone talks about Dylan cease. Dylan cease is a failure compared to what he was supposed to be. I’m not telling you he’s not he’s not a good pitcher, and he can’t help them. Obviously he can. He’s an innings eater. When he’s hot, he’s unhittable. But what I’m saying is that Chris Bassett to Dylan cease. The big difference to me is their age. I don’t know that there’s a dramatic difference for what Dylan tees has proved to be at this moment.

Luke Jones  15:54

So especially a seven year deal versus one year. So I watch Google, so does Michael, in terms of the investment a one year one off, who knows, after their labor stoppage. Of course, I don’t want

Allen McCallum  16:05

scuba before, who doesn’t want school? But if the Orioles sign school, will they ever sign anybody else again? Do I have concerns at this point? Yeah, the injury, I mean, kittreches isn’t surprising. Unfortunately, Westberg isn’t surprising. Here’s what the Orioles have that that I’m excited about. It’s not their defense,

Luke Jones  16:25

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but talked about that a lot.

Nestor Aparicio  16:27

That will be talking about that every day if

Allen McCallum  16:30

it’s wrong. I really like I’m I’m curious to see Heston kerstad And Jeremiah Jackson and Blaise Alexander and Kobe mayo. These is for all the pieces that they you were counting on that are diminished, hurt, whatever. At this moment, there are these other pieces that they have, and this is sort of the schizophrenia of Mike Elias, that he’s got too many pieces he doesn’t know what to do with, and they’re still trying to prove that they belong. Well, it’s

Nestor Aparicio  16:57

island of misfit toys when you’re trying to find a position for Jeremiah, For Kobe mayo,

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Allen McCallum  17:03

for Heston kerstad. You know, is Tyler Neil gonna stay healthy if not? Do you do you move him? At my point is that

Nestor Aparicio  17:08

there are short stops at one point too, trying to figure out what to do with that. That’s good profit for

Allen McCallum  17:13

all the things that you’re worried about right now. There are these other think pieces out there that could help them along the way. So there is this sort of secret depth that a lot of clubs, other clubs don’t have. And I’m not telling you that all these guys are going to pad out. What I’m saying is there’s potential, there’s legitimate potential with all those pieces, to do something that we weren’t necessarily looking at in the offseason as being a help to this club at this moment. Well, you

Nestor Aparicio  17:40

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get 20 pieces, six or seven, I’m have to play and play. Well, yeah, that’s been the biggest problem here. They’ve all been pieces, holiday, westburger, Henderson, rushman cows are just mayo. Curse that the thing that’s ours. They’re all pieces, the thing that you give me bats and they got to produce, the

Allen McCallum  17:59

thing that Pete Alonso brings to this club that they haven’t really had, except for maybe gunner Henderson and for a time, Adley rutchman was, I know what this guy’s gonna be commodity, yeah, Taylor wards the same. I mean, should be similar. I mean, is he gonna hit 40 home runs? I don’t

Luke Jones  18:14

know. He should anchor left field.

Nestor Aparicio  18:16

Yeah, this time last year Santander was gone. They goofed off with O’Neill and spent money on him. And Luke would say, that’s not real money. I said it’s a lot of money, but, but by was it crippling money? Okay? But what I’m saying is, wasn’t a Chris Davis contract. The whole idea of all of this were the real names for all of us, all three of us to be talking for years. The real names are Henderson, rushman, Mayo, Mount castle, the internal guys. So the style on the back should have never, he’s mine. They should have never if needed to sign Tyler O’Neill, because the cursed that Stowers that

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Allen McCallum  18:58

pipeline well, but they still needed right handed bats. Even with those guys, they’re, I mean, they’re incredibly left

Luke Jones  19:07

but, but what you just said that was the faulty thinking for Mike Elias, though, as great as the young corps looked on paper a couple years ago, and as great as it can still

Nestor Aparicio  19:18

become signing in Alonzo there was years ago, would have been a better idea. Yeah.

Luke Jones  19:22

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I mean, like, how about like Chris Bassett, instead of the Blue Jays signing him, that would have been a great signing for the Orioles at a time like a vault. He was the guy I talked about so many times. But the point is, like you you hang your hat on some of those known commodities. That raises your floor. It raises your ceiling a little bit too, and it alleviates some of the pressure on those young guys that they’re not coming in and being like, I have to be the guy like, if Eddie Murray wasn’t there when Cal Ripken was a rookie in 1982 and 83 after that, does he become that same guy at that same point? I don’t know. I will say, but it. Help.

Nestor Aparicio  20:00

Well, they found a star in the outfield and free agency last year without even trying. Oh yeah, they didn’t want to give that guy at bats, but all the failure around there just led to him being I mean, if every offseason signings as good as that for Alliance, they would

Allen McCallum  20:16

essentially played the role of Tyler O’Neill exactly last year. Well, that’s when, that’s why

Nestor Aparicio  20:20

dinner, where the mayo and the yeah and the curse stats and and the blaze Alex, all these other the other guys, the other guy, other guys, yeah, look,

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Allen McCallum  20:32

the Blue Jays were great last year because they had a lot of guys come out and come out and aware guys that they they have been hanging around that Clement and Barger, who really helped anchor when Bichette was down and Santander was gone, and they found something. Now those guys have to do it again to be what they’re, what people are predicting them to be, and we’ll see Addison Barger may be the most important player for the Toronto Blue Jays this year, because he’s the guy that needs to help Guerrero ankle anchor the middle of the lineup. The Orioles have those guys, and they still don’t know enough about them. They two or three of them need to have a year similar to what Barger and Clement had for the Blue Jays last year. And if they do, and you know, we were talking off air about the World Baseball Classic, and the World Baseball Classic makes me nervous, because I don’t want to see gunner Henderson playing third base for the for the United States. I’m sorry. I want him to play shortstop for the Orioles, and I need him to be healthy. And even at this point, a guy like Rico Garcia much more important today than he was a week ago. I need his arm to be healthy and not ramp up too quickly. Yeah, playing the pitching, yeah, in the World Baseball Classic. So, I mean, there are that different

Nestor Aparicio  21:46

level of competition this week, absolutely, and pressure, especially if you’re, I mean, I’m a Venezuelan descent, just ask the New York Venezuela were to win this tournament somehow this week, and they’re capable of doing that like it’s a small tournament. They, you know, it just means so

Allen McCallum  22:01

much, just about how much it costs them to lose Diaz. Diaz to the Yeah. So my point is, I just need those guys to be healthy, sure. But, um, you know, I don’t know how gunner Henderson can’t have a better year if he’s healthy with pub Alonso hitting somewhere around him in a lineup. You know, Adley rushman. Look, the two people destroy Mike Elias on a, on a, on a daily basis in this town, the I blame him for two guys, Bobby Witt, Garrett, crochet period, the end, everything else. I mean, do I agree with his philosophies? Sometimes, but I understand, I think I understand what he’s trying to do. His timelines are always off, yeah, but ultimately, he’s assembled enough to the question, to the question, can the Orioles in the World Series? He’s assembled enough talent at the beginning of a season for the Orioles to be in contention at the moment, in the middle of season, where they need to finish off the project, and then the rest is what everybody Jack Flaherty, we’ll

Luke Jones  23:08

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see, yeah, I mean, you just laid it out there. I mean, I kind of look at each of these guys, and it’s funny as you were kind of going through the list. I mean, I thought he didn’t mention besayo and but I’m sure you were including him, like, in terms of, you know, he’s a guy that got six weeks in the majors last year, didn’t hit at a very high level, had his moments, but the overall numbers and then you kind of it’s almost like you put them on the shelf and kind of forget about them. But it’s like he could be one of their two or three best hitters if he pops in the way that many talent evaluators across baseball looked at him the last couple years now, pointing

Nestor Aparicio  23:42

eight guys like that. They’ve only had one really posh, sure, well, freshman for a minute, expert for guns, Anderson’s the guy I’m saying,

Luke Jones  23:49

pop, yeah, that’s it. But there’s different degrees of this. We also have to remember Kyle stars, pot, yeah, yeah, not here, but we also have to remember there are different degrees of this. I mean, you can go through a rebuild and draft guys in the top five. You know that not every guy you draft is going to be a Hall of Famer or even necessarily a perennial all star. What you don’t want to happen is for someone to be a bust. Matt Wieters was not a bust. No, he never became Johnny Bench and rutsman is very rapidly starting

Nestor Aparicio  24:18

to look and I always use Nick Marco’s example of or drafted really good, solid, never great, always good enough exactly where you exactly go.

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Luke Jones  24:28

Look at his first three seasons and compare it to Eddie Murray’s first three seasons and but that was his peak. That was the problem

Nestor Aparicio  24:35

that’s not gonna understand. That’s your gunner right now, not everybody’s

Allen McCallum  24:37

going to the Hall of Fame exactly, but you need, you need one guy, you need one, maybe two guys to be elite, and then the rest of the guys need to that’s Alonso and Henderson on this team right now, and you’re always gonna have a couple of busts, but, but you the rest need to fill in the gaps, yeah, and be part of the team and be productive,

Luke Jones  24:57

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and like buildings available. This is kind of a. Simplistic way of looking at him. We talked about this. I remember it was last summer we got together. We talked about it at the end of the season, I guess right, right around when they were hiring Albernaz, as I think the last time you and I talked on air, and I talked about this a lot for as much as I didn’t like elias’s offseason last year, and there were things I would have liked to have seen them done differently. I also acknowledge, yeah, they did have a lot of injuries. And when you’re evaluating how a baseball season is going to go, in the same way that the Blue Jays were in last place two years ago, and then they’re literally an out away, two outs away from being world champions. In game seven there, they had a lot of things go really well the Orioles, if you’re laying out all the things that needed to go well compared to things that could go poorly. It was like a bottom 2% kind of all that combined. As far as outcomes, you would try to predict. It was

Allen McCallum  25:51

someone had Elias his voodoo doll. It was He was sticking a fan

Luke Jones  25:53

in the back. They, every day, made questionable decisions. They were bad on the field, and they were very unlucky too. So, and let’s pick that being said, No, I was just gonna say to me. And this really lends itself to what you were just talking about. All the position players. They have their starters. Like, look, they didn’t get a top of the rotation starter. I get it this starting rotation right now has way more upside as presently constructed than it did a year ago. Absolutely. I’ll take that for right now. We’ll see what happens at the trade deadline. Right? Bullpen, I’m with Alan. I’m concerned about the bullpen. I I thought they needed another high leverage arm. They’re concerned. I don’t know how to agree. I don’t understand

Allen McCallum  26:33

why they wouldn’t have resigned. Anthony sir. Anthony dangues, I thought that was kind of really nice was

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Nestor Aparicio  26:41

he was eight before would he get this year?

Allen McCallum  26:43

He’s what the White Sox, White Sox for, like it

Luke Jones  26:46

was comparable, comparable.

Allen McCallum  26:51

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This club has enough pieces to be competitive. They have an owner who doesn’t seem to be afraid to spend

Nestor Aparicio  27:04

money, $19 million on a number four starter in February. And let’s be clear. I mean, that didn’t never happened around here. I had been hearing for weeks, one of the reasons we’re still talking about 1983 quite frankly, I’d been

Allen McCallum  27:15

hearing for weeks and and it seemed to be confirmed today that the that the Orioles made a legitimate offer for Suarez, who was the one guy I really wanted them to get. And if Suarez used them to get the Red Sox to lift it, then, I mean, that’s part of the deal. The thing they did wrong was not let them leave the room, or let them leave the room. But, I mean, that’s, that’s what you risk in free agency. I don’t have a problem with that.

Nestor Aparicio  27:38

Well, if they were gonna spend that $200 million then would you be all in on them being more serious right now? Yes, 98 win team because they do that. 94 win team because they do that. You love wins over you know, you

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Luke Jones  27:55

like all that. I mean, oh, I like Ranger Suarez, I but I do bounce. I do questions about what he looks like the next four or five years compared to what he’s been the last few years, mainly because he’s not a high V Low. That doesn’t mean he won’t

Allen McCallum  28:08

your money, and I have more concerns, but

Luke Jones  28:11

you’ve told me this a lot. There are budgets, there are there is reality as far as what you’re going to spend, and you are looking at what you have internally. Look if Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers end up being what everyone hopes they’re gonna be like, Trevor Rogers gonna be a free agent at the end of the year. If he hasn’t, I don’t think he’s gonna be a sub two guy again, but if he’s a two, eight, a three, two, kind of pitcher, man, I’m, I’m gonna question whether you want that to walk out the door. Now, he’s not gonna get 200 million, but he’s not taking two years 20 million either, like, so you want point is, when you’re a team that’s somewhere where the Orioles are, whether we want to call them small market, mid market, they’re not the Dodgers. We all agree on that you only have so many bullets you’re gonna be able to fire over the course of 3456, years for long term, lucrative kind of contracts.

Nestor Aparicio  29:00

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And they all got to get a win, them all. And that’s the thing when I mean they, but like everyone wanted football this week where they all had the same amount of money. When you don’t have enough money, you got

Luke Jones  29:10

to win. But they very much tried to sign burns last year. Now they did a different they used a different structure. Then ultimately, what he signed for in

Nestor Aparicio  29:17

Arizona, Pete Alonso, and if they won, they and he

Luke Jones  29:21

and he and we wouldn’t be talking about him right now the way we were talking about Kyle Bradish a year ago.

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Allen McCallum  29:26

And let’s be clear, because a couple minutes ago, you’ve mentioned Jack Flaherty, a year after he they traded for him, he pitched in the World Series and one and a year after, they traded for Trevor Rogers. And everybody said this was a joke, he pitched you in the air. That’s you can live with. I guess what I’m saying is, like I said his time

Nestor Aparicio  29:47

Elias a jackass or an idiot on my air. But I mean, you win and you lose, and part of it really is where ownership is and when ownership spending $19 million on pictures in February, that is more of a commitment to the bar here at cost. Sure in regard to how serious they’re going to become July 31 when it comes time to deal westburg or holiday for something that looks like scoobal or, you know, whatever they do, that would be a crazy thing to say, we’re all in and we’re gonna win the World Series Well, and that’s, that’s the other thing. In 1983 he was two weeks old. Dude, you were 11.

Allen McCallum  30:23

That’s the other thing, though, right? I mean having these additional pieces, if they do anything, give you more options to make the trade, to get it to a terry school, if the Tigers fall out of this thing, or if the Mets aren’t what they look like on paper, with their new look players, and Freddie Peralta becomes available at mid season. I mean, there are things that the Orioles might be able to do if some of these players do anything to pan out going forward that allow them to win the World Series or go on the path to win the World Series in July.

Luke Jones  30:58

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I like, I guess. You know, as we’ve been talking about this, I’m a poker guy, or I was at one point in time. I don’t, I really don’t play that much anymore, but they always talk about outs. You know, how many remaining cards are in the deck that can help you win a hand? Right? And I think the Orioles right now are much better positioned than they were a year ago in terms of having outs. Now, I don’t know if the bullpen has that right now. That’s where I have my big concern, right? I That’s a bad out to have every I mean, to Alan’s point when that’s bad, you’re generally bad because you can’t hit your Allen’s point. Not gonna feel their way out of it. Well, there’s that element too. I was actually just gonna bring that seventh and, you know, you can talk about it in terms of, okay, bullpen. You can upgrade that at the trade deadline. You don’t want to be dumping winnable games in April and May, because suddenly now you’re on a on a pace to be an 84 win team rather than 89 win team, which that’s the difference between being in the postseason and sitting at home so or

Allen McCallum  31:56

having to play one win exactly at a three, yeah, and

Luke Jones  32:01

you’re playing all three on the road

Nestor Aparicio  32:03

compared at home, right, right, right, five out of every Nine Nights. But I mean, yeah, like, and if you do have a lead, then you got to hold that lead, yeah? And, and to your point, when it starts slipping and the bullpen is overused

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Allen McCallum  32:14

and bad, nothing deflated, yeah,

Luke Jones  32:17

that’s it never gets so. So I think bullpen is where I have concern the defense. I’ll be totally honest, I’m hopeful that. I’m not saying I’m necessarily that this is realistic. I’m hopeful a new coaching staff will get these guys to play a little sharper defense. Now, that doesn’t mean guys are going to turn into gold Glover’s, but throw and throw the right base. Guys that are bad news, guys are competent, right? That kind of stuff. One of my biggest, the biggest knocks I had on Brandon hide while everyone was crushing him, just crushing him. I very much did look at, look, I’m not gonna blame him for what they did or didn’t do from a pitching standpoint in the offseason, but the teleden come out of slop, yep. And that was such an indictment. So I’m hoping that’s hoping that’s where Craig Albernaz and the rest of the staff can make that look better, but where I do have more optimism, it’s what we just said. They have outs offensively. They don’t need every single one of these guys to pop. And guess what? Not every single one of these guys is going to pop. That’s just baseball, right? Yeah, there is, it’s so difficult

Nestor Aparicio  33:22

to produce starting. Their hitters are supposed to play Alonzo those are, yeah, you know, Henderson, if that all works, we’ll be talking about them happily in June.

Luke Jones  33:33

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That which is all I really want, no doubt about it,

Nestor Aparicio  33:35

and just get me to be competitive

Luke Jones  33:37

right now. Chance, I think, and this is kind of a simple way of looking at it, I feel pretty confident. I’m not sitting here saying they’re going to win the Al east, but I feel pretty confident as they’re presently constructed, assuming they’re not hammered by injuries, and they don’t underperform to the degree they did last year, which, if they do those things, they’re going to be in last place again, or they’ll be in fourth place. But I think that puts them on a path that I see their wind total kind of as presently constructed in the high 80s, which usually gets you into the postseason. Makes September interesting. We see what happens.

Allen McCallum  34:10

And I will say this, I think that the division, it hasn’t been saved. I think the division is a little less than it was before the Red Sox offense is questionable. We’ve already talked about the Blue Jays. The Yankees will be good when all their Yeah, when they’re all their starters, come back

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Luke Jones  34:26

or not, like there’s, yeah, there were. There was a point in time where the Yankees and the Red Sox were both teams that you talked about as being 100 win teams. There’s no one like that in the Al East right now. I think there are four legitimately good teams and in the race, even though I feel like every time I say this about the race decent. And you know, McClanahan, who knows? But I think there’s four teams in this division who very well can make the playoffs. Yes, and let me say that’s also what makes it tough, even if no one’s a juggernaut, where you say, oh my gosh, they could win 102 games. Let’s wrap it up here.

Allen McCallum  34:56

The one caveat I’ll say to that is if the the Yankees, Spencer Jones, um. Um, if this kid breaks camp with them, and is what they’re saying, he could be that could propel the Yankees a little higher than everybody else, but they still need their young pitching to hold it up until they get their their start, their real starters back. But yeah, I completely agree with you. I think that their teams the league is weaker. People teams can emerge, and the Orioles are, without a doubt, among the teams that can emerge in the American League and in the east. How many wins? 88 to 9189

Luke Jones  35:33

has kind of been where I’ve been floating around and good year.

Allen McCallum  35:39

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But that said, Peter stepped on a nail.

Luke Jones  35:42

Going back to the final thoughts, if they have the opposite of what happened last year, where they have so many things go well, his team could win the Al east and be the number two seed in the Al like there are enough paths for things to go really well, to be the total opposite of what happened last year, which is just about everything went wrong. So we’ll see.

Nestor Aparicio  36:03

We’re taking his first game on. Mainly, I heard this Nellie, and she’s seeing, I don’t think she cares about

Luke Jones  36:10

Nelly, but Oakland, who’s her favorite player. No, she doesn’t know you. She’ll be turning fives. Okay? You know. Okay, Gunner, you know, I’ll talk to I tell her about gunner, good

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Nestor Aparicio  36:23

Alonzo jersey.

Luke Jones  36:24

I think, you know, I think gunner probably, although, although Pete Alonso is going to be here for four more years after this, it

Allen McCallum  36:31

can’t be understated how he does seem to be bringing an air of maturity to the club

Luke Jones  36:36

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that they bastard on the pitching side too. I don’t know if you heard today leadership. Go watch go. Watch the replay of today’s game or Friday’s game, where,

Nestor Aparicio  36:43

if there are purple plumes of smoke regarding Lamar Jackson, any free agent at all during the period of time, that drives Luke nuts. It’s called the tampering period. We’re tampering with Luke’s emotions tapering

Luke Jones  36:56

with Luke’s sleep schedule as well. Helen and

Nestor Aparicio  36:59

Luke, I love him. You love him. It’s all brought to you, my friends at the Maryland lottery. GBMC, farnand, Dermer, we are here at beautiful Costa sin and Dundalk. I highly encourage everybody to come down here when you’re in the mood for crabs. If you’re uptown, you can always go to the one in Timonium as well. And I’m staring at the Papu right here. Mr. Costa stares at me his pictures right there all the time. He stares at me. So Pete was here as well. Signing off for Costas, it is this close to baseball season, most baseball season. Let’s Play two. As Ernie used to stay. Stay with us. We’re Baltimore positive. You.