The Baltimore Orioles finished in last place, lost a half a million fans at the gate at Camden Yards and are searching for a soul this offseason while watching the rest of MLB hang bunting and play October baseball. Luke Jones attended the bizarre Tony Mansolino and Mike Elias press conference at The Warehouse on Monday. Nestor watched on his computer. Here, they discuss the word salad and measure the strategy of David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti.
Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Orioles’ strange end-of-season press conference, focusing on Mike Elias’s performance and the team’s future. They criticized Elias’s delayed firing of manager Brandon Hyde and the awkward press conference setup. Nestor highlighted the team’s poor attendance and performance, noting a half-million drop in attendance. They debated the potential of young players like Kobe Mayo and Dylan Beavers, and the need for better leadership and transparency from the front office. Nestor expressed frustration with the team’s lack of local engagement and the owners’ absence.
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Identify the specific players in the Orioles’ farm system that Elias believes can contribute to the major league team next year.
- [ ] Evaluate the development timelines of prospects like Kobe Mayo and whether they align with the Orioles’ current competitive window.
- [ ] Monitor the Orioles’ actions this offseason, including the hiring of a new manager and any roster moves, to assess if the organization is truly evolving and adapting as Elias has stated.
Orioles Press Conference and Media Reactions
- Nestor Aparicio discusses the strange end of the season press conference by the Orioles, focusing on the words and deeds of Mike Elias.
- Nestor mentions the press conference on Monday, where Mike Elias spoke, and his experience of watching it online.
- Nestor criticizes the post-game press conference in Kansas City, mentioning the presence of non-media members like Stan Charles.
- Nestor expresses frustration with the leadership and the optics of the press conference, given the team’s poor performance and attendance.
Mike Elias’ Press Conference and Media Expectations
- Nestor questions the purpose of the press conference, suggesting it was more performative than informative.
- Luke Jones discusses the expectations from the press conference, noting the goal of providing clarity and possibly making fans feel better.
- Nestor and Luke debate the importance of the press conference, with Nestor expressing skepticism about its value to fans.
- Nestor criticizes the optics of having Tony Mancini speak before Mike Elias, suggesting it was awkward and unnecessary.
Tony Mancini’s Role and Performance
- Nestor and Luke discuss Tony Mancini’s performance as interim manager, with Nestor expressing doubts about his leadership abilities.
- Nestor compares Mancini to other managers like Buck Showalter and Earl Weaver, suggesting he lacks the presence needed for the role.
- Luke acknowledges Mancini’s growth into the role but criticizes the timing and manner of his press conference.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the optics of keeping Mancini as interim manager, given the team’s performance and the need for a fresh start.
Orioles’ Front Office and Ownership
- Nestor criticizes the Orioles’ front office, particularly Eric Eddie, for their handling of the managerial situation.
- Nestor expresses frustration with the ownership, accusing them of being out of touch and not taking responsibility.
- Nestor mentions the lack of local presence and authenticity in the Orioles’ management, criticizing the new owners for not engaging with the community.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the need for better PR and marketing efforts from the Orioles, suggesting the team should involve more local figures.
Orioles’ Farm System and Future Prospects
- Nestor and Luke discuss the Orioles’ farm system, noting the depth and potential of the young talent.
- Nestor mentions specific players like Kobe Mayo and Gunnar Henderson, expressing hope for their future contributions.
- Luke highlights the importance of the farm system in the Orioles’ rebuilding process, noting the need for more depth and versatility.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the potential trades and acquisitions, suggesting the Orioles should leverage their young talent to improve the roster.
Overall Frustration with the Orioles’ Management
- Nestor expresses his overall frustration with the Orioles’ management, criticizing their lack of transparency and accountability.
- Nestor mentions the team’s poor performance and attendance, suggesting the front office needs to do more to engage and inspire fans.
- Nestor and Luke discuss the need for a clear plan and direction from the Orioles’ management, emphasizing the importance of actions over words.
- Nestor concludes by expressing his skepticism about the team’s future, suggesting the Orioles need significant changes to regain fan trust and support.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Orioles press conference, Mike Elias, Tony Mancini, manager search, young players, attendance decline, front office, player development, trade deadline, pitching prospects, fan engagement, media relations, offseason plans, leadership issues.
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 tassel, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive. Get you ready for the football game this week as well as the baseball offseason. There is no offseason. They’re playing baseball all day, every day this week. So you’re tuning in if you’re looking for the Blue Jays or the mariners, they’re on bye week here for a little while, and the Ravens get ready for the Houston Texans. We’re going to be at fatally on Wednesday, giving away ravens scratch offs in the Maryland lottery, also at Costas in Timonium on Monday, I am wearing my state fair in Catonsville shirt because I have a Cobb salad and delicious Parmesan, parmesan encrusted salmon in my fridge right now. Stop by Catonsville on Monday night for a little bit of food. And, you know, Luke, I stopped in state fair on Monday night, and two games were on at the same time, the football games. And I looked up and I saw the Bengals logo, and I saw the the dolphins jerseys in the orange. And I’m like, what are the Bengals doing, wearing? What is that? And then I realized, oh, that’s the dolphins. And I’m like, they don’t have a logo on their helmet, or at least if they do, I can’t see it. So I did have that at State Fair. The food was better than the football was certainly on Monday night, but you spent Monday afternoon, probably your last trip until opening day to the warehouse. I don’t know me. Maybe they’ll have some special press conferences here. This this off season, but there was a press conference on Monday. You had told me all weekend, well, Elias is speaking on Monday. Elias is speaking on Monday. And I said, when you said noon? So noon on Monday, I made my time and I do what every journalist who’s ever been banned from the Baltimore watches online. They actually sound worked for their press conference on Monday. So thumbs up there to Greg Bader and his group and Katie, of course, thumbs down for the post game in Kansas City on Sunday. That did not work. I was stunned to see man, silly, no, do a half an hour press conference before Elias spoke. He doesn’t he doesn’t have a job. He’s not the manager anymore. I just found the whole thing, including Stan Charles standing up in the middle. I didn’t know he’s a real media member anymore. I saw everybody there, but real media members. I saw malesky. I saw Stan. People that aren’t on the radio, don’t in the newspaper, like, I’m like, and the questions that are asked when it’s Stan Charles says, Well, we, well, we got, and I’m thinking, that’s how you get in the press conference. You call the team we I was just I watched it from the outside. I haven’t seen a lot of these wrap up season ending on I’m looking around for Steve Bisciotti to show back up, to show up for these. But the leadership part of this being the leadership thing that they do after a last place year, attendance is down a half a million. They’re clearly going to hire a manager. So they put the old manager out to say, maybe, maybe not. We’ll talk about it late. I just found the whole thing to just be strange. I don’t even know what else to say, other than the bulls that they give you in the performative as you say, you get in the car in Pennsylvania, drive down there, you know it’s all bull jaw, and yet you go and the fans tune in, a few of us, I guess, put on the live stream at noon. They didn’t have it on NASA, and they have a television network dedicated to the baseball team, and they have the only press conference they’re going to have it in and put it on that. I just found all of it to be strange, and I don’t know that we learned anything other than what you and I talk about, which is, they’ve got a lot of young players that they’re as unsure about as we are.
Luke Jones 03:24
Yeah. Look, in the interest of fairness, I’m not sure what you can say after a season like that. That’s really, truly going to make anyone feel meaningfully better, you know? But that is the goal of it. Sure, but, but again, like always, provide clarity, maybe. What did you hope? I guess, what did you hope to hear? You know, and I don’t mean you individually, although you can, you’re welcome to answer. What did you really hope to hear that he was that he might actually see, I
Nestor Aparicio 03:55
don’t know why I put these press conferences on, other than to talk to you about it the day after. We can have some clarity, because, to your point is they’re kind of worthless. Even though you attend them, they expect the fans to watch them. Most of the fans don’t. I mean, I’m talking about a press conference that only the hardest of hardest core Oriole fans will tune in live to or ever go back to, take a half an hour. I’m wondering whether I’m going to stop an hour on my radio in the middle of Infirmary week here with the Texans to even run it did, like people even care what Michaelia says, and I know I don’t care much about what mancellino says, because I don’t believe he’s going to be the manager, and I don’t think, and I’ve said this for four months, I just don’t think he shows well. I don’t know what else to say. It feels like a JUCO baseball it feels like the Dundalk community college baseball coach is speaking to me. I know he’s a good baseball man. I knew his dad a little bit like I’m not pissing on him. I just don’t think this is the look that they need at this point. And I don’t know what the look they need as we talk about Buck Showalter, or what Johnny Oates would look like, or Earl Weaver, or what that’s Bo she’s out there now, there’s boat. She’s out there now, right? I think there’s a D. Chance he winds up back in San Francisco. It feels like the time, oh, I mean, you know Buster, like he’s done it just felt, it feels like he got tired as hell two years ago winning the World Series.
Luke Jones 05:10
Well, I thought he looked tired 15 years ago. I think that’s just his
Nestor Aparicio 05:13
cat. I know Bruce, whoa. I mean, I know Bruce 30 Years I Love Bruce.
Luke Jones 05:19
Couple things. One, I’m in agreement with you on the man. Let me, let me be clear, I do think Tony mancellino grew into that role better than he showed in May and June that said I thought it was odd that he held court in the manner that he did. I at
Nestor Aparicio 05:39
the very least, because our ball was out of contract, would they have a press conference in the day after his contract? Like, I just
Luke Jones 05:46
found it. It was just, it was odd. And look, I’ll say this just in a vacuum. It’s nice to hear another voice, you know, just when you’re talking about players, like I asked him about Adley rutschman, you know, like, what’s the deal? Like, where is he at this point all that he should know best. So I think from that standpoint, it was kind of interesting. But yeah, just in terms of a big picture sense, from a branding sense, and a term in terms of selling whatever you’re trying to sell at the moment here at the end of September, going in October, and you’re sitting at home rather than playing in the postseason. It was odd, because I’m with you. Look, he, you know, he’s been told that he’s under consideration. Mike Elias said that they’re considering him, but they’re also going to talk to other people. I kind of feel when these in these instances. And look, you saw this happen with what, uh, Kelly, the he was the interim manager of the pirates. He’s their manager. Now, if you don’t know if a guy is your manager right now, after he’s been your interim for four months, then he shouldn’t be your manager, right? I mean, it should be so overwhelmingly clear that, oh my gosh, we know this might not be perceived in the best way by the fans, but we think this guy is the next Earl Weaver, right? And I’m just saying Earl, because it’s local and the history of the franchise, so you know, through looking at it through that lens, yeah, it was odd that he talked. It would have been very odd, because at first, when they put out the police the release, they said that it was those two talking at noon at the warehouse. And I was thinking, they’re not putting these guys together like we’re not going to be asking questions about the manager with mancellino sitting right next to life. So they didn’t do that. They at least separated them so there wasn’t that level of awkwardness. But, yeah, still awkward. And, you know, I mean, I’ve said it, I think Tony is a perfectly fine baseball man in terms of, you know, whether, whether he stays in the organization in another capacity, or whether he goes becomes the third base coach of the, I don’t know the San Diego Padres.
Nestor Aparicio 07:50
I don’t think he did a bad job, just, you know, on the face. But I just, I think the
Luke Jones 07:54
optics, I mean, and this is, you know, me, there are times where I’ll push back against you. Talking about optics, this is one of those times where it does need to matter. There’s no question you can’t have the season that the Orioles just had fired Brandon Hyde in May fine. Go through a season play better. But even by michaelias own admission, it’s not as though they played so much better from June on that it was, you know, they were dude. Nobody hit the ball. Nobody hit but they nobody, but they were better, in the sense of they were so terrible. The first seven weeks, they had their stretch where they won nine of 11 got themselves to like 11 under 500 on June 5, which, to me, that needed to be the jumping off point for them to start playing like a really legitimate contender, and they played for like a 500 team the rest of the way. So wasn’t horrendous, but certainly wasn’t inspiring either, certainly to your point, with the offense so with Mike Elias even acknowledging that much and saying, Yeah, we played better over the last four months, but not that much better that that you’d say, Oh my Oh, my goodness. That you know, it’s a shame, because we were so great the last three months, or anything like that. So from an optic standpoint, you go through that kind of a season, and then you’re going to keep the interim manager, which presumably means what, you’re probably retaining most of your coaching staff then, because he’s been part of this coaching staff over the last four years, you need to hire a different manager. And look, does that mean it’s going to be Bruce Bochy? Does that mean it’s going to be Bob Melvin? You know, guys that are recognizable, you know, to the average baseball
Nestor Aparicio 09:38
Mel has a whole Baltimore
Luke Jones 09:42
but I would also say, Go, look at his winning percentage in the postseason. I mean, I mean, he’s one manager of the year a few times. I’m not saying to be a horrible hire. Do I think it’s this major game changer? And then this is where we go back to, what are they doing with the roster, right? What are they doing with the rest of their coaching stuff? What? Are they doing behind the scenes? Because we know in a modern baseball operations department and a front office, they truly run the show. The manager and the coaches, generally speaking, are kind of following orders. Now that doesn’t mean that coaches and managers have no value whatsoever. But it’s certainly not the same value, the same job that it was 20 years ago, let alone 40 years ago, where, you know, you had managers and GMs butting heads right by
Nestor Aparicio 10:32
the way I ran into, I went to the the child’s play reunion show Saturday Night. So it’s a bunch of Dundalk people and my people my age, and I was there, and I got hold up on by a guy who said to me, I’m blankety Blank’s brother. And he looked like blankety blank. And blankety blank spent 25 years in the Oriole organization and has had a few lunches with you and me to meet she’s over the course of time, and he was telling me that his brother’s job as a long time minor league manager and coach and roving scouting director and hands on technician and thrower of BP to Brady Anderson back in the day, to how much the job has changed being a Class A or double A manager, or and, or coach, and what headquarters sounds and looks like, as opposed to what it looked like from the Bowie base Sox 15 years ago.
Luke Jones 11:33
Yeah, it’s changed a lot, if so, when I say that that doesn’t that’s not me saying the manager doesn’t matter, or the coaching staff doesn’t matter. It does because ultimately, you still have to be teachers. You still have to be liaison, in terms of taking information, applying it, helping players apply it, filtering what’s important. And some players can process more information. Others are more see ball, hit ball, and it’s not quite that simplistic.
Nestor Aparicio 12:00
But you know talked about the cheerleading part of like, trying to provide confidence for young men that are struggling, and they were all struggling at this point. So, I mean, I really respected that part of manzalino, the way he talked about Cal Ripken pulling him up and talking ball. I mean, manzalino seems like a good ball guy. He’s doesn’t feel to me to be no leader of men or the projection you want. I don’t mean winning the Johnny Bravo press goes. I’m just talking about I’m a ball guy. My name’s Aparicio. You know what I mean? I’ve been doing this my whole life as a media member. When I go in to sit and talk to him, what I’m getting out of that as the guy sitting here watching it on a screen. I’ve never met Tony mancellino in my life. I’m not allowed to meet him. I don’t smell good enough, I’m not white enough, I’m not tall enough. My hair is too low. I’m not allowed to meet these people. I only watch them on TV, and having done this professionally all my life, I watch it and say, I don’t know. I’m just not impressed by it. I’m impressed by his baseball knowledge. But I think nice third base coach, nice, whatever, roving scouting guy, minor, triple A manager, whatever, but not the guy I’m putting in front of my $2 billion franchise.
Luke Jones 13:10
Yeah, and I think that’s fair. I think that’s fair. And like I said, I think he became more comfortable in that role to the point where I’ll say this, and look, I don’t expect many people to even realize this, because there weren’t a ton of reasons to watch the Orioles the last couple months, other than Trevor Rogers day and Kyle Bradish day over the last month. But he he became more critical of players, not in a demeaning way or a disrespectful way, but he would call it like it is, as far as I mean, he’s he flat out, said multiple times over the last couple weeks of the season, whether whether it’s me or whoever the next manager is, or whoever’s in place, the number one objective of this organization is, what I’ve been saying for months now, is you’ve got to get this young core back pointed in the right direction, and you need to exhaust every avenue you can to do that. So to bring it back to the here and now. As far as the manager job, the optics of it, you can’t tell everyone you need to evolve and adapt in the way that Mike Elias said. They need to evolve and adapt, and then keep the interim manager and run back most of the coaching staff, because no matter what changes you’re making behind the scenes in terms of your process, with your hitting, instructing, instruction and all that stuff, right? Stuff that’s proprietary in the modern day that even 40 years ago, I mean, they they weren’t going to tell you every single detail of how their philosophy and everything, because there’s a competitive element to that, right? But those aren’t the things that are going to be front facing. Front facing. But what is front facing is the manager and is the coaching staff and whatever moves you make in terms of trades and signings and things of that nature, yeah, to me, from an optic standpoint, because of attendance being down and fans being ticked, and this just not. That, like the under the level of underperformance this year. I don’t know how you do that without having more and more people just completely tune out
Nestor Aparicio 15:08
it’s less than me, like a poor franchise doing doing another poor thing on Monday, like it just didn’t show well it. And I just, I mean, I guess, I guess. What did you want to hear Michaelia say that truly, truly, realistically speaking, he would say that would make you feel better about the franchise. I just don’t know what that answer is. I mean, you’re welcome to say what it is. I would have fired him when he fired the manager and hit hit four days, so he would not have Monday would have been Eric Eddie, and who’s really making the decision, Eric Eddie. Eric Eddie, who’s quiet and hiding and apparently more arrogant than all of them. And I shook his hand once, and I’m I’m one for one on his arrogance, but, but these are the decision makers, dude, sure, the people up there. Michael ice isn’t making decision. He’s making decisions based on the pocketbook of arageti, because whatever the decision is whatever Tyler O’Neill, he’s going to want to go and spend 80 or 100 $200 million on it’s going to go back. I mean, I noticed where Cohen did the apology thing to the Mets or whatever. I don’t know the right and the wrong way. I am a lifer baseball fan. I’m a lifer media member who’s been boxed out by the old owners now dead. These people still have employed all of the creeps that worked there before the place is empty. They’re devoid of ideas other than Star Wars night. I mean, their television commercials were awful. Every thing that I’ve seen and touched for a year and a half with these new people down the bobble and
Luke Jones 16:35
what do you want to see? I know this, Nestor, what do you want to see? No, I
Nestor Aparicio 16:39
want to see the owners out with a real plan and take questions and asking, like, they’re here because they’re pretending to be local and they’re not. They’re pretending to care and they don’t. Um, Rubenstein got picketed by a bunch of groups on climate change because he’s wrecking Alaska. He’s involved in all of these awful he’s he’s a fraud of a man. I mean, Rubenstein, I mean, like, like, that’s pretty clear to me. A year and a half into this, I thought you were getting this champion, this Magna Carta, this Baltimore Ian, who was going to get a guy that had money that doesn’t like baseball that much is now hiding from the whole operation, because it doesn’t. It’s not fixing his brand with with a Whistler. You know, yet last place, Dave, you might want to get in front of this. I mean, media doesn’t want to hear from you anyway. We just, the citizens just gave you $600 million to take the Jim Henneman press box and put it left field, and you’ve got the priority list now, so I’m getting their ads that are just full of shit. I mean, there’s a list to give all this money to sit behind home plate. Come on, man, come on, man. You’re all from out of town. You don’t know your head from your ass. You don’t know where you where you’re from. You don’t know what leaders. You don’t know what any of this. You don’t even know the community and the place is empty. Put some local people in front of it. Put something up that smells better than the old manager, who wasn’t very good, and the general manager who ran ran from firing his manager for four days four months ago, and look disinterested in being there on Monday. Looked like he wanted to get it over with. And now he can go into the laboratory and be quiet for a while and he doesn’t care about selling tickets. Mike. It’s Mike. It’s not Michael. Is his job. It’s not. It’s not any of their job to sell enthusiasm or tickets or the off season, or hope, or any of that. But somebody’s got to sell it. Somebody’s got to sell it. I don’t know who it is. They had a better PR director, if they had better marketing, if they had people that lived here in the off season, if they had some sort of relative, John Miller or Chuck Thompson or Jim Palmer or Brooks rod, if they had something they have Cal Ripken, great. Then make him really do something and put Don’t, don’t make him a figurehead in your TV commercials, which is all it feels like it is to me. So I I feel like Elias is running the place, but every time I see him in front of me, it doesn’t instill any confidence in me. Luke, and the more he talks, the less I believe. I mean, I’m just being frank with you. I mean, I’m just
Luke Jones 18:59
everything you just everything you just mentioned, none of that selling tickets unless the baseball team is better. So I mean, but when I do
Nestor Aparicio 19:05
get when I do tune in, let me come on the radio the next day and say, hmm, I feel the wind changing. I feel like maybe this is the time I don’t have. I’m not going to bullshit my audience to make people happy. What I don’t get called names. Do I believe in it or do I not believe in it? That’s literally the only question that matters. Is I sit here and do this for the 34th year in a row with a team that is has been traditionally disgraceful in everything they’ve touched this century for the most part, like other than Buck Showalter in five minutes, of Manny Machado and Chris Davis when he was on the right drugs, and the things that they were doing in 12 and 14 other than that, and two years ago, I spend a lot of energy. I stopped my day on Monday to watch it. If they would have let me in, because I don’t smell good enough, I’m not a part of their country, I would have gotten in my car and driven down there and parked and sat there and. Ask legitimate questions on behalf of the fan base. I’m not even allowed to do that, so all I do is watch it, and then I come on here and say what I really think of it, and what I really think of it is it’s not very good. We know what you think.
Luke Jones 20:15
You tell us every day. I mean, we understand
Nestor Aparicio 20:17
last place, they’ve had a half a million people that their games. I can’t find them. I The team disappears for four months. When they come back, they do a caravan for five minutes. They treat the media awful. They treat people awful. They don’t, they’re, they’re not a part of this. Who is Katie Griggs met. She’s been here a year and a half. Rubenstein goes around with his little you have to pay to get him. You have to pay $200 to hear him speak at lunch like it’s just not good, it’s just not good. That’s it. That’s it. It’s not good.
Luke Jones 20:46
Fair enough. And look, I’m not gonna sit here and defend them. They had a bad season. But I also think these press conferences, everyone uses their priors to see it, view it through the lens they want. And I’ll use John Harbaugh as an example on Monday, because all I’ve heard from a certain segment of fans is hold people accountable. Hold people accountable. And then I heard them complain that he was throwing Todd monk and under the bus. I mean, some people just want to be ticked off. Well, everybody knows Sean don’t call
Nestor Aparicio 21:18
the place you’ve already sat here for half an hour and said the manager doesn’t even matter, because Elias is going to scream down. What is going to happen anyway? And that’s the way baseball works, I guess. Yeah. But this goes back to my look. You think, Michael, I should be gone. That makes him even more important when he fires his manager and hides for four days. Dude, fire your manager on Saturday in Baltimore, Nestor, this four months ago, disqualifies you from anything I would call accountability or being a grown up, but I guess. But then, Why’d you bother to watch that? I’ve so changed. I did because I, because I do this professionally. I would never. I wouldn’t watch baseball. I know you wouldn’t. I could, literally, I wouldn’t I want this. I watched it for 35 years, and I don’t smell like it’s a great hope or investment of my time anymore, and neither does anybody. That frightens me.
Luke Jones 22:11
What Michaelia, short of him saying, I’m firing myself. What did you want to hear from him.
Nestor Aparicio 22:21
I thought it was bizarre. They put manzalino out when he’s not going to be the manager like I just thought the whole, the whole premise of that was
Luke Jones 22:27
just bizarre. I know we, I agree. I, I,
Luke Jones 22:35
I guess my point that I’m that I’m trying to make, and I keep asking, and you’re just, you’re ranting about things that I’m not saying are untrue. But what did you want to hear from what did you go into that hoping to hear from Mike Elias that you didn’t hear? Oh, and that’s, and that’s just my question, like I’m
Nestor Aparicio 22:51
genuinely curious. I agree he was hiding for four days when he fired his manager. And what he what is the process of hiring a manager? What makes manzalino Smell good or like that really mean, where is the budget? Where’s your owner? Where’s your Where is the man who’s writing the checks? Let’s talk to him like, Where, where is the philosophy on this? And, you know, where are the targets? What he you know, the thing he said that was interesting to me, because you’re asking. So I’m because I did listen. That’s funny, you know, I’m genuinely curious. He he said something about he loved their upper level pitching talent. We have guys that we feel like are going to be here next year. And I’m assuming he’s talking about all the name Sal, the word salad, from the nine players they dealt off before the trading deadline, they picked up with 16 players. I mean, there’s a lot of players, right? Yeah, so I’m assuming of that group is appeal. He traded for them recently, in the last eight weeks, and they had two months to take him down the Gulf Coast League or do whatever they’re going to do in the California penal league or the Arizona fall League, or wherever they’re sending people this this winter they, I would have pressed them a little bit more on one by one. Where are these guys you think are in the bullpen or going to be arms that are going to give me 20 to 70 innings next year for the Orioles? Yeah, identify a couple of those guys, because he can’t identify anything from out of the organization or free agency that, but I probably would have drilled them down on more of the guys that I haven’t heard from, or even guys that may have pitched in the last couple weeks that, quite frankly, I wasn’t watching the game at 915 sure to see who they brought in the sixth inning against Tampa last week. I saw you the teams in the box scores, but like, I’m just, I’m like everybody else, I wasn’t at the point where I was giving them 100 hours of my time in September, and
Luke Jones 24:43
that’s complete that’s completely justified given where they were in the standings, yeah, so and all that. So I think I’m actually glad you brought that up, because I hadn’t. It wasn’t at the forefront of my mind, but I actually had talked to someone who someone else in the media, whose opinion of the farm. System that I value. You know, it’s a little off the beaten path. And he made, he made an interesting point in talking about this farm system. And part of the trade deadline is part of this, but not all of it. Because has, I have pointed out to you the last couple drafts while they weren’t drafting a pitcher in the first round. If you look at the and remember, I remember I held up my notebook, and we showed it on YouTube, all that they had started to make more of an effort to draft pitching. And he made a point that it’s interesting about this farm system, like they’re not number one in baseball in the way they were a few years ago, but a few years ago, even when they had all these top 100 guys and guys that are in the majors now, and frankly, some of them disappointing at this point in time, but he made a point that they had a bunch of elite prospects, but they didn’t have great depth in terms of, you know, and I this isn’t really a scouting term, but let’s just say, use a five point a five point scale. Say you have a bunch of five star you know, like recruiting for basketball or college football, they had a bunch of five star prospects, right? They didn’t have as many fours and threes and even throw like, twos in there. They had a bunch of fives, but they had, like, a lot of ones and twos. Then, like, a lot of it was a very top heavy system at that point in time. He did say, and look, I mean, obviously you’re gonna have to see how it plays out, and you never really know, right? I mean, Adley rutschman At one point in time, was drafted before Bobby Witt, right? I mean, the Orioles did that around, you know, so clearly that didn’t work out, you know, in the way that you don’t know, because player development’s tricky, and sometimes.
Nestor Aparicio 26:42
Kobe Mayo was a five last year. Now he’s like a three. Hey, you know, I mean, some of these guys play themselves from Adley Rutger was a five, he’s more like a three or four now, like gunner Henderson was a four, who’s now five, right? Jackson holiday was always a five. It’s still a five right now. Was a five who kind of became a four.
Luke Jones 27:00
And like, but, but, I’m just, but, I guess I’m just trying to, you know, because of the point you made, it feels like their system has gotten deeper in terms of, like, second and third tier prospects, which, frankly, those are the guys you want to trade, right? You don’t see very many truly elite prospects traded in the game anymore. You just don’t I mean, yes, it happens, but it happens. It’s a much more you know that it’s a rare event compared to how you viewed it. 10 or
Nestor Aparicio 27:32
15 you’re much more likely to do what the oils did with with the player we picked up two years ago, who turned into fire, who was a five prospect, who played his way into will give you a way to the Orioles, and then then, all of a sudden, became a player, you know? I mean, and that that’s where they are with kerstat Mayo, the failed prospects. I mean, even Richmond at this point to say that potential is there. How do I get that? Mean, Ryan, I think it’s yeah. How do I get Anthony Santer, tanta there? How do I make you a better player by the time you’re 28 or 29 I don’t know, Richmond’s getting there. You know, some of these guys are getting their cows are, you know, some of these guys, I don’t know if they’re going to make that next step or not. But to your point, there’s always a Chris Davis or Ryan O’Hearn, or somebody that comes out of, I don’t want to say nowhere, but is a later bloomer. Is that? Does that fair say? I mean, that happens all the time, like Trevor Rogers right now,
Luke Jones 28:31
I would, I would push back on any notion that Kobe Mayo is a failed prospect at this point in time, but he it’s, it’s still TBD. He’s, you know, we’re not, we’re talking about someone who hasn’t had a full year of plate appearances in the major leagues. Now, that said, I think Kobe Mayo is tricky in the sense that I wonder if he profiles like a Chris Davis, in the sense that Chris Davis really didn’t truly figure it out until he was 25 or 26 and you know, if it were 2021 if you’re going into the 2021 season, by all means, I’ll give Kobe Mayo the first base job. And the way that they gave Ryan mountcastle The job that year, and that, you know, you just say, hey, go play.
Nestor Aparicio 29:08
And they thought at that point, there would come a point where mount Castle would hit a home run, 100 home runs over three or four years, right? Like it would be that period of time where he would be a 26 to 35 home run guy, hit 265 draw, you know, like,
Luke Jones 29:21
playing kind of was for two years, but then, like, it kind of piddled out, right? So, but I guess the overall point, you know, because you brought it up, and I thought that was interesting too. As far as Elias talking about some of the pitching and and the guys are talking about are not just guys that they acquired, in fact, I don’t think it’s that. I think it’s more talking about, you know, you look at they have, you’ll like this. And let me make sure I have it in front of me, right? Because I don’t have the but Nestor Herman, for example, who I already like him? Yeah. I mean, you know, you’re talking about someone who has a chance to be on the roster at some point next year. There. Yeah, he’s like, let’s say you’re gonna be an ace or anything like that. But some of these guys, I mean, like Chase McDermott, we’ve seen him have a few starts. It hasn’t gone very well for him at the major league level, but you know what they did this summer, they transitioned him to a bullpen role. We’re going to see what that looks like. Now, that’s not, let me be clear. That’s not me saying Chase McDermott’s going to be handed the eighth inning role on opening day. No, absolutely not. Is he going to be in the mix? You asked me, I’ll answer the two guys that I’ve identified from the bullpen over the last two months that I think will go to spring training have a having a legitimate chance to be part of the bullpen, albeit certainly not guys I look at to be, quote, your true high leverage guys, but Dietrich ends and cage Stroud, go look at their numbers. They pitch pretty well. Kate Stroud, I think, got an interesting arm. The issue with him the last few years in the system and why he hadn’t really progressed, you know, to the degree where he became like any kind of a real prospect, you know, wasn’t, wasn’t enough of a strike thrower, he did pretty well in that department, you know, over this last year or so. And it’s kind of put him, painted him in a different light. So, you know, they’re going to have guys like that, they’re going to have. And part of that, and part of what we talked about at the trade deadline, is that is now inventory for you as well, to go out and make some trades and look, there’s also, I think, the possibility, not even, might even be, a likelihood, that one of these names we’ve been mentioning from this group, this young core, you know, it’s not going to be gunner Henderson. I don’t think it’s, you know, I don’t think it’s gonna be Jordan Westberg. I don’t think it’s even going to be Adley rut not this winter. Now, maybe next winter. That’s a different conversation. Who knows? But, you know, I’ve mentioned Kobe mayo. I mentioned his development timeline, and does that really, truly align with where the Orioles are right now, I still think Kobe Mayo is highly thought of around the league. I don’t, by no means do. I think he’s a failed prospect. I think he’s someone that could be
Nestor Aparicio 32:00
you are someone, and Elias is someone that believes he’s going to hit 30 home runs over the next three years, or has the chance to do that,
Luke Jones 32:08
or or two years from now, he can really grow into that. Well, that could be the big piece, not the only piece you need to trade. We’ll stop that could grow into that. That could be the big piece that goes and gets you a pitcher. I don’t know, right? But when you have a greater inventory of not just these elite prospects that you want to hold on to, but you have some B prospect, you know, some B plus and b and c plus prospects that blossom, Dylan beavers was never an elite prospect, don’t you? I feel better about him than half their young core at this point in time, based on what I saw over these last six weeks. Now that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need to have a good spring training and and, you know, look the part next April and May, but he looks like a guy who could be their lead off hitter for the next five years. Who knows, but the guy that comes up for eight weeks on a really bad team draws walks and hits 250 that he didn’t better than most of the other 23 year olds that have become that’s what was. That was heartening to me, that they finally had a guy. Yeah? So, you know, look, Mike Elias was never going to win that press conference. He’s never really been a he talks a lot without saying much, if that makes sense, yeah, well, I but that’s, that’s a lot of executives, because they’re so afraid of giving anything away. But actions are going to speak louder than words for this entire organization. All winter, it’s going to start with a manager, and then we’re going to see who they acquire, and come January and February, what’s this roster look like? If it looks exactly the same or mostly the same, then no, I’m not going to be terribly encouraged. But you know, now’s the time, as Elias said, it’s time to evolve and adapt. Well, let’s see it then, no, not just talking about it,
Nestor Aparicio 33:50
all right? 90 nights in the Orioles, we’re back on to Lamar, back on to injuries, back on to the Houston Texans and back onto the Maryland crab cake tour. Wednesday, we’re at fade leaves. Monday, we are at Costas. I’m wearing my state fair shirt. I promise to get back to Catonsville as well. All of it brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery. Make sure you check it out. Our tasting is brought to you by curio wellness and foreign daughter, as well as our injury reports, very important this week, brought to you by GBMC. And of course, you’ll get that delivered on the W NST tech service. Brought to you by coal roofing and Gordian energy. He is Luke. You can find him in Baltimore. Luke, you can find both of us@baltimorepositive.com you.
