Krem's Sports

After firing Flip, Wiz still need massive organizational overhaul

2012-01-25T07:08:00.004-05:00

The Wizards dismissed head coach Flip Saunders yesterday, making him the first person to lose his job after the team's dreadful 2-15 start to the season. Randy Wittman takes over, which is not an upgrade. Wittman is no coaching medicine man -- far from it. Fans won't be happy with him if he continuously plays Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche 35 minutes a night and keeps Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Jan Vesely, and Shelvin Mack tethered to the bench. Hopefully Blatche and Lewis see reduced minutes, but that won't happen. Look how many games it took for Mack to receive backup point guard minutes. Regardless, there's not much of a chance that Wittman sticks around after the season.

I don't think there's a single person out there who thinks this whole mess is simply Saunders's fault. He's certainly no one's top choice to lead a bunch of young players and is much better coaching a veteran-laden team, but he still deserves some blame. Everyone involved with this debacle does. The Wizards are a team without a direction. They're rudderless. Under general manager Ernie Grunfeld, things could not get much worse than they are now.

The Wizards have lost three times to the aging, 7-9 Celtics, with the most recent loss against Boston coming when the Celtics were without Rajon Rondo for the entire game and Ray Allen (left with an ankle injury) in the second half. Within the last month, the Wizards have lost to the T'Wolves by 21, scored just 64 points and lost by 14 against a Bulls team playing without Derrick Rose, dropped a game by four to a Nuggets team playing without Nene Hilario, and have been dismantled three times by the Sixers by a combined 64 points.

Have you looked at the Wizards roster lately? The Wizards have one really good player: John Wall. His current game is not without flaws, but this post is not about picking apart Wall's game. He has things he needs to work on, no doubt; but if Wall played on a different team and was surrounded by more talent, not only would his numbers be much better, but that team would have several more wins. If Wall were even just playing with mediocre players who worked hard, this team would probably be better. Instead, there's a lot of average-to-good players who think they're better than they are, and that unselfish play has been one of the most disappointing and hard-to-watch characteristics of this team.

The next best player on the roster is probably JaVale McGee. Then there's some combination of Blatche, Nick Young, Jordan Crawford, Lewis, Singleton, and Booker. Mack and Vesely seem like useful young players, and they've been seeing more minutes the last few games. Singleton and Booker may be the two players who demonstrate the most hustle and toughness on the team, and they should unquestionably be receiving consistent minutes. But they are also flawed players and will never be stars. They can be serviceable role players, sure, but that's probably their ceiling.

The Wizards could use a superstar, or even a star, to play alongside Wall. I don't know if Wall can ever be the best player on a great, or even really good, team, but he needs some help. And that group of players after Wall and McGee is really where the problem lies. (Some also think McGee is a problem, and that may be true as well.) And that's mostly Grunfeld's fault. Grunfeld has failed repeatedly in the draft to hit on several players, many of them raw, athletic types.

Grunfeld was hired in June 2003. He's made a few shrewd trades and signings -- piecing Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler together, most notably -- but he has not done a good job when it comes to drafting players. Let's take a look.

2003: Jarvis Hayes (10th), Steve Blake (38th). The Blake pick was nice; the Hayes pick was not. Notable players taken in the first round after Hayes: Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, David West, Boris Diaw, Travis Outlaw, Carlos Delfino, Kendrick Perkins, and Josh Howard.

2004: Devin Harris (5th), Peter John Ramos (33rd). Shipped Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and Christian Laettner to the Mavericks for Jamison. Defensible move. Notable players taken after "Party John": Chris Duhon and Trevor Ariza.

2005: Andray Blatche (49th). Arguably Grunfeld's best pick. Arguably also Grunfeld's worst pick, because fans have to watch Andray Blatche. The Wizards had no first-round pick after trading that pick and Laron Profit to the Magic for Brendan Haywood. The pick ended up being 20th overall.

2006: Oleksiy Pecherov (18th), Vladimir Veremeenko (48th). Maybe Grunfeld's worst draft. Notable players taken after Pecherov in the first round: Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar.

2007: Nick Young (16th), Dominic McGuire (47th). Notable players taken after Young in the first round: Marco Belinelli, Daequan Cook, Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, Aaron Brooks, Arron Afflalo, and Tiago Splitter.

2008: JaVale McGee (18th), Bill Walker (47th). Walker was traded to the Celtics for cash considerations. Notable players taken after McGee in the first round: J.J. Hickson, Ryan Anderson, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, George Hill, and Darrell Arthur.

2009: Jermaine Taylor (32nd). The Wizards traded the fifth pick (which turned into Ricky Rubio), Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. At the time, the Wizards were risking everything on the big three working out. It did not, and it looks really, really bad now. Oh, and the Wizards again traded away a player (Taylor) for cash. So in 2009, the Wizards ended up with zero drafted players.

2010: John Wall (1st). After a flurry of moves, the Wizards also ended up with Kevin Seraphin (17th), Trevor Booker (23rd), and Hamady N'Diaye (56th). Wall is obviously the real prize; Booker seems solid, too. But here are other notable players in the first round picked after Seraphin: Eric Bledsoe (would've made little sense with Wall), Jordan Crawford (current Wizard), and Greivis Vásquez. It's still early, but overall 2010 doesn't seem like a very deep draft class.

2011: Jan Vesely (6th), Chris Singleton (18th), Shelvin Mack (34th). Too early to tell, but this class does have some promise.

There are way too many missed opportunities in those drafts. Of course, it's too easy to look back and see how badly Grunfeld messed up on various picks. All general managers have made bad picks, or at least picks they wish they could go back and change. Hindsight is 20/20, and all that.

It's possible that many of the drafted players who didn't pan out just weren't that good to begin with. But it's also worth looking at Mike Wise's JaVale/Pamela McGee article a little closer. Ignoring all of the "mother protecting her son" stuff, Wizards fans should notice an underlying problem: The Wizards are terrible at developing talent. Who is the best player the Wizards have developed in the last decade? Bullets Forever's Jake Whitacre said a few days ago that it might be Blatche, and he's probably right. How sad is that?

Why aren't the Wizards more open to doing all they can to develop their players? Couldn't they have brought in different coaches or more efficient specialists? Players like McGee seem willing to learn and improve. Every Wizards player may not be like that, but the fact remains that players don't come to Washington and get that much better. And that's an organizational failure.

Just like the organization, the players deserve their fair share of the blame as well. How often have fans complained this season (and previous seasons) about Blatche, Young, McGee, and Crawford? Are all of those guys doing everything in their power to improve their games? At times, it seems like those four only care about their numbers and are willing to sacrifice wins in order to get buckets. That just can't happen.

Regarding the future of this team, lots of questions remain, including: Has Grunfeld done enough to stick around? Has he given his coaches enough talent to win basketball games? Has he kept improving the overall depth of Wizards' rosters? No, he hasn't.

Because of how horrible this team is, the Wizards will have an excellent chance at a top three pick in the next draft, but I don't have much confidence that Grunfeld will select the right player. And unless better coaches are in place, I also don't believe that player will develop at the level necessary to help turn this team around. I also have little trust that even if he does make a strong pick that he'll be able to surround that player and Wall with the right types of pieces.

Grunfeld has used up all of his excuses. He has been around for nearly a decade, and look where the Wizards are now. He's more responsible for this debacle than Saunders ever was, and it's time for Ted Leonsis to clean house and start in a different direction.

O's bring Betemit aboard with two-year deal

2012-01-24T06:57:00.001-05:00

The Orioles have agreed to terms with utility man Wilson Betemit. The monetary terms of the deal have not been reported yet; however, the deal appears to be for two years. Here's The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly on the signing:

Again, #Orioles have agreed to terms w/ INF Wilson Betemit on a 2yr deal w an option for a third year. He'll likely DH & play sevl positions
— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) January 24, 2012

That's right, a two-year deal for a 30-year-old utility man. Betemit will most likely see some time at first and third.

Let's be clear: This deal won't break the bank. But it's the second year that's the issue. I seriously doubt any other team was willing to offer Betemit a second year. So why were the O's? It's not like Betemit is amazing at any one skill. In a part-time role in each of the last two seasons, he's been worth about 1.0 WAR (according to FanGraphs). He's a decent hitter -- .269/.336/.448 for his career. Even though he's a switch-hitter, he's much better against right-handed pitching. Here's the breakdown:

In 1,472 plate appearances vs. RHP: .278/.347/.470, .350 wOBA
In 472 plate appearances vs. LHP: .246/.299/.385, .299 wOBA

He's also a horrible fielder. He hasn't posted a positive UZR at third base since 2005 (2.0 in 431 innings), which is by far the position he's played the most. In 2,775 total innings at third, he has a combined UZR of -29.0. In 389.1 innings at first base, he has a UZR of -4.8, and he's only played about 20 innings total in the outfield (suggesting that it may not be the best idea to stick him out there). Betemit can apparently also play second and shortstop, but he hasn't played shortstop since 2008 and has never received significant time at second (145 total innings).

So the O's gave a two-year contract to someone who can't field well, can't really hit left-handed pitching, and is pretty good from the left side of the plate. That's not the smartest decision, Dan Duquette.

I feel for the O's pitching staff if Betemit ends up seeing considerable time at any position, though the infield defense already has issues. Mark Reynolds is apparently returning to the hot corner next season, which I guess means for now that Chris Davis will be playing first. When you throw Betemit into that mix, the O's could arguably have the worst defensive rotation at the corner infield spots in the majors.

Wiz topple Thunder, which everyone totally expected

2012-01-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

Heading into last night's lopsided matchup, the Thunder, at 12-2, had only one more loss than the 1-12 Wizards had wins. So of course the Wizards would battle throughout and eventually pull out a tough 105-102 win in front of a home crowd looking for any reason to stand and cheer.

John Wall and Nick Young, who both shot 6-17 from the field, shouldered the scoring load, posting 25 and 24 points, respectively. Wall added eight assists, seven rebounds, and made 13 of 14 free throws. He also committed just three turnovers in a game-high 45 minutes. And Young, who had just two points in the first half, scored 22 points in the final two quarters, including five (of 10) three-pointers. He also didn't turn the ball over in 34 minutes.

I was especially impressed by Wall, who played six more minutes than any other player. He wasn't as good this game as he was against the Rockets, when he put up 38-6-8 with four steals, but he seemed under control and set his teammates up with good shots. It helped that Young actually started making shots in the second half, but again, Wall kept finding him. In his last two games, Wall has made 25 of 30 free throws, which is also a good sign. He still has a lot of work to do on his jump shot, but that doesn't mean the rest of what he does on the floor -- which is a ton for this team -- means nothing. And his shooting will improve.

Jordan Crawford chipped in 18 points off the bench on 4-10 shooting, adding six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. He did turn the ball over three times, but he also frequently passed the ball and wasn't routinely calling his own number out there, which is a positive for him.

The Thunder shot nearly 10 percent better than the Wizards from the field (48.1-38.4), but the Wizards made seven more free throws (shooting an impressive 43 for the game), grabbed nine more rebounds (52-43), and dished out three more assists while committing four fewer turnovers. The Wizards also nailed four more threes, which was particularly surprising.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 69 points, but the Wizards actually made them work for them (at times). Those two combined to hit 25 of 50 shots, but they also made just 2 of 12 three-pointers (including Durant making just 2 of 10). Durant also had seven turnovers, while Westbrook had three.

Keeping things close and only down 82-81 with 8:33 left in the game, the Wizards went with a Wall-Crawford-Young-Jan Vesely-JaVale McGee lineup. When Andray Blatche entered the game for Vesely six minutes later, the Wizards were up five points and made just enough free throws to hold the Thunder off. The length of Vesely and McGee bothered the Thunder, and they tipped several passes. McGee grabbed 11 rebounds (adding two steals and a block), and during the game he repeatedly tried to bat rebounds back to his teammates. His strategy didn't always work; occasionally his batted rebounds ended up in the hands of a Thunder player, which inadvertently started their fast break. But in the fourth quarter, McGee opted to use two hands and actually grabbed the ball more. You have to wonder if the coaches talked to him about changing his volleyball tactics at some point in the second half.

Vesely was also particularly active (mostly on the defensive end), finishing with six points, three rebounds, a steal, and a block in 19 minutes. He had two turnovers, but he also shot 3-6 from the field. I'm pretty sure that all of his shots came right at the rim, which is exactly where Vesely should be shooting from (just like McGee and Trevor Booker). No jumpers, fellas.

For Wizards fans out there who feel good about this game: Guess what, you should. I certainly enjoyed the win. Real fans know it probably doesn't mean a whole lot, particularly because for as nice as that win was, the Wizards are still 2-12. But any positives this season should be relished. And it also doesn't hurt when the team's younger players perform well under pressure. It's all about building and improving, or something along those lines. It's probably about pixels, too, I guess. Right Ted?

Maybe Dan Duquette is on to something

2012-01-15T06:46:00.000-05:00

Quotes like this one, from yesterday's article by Rich Dubroff of CSN Baltimore, are why some have at least moderately high hopes for the Dan Duquette era:

“The challenge, what needs to be upgraded, is the quality of the talent coming through the minor-league system. It starts with good recruiting, and then it also means top-quality facilities in your minor-league system and good instruction. They’re all key components of a good minor-league system. We need to make sure that we have the best facilities for our players to develop in — the best instruction — and we need to upgrade our sites,” he said.

“Our minor-league system is in the bottom 10 percent in the industry in terms of signing players at the amateur level and developing them for the big leagues. That’s what needs to improve over the next couple of years.”

That is precisely what needs to be rectified for the Orioles to be competitive again. Dubroff also notes what Duquette is trying to do to make such an upgrade happen. Duquette is bringing in previous colleagues to rework the front office. He's arguably more devoted to international scouting than any previous O's general manager. And he's also shaken up the team's scouting department, placing an emphasis on amateur scouting. Whether it works or not, Duquette is making wholesale changes and trying to fix the problems that have plagued the O's for decades.

Duquette seemingly has a long-term plan and is utilizing some outside-the-box thinking to attack the organization's deficiencies. And, really, that's what many fans have wanted for years.

Maybe the Wizards were supposed to be bad, but not THIS bad

2012-01-10T05:38:00.001-05:00

Like most Wizards fans, I assume, I thought the Wizards would be somewhat improved this season, but overall still a bad team. Unfortunately, they've skipped the "somewhat improved" part entirely. At 0-8, the Wizards have been competitive at times, but far more often they've been a team that plays selfish, uninspired basketball, and that most recently resulted in a 93-72 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In his latest Washington Post column, Mike Wise notes just how flawed this team is:

Some of the Wizards’ problems are obvious: Second-year point guard John Wall, the team’s main reason for hope, is off to a brutal start; Blatche, McGee and other key players rarely make good decisions in the fourth quarter; and the team’s overall talent pool is very shallow.

Others are utterly unfixable. The players with the most heart — Trevor Booker and Chris Singleton among them — don’t have enough skill. The players with the most skill — Blatche, McGee and Nick Young — don’t have enough heart. And the wizened veterans such as Evans, Roger Mason Jr. and Rashard Lewis are almost caught in a culture war between their scrappy teammates who care and their more talented teammates who remain clueless.

I'm not sure it's quite that simple, but it's a good place to start. Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee are two of this team's biggest scapegoats. And there's no question that John Wall has struggled, particularly when it comes to shooting the ball and trusting his teammates when things start going south.

I've been one of the many advocating more playing time for the rookie Singleton and second-year forward Booker, and they should be receiving heavy minutes every game. But that won't change the fact that Singleton's offensive upside is a guy who can knock down open threes, or that Booker can't really hit any shots outside of the paint (it's really a shame that Booker is 6'8 instead of 6'11 or 7'0). That doesn't mean they don't bring something to the table -- they obviously hustle and play more defense than most of the players on the roster -- but neither will transform into the star player the Wizards desperately need. Hopefully Wall becomes that star, but right now that's not the case.

(Random thought: Would any Wizards fans complain about the following starting lineup?

John Wall
Nick Young
Chris Singleton
Trevor Booker
JaVale McGee

That's obviously not the most efficient offensive group, but it's an extremely fast lineup that can go up and down the floor in a hurry. What's so special about a guy like Blatche where he's guaranteed to start and receive consistent minutes every game? He complained early in the season about not getting the ball in the post, yet every time he gets the ball now, he's nowhere near the basket. He's also content to launch jumpers that the defense has no problem letting him take.

Oh, and the Jordan Crawford experiment at point guard has to end. It's unbearable.)

Anyway, here's Wise's big finish:

Give Leonsis credit for transparency: He told us there would be seasons like these. That’s the sad truth that is starting to sink in with each embarrassing loss: This season’s Wizards were supposed to be almost painful to watch.

So as the losses pile up — and with 14 games in the next 22 days, surely they will — and the sentiment that someone must pay grows, consider: This was part of a plan.

That’s why Saunders and Grunfeld and especially Leonsis must stay and endure the pain with the rest of us: to ostensibly see how awfully bad it can be before there’s any hope of it getting good.

Sorry, but I'm not on board with that. This was the season in which the Wizards were supposed to be the worst team in the league? In Wall's second season, playing with guys that Grunfeld either drafted or acquired to make up the core of this team? Certainly that doesn't include Rashard Lewis, who was brought in just so Gilbert Arenas and his massive contract could be shipped out of town. But Blatche, McGee, Jordan Crawford, Young, and Kevin Seraphin all receive a ton of minutes, and they're the players that fans wouldn't mind seeing depart in the near future. Some fans are already starting to give up on Wall, which is unfortunate. (And many have already given up on Jan Vesely, who's played one game.)

I blame Grunfeld much more than Saunders. Saunders isn't the desired coach to lead a bad, young, rebuilding team. The offense is terrible, though that's mostly because the Wizards don't have many shooters and that they don't share the basketball. But Grunfeld is the architect of this team, and he's failed miserably. I won't go through all of the terrible trades and draft picks, but there are many of them. He's made several solid moves as well, sure. But this Wizards team may end up historically bad, and I don't trust Grunfeld to continue this rebuilding process. Why should anyone?

I'm also tired of Leonsis telling fans to be patient. We've been patient. Look at this team's record the last few years:

'08-'09: 19-63
'09-'10: 26-56
'10-'11: 23-59

Would he rather have no one care, or no one show up at games, or no one argue that changes need to be made? And maybe if stomaching lots of losses was the only awful thing, fans would be somewhat more inclined to go along with whatever plan the team is using. But this team is also routinely embarrassing off the court, and there doesn't seem to be much punishment for certain insubordinate acts.

I don't need Leonsis to hop on to his blog after each of the team's awful performances to tell fans to relax and to think of how wonderful everything will be in the future. A team's progress takes place on the court, and that's something Leonsis can't hide from fans. And right now, things aren't working.

Trading Adam Jones makes sense, at the right price

2012-01-07T06:47:00.000-05:00

The Orioles may be trying to trade Adam Jones. Their asking price is apparently pretty high, though according to FanGraphs' Dave Cameron, that's exactly as it should be:

Unfortunately for the Braves, Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado aren’t exactly upside plays. They’re both useful pieces who could help a contender by filling in a gap here or there, but neither offer the hope of becoming much more than what they already are. They’re finished products, or something close to it at least. Jones is an untapped well whose performances up to this point show a glimmer of what he could become if he continues to develop.

Given the Orioles present circumstances, that’s exactly the kind of player they need. Two useful players with limited potential aren’t going to make them winners. They need stars to build around, and while Jones isn’t one yet, he very well could become one. If the Orioles are going to part with not only his present value but the hope of what he could become, a potential buyer will need to compensate them for surrendering that unrealized potential.

You can’t judge Adam Jones’ value to the Orioles by what he’s been to date. His value is based on what he could be, and what he could be is worth a lot more than Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens.

Rob Neyer of SB Nation also weighed in on the topic yesterday:

There's been a great deal of talk this winter about Adam Jones becoming an Atlanta Brave. Names have been floated and everything. Jair Jurrjens. Martín Prado. Pretty good players, already. For his part, Prado's just two years older than Jones, has better career statistics, and is more versatile.

Still, the Orioles -- and new general manager Dan Duquette -- have reportedly spurned such a package. . . . I like Jurrjens, but he's managed only 43 starts in the last two seasons. I like Prado, but he's two years older than Jones. I think if the Orioles are going to trade the guy, they should get someone like ... well, someone like Adam Jones was, four years ago.

I'm not sure if all O's fans feel the same way; some have become rather attached to Jones and would be upset to see him go. I enjoy watching Jones play, but if the O's aren't asking for the moon and get offered the right package of players, there's nothing wrong with moving him. Most fans didn't want the O's to part with Brian Roberts or Luke Scott either, and look how both of those decisions turned out.

The bubble-blowing, the knack for making web gems, his humorous Twitter account -- all of these things make it exciting to have Jones on the O's. But no player is untradable -- especially for an organization that desperately needs as many high-ceiling young players as possible. At 26, Jones may still transform into a star. Unfortunately, he was supposed to be that guy by now.

Markakis had surgery on Thursday, hopes to be ready for Opening Day

2012-01-06T11:19:00.001-05:00

So Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun dropped this bit of news a few minutes ago:

#Orioles RF Nick Markakis underwent significant abdomen surgery on Thursday in Philly to repair a torn rectus abdominus muscle
— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) January 6, 2012

Connolly also said that "Markakis is hopeful he will be able to be ready by Opening Day but will have a significantly lighter load in [spring training]." The injury/surgery news is surprising, but maybe not overly so. Markakis, who sustained the abdomen injury in September, had still not completely recovered in November and has not been able to work out.

Hopefully Markakis is ready for the start of the season. Still, it's something to file away as April approaches.

Revisiting the Redskins' draft choices the last few years

2012-01-04T07:16:00.000-05:00

Every time fans or talking heads suggest the Redskins should trade draft picks away, it makes me laugh. Not only because the Redskins are deficient in overall team talent, but because they've been trading away draft selections for years, and it hasn't been an effective strategy. Dan Snyder and the team's front office has (until recently, hopefully) completely refused to hold onto their allotment of draft picks.

Is it really surprising that the team's most successful draft in years may end up being last year's draft, when the team traded down a few times and selected 12 players? Time will tell how good those 12 players are, but most of them contributed at least something this season, which is a lot more than can be said about most of the team's drafts in the last decade-plus.

Mike Shanahan may have the final word on personnel decisions, but the Redskins' scouting and personnel departments haven't changed that much. Besides the departure of Vinny Cerrato, the guy previously calling the shots, things aren't much different. And that should be reason enough to hold onto as many picks as possible: More picks mean more chances.

Let's take a look at the last three drafts (2009, 2010, and 2011). In those drafts, starting with 2009, the Redskins had six, seven (third-rounder used in 2009 supplemental draft), and 12 draft choices, respectively. Take a guess which one's better.

2009:

1st: Brian Orakpo
3rd: Kevin Barnes
5th: Cody Glenn
6th: Robert Henson
7th: Eddie Williams
7th: Marko Mitchell

2010:

1st: Trent Williams
3rd: Jeremy Jarmon (2009 supplemental pick)
4th: Perry Riley
6th: Dennis Morris
7th: Terrence Austin
7th: Erik Cook
7th: Selvish Capers

2011:

1st: Ryan Kerrigan
2nd: Jarvis Jenkins
3rd: Leonard Hankerson
4th: Roy Helu
5th: Dejon Gomes
5th: Niles Paul
6th: Evan Royster
6th: Aldrick Robinson
7th: Brandyn Thompson
7th: Maurice Hurt
7th: Markus White
7th: Chris Neild

Again, who knows how all of those 2011 picks will pan out. But it's probably a good idea to stick with the 2011 strategy over the other two years. Yes, I know that this analysis is only looking back at the last three drafts, and the Redskins have obviously picked some talented players in previous drafts. But they've done so without stockpiling picks, which has also prevented them from creating depth at key positions.

The only players from 2009 and 2010 who have really contributed are Orakpo, Williams, and Riley. Barnes has received playing time, but he hasn't been very good. He also may not be on the roster next season because of his overall ineffectiveness. Austin and Cook haven't done much either. Of those 13 picks, only those six are still with the team -- which is hilariously bad. The worst pick of the bunch is probably Jarmon, selected in the 2009 supplemental draft. The Redskins forfeited a third-round pick for Jarmon's services, and right now he's out of the league. Jarmon was originally selected as a defensive end when the Redskins utilized a 4-3 defense, so the selection was at least defensible at the time. But after being traded to and subsequently released by the Broncos earlier this season, Jarmon may not get another NFL opportunity. Either way, I guess, that pick was wasted.

-----

If you're on board with the Redskins trading away future draft picks in order to get Andrew Luck (unlikely) or Robert Griffin III (more possible), that's just fine. I'd be extremely happy if the Redskins finally acquired/drafted a franchise quarterback. That's the team's biggest need. But trading away multiple draft choices, particularly first- and second-round picks, is not something that I agree with, especially when examining the team's draft resume the last few years. Obviously it's a requirement to analyze each trade individually, but trading up in the first few rounds is rarely cheap.

Yes, the NFL is a quarterbacks' league; most great teams have outstanding quarterbacks. But I shudder at the thought of the Redskins giving up the farm for a quarterback who ends up with the skills of someone like Mark Sanchez. Give me 2011's strategy instead, even if that means missing out on Luck and Griffin.

Roger Mason Jr. ruled ineligible; Wizards fall to 0-3

2011-12-31T09:02:00.002-05:00

Because of the teams that I cheer for, I've been forced to say this many times: It's one thing to just be bad. But as usual, the Wizards upped the ante and put together an awful performance both on and off the court yesterday. First, the embarrassing: For some reason, Roger Mason Jr.'s name was left off the Wizards' active roster, so when he was allowed (for some reason) to enter the game in the first quarter, ridiculousness ensued. Here's a more detailed description by The Washington Post's Michael Lee:

The Wizards’ public relations staff circled every name on the list except Jan Vesely and Maurice Evans without noticing the mistake and [Flip] Saunders signed off on a sheet that had only 12 active players instead of the possible 13.

“It’s my fault,” Saunders said. “The league sends us the list and what we do is circle the guys that are active and for some reason on our list, Roger wasn’t on it and I didn’t notice it. So, I take responsibility for that. I guess the only fortunate thing is, it wasn’t a situation that cost us down the stretch.”

The situation was exacerbated when Mason went to the scorers’ table and was allowed to check in for Jordan Crawford, who had just picked up his second foul with 3 minutes 27 seconds left in the first period. Saunders said before the game that he had planned to give the veteran Mason more playing time after he received just eight minutes in the first two games. “I thought he would’ve given us some help,” Saunders said.

Mason quickly hit a turnaround jumper but Rashard Lewis (14 points) was credited with the basket, which brought the Wizards within 24-18. After a timeout, Mason was set to reenter the game when referee Danny Crawford informed him that he should not have been allowed to play.

It's hard to believe that this could happen to a professional team, but yes, it did. As for the actual game, the Wizards allowed 65 first-half points and didn't play any defense until the second half. They did outscore the Bucks 26-13 in the third quarter, but they were again outplayed in the final frame and lost 102-81.

So, to recap, the Wizards have not only lost all three of their games, but they have yet to produce a drama-free performance either. After game one, Andray Blatche complained about wanting the ball in the paint more. During game two, John Wall yelled at Flip Saunders to take an unspecified Wizards player out of the game. And now Wizards fans will one day have the opportunity to tell their grandchildren about experiencing the Mason fiasco.

By the way, it's sort of amusing to think that Mason's presence could have somehow changed the course of the game for the Wizards, which Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier were discussing at one point. Then again, I'll give Buck and Phil a pass, mostly because they're one of the few reasons to tune in and watch. If the Wizards had horrible, or even mediocre, announcers, I don't think I could stomach many of their games.

So let's add this bizarre incident to a long list of perplexing moments involving the Wizards. Over at Bullets Forever, Sean Fagan does a terrific job accessing the damage:

I don't want to sugarcoat this at all. These type of boneheaded mistakes make the organization look like a minor league franchise. We can't spell the names on our jerseys right, we misdiagnose injuries, and now we can't even register our players. This has gone beyond a simple "oops" and well into the realm of incompetency. The Wizards PR department can fall on the sword all they want, this is still a failure on the part of Flip.

I'm generally not a fan of using "we" when referring to teams I root for, but in this case I don't really have a problem with it. Why? Because mistakes like this are also embarrassing for fans. It's one thing to discuss why the Wizards are bad on the court, or why John Wall isn't playing that well, or why Blatche isn't that good. But these completely avoidable off-the-court mistakes? They have to stop.

All you need to know about Andray Blatche

2011-12-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

Andray Blatche is a puzzling individual. He's talented and will have flashes of inspired play on the court, but then he'll say something outlandish off of it or spar with his coaches during a practice or a game. His most recent embarrassing moment came after the Wizards' season-opening loss to the Nets. Blatche wasn't happy with his role in the Wizards' offense, saying:

“You can’t keep having me pick and pop and shooting jumpshots. Gimme the ball in the paint. That’s where I’m most effiective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp. I need the ball in the paint. I don’t wand to be the pick-and-pop guy I used to be because it’s not working for me.”

Blatche refused to back down from critics, writing on Twitter yesterday afternoon: "Every body need to shut up I didn't call out my coach or team mates I said I had a bad game need it n the post instead of jump shots."

If Blatche had talked privately with Flip Saunders instead of going public with his complaints after the first game of the season, that would have been one thing. But he didn't, and here we are yet again discussing another controversial incident involving Blatche.

So Blatche wants to be a back-to-the-basket player now. That's interesting, because about a year ago, he called into Mike Wise's radio show and said the following:

"If anybody watched me grow into this team and into this league, they'd know that I've never been a back-to-the-basket, bang-bang down player. I'm more of a face-up and a finesse player. That's who I am. I can't force myself to be a different player that I'm not."

It sure sounds like Blatche is forcing himself to be a different player now. So Blatche may be a hypocrite. Or maybe he was just frustrated after a not-so-good performance against the Nets. Either way, publicly complaining about his role and creating off-the-court drama are not things that a player entering his seventh season in the league should be doing.

Why does Blatche have to be either a pick-and-pop player or a back-to-the-basket scorer? Can't he be both? Does he realize that's a possibility? It sounds like his main beef is with the plays the Wizards ran in the first game, but those are also concerns that will work themselves out if Blatche plays effectively on the court. John Wall can create enough offensively to get Blatche open shots. It's his job to knock them down. If he's not good enough to make those open shots, or efficient enough with his back to the basket to get buckets consistently, then he probably shouldn't be on the court anyway. And if the Wizards and Saunders do oblige and get Blatche more opportunities in the paint, how long will it take before he wishes to be back outside the paint shooting jumpers instead?

Games notes from the Wizards' season-opening loss

2011-12-27T07:41:00.002-05:00

The first regular season game after a lockout-reduced preseason is probably going to be sloppy (especially when the Wizards and Nets are involved). This game didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, after building an early lead -- at one point the Wizards were ahead by 21 -- Washington crumbled in the second half and fell to the Nets, 90-84. I missed most of the first quarter, but here are some of my observations from the rest of the game:

- Not John Wall's best game: 13 points (3-13 shooting), 8 rebounds, 6 assists. He added two steals and a block, but he also committed four turnovers and missed six free throws (7-13). He drove to the basket frequently, but he was also out of control on many of them and didn't get calls on several wild shots and layup attempts. The Wizards won't win many games with Wall playing that poorly. Still, it was only the first game, so there's plenty of time to improve.

- Chris Singleton, after just one game, already looks like the team's best perimeter defender. At 6'8, he has the size to defend power forwards, and he's also athletic enough to frustrate guards. The Wizards unleashed him on Williams a few times, and Singleton did a pretty good job sticking with him, moving his feet and staying in front of the shifty point guard. He's going to get plenty of minutes regardless, but if he's able to improve his shooting enough (3 points, 1-3 from the field), he's going to be a very valuable role player.

- Nick Young had the best offensive night for the Wizards. Young, who had an injury scare (left foot) in the third quarter that required him to be lifted into the locker room, later returned in the fourth quarter and seemed to be moving around just fine. In 18 minutes off the bench, he had 16 points on 6-9 shooting, and he made all four of his free throws. I kind of like him in that bench-scoring role.

- No starter for the Wizards played all that well. Jordan Crawford had 15 points and four rebounds; Andray Blatche had 11 points and eight rebounds; and JaVale McGee added 11 points and six rebounds. Rashard Lewis chipped in nine points and two rebounds. But none of them were efficient from the field. Crawford needed 12 shots to get his points, and McGee and Blatche combined to make just 10 of their 24 shots.

- The Wizards frountcourt was outplayed by Kris Humphries (21 points, 16 rebounds), Damion James (6 points, 14 rebounds), and Johan Petro (11 points, 5 rebounds). Yes, really. The Wizards were also outrebounded by 20 (58-38) and allowed 19 offensive rebounds. That was a major problem.

- Trevor Booker only played nine minutes and wasn't much of a factor. Ronny Turiaf played 20 minutes and had a very Turiaf-like game: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls. Because Turiaf plays pretty good defense, he's going to see consistent minutes off the bench all season. It's too early to complain about the distribution of minutes after one game, but hopefully Booker receives more playing time as well.

- The Wizards only took eight three-pointers and only hit one of them. The Wizards don't have many solid three-point shooters, but making just one is obviously terrible.

Adam Jones has some value, but will the O's trade him?

2011-12-23T06:25:00.002-05:00

Gio Gonzalez is a solid, young starting pitcher. At 26, he's put up back-to-back strong seasons pitching for the A's. Now, though, he's been traded to the Nationals in exchange for four well-thought-of prospects. This is not an analysis of that trade, though; the Nationals got what they wanted in a left-handed, middle of the rotation starter, and the A's got a boatload of prospects for a pretty good young player, which is something they routinely do. Still, assuming Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Gonzalez all stay healthy, that's a formidable troika of starters.

One big bonus for the Nationals is that Gonzalez has just over two years of major league service time, meaning he's still under team control for four more seasons. Unfortunately for the Orioles, who are at least mildly interested in shopping a younger player like Adam Jones, he only has two years of service time left. Also 26 years old, Jones isn't quite the haul that Gonzalez is, but depending on how properly his defensive abilities have been rated, he may be more valuable than some think. And even though there's no way the O's can get three (or four) top 10 prospects from some team for Jones, there's no reason why they can't at least get one or two (which is what the O's should really be targeting).

Jones is in no way a fantastic hitter. He hasn't posted an on-base percentage above .335 in any of his four seasons with the Orioles, and his OBP has actually dipped the last two seasons (from .335 in 2009 to .325 in 2010 and .319 in 2011). That's mostly because he doesn't walk very much -- his career walk percentage is only 4.8 percent. Jones's value comes from his power; last season he posted a .466 slugging percentage, the highest of his career. If his OBP ever jumped 30 or 40 points while he also continued to hit for that level of power, Jones would be viewed much differently. But he really hasn't shown the plate discipline for a jump like that to occur.

Back to his defense, briefly: Jones won a gold glove in 2009, which is a pretty great honor. But FanGraphs' defensive numbers and other advanced fielding metrics have never really rated his defense highly. He still has a tendency to play too shallow at times, and occasionally a ball will get over his head that would be caught by an outfielder who gets a better jump. He's also a lock to airmail a few throws every season. I don't know if Jones is quite as bad as his UZR numbers indicate, but I also don't think he's a gold glove-caliber defender either. He's probably more of a middle-of-the-pack center fielder who also happens to make plays like this every once in a while.

Anyway, here's the point: Jones is a pretty good player, but he's not a star. He's a nice piece for the O's to have, and it's fun to watch him play. But the O's as an organization are a mess right now. After Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado, the club's farm system is mostly a disaster. There isn't much depth at all there, and the O's should be exploring any and all possibilities to improve the current crop of young players in the system.

Would O's fans miss Jones? Of course. But they would all agree that they'd much rather eventually watch a winning team, and there's no guarantee that Jones would be part of that team. He could walk in a couple of seasons and command a multiyear contract as a free agent, which may leave the O's without much compensation at all considering the elimination of some free agent compensation in the MLB's new collective bargaining agreement. Regardless, the O's should never reach that point with Jones. He may not command a ton in a trade, but he may not be worth a lucrative contract that he'll mostly likely be seeking. But, considering that the O's usually aren't proactive and wait too long to deal many players when they have value, I don't expect Jones to get dealt now or anytime soon.

Braves offered Jurrjens, Prado, and a prospect for Jones

2011-12-21T06:31:00.002-05:00

Earlier this month, there was some speculation that the Braves had offered Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado to the Orioles for Adam Jones. If the O's were dangling Jones in a potential trade, that's hardly the type of package they should be seeking. Anyway, it seemed like just a rumor, or at least just an offer to gauge how highly the O's valued Jones.

But buried at the bottom of his latest piece, The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly casually adds this note:

Adam Jones is the team’s best trade chip. But unless the Orioles get a front-line pitcher in return, I don’t see them dealing Jones. The Atlanta Braves made a run this month, offering second baseman-outfielder Martin Prado, starter Jair Jurrjens and, eventually, a pitching prospect, and the Orioles didn’t bite. So that tells you just how much they value their center fielder.

Connolly doesn't mention which pitching prospect was offered, but unless it was one of the Braves' top guys, I don't think it changes much. Jones has his flaws and isn't nearly as good as many O's fans believe, but he certainly has room to improve. And if the O's eventually do trade Jones, the package of players they receive for him needs to center around young players with lots of upside, not an (almost) 26-year-old pitcher with injury concerns and a 28-year-old infielder/left-fielder who may have peaked a couple seasons ago. There has to be a team out there that values him more than that.

Changes coming to right-field wall at Camden Yards

2011-12-20T06:40:00.001-05:00

The Orioles haven't necessarily had an overly productive offseason, but few fans can complain about the planned renovations for Camden Yards next year to honor the stadium's 20th anniversary. The major news -- the addition of six statues to honor the O's current Hall of Famers (Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken Jr.) -- was announced in November and is arguably something that should have been completed a while ago.

But some more recent renovation news, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun, is that the O's are planning to alter the right-field wall. Connolly elaborates:

The flag-court wall in right, which is on top of the out-of-town scoreboard, will be altered. Basically, the wall portion that protects fans that stand there will be removed and be replaced by a railing. That way shorter people – and, specifically, kids – will have a better view of the field of play while standing on the flag court.

Makes plenty of sense. However, that means more balls may end up flying out for homers instead of bouncing off the top of the wall for doubles or long singles. I’m not sure exactly how many fly balls it will affect, but I’ll keep an eye on it next year.

Connolly mentions the possibility of a ball hitting the railing, but the O's aren't sure at the moment whether to make the ball in that scenario in-play or out-of-play (probably the latter).

I think the change is a good idea. If you've ever tried to watch part of the game while standing behind the wall or on the concourse, it's sort of difficult, especially if there's a lot of people (so, basically Yankees and Red Sox games). The move also seems to be rather kid-friendly, which is just fine.

For what it's' worth, Jeremy Guthrie had a pretty funny take on the wall being lowered:

John Keim's weekly Redskins Report is excellent

2011-12-18T08:19:00.006-05:00

In my opinion, Washington Examiner reporter John Keim does the best job covering the Redskins. He's efficient on Twitter and is extremely informative on his Redskins Confidential blog. But if you're not receiving Redskins Report, his weekly e-mails containing Redskins information, stats, and scouting reports, then you're missing out.

Here's an example from this week's report:

If it’s first-and-goal from the 6-yard line or closer, the Redskins have scored eight touchdowns and kicked three field goals. From beyond the 6, they’ve scored four touchdowns with four field goals and two interceptions. That contrasts with how their opposition has fared. From the 6 and in, they’ve scored three touchdowns, kicked three field goals and thrown a pick. From beyond the 6, it’s six touchdowns, two field goals and one interception.

Is that mind-blowing information? No. But informative? Definitely. And that's just a snapshot; the report this week also has interesting notes on rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Roy Helu.

This post is really just a heads-up more than anything. I'm sure lots of people already receive the weekly e-mails, but for those who don't, it's certainly worth it.

A year after ‘good to great’: Anderson, Edsall, and Locksley?!

2011-12-15T20:49:00.003-05:00

Editor’s note: This post was written by friend of the blog and Terps aficionado Walt Williams -- no, not that Walt Williams. You can follow him on Twitter here.

Nearly a year since Randy Edsall was hired as the head coach at the University of Maryland and fans were promised the team would go from “good to great,” it is safe to say that the exact opposite has occurred. Edsall presided over one of the most stunning negative turnarounds in college football history, leading a 9-4 team in 2010 to a 2-10 finish a year later. Is most of this his fault? Yes, and I will definitely get into that a bit later, but it is probably a good idea to look at how Maryland acquired Edsall in the first place.

Prior to the 2009 season, former athletic director Debbie Yow gave assistant coach James Franklin a “coach-in-waiting” contract that guaranteed Franklin would be the Terrapins head coach by 2012. If he was not named coach by that time he would be owed $1 million by the university. This was done even though Friedgen had previously expressed no prior interest in retiring or stepping aside. From there the Terps delivered a two-win season filled with close losses and near misses. In the aftermath of that season, it is believed that Yow wanted to let go of Friedgen at that point (which no one would have complained about), but the economy played a large part in allowing Friedgen to return.

In 2010, Yow left her post at the University of Maryland for North Carolina State, leaving behind a host of problems that would greatly affect the university in the future. One of those problems was the “coach-in-waiting” deal she had inked with Franklin. In September of 2010, former Army athletic director Kevin Anderson was hired as Yow’s replacement. Anderson made no secret of the fact that he was not a fan of coach-in-waiting deals from the outset, and it would be hard to blame him for that stance. The deal that Yow had struck with Franklin would seemingly take away any flexibility a new athletic director would be expected to have in making one of his most important hires. On the field, the team stormed back from the previous year’s 2-10 record to finish 9-4, remaining in contention for the ACC Atlantic Division crown until late in the season.

In November of 2010, Anderson pledged that Friedgen would return for the 2011 season. At this point the train was derailed to put it mildly. Friedgen believed that he should get an extension past the 2011 season for his 2010 ACC Coach of the Year performance. Franklin, for his part, continued to look for assurances that he would eventually be named the Terps head coach. After not receiving the assurances he was (rightfully) looking for, he interviewed and accepted the head coaching position at Vanderbilt after the Commodores’ offer to Gus Malzahn was turned down. This solved the coach-in-waiting problem but would lead to an even bigger mess. Friedgen was now a complete lame-duck coach who desperately wanted an extension. Anderson was an athletic director who wanted to get "his guy" to run the football program. The Franklin departure happened to free up $1 million that would have likely gone to him if he had stuck around since Anderson showed no inclination to hire him in 2012, in addition to funds that would have been paid to him to coach if he were hired. Using this new revenue with booster assistance, Anderson now had the ability to buy out Friedgen’s contract and bring in a new coach.

Lest anyone think that this move by itself was a complete disaster, it honestly was not. In fact, the move itself could even be considered rational. A good number of Maryland fans believed that while Friedgen was a very good coach, the program could have used an influx of new energy. This move became a disaster both with the way it was handled and the aftermath. Even with the public relations disaster most fans would have had no problem moving on if Anderson made a big hire. Maryland fans assumed that the only way Anderson would part with Friedgen was if he definitely had a big name on board to take the program to the next level. The only problem was that he did not.

After letting Friedgen go, Anderson set a January 4th deadline for hiring a new coach. In between the December 20th firing of Friedgen and that deadline, Maryland representatives were linked to interviews with Malzahn, Chris Petersen, June Jones, Rich Rodriguez, and Mike Leach. Of these candidates the overwhelming favorite for the position was Leach. To many it seemed that Leach was a foregone conclusion to be hired. He was flown to College Park to meet with school officials and tour the campus. However, at some point the Leach hiring fell through. Reports speculated that school officials nixed the idea of hiring Leach because of his controversial past and pending lawsuits with Texas Tech and ESPN. Regardless, the deal fell apart and left Maryland scrambling for a new coach just days before Anderson’s self-imposed deadline.

Anderson eventually settled on Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall. The university flew Edsall to College Park to finalize his contract after Edsall’s Huskies were blown out in the Fiesta Bowl after backing into the BCS by winning the bottom-feeding Big East with an 8-4 record. At this point, the majority of Maryland fans responded to the move with a combination of apathy and disappointment. Edsall was a career .500 coach with little name value and a pitiful record against Top 25 teams. At best it appeared that Maryland went through all of that trouble to make a lateral hire. At worst, it looked like Maryland had set itself back slightly.

What no one would have predicted, however, was the ensuing disaster. Almost immediately Edsall went around alienating most of his new players while talking about the program that he had taken over as if it were a renegade operation under the popular alumnus Friedgen. Edsall’s militaristic approach resulted in the departure of 12 players from the program before the 2011 season began.

Regardless of how anyone personally felt about Edsall, the 2011 season began with a high level of excitement. Maryland pulled out a win on national TV over a depleted Miami squad while wearing their new Under Armour uniforms. Little did fans know that this would be the highlight of the season, but there may have been signs of a growing disconnect between Edsall and his players. During the game, Cameron Chism sealed the victory with an interception return for a touchdown. Upon returning to the sideline, Chism was visibly chewed out by Edsall for making the apparent poor decision of returning the ball. That issue notwithstanding, fans were willing to go along for the ride if it meant excitement and exposure. This positive outlook continued through a tough loss to West Virginia, but it came crashing down after the Terrapins played Temple.

If the Edsall hire goes down as a historic disaster for the Terrapins, the Temple game will be marked as the beginning of the program’s demise. In what would become a theme for the rest of the season, the Terrapins looked uninspired and were dominated and out-coached. In what would also become a theme, Edsall used his post-game press conference to absolve himself of any responsibility for the loss and blame his players and the man who recruited them for the loss. Afterwards, any positive for the Terps would be attributed to Edsall’s coaching staff and any defeat would be blamed on undisciplined players, previous coaching staffs, or the lack of talent on the roster. Another theme of the season would be unexplained suspensions and benching of players. With all of this going on, it was reported that many team members had started referring to Gossett Team House as Gossett State Penitentiary, or GSP for short.

Edsall found a way to completely lose his team during the season, which is not surprising given his attitude towards them, but still troubling nonetheless. Edsall seems to think that the only way he can retool the Terps is to completely destroy them and remake them in his own image. If this team was a 0-12 type of unit the previous year and filled with criminals and troublemakers, you might be inclined to agree with him. However, he did not inherit that kind of team. He inherited a team that was extremely loyal to its former coach and appeared to have a decent amount of talent on hand. Edsall, by throwing Friedgen and the players he recruited under the bus at every opportunity while at the same time creating a toxic atmosphere in the locker room with his approach, effectively torpedoed the 2011 season and possibly beyond.

Since the season ended eight more players have transferred, bringing his total count to 20 in just under a year. This is an issue not just because he has lost 20 players but because he has also potentially lost those players’ high schools and the areas those schools are in as well as future sources of talent. With an alarming rate of transfers and presumably having the same trouble most coaches at the university have had retaining top talent, many fans called for the staff to add an “ace” recruiter with ties to the area to possibly repair some local relationships. One of the names mentioned the most was former New Mexico head coach Mike Locksley, who was an assistant at Maryland from 1997-2002, at Florida from 2003-2004, and offensive coordinator at Illinois from 2005-2008. As luck would have it, reports are that Locksley was hired as offensive coordinator to replace the maligned Gary Crowton. While many are excited to have Locksley in the fold, there is plenty to suggest that his arrival will not lead to a flood of 4- and 5-star area recruits staying at home to play for the Terrapins.

Any discussion of Locksley cannot begin or end without mentioning the issues that he encountered as the head coach of New Mexico for over a little more than two seasons. Locksley was hampered by allegations of sexual discrimination by an administrative assistant before he coached a game for the Lobos. Locksley was also suspended by his university for punching an assistant coach in 2009. On the field he produced consecutive 1-11 seasons and was off to a 0-4 start this season before being fired after a minor was arrested on DWI suspicion while driving Locksley’s car. These issues alone bring up some serious concerns as well as some interesting questions. If you believe that university officials vetoed the potential hiring of Leach for off-field concerns, how do you think they feel about Locksley, who has committed transgressions that depending on your viewpoint could be considered equal to or worse that anything Leach has done? There is also the issue of how Locksley will mesh with Edsall. With no prior connection between the two and Edsall’s apparent hard-line stance on matters of discipline, how will Edsall get along with an offensive coordinator who has been accused of things that would get a Terrapin player buried beneath Gossett Team House? For argument’s sake, this hire seems like something that may have been forced on Edsall by someone else, and if that did happen what are the chances it ends well?

Locksley’s recruiting record appears to be a mixed bag as well. While many will credit him for recruiting players on the 2001 Orange Bowl team, it would also be true that he recruited the players on the 2004 and 2005 teams that did not reach a bowl as his initial tenure at Maryland ended in 2002. Without taking into account his recruiting classes at Florida, since that doesn’t look like a fair comparison, it may be worth mentioning that Maryland still had top 25 recruiting classes from 2003-2006. When Locksley moved to Illinois, the Terrapins had higher ranked recruiting classes during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Illinois had better classes in 2007 and 2008, but the basis of those classes was not in the D.C. area. Looking at the 2007 and 2008 recruiting classes, Locksley took seven players from the District. Outside of the oft-mentioned Arrelious Benn, Locksley had four 3-star recruits and two 2-star recruits. So it isn’t like Locksley backed up a Brink’s truck and took every big time player from the D.C. area.

While it is hopeful that Locksley will have a positive impact on local recruiting, it isn’t likely that by himself he will make 4- and 5-star recruits choose Maryland -- not with Edsall remaining as coach and other, more established big-time programs setting up shop in the talent rich D.C. area. Even looking at more local schools like Virginia and Virginia Tech, it is foolish to believe that Locksley will be able to stop all potential recruits from going to the resurgent Cavaliers and consistent Hokies. I would hope that we aren’t naive enough to believe that those programs do not have recruiters on their staffs with local ties. Those programs also do not have the Edsall albatross hanging over them. That is to say nothing of the bigger national programs that occasionally swoop in to take a top prospect.

There are issues inherent with the Maryland situation that makes it difficult to expect top names to stay home. Chief among these is the built-in transience of area residents. Rarely does anyone in the D.C. area have a large built-in family legacy in the area. People move here from all over the country for a variety of reasons, and with that type of environment it is difficult for anyone to build any type of allegiance to the big local schools. There are also issues tied to the local sports landscape and campus community, but transience is the biggest issue to me.

For these reasons among others it is hard for me not to believe that the Locksley hire is one of extreme desperation. More alarming than anything, the fact that Maryland is making desperate decisions less than a year after hiring the coach who was supposed to transform Terps football from “good to great” means that the Terps are instead now trying to go from bad to mediocre.

(Worth noting: Maybe this lengthy feature on Edsall by Eric Prisbell today will give you some confidence on the direction of the Terps. But probably not.)

O's sign Tsuyoshi Wada, 'Dr. K of Tokyo'

2011-12-14T06:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, the Orioles agreed to terms with Japanese lefty Tsuyoshi Wada, who will likely be given every chance to make the starting rotation. The deal is for two years and $8.15 million, with a 2014 option of $5 million.

Here's a pretty good description of Wada, courtesy of the Dan Connolly link above:

A soft-tossing strike thrower often compared to former Oriole Jamie Moyer, Wada pitched for Japan in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the country’s World Baseball Classic team in 2006 that won the inaugural title.

Listed at 5 feet 10, 170 pounds, Wada consistently throws his fastball in the mid-to-high 80s, but he survives on a deceptive, three-quarters delivery and the ability to throw several pitches for strikes. He also misses bats, earning him the nickname “Dr. K of Tokyo” while in college. Throughout his career, he has maintained a 3-to-1 strikeout rate or better.

Dr. K of Tokyo? Not bad. Hopefully his strikeout skills translate to Baltimore. Wada, who turns 31 in February, probably won't have the easiest time pitching in the AL East (meaning he'll fit right in with the O's), but if he struggles as a starter, he should be able to pitch competently out of the bullpen. I'm sure that's not what the O's are hoping for, but who knows exactly how effective he'll be. And for two years and about $8 million, he won't have to be completely dominant to be worth that contract.

Over at Camden Crazies, Daniel Moroz brings up a good point about the signing:

Relatively low risk, low-to-medium return type move, though it does make the Dana Eveland trade look even worse (how many soft-tossing starters does one team need in the AL East?). It is nice to see the team going after international players though, and maybe if Wada has some success the O's can turn him into a younger player with some upside at the trade-deadline.

Why did the O's trade for Eveland in the first place? There are pitchers out there similar to Eveland who can be signed or acquired for very little.

Anyway, it doesn't seem like the O's are done trying to upgrade the pitching staff. Their deal with Korean reliever Chong Tae-Hyon has fallen apart (he decided to stay in Korea), so the O's may be looking for more pitchers. Connolly also notes that the O's are "seriously interested in Taiwanese lefty Chen Wei-Yin," who is younger than Wada, throws harder, and is generally rated higher.

(For a more in-depth discussion of Wada, I suggest you read this Eno Sarris piece over at FanGraphs.)

O's non-tender Luke Scott, though he could still return

2011-12-13T05:51:00.004-05:00

The Orioles have made the defensible decision not to tender the arbitration-eligible Luke Scott a 2012 contract, meaning Scott is a free agent and can sign with any team. Scott made $6.4 last season through the arbitration process, and the O's either don't want Scott to return at all, or at the very least not for a similar price.

Battling through a torn labrum, Scott hit .220/.301/.402 in 64 games -- a down year for a career .264/.349/.494 hitter. As long as he's healthy, Scott is a good bet to put up better numbers, so it is possible that the two sides work out a deal for Scott to return to Baltimore. Then again, Scott is an injury-prone designated hitter/left fielder who previously brought the O's some unwanted negative attention off the field by saying some stupid/peculiar things.

There are positives and negatives to each scenario with Scott. He may present great value if the O's bring him back at a reduced price by putting together an improved season. Or he could get hurt again. It may be worth the risk to bring him back, or it may not. This is something the O's should have dealt with a few seasons ago when they had a window to trade Scott. But as usual, the O's waited too long and are stuck in a difficult situation.

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The O's also decided to non-tender Jo-Jo Reyes, though they are keeping Brad Bergesen around for another season. Neither guy pitched that well last season, but it's not surprising that the O's went with Bergesen over Reyes (Bergesen is younger and is a product of the O's farm system).

Another reason to like Roy Helu

2011-12-12T06:11:00.003-05:00

There's an amusing tidbit on Roy Helu in Thomas Boswell's column on the Redskins rookie running back:

No doubt you, and the Redskins themselves, will watch Helu on TV replays as he stiff-arms Patriot tacklers or makes them miss, staggers and stumbles for extra yards or bursts through a hole for 15 yards in a blink. But Helu probably won’t, because he probably can’t.

“I don’t think Helu even has a television. He didn’t get a computer until very late, if he even has Internet access,” said linebacker London Fletcher, chuckling approvingly. “It seems like he never leaves the facility [Redskins Park]. That’s rare for a young man. I appreciate the way he takes care of his body first and stays on top of his job before anything else.

“Sometimes you feel like saying: ‘Get away, man. Go home,’ ” Fletcher said. “But the vet doesn’t actually say it. “We are relying on him a lot.”

Hard worker? Check. Has the approval of London Fletcher? Check. Averaging 4.7 yards per carry? Check.

Oh, and he may not have a TV or Internet access. Solid work, Roy.

Site news: Comments

2011-12-10T07:43:00.003-05:00

Quick update: I've disabled comments for new posts. That doesn't affect many people -- I don't receive many comments anyway -- but it's worth mentioning. If you need to contact me, send me an e-mail or follow me on Twitter (@mattkremnitzer).

Wizards close to acquiring Turiaf from Knicks

2011-12-10T06:07:00.004-05:00

The Wizards appear to be on the verge of trading for veteran power forward/center Ronny Turiaf from the Knicks. The move, which is basically a salary dump, will give the Wizards an experienced big man on a team with several young front court players, such as Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Trevor Booker, Chris Singleton, and Kevin Seraphin.

The Wizards may also receive cash in the deal, and they probably won't be sending any players back to the Knicks (so who knows exactly what Washington is giving up).

Turiaf, who turns 29 in January, has averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in six NBA seasons. He's also averaged 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. Turiaf is not much of a scorer; he's more of a hustle/high-energy guy who will rebound and play defense. So, he presents something off the bench that the Wizards haven't had much of for a while.

That doesn't mean he's a great player (he's not) or that he's going to see huge minutes (he shouldn't, especially if that means cutting into the minutes of Booker and Singleton). But since he'll defend and rebound, he may end up replacing McGee and Blatche more than a few times during this lockout-shortened season. And considering how compact this season will be, it's not a bad idea to have lots of depth.

Another positive: Turiaf will make a little over $4 million this season ($4.36 million according to ShamSports), but he's also in the last year of his deal. And since the Wizards still need to spend some money to reach the new salary cap floor, it's not a bad idea to acquire someone in the last year of his contract. If you subscribe to the sort of theory that a guy in the last year of his contract plays harder so that he sets himself up with a new deal afterwards, well, then that's another bonus of this trade. Regardless, it makes sense.

One more thing: Turiaf tends to get a little animated during games, so hopefully he provides a few of these moments for the Wizards:

O's confuse fans with questionable trades

2011-12-09T05:46:00.008-05:00

When the Orioles traded for Taylor Teagarden last week, the move seemed defensible. In exchange for minor league pitcher Randy Henry, the O's had acquired a backup catcher under team control for a few more seasons. It's not particularly ideal to give up any kind of prospect for a backup catcher, but the O's must not have viewed Henry very highly anyway.

However, it was also announced that the O's had acquired the catcher for Henry and a player to be named later. Apparently, it's not enough to just give up one prospect for a backup catcher who is out of options. That thrown-in player ended up being minor league infielder Greg Miclat. Miclat played in Double-A Bowie last season, and at 24 he's a little old at that level. He doesn't possess much power (.437 slugging percentage in 495 plate appearances last season). But he has showcased the ability to get on base (.371 on-base percentage), and he did steal 50 bases while only getting caught three times.

So maybe Miclat is a 4A player. Or maybe his major league ceiling is a utility player. But does it really make sense for the O's to trade Henry and Miclat, two average-ish prospects outside the team's top 15, just for a backup catcher who hasn't shown that he can hit in the majors? Without any options remaining, Teagarden's time with the Rangers may have been limited, and the O's seem to have paid more than he's worth. It's nice to have some insurance in case Matt Wieters gets injured, but still.

Unfortunately, Dan Duquette, the team's general manager (or executive vice president of baseball operations), also made another trade. This time the O's dealt for Dana Eveland, a Dodgers left-hander with a career pitching line of 5.52/4.38/4.70 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) in 360.1 major league innings. Eveland, 28, gets a lot of ground balls (career 50.5 GB%), but he doesn't strike out many batters (5.94 K/9) and gives up a few too many walks (4.50 BB/9).

Between Triple-A and the Dodgers, Eveland did pitch better last season. But that doesn't mean he's necessarily turned any kind of corner or was worth multiple prospects in a trade. (Here's a good Baseball America write-up of Jarret Martin and Tyler Henson, the prospects sent to the Dodgers.) Since he's arbitration eligible, Eveland may have even been a non-tender candidate. So for a backup catcher and a fifth starter/reliever type, the O's traded away four prospects. If the O's had simply been patient and done nothing, they could have eventually signed both players if they were non-tendered. But no, Duquette pulled the trigger on acquiring both. It's hard not to believe that he just made a few trades just to show that he could.

Maybe the O's just didn't like these included prospects that much. But dealing away multiple prospects for spare parts? No thanks. Those four minor leaguers may not have high ceilings, but neither do Teagarden and Eveland. Those two are also both over 27 years old.

Until the O's fully embrace the notion of rebuilding and truly explore every possibility -- yes, that means maybe trading Adam Jones or anyone valuable, really -- the O's will keep spinning their wheels and trying to sell fans on guys like Eveland, who will probably be pitching out of the bullpen by the end of the season.

So maybe G-Wiz and G-Man aren't so bad

2011-12-06T06:18:00.004-05:00

"Wizards" is far from a respected team name among the D.C. basketball faithful. Most would welcome a name change back to the Bullets, but that's probably not going to happen anytime soon, or ever. Wizards is far from a perfect name, but then again, I'm sure most would agree that it is much better than Sea Dogs.

Since most people don't like the Wizards name, they likely aren't fond of the Wizards mascots, G-Wiz and G-Man, either. It's hard to fault them for that; they both look rather goofy, particularly the good-natured G-Wiz.

But let's step back for a moment and realize that things could be much worse than Wizards, G-Wiz, and G-Man. Want proof? Just take a look at the Sixers' new proposed mascot choices. Here's a description of the choices, courtesy of CSNPhilly.com:

The Sixers unveiled their new choices for mascot on Monday and the trio features cartoonish versions of Ben Franklin (Big Ben), a dog (B. Franklin Dogg) and a moose (Phil E. Moose). Yes, a moose in Philadelphia. All three of the characters sport Sixers attire with B. Franklin Dogg even donning a Liberty Bell shaped hat with a 76ers logo.

So, yes, while 76ers/Sixers is a much better team name than the Wizards, I'm confident that Wizards fans would much rather deal with G-Wiz and G-Man than something named B. Franklin Dogg.

Race to the bottom: More wins to come?

2011-12-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

After last week's win over the Seahawks, the Redskins, now 4-7, seem to have demonstrated that they're not in the same class as some of the truly horrible teams in the NFL. Sure, the Redskins can't take much solace in that fact -- teams with fewer wins do receive higher draft picks, of course -- but no one wants to cheer for a winless team, regardless of whether Andrew Luck or any other potential savior is right around the corner.

Including the Seahawks' 17-point thrashing of the Eagles on Thursday night, here are the current standings for the under-.500 teams (worst records first):

Colts 0-11
Rams 2-9
Vikings 2-9
Dolphins 3-8
Panthers 3-8
Jaguars 3-8
Eagles 4-8
Browns 4-7
Chiefs 4-7
Buccaneers 4-7
Chargers 4-7
Cardinals 4-7
Redskins 4-7
Seahawks 5-7
Bills 5-6

I continue to marvel at the rapid demise of the "Dream Team" Eagles, who are now in the running for a top 10, or even top 5, pick. No team is going to catch the Colts, who have all but locked up that top slot. However, there's quite a logjam at 3-8 and 4-7, so there's plenty of time for almost any of these teams to keep losing and rocket up (down?) the list.

With that Eagles-Seahawks game out of the way, here are the relevant games to the Redskins' (hopeful) selection of a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft. (Fans should want the bolded teams to win.)

Titans vs. Bills
Chiefs vs. Bears
Raiders vs. Dolphins
Broncos vs. Vikings
Panthers vs. Buccaneers
Ravens vs. Browns
Cowboys vs. Cardinals
Rams vs. 49ers
Chargers vs. Jaguars

I didn't include the Colts-Patriots game, because, again, the top-pick ship has sailed. Good luck, Colts.

It's pretty cut and dried this week. There are still worse-record teams out there who need quarterbacks, but not much of this matters if the Redskins win a few more times in their next five games.

As a reminder, these posts are not about cheering against the Redskins; I absolutely refuse to do that. But I can sort of understand the thinking of those fans who are rooting for the Redskins to lose the rest of their games to secure the highest pick possible. At the end of the day, those fans, even if they're sort of annoying, are really only concerned with the best interests of the Redskins and their future, which requires a massive upgrade at quarterback (and, to be honest, a few other positions). If you could guarantee me that the Redskins will identify a franchise quarterback and select him with that higher pick, then I wouldn't mind stomaching a few more losses this season. But that's why the draft is so popular and intriguing: There are no sure things. Prospects like Luck are as close as a college player can get to being a no-brainer, future star type of selection. But he also may end up as a mediocre NFL quarterback. No one can predict the future. Not even Vinny Cerrato.

If the Redskins do end up winning a few more games and pick 10th in the draft, or somewhere near there, I'm confident that they can do what they did last year and find a way to acquire what they need. Maybe that means they'll make a few trades and move up or down a few times during the draft. It will make things more difficult, certainly, but identifying undervalued talent in the draft is far from impossible. Teams do it every year; the Redskins seem to have done it last year. Maybe they can have a repeat performance.

O's acquire backup catcher Taylor Teagarden

2011-12-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Orioles acquired catcher Taylor Teagarden from the Rangers in exchange for minor-league pitcher Randy Henry and a player to be named later. With Matt Wieters being the only catcher listed on the team's 40-man roster, the O's were determined to locate a competent backup backstop.

Teagarden, 27, is out of options, which is one reason the Rangers made this move. But he's also failed to live up to the hype at the plate. In 392 major league plate appearances, Teagarden has hit .220/.286/.417 with 16 home runs. That's obviously not particularly good, but then again, he should be an improvement over what Craig Tatum did last season (.195/.245/.230 in 96 plate appearances). In the minors, Teagarden showcased an ability to get on base; unfortunately, that hasn't translated to his major league at-bats yet.

Teagarden's best asset appears to be his defense. According to Matt Eddy and Tim Ednoff of Baseball America, "Teagarden still receives high grades for his defensive skills, however. He's an effortless receiver and blocker with a quick, accurate arm who has gunned down 34 percent of basestealers in the big leagues."

It's not ideal to give up anything valuable when acquiring a backup catcher, though there's no guarantee that Henry or the player to be named later develop into major leaguers. Still, the price the O's paid for Teagarden seems reasonable, and it doesn't appear as if they overpaid.

Most fans have noticed by now that the O's, managed by former Rangers manager Buck Showalter, haven't had any problem recently dealing with the Rangers. Via the Baseball America link above, here's a quick rundown of those trades:

Working backward from Teagarden, the Orioles acquired Darren O'Day in a Nov. 3 waiver claim; righthander Pedro Strop for Mike Gonzalez on Aug. 31; third baseman Chris Davis and righthander Tommy Hunter for Koji Uehara on July 30; lefty Zach Phillips for Nick Green and cash on July 19; and lefty Clay Rapada signed a minor league deal on Jan. 27. Even journeyman righty reliever Willie Eyre spent a season with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in 2010, with a partial-season stopover in the Athletics system prior joining the Orioles.

There's some decent trades in there, but nothing overly terrible or crazy. Who knows if the O's are done dealing yet, but as long as Showalter's around, a trade with the Rangers is always a possibility.

Random rumor: Edsall to Jacksonville?

2011-11-30T06:47:00.000-05:00

If you're a Maryland football fan, then you're probably not a huge supporter of head coach Randy Edsall right now. (And if that's the case, and you haven't done so yet, you need to read John Feinstein's recent column calling for the Terps to end the Edsall era now.) I am not in the Edsall camp, but I also don't think Maryland will get rid of him anytime soon.

Yesterday, though, there was a rumor floating around that an NFL job could be in Edsall's future. Here's that rumor, courtesy of Dave Razzano, a former NFL scout and a sports talk radio host in San Francisco:

The speculation seems to come from the fact that Edsall was an assistant coach with the Jaguars from 1994 to 1997. I guess he must have made some sort of solid impression.

So, yeah, that's about it, and nothing will likely come of this. But considering how bad the Terps were this season and how unprofessional Edsall has seemed at times, it's still amusing that he had to address NFL coaching rumors yesterday.

Apparently it's hard to root for the Redskins these days

2011-11-29T06:33:00.001-05:00

Did you know that it's hard to be a Redskins fan? Examiner columnist Thom Loverro does, and he isn't a fan of what's happening on the field. In this column, he mentions that the on-the-field product is still very bad, but he's more concerned with this question: "Are the 2011 Redskins the least likable squad this franchise has fielded in a long time?"

Loverro discusses the showboating of Fred Davis, the jawing of Trent Williams and DeAngelo Hall, Jabar Gaffney's recent Twitter controversy, and he even fits in Stevie Johnson's recent touchdown celebration that mocked Plaxico Burress.

But that's it. That's why it's hard to root for the Redskins. I'll admit, I sometimes cringe when Santana Moss spins the ball when the Redskins are down a few touchdowns, or when LaRon Landry celebrates a huge tackle after surrendering a first down or a big play. But don't most teams do similar things? The Redskins are hardly the only team with players who celebrate tackles, first downs, touchdowns, or anything. And frankly, some of those moments are the most exciting for the Redskins, considering that winning the game each week isn't a viable option. I guess part of Loverro's argument could be that it's a mind-set thing -- the whole act like you've been there before thing, or how to be a professional, or whatever. But the Redskins aren't losing games because some of them like to dance when they get in the end zone.

There are plenty of players fans should enjoy rooting for, and Hall, Williams, Davis, and Gaffney are probably on that list. Here are some others:

Roy Helu
Santana Moss
Brandon Banks
Darrel Young
Ryan Kerrigan
Lorenzo Alexander
London Fletcher
Perry Riley
Brian Orakpo
DeJon Gomes
Josh Wilson
Sav Rocca

Yes, I included Rocca, the punter, who is having an amazing season. And that's not counting Chris Cooley and a couple of youngsters who should be able to contribute next season: Jarvis Jenkins and Leonard Hankerson.

I'd argue that any team that includes London Fletcher can't possibly be mentioned as any kind of "least likable squad," but that's just one opinion.

Race to the bottom: Crucial Week 12

2011-11-24T06:35:00.001-05:00

(Note: I had this post nearly finished yesterday but didn't post it for some reason. Anyway, have a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe out there.)

If you didn't read the first post in this series -- which I'll continue each week unless the whole thing becomes irrelevant or tiresome -- I recommend you check that out first. But, basically, the entire goal of each of these posts is to identify the weekly matchups that are important to the Redskins' chances of obtaining of higher draft pick.

Last Sunday's painful 27-24 loss to the Cowboys was hard to stomach, but at the end of the day, it still moved the Redskins a little closer to a potential franchise quarterback. Now 3-7, the Redskins are still tied for the third-worst record, so other bad teams still need to do plenty of losing for the Redskins to continue moving up (or down?) the ladder.

Here are the games including teams that are 3-7 or worse this week (again, while hoping the bolded teams win):

Dolphins vs. Cowboys
Vikings vs. Falcons
Panthers vs. Colts
Cardinals vs. Rams
Texans vs. Jaguars

It would also be beneficial if a few of the 4-6 teams won as well, but we'll be able to sort that out on a week-to-week basis, obviously depending on if the Redskins win. The Dolphins and Jaguars are both 3-7 and the Vikings are 2-8, so wanting them all to win is a no-brainer -- and that's not even factoring in that Miami plays Dallas later today. Both the Vikings and Jaguars took quarterbacks in the first round last year, but if the goal is to get the highest pick possible, more wins by them would be nice.

The other two games were more difficult to decide who to root for. The Panthers and Rams, both 2-8, don't need quarterbacks and would probably go in a different direction in the first round, but as a commenter pointed out the other day, they could always trade the pick to a team who desperately seeks a quarterback. It's impossible to predict trades, but I guess the higher the draft pick, the better. Either way, there are positives if the Cardinals or Rams win, or Panthers or Colts win. The Colts are likely too far ahead in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, but until they've completely locked up that top spot, anything's possible.

Keith Law is not a huge fan of Chong signing

2011-11-23T04:23:00.001-05:00

The deal for Korean reliever Chong Tae-Hyon isn't 100 percent finished yet, but all indications are that the deal will be completed soon and he'll be with the Orioles next season. There hasn't been much written about the move, possibly because 1) it's not that big of a signing, and 2) not that many people really know that much about Chong.

But, as usual, ESPN's Keith Law is on top of things and gave his quick opinion on the move:

So much for a ringing endorsement. I'm sure that a more in-depth discussion of the signing will follow once it becomes official. But hopefully Chong doesn't end up being the Korean Kevin Gregg -- or anything close to it.

O's agree to terms with Korean reliever Chong Tae-Hyon

2011-11-22T06:14:00.000-05:00

According to multiple reports, the Orioles have reached a deal with South Korean reliever Chong Tae-Hyon. Apparently the deal will be for two years and $3.2 million. Here's a brief introduction of the 33-year-old Chong, via the HardballTalk link above:

According to a Korean site linked to by MyKBO, Chong, a submariner, tops out at 85 mph with his sinking fastball and throws a curve. He had a 1.48 ERA, 16 saves and a 39/25 K/BB ratio in 54 2/3 innings for the SK Wyverns last year. He pitched for South Korea in the 2008 Olympics and had a 2.25 ERA and seven strikeouts in four innings as the gold medal-winning team’s closer.

Unlike Koji Uehara, who also signed a two-year deal with the O's at age 33, Chong is a full-time reliever and will not be used in the rotation. With this move, the O's have again decided to sign a reliever to a multiyear deal, but it's hard to get too upset about a contract slightly over $3 million, especially without watching Chong pitch routinely against major league hitters yet.

Without question, the O's needed, and still need, to improve the bullpen -- even more so if they're planning to move Jim Johnson into the rotation. Still, I'm a little skeptical about a reliever who can't throw much harder than 85 mph, particularly when he's pitching in the AL East.

Race to the bottom: Redskins need a QB

2011-11-17T05:50:00.001-05:00

We all know the top priority for the Redskins in the upcoming NFL draft is finding a quarterback. And since the season has been going south for a few weeks now, it's time to start worrying about where the Redskins will be picking in the draft. At 3-6 (currently tied for the third-worst record in the NFL), they seem destined for a top 10, or maybe even top 5, pick.

But since I refuse to root against the Redskins, I'll do something different: hope that teams below them, particularly the ones that need quarterbacks, start racking up some wins.

Here are the 10 teams currently tied with or worse (record-wise) than the Redskins:

Colts (0-10)
Rams (2-7)
Dolphins (2-7)
Panthers (2-7)
Vikings (2-7)
Browns (3-6)
Cardinals (3-6)
Jaguars (3-6)
Eagles (3-6)
Seahawks (3-6)

(Let's all take a moment to mock the Eagles for being included on this list.)

Of all those teams, who will mostly likely not target a quarterback with their first-round pick? Probably the Rams (Sam Bradford), Panthers (Cam Newton), Vikings (Christian Ponder), Jaguars (Blaine Gabbert), and Eagles (Michael Vick). The Panthers, Vikings, and Jaguars all used top-12 picks in last year's draft to select a quarterback, so they probably won't look to take another one so soon. But this is all mostly guesswork, and no one knows exactly what teams will do with top picks, especially when Andrew Luck's name gets thrown into the mix. And that's without factoring in potential trades.

Eliminating those five teams, that leaves the Colts, Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals, and Seahawks -- all of whom would likely select a quarterback with their top pick (again, depending on where that pick is and which quarterbacks are available). The Chiefs (4-5) and Broncos (4-5) may also draft a top quarterback if they tail off and lose a bunch of games to end the season.

So with all of those teams in mind, who should Redskins fans be rooting for this week? Let's take a quick look at some relevant matchups (while hoping the bolded teams win):

Jets vs. Broncos
Jaguars vs. Browns
Bills vs. Dolphins
Seahawks vs. Rams
Cardinals vs. 49ers
Chiefs vs. Patriots

Honestly, it wouldn't hurt if all teams with awful records won a few games, but whatever. I'll admit, this is a little wacky, and it'll all be much simpler if the Redskins continue to lose games, which they probably will. But I'm tired of watching quarterbacks like Rex Grossman and John Beck, and this process is the best way I can hope for a franchise quarterback without rooting against my team. And, really, it's not like they need any extra help to lose games anyway.

O's interested in another (almost) 36-year-old DH?

2011-11-16T05:51:00.001-05:00

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles may be looking at David Ortiz to fill their designated hitter slot. Although Kubatko admits that the interest is "mostly speculation" at this point, he did pass along the following:

The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham tweeted that [executive vice president of baseball operations Dan] Duquette is meeting with [Fern] Cuza, who represents free agent David Ortiz. Abraham speculated that the Orioles have interest in the veteran designated hitter.

That's not much, but who really knows when the O's are involved?

Ortiz had another solid year last season. He hit .309/.398/.554, surpassing his numbers from the past few seasons. For his career, he's a .283/.378/.544 hitter, which is excellent.

He also turns 36 on November 18 (Friday), which is the same age as Vladimir Guerrero -- and we all know how that signing turned out. Ortiz is probably the better hitter between the two at this point. He's been better the last couple of years; maybe the benefit of mostly DHing in his career has helped him and allowed him to stay stronger at the plate.

I understand that it's speculation, but hopefully the O's have learned from the disappointing Guerrero signing. A young, bad team paying a bunch of money for a DH doesn't make a whole lot of sense. With Guerrero on the roster last season, the O's lost a lot of roster flexibility -- and that's not even mentioning that Luke Scott was already the best option at DH even after they signed Guerrero. At least the Guerrero deal was only a one-year deal; I seriously doubt that Ortiz would entertain anything less than a two- or three-year deal. Guerrero also signed for $8 million; Ortiz would likely command at least $10 million per season.

When considering the O's current roster, signing another full-time DH makes even less sense. Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis are not defensive wizards, and I don't think the O's want to enter the season with both of those guys starting at the corner infield positions. Davis may need to DH sometimes, as will Reynolds. It would also be smart to keep the spot flexible so Matt Wieters can stay in the lineup occasionally when he's not catching.

Could the O's lineup use an upgrade? Yeah, probably. But the roster has plenty of holes, not just at DH. For an organization that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, it wouldn't be smart to sign an aging DH to a multi-year contract just to score a few more runs over the course of a season.

Hankerson suffers torn labrum, is placed on IR

2011-11-15T06:24:00.001-05:00

A bright spot of watching a bad team is getting the chance to see that team's young players. The hope is that they'll learn quickly and develop, in the process transforming from talented prospects into productive players. Unfortunately for the 3-6 Redskins, one of those intriguing, young players, WR Leonard Hankerson, has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn labrum and a hip injury in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins.

The loss of Hankerson is a crushing blow to the Redskins, not only because of their shortage at wide receiver, but because Hankerson just had the best game of his young NFL career, catching eight passes from Rex Grossman for 106 yards.

Hankerson joins defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins, the Redskins' second-round pick, as the second of the team's draft picks to be lost for the season.

Disastrous season continues for Edsall, Terps

2011-11-13T07:49:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I've never followed Maryland football as closely as basketball -- even during the best of times. But it'd be pretty hard not to notice the debacle that is this season, under head coach Randy Edsall. Edsall has had his hands full, and after another blowout loss last night (45-21 to Notre Dame) the Terps now have a 2-8 record and are 1-5 in the ACC.

Since Edsall is the guy to replace the beloved and rather successful Ralph Friedgen, Edsall's time at Maryland will undoubtedly be compared to everything Fridge accomplished. In 10 seasons, Friedgen compiled a 75-50 (43-37) record. His tenure had its ups and downs, but he also helped to turn around a program that had basically become irrelevant.

Here's the Terps' record in each of Friedgen's 10 seasons:

2001: 10-2 (7-1)
2002: 11-3 (6-2)
2003: 10-3 (6-2)
2004: 5-6 (3-5)
2005: 5-6 (3-5)
2006: 9-4 (5-3)
2007: 6-7 (3-5)
2008: 8-5 (4-4)
2009: 2-10 (1-7)
2010: 9-4 (5-3)

After Friedgen's first three seasons -- and really the first season, when the Terps went to the Orange Bowl -- the Terps struggled at times. They also never won more than nine games after 2003. But the only season that could compare to this one on the disaster scale is 2009, which is essentially the season that got Friedgen fired. Friedgen and the Terps turned things around the very next season, which made athletic director Kevin Anderson's subsequent firing of Friedgen even more awkward and hard for many fans to digest.

Edsall has said many times (mostly during the season, I believe) that turning around the program, or at least molding the program how he wanted, was not going to be easy. He has taken some thinly veiled shots at Friedgen and the poor condition in which he left the program, though that does seem a little ridiculous. Still, regardless of how bare the cupboard was when Edsall took over, there's no question that the Terps have been terrible.

Let's quickly compare Friedgen's worst season (2009) to this season. The comparison won't be perfect -- comparing different teams with different players and coaches, strength of schedule, 2011 season is still ongoing, etc. -- but should be interesting.

Friedgen's 2009

Wins: James Madison (38-35 in OT), Clemson (24-21)
Against ranked teams: #12 California (52-13), #21 Virginia Tech (36-9)
Outscored by 119 points (375 to 256)

Edsall's 2011

Wins: Miami (32-24), Towson (28-3)
Against ranked teams: #18 West Virginia (37-31), #13 Georgia Tech (21-16), #8 Clemson (56-45)
Outscored by 98 points (324 to 226)

It's worth noting that in 2009, Chris Turner (who was not very good) was Maryland's quarterback. This year, the Terps had Danny O'Brien, who was named the ACC Rookie of the Year last season when he threw for 2,438 yards, 22 touchdowns, and (only) 8 interceptions. In his sophomore season, which is now over after he broke a bone in his left arm in last night's game, O'Brien has thrown for 1,648 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in Maryland's new spread offense. That's probably not the type of performance that many would have predicted in O'Brien's second season.

The Terps have two games remaining: against Wake Forest and NC State. Both are road games. It's possible that Maryland could win either of those games. Yet, it's also possible they lose by double digits in both.

I don't know the direction that Maryland football is headed in under Edsall, but there is some positive news: 1) Because of Edsall's contract and the athletic department's financial situation, he's going to be here for a while (meaning he should have the time to turn the program into what he wants, whatever that is); and 2) things can't get much worse.

Dan Duquette on expensive free agents

2011-11-09T06:10:00.000-05:00

It's obviously way too early to declare much of anything about how Dan Duquette will run the Orioles or how successful he'll be, but I do like reading quotes like these (provided by Matt Vensel of The Baltimore Sun):

“Everybody wants to look at the established major league player to come in here and help your team,” Duquette said. “When your club is in a position where you can get over the top, where you can get a player that will be a core player for a long period of time, I think that’s the right time to go into the free-agent market. ... I don’t know that it’s a terrific use of the club’s resources to go into the free-agent market just to say that I’m out there.”

Duquette also said, "We will be active in a lot of markets, a lot of talent markets to field competitive and winning teams. We will be active in several of those markets. . . . The major league free-agency market is probably the riskiest one, right? I’m much more comfortable operating with less risk."

More than reasonable, right? I think those are the kinds of things that most O's fans want to hear from their general manager. At the end of the day, talk is cheap and actions speak much louder, but it will be interesting to see how he handles his first offseason in Baltimore.

Redskins sign WR David Anderson, who likes to dance

2011-11-08T06:34:00.001-05:00

Seeking a veteran wide receiver, the Redskins have signed David Anderson, a 28-year-old receiver who was released by the Texans earlier this season. So why Anderson? Mostly because he's familiar with Kyle Shanahan's offense, which should allow him to contribute more -- at least that's the goal.

Anderson was a seventh-round pick by the Texans in 2006, and he's spent his entire career in Houston. In his best season, 2009-2010, he had 38 receptions for 370 yards. For his career, he has 82 catches for 895 yards and three touchdowns. But in two games this season, he only has one catch for nine yards. But at least it was for a first down!

Because of the injuries to Santana Moss and Niles Paul, Anderson's likely nothing more than a temporary fill-in. But there are (at least) three interesting things about him: 1) Per Wiki, his middle name is Kent; 2) he likes Conan O'Brien; and 3) he enjoys dancing after touchdowns. The last two are connected: Take a look at his touchdown celebration in a 2008 game against the Bengals.

Yup, that's Conan's patented string dance. Nice work, David. Unfortunately, he's only scored one touchdown since that Bengals game -- against the Vikings the very next week, in fact -- so he may not be doing much dancing in Washington. Then again, the Redskins not scoring touchdowns will hardly be Anderson's fault. They're already excellent at that.

Is Duquette the favorite?

2011-11-05T09:10:00.000-04:00

Dan Duquette may be the top candidate to take over general manager duties, but it's not exactly a simple task to predict what's going to happen at this point. But according to MASN's Roch Kubatko, Duquette isn't such a bad option:

I'd say Dan Duquette is the No. 1 candidate today. He's got a background in scouting and player development, and he's been a general manager with two teams. He played a major role in the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series, though he was fired in March 2002.

I don't recall many stories about his dynamic personality, but he's sharp and he knows how to make a trade. The guy pried Pedro Martinez from two teams. That must count for something. And he somehow convinced the Mariners to hand over Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb.

He also hasn't been in the major leagues since 2002 -- that's almost a decade. That has to count for something. Then again, with Peter Angelos limiting candidates from doing what they see as necessary to turn the Orioles around, it may not really matter who the O's end up with as GM.

Angelos, O's have turned GM search into three-ring circus

2011-11-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Orioles haven't had a winning season since 1997. That's a span of 14 seasons, and in that time frame, many of the things the O's have done on the field have been rather embarrassing. Name just about anything awful on the field and the O's have accomplished it. That includes terrible overall play -- poor hitting, pitching, and fielding -- gut-wrenching losses, ill-conceived signings, ridiculous coaching moves, bad draft picks, and terrible decision-making all around. So it's not really surprising that the O's haven't won more games for a while, and they haven't exactly set themselves up well to succeed in the near future.

Still, even though the O's are far behind the rest of the AL East -- and a majority of MLB teams as well, for that matter -- they've had a few bright spots here and there. More recently, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis were supposed to form a solid outfield duo. Matt Wieters was supposed to be the next Joe Mauer, maybe even better. And youngsters Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Zach Britton were supposed to help turn around a horrendous pitching staff. I guess there's some time left for one of two of those things to happen, and I'm obviously leaving plenty of things out, but the point is this: With all of the losses, failed draft picks, and underperforming players, the most embarrassing and frustrating situation with the O's may be the absurd search for a general manager that's taking place right now.

This is what has happened so far:

- Jerry Dipoto, who may have been the O's top choice, took his name out of consideration when he accepted the same role with the Angels. There's no question that's a much better job, and it's hard to blame him for making that decision.

- Tony LaCava, assistant GM for the Blue Jays, also took his name out of consideration for the O's job after a second interview (with Peter Angelos involved in the talks). Instead of taking a job with another team, LaCava decided to return to Toronto as assistant GM. As reported by Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (via a few sources), LaCava wanted to get rid of some of Angelos's front office minions, but that just wasn't going to happen. Knobler added:

Specifically, those sources said, LaCava wanted to clear out some long-term front-office people whose jobs have been protected by Angelos. Angelos refused to do that, even though he was willing to pay LaCava a competitive salary and to bring in other front-office people that LaCava wanted to hire (including Mike Berger, currently the director of pro scouting with the Diamondbacks).

So much for fans hoping that Angelos would make an intelligent hire and get out of the way. Unfortunately, there's more.

- Even though he was one of the first interviews the team made, Dodgers assistant GM DeJon Watson removed his name from consideration yesterday. Apparently Watson was not thought of as a favorite to get the job, so he moved on. If you're scoring at home, that's three candidates to take their names out of the running, and that's not counting the number of potential candidates who refused to be interviewed in the first place.

- After being denied permission to interview Twins vice president Mike Radcliff, the O's found out that Red Sox vice president Allard Baird had denied the O's request to interview for the position.

So, as of right now, here are the candidates who have yet to remove their names from consideration:

Dan Duquette, former Red Sox and Expos GM
Scott Proefrock, Phillies assistant GM
John Stockstill, O's player development director

Those three have all been interviewed, and the fourth name currently involved is Yankees vice president Damon Oppenheimer, who may also be interviewing soon.

When the interview process started, the O's had several interesting names on their wish list. Now, though, after being rejected by many of those names, the O's appear to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. That's not meant as an insult to the names involved, but when so many other promising candidates have turned the O's down, it's easy to wonder why exactly anyone would take such a flawed job.

I don't think anyone was expecting the O's GM search to go smoothly, except maybe Angelos. But what is he thinking? Many fans have complained about Angelos's meddling ways for years now, but this is the most obvious example of him getting in the way that I can remember. Maybe I'm forgetting some of his interfering from a few years ago, perhaps with wanting to sign overpriced veterans or refusing to consider others, but now his stubbornness appears to be ruining any chance the O's had at hiring a legitimate, up-and-coming GM. The O's organization has so many holes, and they desperately need a GM who's going to come in, clean house if necessary, and start to run things the right way -- whatever that happens to be. But with Angelos around, that just doesn't seem possible. The O's seem to be headed nowhere quickly, and they need direction and front office leadership. And, as many fans know, a good GM is, um, kind of important.

When asked why no one seems to want the O's GM job, Keith Law may have said it best: "The next GM is set up to fail." But, hey, as long as Angelos's guys are all taken care of and comfortable, who cares about watching a terrible team for the foreseeable future?

O's GM search continues as LaCava turns down job offer

2011-11-02T06:34:00.000-04:00

After Jerry Dipoto, arguably the leading candidate to fill the O's general manager position, was hired by the Angels to fill their own GM vacancy, Tony LaCava, the assistant GM with the Blue Jays, was seen as the new favorite. And then, after LaCava received a second interview (with Peter Angelos present this time), Ken Rosenthal dropped this hammer: "Sources: LaCava turns down #Orioles' offer of GM job."

It's easy to speculate on what happened. Maybe LaCava had a change of heart. Or maybe Angelos wouldn't offer him the amount of power that the O's GM role required. Or maybe he simply realized that things just wouldn't work out. Oddly enough, Peter Schmuck wrote yesterday morning that the O's still weren't settled on a candidate -- something that's even more interesting to read now. Schmuck provided some speculation of his own:

That could mean that Angelos wasn't that impressed with LaCava or LaCava wanted more authority than Angelos was willing to allow. It could also mean that the meeting was just another meeting and not really a late-stage negotiation.

As it turns out, LaCava is denying any issue with Angelos (or is at least taking the high road), saying that he just wanted to remain with the Blue Jays. Via Dan Connolly:

“This was about the Toronto Blue Jays more than it is anything about the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were classy in everything they did and I think they are going to go down the right path. For me, it was how much I love the Toronto Blue Jays and I really, really treasure my relationship with my general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, and I really want to see this through with him. He created a great atmosphere to work up there, along with president Paul Beeston, and it is very hard to leave them. . . . When I decided to interview, it wasn’t that I was looking to leave. But there are only 30 GM positions and I was interested in it. When I weighed both at the end of the day, I just didn’t feel I could leave the Blue Jays."

He's more than entitled to that rationale; at the end of the day, it's obviously LaCava's decision to make. But you have to wonder, since there "are only 30 GM positions," if he would have taken the job if he got a little bit more of what he wanted. It's possible that LaCava is being completely truthful, but we'll never know for sure.

Roch Kubatko dug a little deeper, asking LaCava whether the O's ownership played any role in him turning down the job:

I asked LaCava whether he had any concerns about interference from ownership in the daily operations of the ballclub. All I can do is ask and pass along his response. Here it is:

"I think [Angelos] gets a bad rap on that," LaCava said. "I didn't sense that at all. I sense he's a man who's obviously very busy with his law firm and other things. There are places where the owner is a lot more involved than in Baltimore. I didn't feel that at all and that's the truth."

Kubatko also noted that LaCava would have had to keep "a portion of the current staff" but that "he could have hired seven guys." Apparently that restriction "wasn't a deal-breaker." Still, it's possible that not having full control of hiring and firings made LaCava think twice about accepting the job.

So now the O's are back to square one. It's not the worst thing ever that LaCava turned down the job, but it's not a positive that someone interested in the job went that far in the interview process and then turned down the job. Hopefully the O's renew the process the right way and target other qualified, interesting candidates rather than taking the easy route and hiring someone like, say, John Stockstill (who's already been interviewed once).

For the most part, people don't know the difference between LaCava and someone else like Dodgers executive De Jon Watson (who the O's previously interviewed). LaCava had been discussed as the better candidate, but no one really knows for sure who would make a great GM or not. But when fans already distrust the direction of the O's under Angelos, something embarrassing like the LaCava debacle ends up having more meaning because it's yet another thing the O's failed to do correctly. Even if LaCava's statements are 100 percent true -- meaning that he wasn't completely set on taking the O's job and that he really did want to remain in Toronto because of how much he loved it -- the O's will be blamed for letting him get away. And considering everything that's been going wrong with the team for a long time now, that's blame well deserved.

Is Dipoto the favorite?

2011-10-20T06:57:00.000-04:00

Is Jerry Dipoto the most likely candidate to replace Andy MacPhail? Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun seems to think so:

No matter who else comes in -- if anyone -- I think it will likely come down to Dipoto and [Tony] LaCava[, the Toronto Blue Jays’ assistant general manager and director of player personnel]. Both are well-respected and highly coveted options – mlbtraderumors.com ranked Dipoto as No. 1 and LaCava as No. 6 in its perspective GMs list – and both have interviewed for other GM jobs in the past.

The Orioles couldn’t go wrong with either. Both are originally East Coast guys: Dipoto is from New Jersey and LaCava is from, and still lives in, Pittsburgh. Both have backgrounds in scouting and development, which the Orioles could desperately use.

And both seemingly want this job, with its warts and all. There are only 30 such positions in baseball and both of these guys have waited their turns and desire an opportunity to implement their own policies and strategies in hopes of turning around a once-proud franchise.

The scouting and development experience is key, because the Orioles haven't done the best job getting all the production they can out of their prospects.

So far, Dipoto and LaCava are the only candidates the O's have interviewed, but they've apparently been impressed with both. And it certainly doesn't hurt Dipoto that he has some general manager experience.

Fans want John Beck

2011-10-19T08:39:00.001-04:00

When it comes down to Rex Grossman vs. John Beck, Redskins fans are convincingly on Beck's side. Just take look at this poll on The Washington Post's Insider blog:

Out of more than 6,000 total votes, 86 percent want the Redskins to give Beck a chance. After watching Grossman play last week, it's hard to disagree.

It's not about Grossman vs. Beck

2011-10-18T15:30:00.000-04:00

It happens a lot. Whenever the Redskins don't look completely terrible to start the season, fans get excited. They start talking themselves into better performances, more wins, and maybe a playoff berth. Most people tempered their expectations because the Redskins weren't able to fill all of their holes in the offseason. But the same thing still happened, when Rex Grossman looked decent, the Redskins seemingly possessed a new and improved running game, and the defense started putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Redskins got off to a surprising 3-1 start, and some of those things continued. The defense is better than last season and has showcased the ability to generate sacks and turnovers. The offensive line is also better, and the Redskins have run the ball effectively at times. Quarterback, though, is still an issue. And, for some reason, after Grossman's four-interception game against the Eagles, fans are again expressing their disgust with the team's quarterback situation, even though there wasn't much of a chance the Redskins were going to rectify that problem during the season.

Let's step back for a moment. Whenever something embarrassing happens involving the Redskins -- this week's embarrassing performance being Grossman's awful game -- fans express their outrage. That's fine, I guess, and there will always be the crazy fans who come up with bizarre solutions or want the team to go in a completely different direction and start firing coaches left and right. But what exactly changed after the Eagles game? Obviously the injuries on the offensive line are huge concerns, but I'm talking about the quarterback issues. Did fans really need to witness Grossman's four interceptions to know that he was an average to below-average quarterback? He throws the ball well occasionally, but he's a turnover-committing machine. Wasn't that a given going into the season?

Before the season started and people started getting a little too wrapped up in how well the Redskins played at times in the preseason, I wrote a few quick notes for things to remember about this season. Here they are:

1. Nothing wrong with being excited about the team's young talent.
2. Don't up on some of those young players if they start slow.
3. Beck/Grossman doesn't mean a whole lot.
4. Going to draft a QB to develop; Beck/Grossman stepping up would help make that transition easier.
5. Getting a few wins shouldn't mean a change of direction.
6. Revamped defense and offensive weapons to eventually be aided by better quarterback and offensive line play = long-term goal.

So let's break these thoughts down:

1. The Redskins committed to the draft, and they've been rewarded for doing so. No, they didn't draft a quarterback and will have to do that next year, but they did add some much-needed, young talent to the roster. Ryan Kerrigan has been outstanding, and Roy Helu has been solid. Other rookies, such as Niles Paul, Chris Neild, Markus White, DeJon Gomes, and Leonard Hankerson, have either brought something to the table that the team lacked or have given the Redskins depth at a few positions. And that's not even counting Jarvis Jenkins, who had the best preseason of all the rookies before being lost for the season. Hopefully the Redskins embrace this strategy again in next year's draft.

2. This may really only apply to Hankerson, who has yet to play in a game yet. But it's not like the Redskins have a plethora of explosive weapons at wide receiver, so Hankerson should get his chance soon.

3. Rex Grossman is not the answer at quarterback. Neither is John Beck, regardless of what the Shanahans have said. This has not changed.

4. It's possible that the Shanahans really believed one of the quarterbacks would play adequately this season. There's still time for that to happen. But since they didn't select a quarterback in last year's draft, taking one next year is on the team's to-do list. There should be several quarterbacks to choose from then, and then the Redskins hopefully have their quarterback of the future. Still, Grossman or Beck playing better would be important to eventually bridge that gap until that young quarterback is ready, but then again, that's what happens when a team relies on quarterbacks like Grossman and Beck.

5. This is almost impossible for fans to avoid. The Redskins started 3-1, and some fans inevitably thought the team was on pace for something special. Eventually, they may be. But unless the defense transforms quickly into a shutdown, turnover-forcing unit that scores points or routinely sets the offense up with scoring chances and great field position, the Redskins will struggle to put points on the board. That's what happens when quarterbacks don't play well, receiving options aren't as skilled as they need to be, and when the offensive line doesn't block all that well or a few talented linemen get hurt. Over a full season, these things happen. That's why improving roster depth through the draft EVERY season is so important. Just ask the Packers.

6. As stated before, the Redskins still have holes. Considering how flawed the roster has been for several seasons, how could they not? But all of those problems can't be fixed with a single draft, even if every single drafted player exceeds expectations. The goal is to build a consistent winner.

It's important not to overreact to a few wins or losses here or there. Yes, the Redskins are a better team than last year. But no, Grossman or Beck probably are not good enough to lead them to the playoffs. Not much has changed besides the Redskins pulling out an unexpected win or two. It's not time to change course or overreact and make a hasty trade (like what the Raiders probably did by acquiring Carson Palmer).

Updating the O's GM candidates list

2011-10-13T06:23:00.000-04:00

According to The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck, the Orioles have updated the names on their general manager wish list. That list includes:

. . . Arizona Diamondbacks senior vice president for scouting and player development Jerry DiPoto, Texas Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine, Toronto Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, Florida Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings, Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson, Detroit Tigers assistant GM Al Avila, Los Angeles Angels executive and former GM Tony Reagins and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White.

MASN's Roch Kubatko added two other notes: that "Josh Byrnes (Padres) no longer is being considered at this time"; and that "Orioles are interested in Gerry Hunsicker (Rays), but they're convinced that he'll stay in Tampa Bay."

Other noteworthy Orioles items:

- Scouting director Joe Jordan has left the organization to be the Philadelphia Phillies' director of player development.

- John Stockstill, the O's director of player development, will return next season (via Kubatko's link).

- And, according to Buck Showalter (via Schmuck), there won't be many changes to his coaching staff

MacPhail steps down, so what now?

2011-10-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Orioles have announced that Andy MacPhail is leaving the organization and that he will not return as president of baseball operations. It was speculated for months that MacPhail would not return, and now it's official. Another popular rumor was that Buck Showalter would leave his managerial position to take over for MacPhail either as general manager or in another front office role, but Showalter will still be the team's manager next season.

According to Roch Kubatko, here are some candidates to replace MacPhail:

It's impossible to know every name that's been discussed and debated. I've floated a few, such as Marlins assistant general manager Dan Jennings and Blue Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava.

The Sun's Dan Connolly recently expanded the list to include Jerry Dipoto (Diamondbacks senior VP), Gerry Hunsicker (Rays senior VP), former Orioles executives Wayne Krivsky and Scott Proefrock (Phillies assistant GM), Damon Oppenheimer (Yankees scouting director), A.J. Preller (Rangers senior director of player personnel), former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi (Mets special assistant) and Scott Servais (Rangers senior director of player development.)

. . . Also, director of baseball operations Matt Klentak is regarded as an executive who will be a valuable asset to MacPhail's replacement. He's not currently seen as a candidate for the position, but his time is approaching.

MacPhail had his moments, but in the end he couldn't do enough to turn the organization around. The next GM (or president of baseball operations) will need to identify what the organization has done wrong when drafting, developing, and coaching minor league talent. The O's are in an extremely difficult position in the AL East and have to play tough competition year in and year out, but they also don't do themselves any favors by not developing a better group of young players, both through the draft and international scouting. Hopefully the next GM has some ideas on how to rectify those problems.

It's also worth wondering how much power the team's next GM will have. With Showalter still around, will he be the guy wielding the most power? Peter Schmuck thinks so:

There are all sorts of possibilities, but since both Angelos and Showalter are old-school personalities, it's fair to assume they won't be writing the script for the "Moneyball" sequel. If Showalter does not change his mind and unexpectedly jump upstairs, the next GM — or president of baseball operations — will likely be someone with whom he shares some history and someone who will fit into the Angelos comfort zone.

In other words, it will likely be an established fellow with some front office political skills and player-development experience rather than some twentysomething Ivy Leaguer carrying a spreadsheet and a cup of Starbucks into every meeting.

Again, that's all Schmuck's speculation, but it's possible considering how well Angelos and Showalter seem to get along. With Showalter likely to stick around next season and beyond, the O's aren't going to bring in someone that he won't be able to work with. Still, I'd like for the O's to be flexible and hire the best person for the position, not the guy most willing to agree with all of Showalter's opinions.

I like Showalter -- maybe not as much as when he first joined the O's -- but I'm not quite sure I want him to be the guy calling most of the shots for the organization. Still, Showalter does seem interested in the organization's young talent, and if he's committed to figuring out why most of the team's top prospects seem to fail when they join the major league club, then I guess it's fine if he needs to co-sign on whoever replaces MacPhail.

Facing important decisions, O's moving slowly

2011-10-04T06:56:00.000-04:00

I've had a couple of people ask me what I think the Orioles will do this offseason, and I honestly have no idea. They could go big and sign a few free agents, they could add a couple of pitchers and a hitter or two, or maybe they will target a few low-priced, underappreciated players and hope they outperform expectations. But, really, the first step to the O's making any of those decisions is figuring out who the guy calling the shots is going to be, and there still seems to be some confusion over whether Andy MacPhail is going to return or if Buck Showalter will leave the dugout to take a front office position.

Like the rest of us, Peter Schmuck continues to wait:

Until there is a detemination on both fronts, it's hard to do more than speculate about the eventual composition and hierarchy in the Warehouse. MacPhail had given every indication that he would not remain after his contract expires at the end of this month, but the fact that he and the club have not made a quick announcement clearly indicates that Angelos wants him to stay connected to the club in some capacity. If he does, then it seems more likely that Showalter will remain in the dugout.

I like MacPhail and Showalter, but I'm not quite sure if I want either of them as the team's general manager (or president of baseball operations, or whatever). In MacPhail's case, I think he's done a decent job in his O's tenure, but I don't think he's taken enough chances. He's made a few solid trades, but there have also been some signings (Michael Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, and Vladimir Guerrero to name a few) that didn't make much sense and didn't have much of a chance of working out.

This decision is extremely important, mostly because the O's are faced with the difficult task of finding out exactly why so many of their top minor league players keep failing at the major league level. Matt Wieters and Zach Britton may have turned the corner, but what about Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman, Josh Bell, and Nolan Reimold? And those are just some names from the last few years; there have been dozens of talented players to come through the O's farm system who haven't gotten the job done. Is it a scouting thing? A coaching thing? It's probably a combination of both, but whatever the issue is, the O's need to eventually sort it out.

If the O's are ever going to be competitive again in the AL East, they'll need lots of contributions from their farm system, particularly their top prospects. Someone from outside the organization may view the team's problems differently than MacPhail or Showalter, but he'd also have to deal with Peter Angelos. And that's certainly no easy task.

Redskins face their first must-win against Rams

2011-10-02T08:31:00.001-04:00

Heading into the season, most people figured the Redskins (2-1) would be an average to below-average team. I can recall only one analyst (NFL Network's Michael Lombardi) picking them to make the playoffs, and, predictably, he faced lots of criticism for doing so. Then the season started and the Redskins won their first two games.

Were they overly impressive wins? That's hard to tell, considering it's so difficult to accurately judge teams so early in the season. They beat an injury-depleted Giants team 28-14 in Week 1 and looked decent, though they needed an interception return by rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan to seize the lead in the third quarter and take control of the game for good. In Week 2 against the Cardinals, the Redskins again looked decent, racking up 455 yards of total offense and rushing for 172 yards. But they were also down 21-13 late in the fourth quarter and needed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss on a fourth down play and a crucial 34-yard Graham Gano field goal to pull out the 22-21 victory.

Last week's 18-16 loss to the Cowboys on Monday, which the Redskins could have won if they had taken advantage of several opportunities throughout the game, was more of a typical Redskins game. But fans are well accustomed to those kinds of ugly, underwhelming performances, particularly on Sunday or Monday night games.

The Cowboys and Giants are both 2-1, and the Cardinals are 1-2. But no one has a handle on exactly how good those teams are just yet -- just like the Redskins.

So how bad are the 0-3 Rams? They've lost by double digits in all three of their games, but they've also faced some strong competition in the Eagles, Giants, and Ravens. But if the Redskins are truly a decent team, they'll go to St. Louis and beat a winless team, which would put them at 3-1 going into their bye week.

To prove the critics wrong and actually have a chance at a 9-7 or a 10-6 season, the Redskins must throw everything they have at the Rams and win this game. Essentially, it's a "kitchen sink" game for them. Not only would it be awful to lose going into a bye week, but if they do lose, there will be two weeks of negative talk about the team, focusing on all the things this team hasn't done and trying to come up with answers even if there aren't any. If Rex Grossman has a bad game against the Rams, I also expect a ton of talk about benching him in favor of John Beck. Whether or not that actually happens is another thing, but no one would be surprised to see Beck get a chance if the Redskins struggle in yet another important game. No one thought that Mike Shanahan would bench a healthy Donovan McNabb in favor of Grossman last season, so going from Grossman to Beck wouldn't that surprising of a move.

With a loss, all of the positives surrounding the 2-0 start will disappear. That means, basically, it would be another long, Redskins-like season. The Redskins have shown flashes, particularly on defense, of being an improved team. And after a disappointing loss to the Cowboys, they need to score early and often against a bad, wounded team. Anything less would be, well, expected.

Revisiting the O's deadline trades

2011-09-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

At the non-waiver trade deadline (July 31), the Orioles made two moves. They were:

1) Koji Uehara and $2 million to the Rangers for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter; and

2) Derrek Lee and cash to the Pirates for Aaron Baker.

And in a waiver deadline (August 31) deal, the O's shipped Mike Gonzalez to the Rangers for cash. They then used that cash to claim Pedro Strop off of waivers. Essentially, it was a swap of Gonzalez for Strop.

The O's have made a flurry of other roster moves, bringing several players up and sending others down -- including designating Felix Pie for assignment and then assigning him to Norfolk once he cleared waivers -- but for the most part, that's a pretty common thing for most MLB clubs in September. So let's focus on the four players acquired in the three trades mentioned above.

Chris Davis

Davis has not collected a whole lot of service time in his career, meaning that the O's won't have to worry about paying him a bunch of money anytime soon. And that's positive news, because he probably wouldn't be around otherwise. By acquiring Davis (25) and Hunter (25) in exchange for Uehara, the O's took a chance on bringing in a couple of older players rather than actual prospects. And both players, mainly because of how thin the O's roster is, should receive plenty of playing time next season.

Davis will probably see his name in the lineup in most games next season at a corner infield position or designated hitter. And unless the O's go out and sign someone, there aren't many better options on the roster. Davis has played in 26 games and has only 109 plate appearances, but in that time he hasn't performed well. He has a slash line of .260/.294/.385 with the O's, and he's been striking out more (33.9%) and walking less (4.6%) than usual -- which is pretty tough considering he has a career 31.9 K% and a 6.5 BB%. He also doesn't bring much defensive value to the table; he appears to be a below average third baseman and an average first baseman. But if Mark Reynolds sticks around next season, he'll likely play first, which will push Davis to third or DH.

Davis has also been dealing with a shoulder injury basically since he arrived in Baltimore, so it may be unfair to judge his play. That's fine, and it's very possible that he plays much better next season if he's healthy. But his issues aren't just with this season; he doesn't have great overall numbers. In 1,062 career plate appearances, Davis has hit .249/.299/.447 -- not good. The ability to hit for power is obviously Davis's strongest attribute, but he doesn't get on base nearly enough. Taking more pitches and walking more would aid Davis tremendously, but that's not an easily acquired skill.

Tommy Hunter

Like Davis, Hunter has his flaws. He has a career pitching line of 4.55/4.71/4.51 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) in 330.2 innings, which suggests that he's been a little unlucky in his 64.1 innings with the O's (5.32/4.53/4.22). Hunter is essentially an innings eater right now, and he may end up in that role next year if the O's young pitchers continue to falter.

Hunter has barely been walking any opposing batters (0.98 BB/9), and he hasn't struck out many either (4.62 K/9). By all accounts, he doesn't have fantastic stuff, and he really shouldn't be in the rotation next season if everyone's healthy. But with the O's, that rarely happens, meaning that it's good to have someone like Hunter around, even if he's not spectacular. Hunter may be best utilized out of the bullpen, where he could give the O's three or four innings at a time.

So, basically, the O's traded a fantastic reliever (Uehara) and received two 25-year-old players with limited upside. Don't get me wrong: Both players could end up being useful. But that's not exactly the best way to go about furthering along a rebuilding process.

Aaron Baker

Baker, 23, is not viewed as a top prospect, which is why the Pirates were willing to part with him. In 12 games at Single-A Frederick, Baker hit well, posting a .386/.472/.591 line. But in 15 games at Double-A Bowie, he struggled and hit only .196/.188/.239. The O's were not going to receive much value for Lee, and Baker may never make it to Baltimore, though there's still time for him to do so. Regardless, the deal was reasonable because it got Lee off the roster and allowed Reynolds to move to first.

Pedro Strop

The most effective player the O's received, surprisingly, has been Strop (26). He's only pitched in 8.2 innings, but he's yet to give up a run and has already earned eighth-inning responsibilities. Whether or not that continues next season is another question entirely, but for now Strop is dealing. In those 8.2 innings, Strop has 11 strikeouts and two walks. FanGraphs' PitchFx data has Strop's fastball sitting at 94 mph (about his career average), and it also shows that Strop has been throwing more sliders (40.6% now, 27.2% career). Maybe that's a recipe for continued success, or maybe not.

Strop has only thrown 36 innings in the majors, so it's hard to take much of anything away from such limited experience. But the O's acquired him for someone that they didn't want on the roster and who wouldn't be on the team next year anyway (Gonzalez), meaning that it appears the O's did something right.

Strop won't keep pitching this well, and who knows what his true talent level actually is. But similar moves are the ones the O's should be making. The least-publicized move may end up being the best one. It's funny how things work sometimes.

Praising Santana Moss

2011-09-22T08:39:00.001-04:00

Remember Laveranues Coles? When the Redskins signed him in 2003, they believed they had found their big-play wide receiver. Of course they believed that, because not only did they sign him to a seven-year, $35 million deal with $13 million guaranteed, but they also forfeited their first-round pick to the Jets since Coles was a restricted free agent. That selection ended up being the 13th overall pick.

The linked article also highlights two other interesting things from that offseason: 1) That was the offseason when the Redskins decided it would be a good idea to sign several Jets players, including Chad Morton, Randy Thomas, and John Hall; and 2) (it's probably better if I just quote this from the article):

Coles would fill Washington's need for a speedy, big-play receiver to play opposite Rod Gardner. They had originally planned to draft such a player -- such as University of Miami's Andre Johnson -- by trading picks to move up on draft day, but Coles would give them a proven talent at roughly the same price without risking a training camp holdout.

I'm against the Redskins trading draft picks; most Redskins fans are. But at the time, they were still wheeling and dealing with reckless abandon, as evidenced by the Coles trade. Still, it would have been pretty awesome for the Skins to end up with Andre Johnson, though it would have taken a lot to move up to select him since he was taken third overall by the Texans. Also, here are some players who were taken in the first and second rounds who would have been available at No. 13 had the Redskins not traded for Coles: Ty Warren, Troy Polamalu, Calvin Pace, Willis McGahee, Dallas Clark, Larry Johnson, Nick Barnett, Nnamdi Asomugha, Charles Tillman, Rashean Mathis, Anquan Boldin, and Osi Umenyiora. There were others, but you get the point. Oh, and with their first pick in the draft (at No. 44 in the second round), the Skins selected Taylor Jacobs out of Florida. Did I mention that the Steve Spurrier era was a disaster?

But back to Coles. Under Spurrier, Coles had a solid 2003-2004 season in his first year in Washington. He caught 82 passes for 1,204 yards and six touchdowns. But after that season, Spurrier resigned, and Daniel Snyder hired Joe Gibbs. Under Gibbs, a believer in establishing the run and continuing to pound the ball, Coles was not as productive. He had more catches (90) the next season, but only for 950 yards and a single touchdown. Predictably, Coles was unhappy:

[Coles:] "He [Gibbs] wasn't flexible. We didn't see eye to eye. I just felt like it [the offense] wasn't for me. He knew that. I knew that. So we felt that it was best that we both go our separate ways."

Coles and Gibbs held a couple of meetings to settle their issues, and Gibbs apparently even agreed to alter the play-calling to include more downfield passing instead of being so conservative. But for whatever reason, the two sides could not agree on anything concrete and Coles was traded back to the Jets in exchange for Santana Moss.

Even though the Redskins had to absorb a significant cap hit to get rid of Coles, they were happy to replace him with Moss. At the time, Moss was viewed as a talented playmaker:

In Moss, the Redskins obtain an explosive wide receiver with blazing speed who is also a dynamic punt returner.

"We're excited to have Santana Moss," Vice President Vinny Cerrato said yesterday in brief comments because the trade wasn't official. "He's been a touchdown-maker, and he has great speed."

Redskins fans eventually learned that anything Cerrato said should be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case he was right. Many were skeptical of the move because of Moss's hamstring issues, but looking back, he still played in at least 15 games in three of the four seasons with the Jets. The only season that he didn't -- in 2001, his rookie season -- was because of torn cartilage in his left knee, an injury he suffered in training camp.

Surprisingly, Moss didn't bring all of his return skills to the Redskins special teams unit -- not because he wouldn't have done well in that role, but because the Redskins had others to handle return duties and also because Moss flourished with a new offense. In fact, he's only returned 24 punts with the Redskins, though that does include his 80-yard return in 2008 against Detroit.

In the 2005-2006 season, Moss caught 84 passes for 1,483 yards and nine touchdowns. No one expected that kind of season, and it's not surprising that Moss hasn't put up those kinds of numbers again. It's hard to place much of the blame for that on Moss, though, since he's been one of the most talented of the Redskins' offensive weapons for several years now. It also helped that the Skins had some stability at quarterback with Mark Brunell at the time, which was also the last time he played in a full season. He's basically been a backup since.

Without a consistent quarterback, offensive scheme, coaching, and overall talent, the Redskins have not had a competent offense for years, and Moss's numbers took a dive after that first season. Here they are since:

2006-2007: 14 games, 55 catches, 790 yards, 6 TD
2007-2008: 14 games, 61 catches, 808 yards, 3 TD
2008-2009: 16 games, 79 catches, 1,044 yards, 6 TD
2009-2010: 16 games, 70 catches, 902 yards, 3 TD
2010-2011: 16 games, 93 catches, 1,115 yards, 6 TD

Those aren't amazing numbers, but they're pretty solid considering how abysmal the Redskins looked on offense during most of those seasons. I also have no doubt that Moss, on a more explosive offense with other talented receivers, could have performed much better and been talked about as one of the most productive receivers in the league. Still, Moss has performed admirably in Washington and is arguably the team's most consistent offensive threat, especially now that Chris Cooley seems to have taken a step back because of his knee injury. It's also worth noting that Moss, viewed as sort of an injury-prone guy at the time, has only missed four games in his Redskins career.

Similar to Clinton Portis, though not nearly as outspoken or controversial, Moss will occasionally do some questionable things. But he doesn't get in trouble off the field, which is rather important, right Brandon Banks?

Perhaps Moss has been more of a No. 2 receiver who has been tasked with the job of a No. 1 during his Redskins tenure. I don't think many would argue that, and I wouldn't either. It also would have been pretty exciting to watch the Redskins offense with Moss as the second option at receiver while a bigger, more talented receiver took some of the pressure off of him. But, thanks to bad drafting and plenty of failed acquisitions, that never happened. In the end, the Redskins have been stuck with Moss as their top wide receiver for a while now. But as Rod Gardner, Brandon Lloyd, David Patten, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and the plethora of awful moves the Redskins have made to try to shore up the wide receiver position have shown, there's no guarantee that another receiver will fit right in (especially when Cerrato is the guy calling the shots, or at least most of them). Moss is one of the few moves to actually pan out, and he's still going strong. Hopefully that continues.

Hardy's poor second half

2011-09-16T06:58:00.000-04:00

J.J. Hardy has had a pretty good season for the Orioles. He's been one of the better hitters in the lineup, and he's hit a surprising 26 home runs. But he hasn't been nearly as good since the All Star break (I mentioned this on Twitter yesterday but thought it was worth posting here as well):

Pre-All Star break: .278/.338/.498
Post-All Star break: .250/.269/.466

That .269 on-base percentage is abysmal, and it's not like Hardy was getting on base at a fantastic rate in the first half of the season. Most of his value at the plate is tied to his power, and since he's not walking all that much, he needs to keep collecting those extra-base hits.

He currently has 510 plate appearances, which is the most for him since 2008 (629). So it's possible that he's wearing down. Still, is it smart to assume that he'll be able to continue hitting for that much power?

More on Wieters's power surge

2011-09-15T05:58:00.001-04:00

Behind Jeremy Guthrie's strong start (7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 10 K, 3 BB), the Orioles beat the Rays again last night, this time 6-2. The O's scored all of their runs via the long ball -- a line-drive solo shot by Nolan Reimold, a three-run bomb by Chris Davis, and a two-run blast by Matt Wieters.

The Wieters home run is particularly noteworthy for three reasons:

1) It was his third homer in three games, and it gives him 20 on the season. It also raises his slugging percentage to .449, which is top five among qualified catchers.

2) He hit the bomb off of Matt Moore, who many analysts and scouts consider to be the best pitching prospect in baseball.

3) It highlights just how well Wieters is hitting against left-handed pitching this season. Take a look:

vs. RH: 367 PA, .231/.283/.365
vs. LH: 133 PA, .348/.429/.696

So that's a little weird, especially since his career splits aren't that crazy.

Career vs. RH: 974 PA, .264/.325/.397
Career vs. LH: 410 PA, .267/.327/.453

Much of that jump in slugging percentage against left-handers is because of his performance this season, so it remains to be seen whether it's legitimate or sort of fluky. I'd probably lean towards fluky, especially since Wieters has a .400 BABIP against lefties and a .243 BABIP against righties this season.

Regardless, Wieters is on a roll lately, and it's never a bad thing to hit for more power.

Wieters hitting for more power

2011-09-14T07:01:00.001-04:00

In a 4-2 Orioles win last night, Matt Wieters hit the go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning. That blast gave him 19 homers for the season; his previous season-high was 11 last year.

Wieters is often criticized for not being an absolute force at the plate. As a tremendous defensive catcher, he's still quite valuable as an average to above-average hitter, but he hasn't developed into more than that. Wieters is only 25, so maybe it's just taking him a little longer to transform into the hitter many scouts thought he'd be.

Here's what he's accomplished in three seasons (made his debut in late May in 2009, and obviously the 2011 season isn't finished yet):

2009: 385 PA, .288/.340/.412
2010: 502 PA, .249/.319/.377
2011: 500 PA, .260/.322/.440

Not a huge increase from 2009 to 2011, but his numbers this season are way better than his 2010 stats. His power numbers have jumped, which is impressive, but he's still not getting on base as much as he should. That he's walking only 8 percent of the time (8.3 percent for his career) is rather shocking with the batting eye he possesses, but he also has a tendency to chase pitches out of the zone (33.4 percent) and is also swinging at more pitches in general (48.3 percent) than he did in his two previous seasons.

This post wasn't mean to be a breakdown of Wieters's 2011 season. Maybe that's something I'll work on after the season. But it's still worth noting that he's made a few improvements at the plate, though he still has to get better in other key areas (like, you know, getting on base more often). How's that for in-depth analysis?

Not overreacting to Grossman's solid game

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

In Week 1 against a wounded Giants defense, Rex Grossman completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. And he did so even though a couple of receivers dropped catchable passes and while under heavy pressure at times (he was sacked four times). Even the most optimistic Grossman supporters likely didn't think he'd play as well as he did.

Still, Grossman did have one unfortunate play: a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal attempt by the Giants. Fortunately, Brian Orakpo blocked the kick, and Grossman (aided by an Antrel Rolle unsportsmanlike conduct penalty) marched the offense down the field and put the game away with a four-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney.

Grossman looked more than competent in the Redskins' first game, and he seemed more than comfortable in a familiar offense. But he was hardly the only unheralded quarterback to have a solid Week 1. Sure, top quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees had fantastic games, but that's expected. Grossman's strong start wasn't, and neither were great performances by:

Ryan Fitzpatrick: 17-25, 208 yards, 4 TD vs. Kansas City
Cam Newton: 24-37, 422 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT vs. Arizona
Chad Henne: 30-49, 416 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT vs. New England

The surprising thing about Fitzpatrick's game is the four touchdowns, but at least he had a decent 2010 season (meaning he'd put up OK numbers before). Henne did not; he threw more interceptions (19) than touchdown passes (15) last season. And Newton wasn't expected to put up those kinds of numbers in his NFL debut, regardless of which defense he was facing.

None of these quarterbacks will play this well all season. That's not exactly a strong statement to make, especially since only one game has been played. But that also doesn't mean that Grossman, or the other three quarterbacks, can't exceed expectations and have better seasons than others predicted. Maybe Fitzpatrick and Henne have improved. Maybe Newton is better than the experts thought. And maybe Grossman really is better in an offense he's been studying and practicing in for a few years now. Or maybe none of these things continues.

But here's what we know: The Redskins offense, led by Grossman, looked pretty good on Sunday. Grossman found open receivers all game long, many of them down the field. If the Redskins get more consistent offensive line play and receivers keep getting open, there's no reason to think that Grossman won't keep finding them. And there's also no reason to believe that he will all of a sudden stop turning the ball over at inopportune times. He can still be effective, just probably not that effective. He is, after all, Rex Grossman, and he'll need a few more games like Sunday's before fans stop saying that.

Jeremy Affeldt cuts hand while separating burgers

2011-09-10T08:08:00.001-04:00

This doesn't have to do with the Orioles or D.C. sports, but it does have to do with burgers. And if you know me, you probably know that I like burgers. So does Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt, who recently wanted to enjoy some burger goodness. Unfortunately, that's not what happened:

San Francisco Giants left-hander reliever Jeremy Affeldt is done for the season after sustaining a deep cut in his right hand while using a knife to separate frozen burger patties during the off-day Thursday.

He needed surgery and suffered nerve damage in his pinkie.

Isn't this why Wendy's slogan is "Always Fresh, Never Frozen"?

Giants are dealing with a ton of injuries

2011-09-10T00:24:00.003-04:00

The Redskins open the 2011-2012 season against the Giants, and for the most part, they're a pretty healthy group. Only one player, LaRon Landry, has been ruled out for Sunday's game as of this moment. Even though Landry is an important piece of the Skins defense, that's not too bad.

Besides Landry, five other players are dealing with injuries and are listed as questionable. They are: Chris Cooley, Oshiomogho Atogwe, Ryan Torain, Brandon Banks, and Donte Stallworth. Maybe one or two of those guys sit out, but most should be ready to play. Unlike the Redskins, though, the Giants have plenty of injury concerns to worry about. First off, here's a list of players the Giants have already lost for the season:

LB Jonathan Goff
CB Terrell Thomas
CB Bruce Johnson
DT Marvin Austin
LB Clint Sintim

Also, the Giants will be starting the season without Osi Umenyiora and Prince Amukamara, and Justin Tuck, arguably the team's best defensive player, is questionable with a neck injury.

If you're paying attention, all of the Giants' injuries have been on the defensive side of the ball. That should give the Redskins some help on offense, meaning they should move the ball and put some points on the board. Still, the Skins defense will have its hands full, as the Giants have plenty of healthy and explosive weapons on offense.

But don't get me wrong: The Redskins shouldn't overlook any team, especially a team like the Giants that is talented and has given the Skins fits over the last few seasons. The Redskins offensive line still has to block, receivers and running backs still need to find open space, and Rex Grossman needs to have a solid game. But there will be chances for the offense to exploit the Giants defense, and if the Skins are going to open the season with a win, they'll need to take advantage of the Giants' injuries.

In the NFL, injuries occur frequently, and no one feels sorry for a team dealing with an abnormal amount of injuries, even at the beginning of a season. Hopefully the Redskins seize the opportunity they've been presented with.

Chris Davis whiffs five times in O's win

2011-09-08T06:52:00.003-04:00

In yesterday's 5-4 win, Chris Davis struck out five times -- a feat occasionally called the platinum sombrero. Mark Reynolds struck out four times, but he also knocked in the game-winning run in the top of the 11th. All Orioles batters combined had 15 strikeouts at the plate.

But the five strikeouts by Davis is particularly interesting. Here are some notes on his awful day at the plate:

Chris Davis becomes the 1st player in 2011 to strikeout 5 times in a single game. Last player to do so, Ryan Howard on 8/24/2010. #whiffkingWed Sep 07 20:54:22 via TweetDeckjasoncollette
jasoncollette

Before Davis, the last Oriole to strike out 5x in a game was Chris Hoiles, who did it on June 14, 1997 against Atlanta in a 12-inn contestWed Sep 07 21:03:45 via webBrittany Ghiroli
Britt_Ghiroli

In 1950 Yogi Berra struck out 12 times in 597 ABs. Today Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, and Ryan Adams have 12 Ks in 14 ABs.Wed Sep 07 21:07:32 via TweetDeckSweeny Murti
YankeesWFAN

Congrats to Chris Davis for becoming only the 23rd player in MLB history to strikeout 5 times in 6 plate appearances. I kid, but come on.Thu Sep 08 01:22:16 via webDanny Friedheim
oriolesfan

Since joining the O's, Davis has hit .180/.196/.260 in 50 at-bats. He's been dealing with a strained right shoulder, so it may be unfair to judge his performance with the O's just yet. Regardless, he's under team control for a while, so the O's will likely give him every opportunity the rest of this season and next (and possibly beyond) to find out just how good he is.

Bill Barnwell says mean things about the Skins

2011-09-07T07:09:00.000-04:00

Not many football writers and analysts have predicted great or playoff-type seasons (Michael Lombardi of NFL Network being the exception), but most believe the Redskins got at least a little bit better. And that's just fine. Again, there's never a guarantee for improvement, but the Redskins stayed away from many top/expensive names during free agency, and they utilized the draft better than in recent years.

That's why I wasn't expecting this mostly negative write-up (from a few days ago) of the Redskins' offseason and their chances of competing this season by Bill Barnwell, formerly of Football Outsiders and now a writer for Grantland:

Redskins fans didn't get much out of the 2010 season, but they got a whole lot of close games. The Redskins were in 12 games decided by a touchdown or less, the first time since 2003 that a team was in so many close games in one year. They went 6-6, which means that Redskins fans can make the case that they were a few lucky bounces away from the playoffs, while people who hate the Redskins can point out that they were a few lucky bounces away from 3-13. In the four games that weren't close, Washington went 0-4 and was outscored by 81 points. The haters have it.

Of course, the Redskins then went and had a typical Daniel Snyder offseason. After clearing the decks by dumping their old, high-priced veterans and insulting them on the way out, they replaced them by overpaying new free agents. Instead of paying Albert Haynesworth, the Redskins now have the pleasure of giving former Giants tackle Barry Cofield and Cowboys backup end Stephen Bowen more money than they deserve. They devoted too much money to a defensive back, signing O.J. Atogwe away from the Rams as one of the few pre-lockout free agents to leave the market. They spent too much on one of their own, re-signing Santana Moss as he comes off a career year at 32. And then they finally traded Donovan McNabb and replaced him with god knows what.

I don't have a problem with that first paragraph. But in all seriousness, does anyone actually think the Redskins had a "typical Daniel Snyder offseason"? They may have signed Cofield, Bowen, Atogwe, and Moss, and they probably overpaid for a couple of them. But that's just four guys. The Redskins were apparently front-runners to sign several other high-priced free agents, including Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice, DeAngelo Williams, Braylon Edwards, and Cullen Jenkins, among several others. They resisted, instead deciding to target a few veterans at key positions while mostly focusing on a youth movement.

Sure, the Skins signed Cofield and Bowen, but their first two picks in the draft were defensive players: Ryan Kerrigan and Jarvis Jenkins. Both were impressive in the preseason, though unfortunately Jenkins is now out for the season after tearing his ACL. And yeah, the Skins brought back Moss, while also not having an overly impressive group of receivers. But three of the receivers on the roster right now are Terrence Austin, Leonard Hankerson, and Niles Paul -- all of whom were selected in the last two drafts. Wouldn't the Redskins have been sharply criticized for throwing a ton of money to land Holmes or Rice? There's a decent chance that one of those three receivers turns into a solid receiving option, and at least for now, all three have a decent amount of upside.

I won't argue against the Atogwe signing, which probably won't look all that special if LaRon Landry also isn't able to stay on the field. But the Redskins also signed Josh Wilson for not a whole lot of money, while also drafting a couple of young guys (safety DeJon Gomes and cornerback Brandyn Thompson) who have made the team for now after strong showings.

The Redskins may very well struggle this season. If neither Rex Grossman nor John Beck plays competently, the Redskins could finish with 5 or 6 wins -- maybe fewer, depending on injuries. But the Skins also have an outside shot at a couple more wins than that, which isn't that bad considering the work Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have done to remake the roster. Obviously there's a ton of work left to be done, and at some point the Redskins will need to address the quarterback position (probably in the upcoming draft). But I can't remember the last time the Redskins mostly stayed quiet during the offseason while instead choosing to get younger at several positions. Who knows if the youth movement will continue, but the point remains: the Redskins did not have a very Redskins-like offseason.

About Kevin Gregg and front office thinking

2011-09-03T10:28:00.000-04:00

For some reason, the Orioles failed to learn from Mike Gonzalez's awful first season (and plenty of other failed reliever signings before that) that signing relievers to multi-year deals rarely goes according to plan. Except for the elite, relievers are notoriously fickle, and it's difficult to predict their performances for one year, let alone two or three. So instead of cutting their losses and searching for other cheaper or underappreciated bullpen options, the O's front office decided to bring in Kevin Gregg to assume the closer's role.

Unlike Gonzalez (who received a two-year, $12 million deal in 2010), Gregg was not a Type A free agent (but was a Type B), meaning the O's didn't have to surrender a draft pick to sign him -- something that made the Gonzalez signing even more ridiculous. But the O's did hand Gregg a two-year, $10 million contract, meaning he'll be back next season. And regardless of what Buck Showalter says/said in MASN commercials about how the save rule "doesn't carry much weight with [him]," well, that just hasn't proven to be true.

Before joining the O's, Gregg had never been signed to more than a one-year deal. True, he was arbitration eligible until the 2010 season, but even then the Blue Jays signed him as a free agent to a one-year, $2.75 million deal. If the O's had done something similar with Gregg, I doubt many fans would have complained. Sure, he's not a lights-out reliever, but even a rather ordinary reliever can pitch well for one season. And that's basically what Gregg did last season for the Blue Jays: He finished the season with a pitching line of 3.51/3.57/4.05 (ERA/FIP/xFIP), accumulated a WAR of 0.8, and struck out 8.85 batters per nine while walking 4.58 per nine. Again, those aren't fantastic numbers, but they are useful and didn't cost the Jays a ton of money.

So why did the O's overreact and sign Gregg for two years? Maybe they were impressed by the then-32-year-old's 37 saves in 2010. Or maybe they just liked his goggles. Either way, they brought Gregg on board, and he has been terrible. In 52 innings, he has a pitching line of 4.33/5.03/5.01 while also striking out fewer batters (7.27 K/9) and walking way too many (6.23 BB/9). In his career, Gregg has struck out 8.23 per nine and walked 3.97 per nine, so his numbers are obviously down across the board this season. By the way, Gregg has a WAR of -0.4 this season, which is awful. It's also worth noting that in his 52 innings, Gregg has allowed 50 hits and 36 walks, while also hitting a batter. That's a ton of baserunners.

When the O's had both Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara, it was ridiculous to have Gregg saving games, particularly in situations with, say, a one- or two-run lead. Without Uehara and with the O's apparently wanting to stretch Johnson out so he can start at some point this season or next (more on that in a second), there really aren't that many options for the O's to turn to late in games.

But look at last night's win, for example. Zach Britton pitched six innings and then handed the ball off to Jim Johnson with a 3-2 lead. Johnson pitched two spotless innings, and then it was Gregg-in-for-the-save time. First of all, are the O's going to stretch Johnson out, or not? He pitched three innings against the Angels on August 20, and in five appearances since then he's pitched one inning three times and two innings twice. Haven't they decided what to do yet? Second, again, the O's bullpen does not have a bunch of fantastic relievers in it right now, but how can any team rely on Gregg in a one-run game? He's not pitching like someone who Showalter can just throw out there for an inning, especially with such a slim lead. In the ninth inning last night, Gregg nearly blew another save (which would have been his seventh). He allowed a leadoff single but retired the next two batters. He then proceeded to walk the next two to load the bases. Thankfully, he retired Brandon Guyer to end the game, but not after yet another roller-coaster outing.

If Gregg's performance this season hasn't bothered you enough, maybe this quote after the game will:

"The bottom line is you obviously haven’t acquired my taste in pitching yet,” Gregg said. “It’s what I do. It’s what I’ve always done. And yeah, it’d be nice if I was like [Jim Johnson] and went 1-2-3, every inning I’m out there. But I’m not J.J. I don’t throw 97 [mph] with sink.”

It's easy to get mad at Gregg for saying something like this. He's certainly frustrated with how he's pitched this season, even if you can't quite take that thought away from his quote. But in a way, he's right, and I don't mean that as a positive. Sure, Gregg is having his worst season in the majors, and I don't think many people would have thought he'd be just this bad. But for the most part, this is who he is. He likely wasn't going to join the Orioles and transform into some dominant closer; you can't predict that type of thing by just looking at save totals. So it was foolish for the O's to think they could predict what an average pitcher like Gregg would do for a single season, let alone two.

I know one thing, though: I will never acquire Gregg's taste in pitching. He can try to convince fans that he'd prefer to walk guys in order to end up facing someone who he's more confident he can retire, but, frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how he never gives in to opposing hitters and that he continues to nibble when he's down in the count because he's a gambler out there who refuses to give in. Really, he's just not that good, and the O's are relying on him to do more because they made the mistake of paying him to do so.

The reason why the O's are trotting Gregg out there in save opportunity after save opportunity is because they're looking to justify the money they're paying him. It's the same reason why Vladimir Guerrero continues to bat fourth or fifth every game. Maybe the O's don't have a slew of other options to replace either guy, but by refusing to cut their losses, or at the very least adjust, Showalter and/or the front office are hurting the team. And they're upsetting fans.

Brandon Banks, return specialist

2011-09-02T07:43:00.001-04:00

When he's actually healthy and on the field, Brandon Banks is unquestionably the most exciting player on the Redskins. He demonstrated that again last night by making a 95-yard punt return look particularly easy. Just take a look:

Yes, it's the preseason, so it doesn't really count. But that's the type of kick/punt returning ability that Banks brought to the table last season.

Two other things of note: 1) Banks started celebrating at about the five-yard line and almost dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line (similar to the DeSean Jackson play), but thankfully the touchdown was not overturned; and 2) the play actually caused Mike Shanahan to smile (see the 0:30 mark in the video), though that obviously was before the play went under review.

I don't think anyone cares if Banks celebrates or not after a touchdown. But that's the key: after a touchdown. He should at least wait to do so until he's, you know, in the end zone with the ball.

Beck fails to separate himself from Grossman

2011-09-02T06:28:00.000-04:00

To be honest, I don't care that much who gets the starting nod under center for the Redskins. I believe that John Beck and Rex Grossman give the Skins about the same chance to win, though I do think Beck is the somewhat more interesting choice because he hasn't thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2007-2008 with the Dolphins. Beck didn't impress then, and there's been no real reason since to think he'd catch on somewhere else and succeed.

Last night, the Redskins played their fourth and final preseason game, which basically gave a lot of back-ups, subs, and players who won't make the team a chance to see the field. Interestingly enough, Grossman sat out, while Beck played the first half. Beck didn't play all that well, though, which is discouraging because not only did the Redskins start their first-team offensive line in the game, but Tampa Bay's first-team defense did not play. The Redskins' better skill position players (Tim Hightower, Santana Moss, etc.) also sat out, but by most accounts Beck seemed pretty ordinary. So what exactly were the Shanahans thinking when they started Beck? Were they:

trying to give Beck a chance to win the starting job by having a solid final game;
already convinced that Grossman is going to be the starter (considering that he's played better in the preseason);
or simply allowing Beck to get more snaps in general, considering how inexperienced he is?

No one knows what the Shanahans' thinking on this matter is for sure, but they're running out of time to make a decision. Assuming, you know, that they haven't already done so.

Scenes from an ugly O's win

2011-08-31T07:16:00.001-04:00

The Orioles beat the Blue Jays last night, 6-5, in what was not the best-played game of all time, to say the least. Still, the O's did get the win (in extra innings!), so it's not all bad.

Here were some of the good, and embarrassing, plays from the game. Some of these MLB.com videos are embeddable, while others are not, which is weird.

Bottom of the 2nd: With the O's down 3-0, Matt Wieters jacks a two-run bomb to center field. That gives him 15 home runs for the season.

Bottom of the 4th: On a swinging bunt by Nolan Reimold, Brett Cecil makes the mistake of attempting an off-balanced throw to first, which allows Robert Andino to score from second, tying the game at 3. Cecil had no chance to get Reimold.

Top of the 5th: Can't find a video of this, but after a leadoff double by Eric Thames, Jose Bautista hits a pop-up in front of the pitcher's mound. Wieters is the guy to get under the ball first, but Mark Reynolds, playing first base, also has plenty of time to call Wieters off, since the play is easier for him to make. Reynolds doesn't call him off, and Wieters drops the ball. Luckily, with the bases loaded and no outs, the Blue Jays fail to score any runs after a double play and a fly out to center.

Bottom of the 5th: Still tied at 3, Vladimir Guerrero hits a double off the scoreboard in right field, scoring Adam Jones. Unfortunately, Guerrero tries to advance to third (with one out at the time) and is thrown out. Vlad seems to get thrown out a lot on the basepaths, or maybe I'm just imagining that. Either way, it was both a good and bad play for the O's. O's now lead, 4-3.

Bottom of the 7th/8th: Still up 4-3, the O's start off both innings by getting runners on first and second with no outs. In the seventh, Jones grounds into a double play, which basically kills the inning. But in the 8th, the O's try to play small ball, and it fails. There doesn't appear to be any video of Andino's adventures at the plate (more to come), but in this instance he doesn't get a very good bunt down, and the Blue Jays get the force out at third for the first out. After a Reimold walk to load the bases, Ryan Adams and J.J. Hardy are both retired to end the inning.

Top of the 9th: Here's where things get really crazy; predictably, Kevin Gregg is involved. In typical Gregg fashion, he allows a leadoff single and then walks Mike McCoy. So, yes, he allows both the eighth and ninth place hitters to reach base. With pinch-runner Dewayne Wise on second and McCoy on first, the Blue Jays, with Yunel Escobar, who, keep in mind, is trying to give himself up to advance the runners, end up with runners on second and third after the O's fail to cover both third and second while worrying about Escobar's potential bunt. Most of this disastrous play can be attributed to miscommunication, which is embarrassing. Miraculously, the Blue Jays only score one run on Escobar's sacrifice fly to right field. But even that play requires a diving catch by Nick Markakis. In the blown save, Gregg allowed a hit and three walks, while also throwing just nine strikes in 26 pitches. Can't wait to watch him next year, too!

Bottom of the 9th: The O's get another leadoff batter on (via a Markakis walk), but Jones grounds into another double play. Vlad then grounds out weakly to first. Extra innings!

Top of the 10th: Willie Eyre relieves Gregg and allows a leadoff triple to Kelly Johnson. Matt Angle, in for Reimold, probably overruns the play a bit, but either way there was no chance he was going to make the catch. With one out, Johnson scores from third on Eyre's wild pitch, giving Toronto a 5-4 lead.

Bottom of the 10th: Brian Tallet is in to pitch for the Blue Jays, and he helps out the O's by walking the first two hitters (Wieters and Reynolds). Andino is up next, and Buck Showalter asks him, again, to get a bunt down. Showcasing bad technique and understandably looking frustrated, Andino fails and ends up striking out after bunting the ball foul with two strikes. Thankfully, pinch-hitter Jake Fox ties the game with a single to right field (though, on the play Wieters got a horrible jump from second and probably could have been thrown out at home if Bautista is paying attention). Then with the winning run on third and one out, Ryan Adams hits a walk-off single that bounces on the warning track and over the fence in right field. O's win, 6-5.

-----

There's not a whole lot to say, other than I wish MLB.com allowed more of these videos to be embedded. I guess not enough of them were home runs. There were also some solid defensive plays that I didn't include, including a nice defensive play by both Andino and Reynolds. But, for the most part, this was an ugly game. Tom Emanski would not have approved.

After setback, Jenkins is staying positive

2011-08-30T06:38:00.000-04:00

When the Redskins selected Jarvis Jenkins in the second round (41st overall) of the latest NFL Draft, many draft analysts weren't sure of the pick. Some thought it was a reach. But Jenkins quickly made a name for himself when practices officially started, and he had arguably been the team's most impressive rookie heading into the Ravens game last Thursday. Unfortunately for both Jenkins and the Redskins, though, he tore his ACL in the game, forcing him to have surgery later this week to repair the injury that ended his season before it even started.

So Jenkins won't get to take the field this year, an obvious disappointment for a player expected to provide the Redskins with some flexibility -- and talent -- at defensive end. But Jenkins seems to be staying positive instead of focusing on all of the negatives of the injury. Here's what he had to say:

"If you think positive about your injuries, only positives will come out of it. I can learn the defense better. I get a chance to watch more film on guys for next year. I get a head start, and also I can get this leg stronger. I can work on myself. There are a lot of things I can do to make myself better for next year."

That's a great way to look at it. The Redskins will certainly miss Jenkins's presence on the field this season, but assuming his surgery and rehab both go as planned, the Redskins can pencil Jenkins in at defensive end next season. He will not have played in any official games, but he'll get to watch a ton of film and learn from players and coaches all season long. There's only so much to be gained from off-the-field work, but assuming Jenkins puts in the time and effort, his defensive IQ in the Redskins' 3-4 system will grow.

Mike Flanagan's death an apparent suicide

2011-08-25T07:56:00.000-04:00

It's awful enough to find out that former Orioles great Mike Flanagan has passed away, which was reported last night. But it's an entirely different level of sadness, though, to read this morning that he may have taken his own life.

Here's a snippet from the WBAL story:

Police did not immediately identify the cause of death, but sources confirmed that Flanagan took his own life "despondent over what he considered a false perception from a community he loved of his role in the team's prolonged failure," [WBAL-TV 11 Sports Director Gerry] Sandusky said.

The soft-spoken and well-liked left-hander grew over the years into a fixture in the Orioles organization. From 2002-08 Flanagan shared or held the top baseball executive position in the organization. During that time Flanagan, according to those closest to him, struggled with not being able to the job the way he wanted to do it, Sandusky said.

The Orioles obviously meant the world to Flanagan, but for him to end his life over the current state of the team and how some perceive his role in the team's failures? I just hope that's not the case.

Flanagan was a true Orioles legend, and the countless stories written these next few days will reflect what he meant to the Orioles, but more importantly to his family and friends.

The Orioles and bad pitching

2011-08-18T06:49:00.000-04:00

At 47-74, the Orioles have been bad in most phases of the game. Their hitting and fielding have been below average, but their overall pitching has been atrocious: The O's 4.86 team ERA is last in the majors. The Astros are the next closest team at 4.64. Considering the Astros play in a much weaker division, that may be a worse number. Still, the O's pitching has been horrendous, so let's see where they rank in some of the advanced pitching categories:

FIP: 4.67 (30th)
xFIP: 4.25 (28th)
fWAR: 5.7 (29th)
K/9: 6.4 (27th)
BB/9: 3.3 (23rd)
HR/9: 1.25 (30th)

So, yeah, not very good -- at all.

Right now, the O's only have four pitchers who have accumulated more than 1 win above replacement this season: Zach Britton (1.7), Jim Johnson (1.5), Jeremy Guthrie (1.3), and Koji Uehara (1.1). And Uehara is no longer with the team. Three other guys -- Chris Tillman (0.9), Alfredo Simon (0.8), and Tommy Hunter (0.6) -- are close to 1 fWAR, but still may not get there before the end of the season.

That's about it in terms of moderate pitching production. Some of the following guys have pitched well at times, but for the most part, they've struggled to bring much to the table (listed by 2011 fWAR numbers):

Brad Bergesen (0.4)
Troy Patton (0.2)
Chris Jakubauskas (0.1)
Willie Eyre (0.1)
Jake Arrieta (0.1)
Mark Hendrickson (0.0)
Clay Rapada (-0.1)
Kevin Gregg (-0.2)
Jo-Jo Reyes (-0.2)
Mike Gonzalez (-0.2)
Pedro Viola (-0.2)
Jeremy Accardo (-0.2)
Mark Worrell (-0.3)
Josh Rupe (-0.3)
Mitch Atkins (-0.4)
Jason Berken (-0.5)
Brian Matusz (-0.5)

Never thought I'd see Matusz's name on a list like this, but his issues have been well documented. But, wow, there's a lot of bad pitchers on that list. The sad thing is that there aren't a whole lot of pitchers ready in the minor leagues now who can do much better. More could be good to go in a year or so, but unless they go out and sign a couple of pitchers, the O's will just be hoping that guys like Matusz, Arrieta, Britton, and Tillman pitch better next season. That strategy hasn't worked so far, though.

When looking at some of the names above, I am reassured by the fact that the O's at least signed Dylan Bundy. Hopefully he reaches his potential, because the O's could sure use an ace.

O's do something right, sign their top draft picks

2011-08-16T06:51:00.001-04:00

The biggest question mark for the Orioles heading into last night was whether they were going to sign three of their top draft picks: Dylan Bundy (1st round), Jason Esposito (2nd), and Nick Delmonico (6th). Surprisingly, the O's got deals done with all three, which will add some badly needed talent to the organization's farm system.

Bundy, the fourth overall pick and the first high school pitcher selected, received the major league contract he had been seeking. (Click here for an explanation.) Bundy's deal is apparently worth a little more than $6 million, with a $4 million bonus. That bonus seems a little low, so it's possible that Bundy sacrificed some bonus money in exchange for the major league contract. For those wondering if it was a good idea to give Bundy that major league deal, here's Keith Law's take:

Yes. He is the exception. RT @MrFish0: @keithlaw Okay with Bundy getting a ML contract?Tue Aug 16 05:07:32 via Seesmickeithlaw
keithlaw

Law agreeing with an Orioles decision? That's good to hear.

The O's also reached agreements with Esposito ($600,000 bonus) and Delmonico ($1.525 bonus).

As expected, Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan is thrilled: "It's a great day, we got everything we wanted today. We had all the support like we always do from Andy (MacPhail) and Mr. Angelos. I don't know how the hell it could have been a better day."

That's a great way to sum things up, and the O's certainly did a great job of making sure deals with those three guys got done. But now comes the hard part for a struggling organization: actually developing these prospects and getting them to realize their potential. But there will be plenty of time to discuss that later. For one day at least, O's fans can be happy that the front office did something positive.

Deciphering Showalter's logic

2011-08-11T07:03:00.001-04:00

Here's Buck Showalter on Vladimir Guerrero getting the day off:

“I talked to him today about [his wrist]. I wanted to make sure that the wrist, that wasn’t bothering him. He’s always a pretty level guy. I can tell in the dugout he’s been a little frustrated lately because he’s trying so hard,” Showalter said. “He’s hit a couple balls on the button right at somebody, and you can see he’s had a little different response afterwards that he usually doesn’t have. He’s a proud man, and I want to treat him with the respect that he has coming.”

And here's Showalter again, speaking about Nolan Reimold after last night's 6-4 win:

“Nolan’s a strong guy with a lot of skills,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s got some skills that could play up here if he can grasp some of the small things, and tonight he got a good return for some of the work he’s been putting in. I know he was excited. So were we.”

Showalter was discussing Reimold because he hit a walkoff, two-run homer in the 10th inning in last night's game. Showalter, though, is talking about Guerrero and Reimold like there's a massive difference between the two. From Buck's quotes, you get the sense that he thinks Guerrero has been dealing with an injury and is hitting into some tough luck, but that he still deserves a consistent spot in the lineup. And in Reimold's case, Buck believes that he's got talent but still has a lot to prove.

You'd think Guerrero would be grossly outperforming Reimold. But that's not the case:

Guerrero's 2011: 393 PA, .274/.310/.387
Reimold's 2011: 152 PA, .215/.296/.400

Both of those batting lines are bad. Guerrero's numbers are slightly better and have been accumulated in 241 more plate appearances. But Guerrero has a steady role -- DHing every day and batting in the cleanup spot as long as he's healthy -- while Reimold sits every few days and didn't start playing more until Luke Scott's injury ended his season.

Showalter seems to be viewing Guerrero as the career .318/.380/.554 hitter who no manager would ever consider benching. But Vlad is not close to being that guy. When O's fans look at Guerrero, they see a 36-year-old designated hitter who won't be in Baltimore after this season. They see a guy who's not getting the job done, yet he's being placed in the cleanup spot game after game. And they see a guy who is preventing lineup flexibility because he can't play anywhere in the field. With Vlad in the lineup, the O's can't:

DH Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, or Josh Bell or at least use them in some kind of 1B/3B/DH rotation;
give any of the outfielders a chance to DH and rest their legs; or
allow Matt Wieters to stay in the lineup once every four or five days without having to catch.

The Orioles don't owe Guerrero anything. Well, I take that back: They owe him the rest of this year's salary and the $3 million of his deal that's deferred until 2016-2017. But they don't have to "respect" him by putting his name in the lineup every single game. That doesn't mean they should badmouth him or throw him under the bus for not having a good season. Guerrero has had plenty of opportunities to turn things around, but it's just not happening. And only truly bad teams keep running out players like Guerrero -- guys who barely have any value, aren't helping the team, and are blocking younger guys from having the chance to play every day.

Reimold is not a star. He may end up not being an everyday player. But it's a little embarrassing that the O's still don't have a clue if Reimold, who turns 28 in two months, can be someone they rely on for next season and beyond. The Orioles are terrible at developing young players at the major league level, and how they've handled many of their talented prospects this season is just another example.

Be quiet, Rex Grossman

2011-08-10T06:52:00.000-04:00

It's one thing for the Redskins to go into a season with Rex Grossman and John Beck as their top two quarterbacks when they're overhauling the roster and getting younger and better. Fans don't have to like it, but sometimes such things are necessary. But because Grossman and Beck have a high expectancy to embarrass (and just flat out play poorly) on the field, they should be doing whatever they can not to embarrass the team off of it. Unfortunately, Grossman didn't receive that memo:

"We’re fine being the sleepers right now," Grossman said . . . "We’re just waiting in the wings ready to take over the NFC East. Nobody’s talking about us, it’s right where we wanna be. You look at us from top to bottom out here, there’s a bunch of great players. And we don’t need people saying we’re the best right now. But when it’s all said and done, I really feel like this team’s gonna win the [NFC] East."

Players are supposed to be confident, and many of them make wild predictions at inopportune times. It happens every season. And if Grossman would have stopped in the middle of that quote, it would have been fine -- there's nothing wrong with using the "no respect" angle if that's what it takes to get motivated.

But let's get real: The Skins (for one season, at least) appear to be rebuilding -- whether they want to call it that or not -- and they have their share of holes. They finally held onto their draft picks and picked up several young players, but all of them aren't going to perform well from day one, regardless of how talented they are. And even though the Redskins will be better in the long term because of the youth movement, there's certainly no guarantee that they'll improve on last year's 6-10 record.

I'm glad that Grossman is confident, and I'm sure he's a nice guy. But he shouldn't be making any kind of bold predictions about the Redskins winning games when he is looking at a fair share of starts under center. Talent trumps confidence, and the Redskins lack the former at the quarterback position.

A great sign: Redskins lose the offseason

2011-08-05T07:06:00.000-04:00

If you look at the Redskins' depth chart, there aren't a ton of exciting, well-known names -- especially at quarterback. The roster is filled with youth and inexperience. But for once, the Skins are actually building an actual roster, you know, with things like talent and depth. Intriguing strategy, fellas.

The best sign of all seems to be that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen are the guys running the show, not Daniel Snyder. There haven't been any particularly flashy moves made, and the Skins also got rid of their two biggest headaches, Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb. The McNabb acquisition seemed like a Snyder move; going into the season with John Beck as the starter does not.

But this season really isn't about Beck. It is, in a sense, I guess. Shanahan keeps going on and on about Beck's potential, which may be necessary to keep fans involved and coming to games. Fans don't seem to be as interested in going to training camp this year, which can partly be tied to having Beck and Rex Grossman as the top two quarterbacks on the roster. But that's more of a combination of things like the lockout, unbearable weather, a lack of marquee names, Snyder backlash, and the fact that the Redskins have been poorly run for a long time. It's a little early to overreact about that, but it's difficult to expect fans to keep showing up when the team has been so inept. Oddly enough, even though Beck appears to be the likely starter, this would be the perfect time to support the Redskins. They drafted well and didn't do anything ridiculous in free agency. Isn't that what fans want?

I'm not buying all of the Beck stuff. Sure, there's a chance that he plays competently enough, but there's an even smaller chance that he actually plays well. Shanahan has to know that; then again, maybe I don't understand just how big Shanahan's ego is. But even if Beck does OK, the Redskins are still going to be a bad team. The ceiling is probably the record they had last season, 6-10, though they're probably a win or two worse than that. Regardless, they're still going to pick a quarterback in the first round next year, and if Beck (or even Grossman, somehow) proves that he can fill in without doing a terrible job, he'll give that young quarterback a little more time to mature. That's not the most ideal strategy, but Shanahan and Allen certainly discussed something along those lines heading into last year's draft. Did they want to take a quarterback then? It's possible. But they also could have looked at the options, saw that several quarterbacks were being taken way too early, and decided to go in a different direction. That's the type of thinking that could eventually turn the Redskins around. That is, if the other players they drafted are actually good.

I'm not saying that Shanahan, or anyone in the organization, wants to intentionally lose games or tank. But there's nothing the Redskins could have done to not be a bad team this season -- even if they had signed Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Matt Hasselbeck, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, or any other combination of the top free agents available. That would have been more of the same, and the Redskins still would have finished no better than 8-8.

Whether or not the Skins are actually rebuilding remains to be seen. The defense seems improved and should be better at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but the offense has plenty of question marks -- not just at quarterback, but also on the offensive line. Again, it's still a bit early. But if they do go through this season and find that they've put together a decent roster filled with young, improving talent, well, then it will only look better if/when they're able to add a young, skilled quarterback to the mix.

But first things first: Let's find out which of these young guys can actually play.

Examining the O's starting pitching options

2011-08-02T21:26:00.002-04:00

Jake Arrieta will miss his next start because of discomfort in his right elbow, and he may need surgery to repair the problem, which would end his season. The news isn't too alarming -- the status of Arrieta's elbow has been speculated about a few times in the last several weeks -- but it does present another blow to an Orioles rotation that's in disarray.

If Arrieta is lost for the season, here's the rotation the O's could be forced to use:

Jeremy Guthrie
Alfredo Simon
Tommy Hunter
Zach Britton
Brad Bergesen

That is, uh, not good. Guthrie and Simon are no-brainers. Hunter may end up pitching out of the bullpen a few times first, but he'll be in the rotation soon enough.

After those three, though, things get convoluted. Britton's still on the roster, meaning he'll likely make his next start. His presence would look better if not for how bad he's pitched lately: He's failed to make it out of the first inning in his last two starts for the O's. After Britton, the next-best option may be Bergesen, who probably should be in the bullpen. He'll put together a solid outing every few starts, but he's just not very good, especially when he's walking opposing batters. But I'll give Bergesen a break, for now, because he just had a kid.

If Britton and/or Bergesen falter, which is probable considering how awful the O's are, these guys could also see starts:

Jo-Jo Reyes. The O's (who also released Justin Duchscherer) claimed Reyes earlier today off of waivers from the Blue Jays. He hasn't pitched well this season, but he has made 20 starts, meaning the O's may use him to soak up some innings.

Chris Jakubauskas. If the O's had any kind of pitching depth, he wouldn't be on the roster. The same could be said of Reyes. But he's still in the bullpen, which means that if the guys in front of him keep pitching poorly or get hurt, he could start a game or two. But hopefully that doesn't happen.

Jim Johnson. He may be more of an option to join the O's rotation next season, because 1) there's not a whole lot of time to stretch him out before the season is over, and 2) he's already helping out the O's bullpen, which is also terrible. But it's possible.

Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz. I'm going to lump these two together since they're in Triple-A Norfolk, but either guy could make a few more starts before the season ends. Tillman was just demoted after pitching poorly against the Yankees in New York. He got off to a promising start and worked two scoreless innings to begin the game. But he lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits. He walked just one while striking out six, but he also demonstrated some of the bad habits that have plagued him throughout his young career, particularly pitching from behind and throwing straight fastballs right down the middle of the plate. As for Matusz, he's still working hard to regain his pitching form and velocity, but there hasn't been any sign from the O's that they're ready to bring Matusz back just yet.

Remember the days when the O's were looking forward to a rotation including Matusz, Arrieta, Britton, and Tillman? That seems like such a long time ago.

Palsson leaving Terps to pursue professional career

2011-08-02T06:37:00.001-04:00

According to The Sun's Jeff Barker, Haukur Palsson is leaving Maryland to play basketball professionally in Europe. Palsson's decision is yet another tough pill for Maryland's basketball program to swallow after Jordan Williams left school for the NBA and some coach named Gary Williams retired.

Here's more from Barker:

Palsson, who is from Iceland, “wants to be closer to home and to be able to start providing for his family,” head coach Mark Turgeon said in a prepared statement Monday night.

Palsson, 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds, averaged 2.8 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game in his freshman season. But he possessed inside toughness and could step back and hit the 3.

The Terps were already going to have a small lineup, and Palsson would likely have started at either small or power forward. His absence will hurt the Terps' rotation even more, and it'll be difficult for Maryland to face bigger teams -- which will be nearly every team -- without having to consider playing a lot of zone.

Without Palsson, Nick Faust is almost guaranteed a starting spot as a freshman. He was already going to see plenty of minutes on the court -- maybe now he'll see even more. Others who should see more of the court: Ashton Pankey and Mychal Parker, along with James Padgett (a probable starter) and Berend Weijs.

The upcoming season is going to be a long one for Mark Turgeon and the Terps, but at least their guard-heavy offense and up-tempo game should be fun to watch.

Redskins notes: Hightower, Brown, Blades

2011-08-01T06:48:00.000-04:00

The Redskins have been relatively busy this offseason -- but it's been a different kind of busy. They've targeted a few big-name free agents, but they haven't thrown insane amounts of money at the top guys, choosing instead to focus on re-signing a few of their own guys at key positions (Santana Moss, Jammal Brown) and younger guys on the offensive and defensive lines (Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen, Chris Chester). Oh, and they also shipped two guys out of town who you may have heard of: Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb. There's no guarantee that any of these moves actually work, but so far the Redskins actually seem to have a plan and haven't done anything ridiculous yet.

Traded for Tim Hightower

The Redskins acquired running back Tim Hightower from the Cardinals for defensive end Vonnie Holliday and an undisclosed draft pick. Holliday is 35; Hightower is 25. The Skins drafted two running backs (Roy Helu and and Evan Royster) in the 2011 draft, and they already have Ryan Torain as the probable starting running back to begin the season. But Hightower provides some running back depth in case the injury-prone Torain goes down at some point during the season, which is likely. Helu or Royster (or both) will probably get a chance during the season, but now the Redskins won't be forced to rely on them if Torain goes down.

Holliday played well last season but was expendable after the Skins' latest acquisitions on the defensive line. It also fits with their apparent, current mind-set of getting younger.

Re-signed Jammal Brown

Still needing to fill a whole on the offensive line, the Redskins brought back their right tackle from last season, Jammal Brown. The Skins gave Brown a five-year deal worth $27.5 million ($8 million guaranteed). The Redskins desperately needed another offensive tackle alongside Trent Williams, and they surely discussed other options. At the end of the day, though, they decided to bring back the 30-year-old Brown, and it doesn't seem like they paid a whole lot more than what he's worth.

Also re-signed H.B. Blades

Arguably the player with the best name on the Redskins, Blades is now returning to Washington after signing a one-year deal. Blades provides depth at inside linebacker and is also a solid contributor on special teams.

What they're saying about the Uehara trade

2011-07-31T08:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, the Orioles made two trades. First, they sent Koji Uehara to the Rangers in exchange for corner infielder Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter. The O's also sent $2 million to the Rangers in the deal. Second, the O's then shipped Derrek Lee and some cash to the Pirates for prospect Aaron Baker, a Single-A first baseman. Baker is not viewed as a top prospect.

The Lee deal was made to free up playing time for the newly acquired Davis. The O's possibly saved some money on the rest of Lee's deal, but it also hasn't been reported how much cash they're sending to the Pirates. Still, it's a minor move that was a no-brainer.

The Uehara trade, though, is more important. Here's what others are saying about it:

- "Both Hunter and Davis are under team control for a long time. Uehara has a vesting option for 2012, worth $4 million with additional bonuses. This looks like a good longer-term gamble for the Orioles, while the Rangers land immediate help in exchange for two guys who probably weren't in their future plans." Jeff Sullivan, Baseball Nation

- "Davis has more upside, but is less likely to reach it. Really, he should spell his name with a ‘K,’ because his career strikeout rate (31.7%) would rank among the league leaders every year if he qualified for the batting title. He’s been trying to cut down that number with limited success, but really he should be focusing on his walk rate. Players like Russell Branyan have shown us that a bad strikeout rate, paired with a strong walk rate and gobs of power, can make for a useful (if winding) major league career. At this point, he’s a flier taken by a team looking to acquire young talent." Eno Sarris, FanGraphs

- "Moving to the Orioles, Davis might have another shot of realizing those big league dreams. Derrek Lee(notes) has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. And manager Buck Showalter probably has some familiarity with Davis, having been the Rangers' skipper when Davis was drafted in 2006.
The Orioles also get some help for their starting rotation in Hunter. While he didn't start any games this year for the Rangers, largely due to a groin injury he suffered in the spring, Hunter did make 41 starts over the previous two seasons. Baltimore may also like a groundball pitcher who relies on control working in a hitters' park like Camden Yards." Ian Casselberry, Big League Stew

- "Edged out for playing time in Texas by the more consistent Mitch Moreland, Davis has mashed this season in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, batting .368/.405/.824 with 24 home runs in just 193 at-bats. (He hit .327 in the PCL last year to finish second in the batting race.) Still, Davis lacks plate discipline and figures to remain a streaky hitter prone to slumps and short bursts where he's a force—in other words, a lefthanded-hitting Mark Reynolds. . . . The Rangers used Davis' third and final minor league option to send him to Round Rock this season, so the Orioles will have to keep him in the big leagues in 2012 or risk losing him on waivers." John Manuel and Matt Eddy, Baseball America

However, leave it to Keith Law to provide the snarky take on the O's haul:

Playing with Tinkertoys? RT @drtomfowler: @keithlaw If MacPhail calls Davis & Hunter building blocks, what is he building?Sun Jul 31 04:04:49 via Seesmickeithlaw
keithlaw

Most people seem to think the deal was a win-win for both teams. I rather would have had Andy MacPhail target some actual prospects, but it's hard to argue his logic in making this trade. As long as the O's play Davis consistently, they should be able to figure out whether he's competent enough to stick in the majors or if he's, in fact, a 4-A player. Hunter should have no problem sticking in the O's rotation, especially considering how awful the O's young pitchers look. Also, both players are 25 and have several years of team control left between them.

It's not clear whether or not Mark Reynolds will stay at third or move across the diamond to first. Honestly, I'd like to see them put Davis at first and let Josh Bell (no superior defender either) man third, while letting Reynolds serve as the designated hitter. But with Vladimir Guerrero on the roster, there's basically no chance of that. Bell will likely be sent back to Triple-A Norfolk, which is a shame. Considering Lee's little trade value, Guerrero probably has even less since he's exclusively a DH at this point. At least Lee can play a decent first base.

The Baseball America writers (link above) also commented on Davis's defense: "He has improved defensively at third base and can play either infield corner but is better suited defensively to first, despite good arm strength. Scouting reports on him at third base regularly include the word 'adequate.'" An adequate defender would be leaps and bounds above what Reynolds has done at third base this season. But again, with Guerrero on the roster, either Davis or Reynolds will play third.

It's been clear for weeks/months that the O's are terrible and need to start freeing up positions and playing time for some of their younger players (even though there don't appear to be many talented ones). Lee was one of the players that needed to be moved, and that has been taken care of. Vlad needs to be the next.

As far as Uehara's departure goes, he'll clearly be missed by O's fans. For a team that both struggles to sign free agents and doesn't do a good job scouting and signing international talent, the O's did a fantastic job in both when they signed Uehara, the O's first Japanese player, in 2009 to a two-year, $10 million deal. Uehara was originally a starter, but he had trouble staying healthy and pitching late into games. He was still pretty effective as a starter, but he'd get tired by the fifth inning and have to be replaced.

The O's eventually moved Uehara to the bullpen, where he quickly thrived and became one of the team's best options. He was re-signed in the 2011 offseason and was having another fantastic season this year before being shipped to Texas.

As long as he can deal with the Texas heat, Uehara should be just as effective for the Rangers as he was in Baltimore. There's not a whole lot to get excited about as an O's fan, but watching Uehara work quickly and pound the strike zone was certainly a refreshing sight.

What exactly do the O's expect for Guthrie?

2011-07-30T08:08:00.000-04:00

MLB's non-waiver deadline is July 31, so the Orioles still have two days to trade Jeremy Guthrie, Koji Uehara, or anyone else they deem worthy of a deal. And even though it can make sense to wait until the last few hours to make a deal -- other teams that are bidding against each other may get desperate and overpay -- I can't help but get the feeling that the O's are asking for too much in return for some of their players. And then I read the following on Roch Kubatko's latest School of Roch post:

The Tigers and Indians remain serious suitors for Guthrie. The Orioles need a major-league ready arm. They'd love a first base prospect.

They won't dump Guthrie and be left with another gaping hole in their rotation, but the offers might have sweetened tonight.

If the O's are trying to fool teams into thinking they absolutely won't deal Guthrie or Uehara unless a major-league ready arm or premium first-base prospect is included in the deal, that's fine, I guess. But if they really think one of those will be thrown in, they're fooling themselves.

Guthrie is a slightly above average starter, and he's under team control (last arbitration year) for one more season. He's making $5.75 million this season, so unless he completely falls apart the rest of this season, he'll receive a raise. Uehara's case is a little different: He's making only $3 million this season and has a $4 million vesting option for 2012. Guthrie is slightly more valuable because of the amount of innings he throws (he's a starter, after all), but when factoring in the money owed to each and how well Uehara has been pitching, there's not an enormous difference in their values. Some team might actually pay more for a lights-out reliever like Uehara rather than a decent starter like Guthrie. Again, it all depends on which teams are serious about trading.

Guess what, though? The O's are 42-60. Guthrie has aided their weak rotation this year, and without him the O's would be worse. But they wouldn't be that much worse that they should consider holding onto him just because they aren't overwhelmed with a significant trade offer. That doesn't mean the O's should give him away for nothing, but he should be dealt. This situation is similar to their decision to keep Luke Scott at the height of his trade value instead of getting a decent prospect or two in return. And look how that's turned out.

So what should the O's expect in return for Guthrie? A Dempsey's Army post by Donovan Moore tackled that very topic on July 21:

[I]n order to break even any potential trade for Guthrie, the Orioles would need to get back a Grade B hitter ($5.5M) + a Grade C pitcher 22 or younger ($2.1M). Given MacPhail’s affinity for pitching prospects, maybe he would look to get back a Grade B pitcher ($7.3M) + a Grade C hitter 23 or older ($0.5). These would be instances where the Orioles set themselves up to break even on a deal for Guthrie—but if offered anything more than these examples, they should definitely jump right on it.

I encourage you to check out the whole post for the tables and rationale on why the O's need to deal Guthrie now.

Flurry of moves continue for Redskins (updated)

2011-07-29T07:07:00.001-04:00

I have to hand it to the Redskins; they are making a plethora of moves to overhaul their roster, and even though they seem to be targeting a few random free agents, most of them actually fit their current offensive and defensive systems. There's little to be gained by discussing the Albert Haynesworth trade much further -- fans have been waiting for months for the Skins to ship Haynesworth out of Washington -- so let's examine what else happened yesterday:

Brandon Stokley backs out of deal

So much for the whole Stokley-to-the-Redskins thing. Apparently, Stokley initially agreed to terms with the Redskins, but yesterday he decided to go elsewhere. Stokley is 35 and an injury-prone wide receiver, so there wasn't a great chance that he'd make the roster. And now there's no chance.

At the end of the linked PFT piece above, Mike Florio mentioned that "the Redskins aren’t happy about this one." Maybe, but their fans don't mind it.

Signed Stephen Bowen

The most surprising signing of the day (for the Skins, at least) had to be defensive end Stephen Bowen. Not only did the Redskins hand Bowen, apparently a sleeper/below-the-radar type of signing, a five-year, $27.5 million deal ($12.5 million guaranteed), but they also lured him away from the division-rival Cowboys. The most significant reshaping going on with the Redskins right now is on the defensive line, where the Redskins have added Jarvis Jenkins via the draft and Barry Cofield and now Bowen via free agency. Bowen and Cofield are both 27.

Unlike Cofield, who came from a 4-3 defense and may not the most ideal player to fill the nose tackle role, Bowen comes from a 3-4 defense and is seen as a pretty reliable defensive end. The main concern is that the Skins may have overpaid Bowen, a guy who's been more of a part-time player who's only really started games when others in front of him were hurt. But again, the Redskins seem to be banking on his potential to produce when giving more time on the field.

Agreed to terms with Chris Chester

At some point, the Redskins were going to address at least one of their needs on the offensive line. They did just that by signing Chris Chester away from the Ravens with a five-year, $20 million deal (can't seem to find how much of it's guaranteed). Chester, 28, will apparently fill the right guard slot for the Redskins, but he can also fill in at center if necessary.

Chester seemed to fall out of favor with the Ravens, and he wasn't guaranteed to start for them. With the Redskins, though, Chester seems to be an adequate acquisition because he's athletic enough to thrive in Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. That doesn't mean the Redskins didn't overpay for him; they always seem to overpay for most of their signings.

Signed their draft picks

Last night, the Redskins signed their top two draft picks, Ryan Kerrigan and Jarvis Jenkins, to deals. The terms of those deals haven't been made available yet.

According to Rick Maese (in the Jarvis link), the only unsigned draft pick left for the Redskins is Maurice Hurt, an offensive lineman they selected in the seventh round. Everyone else is on board and scheduled to practice.

Update: According to John Keim, Kerrigan was the last draft pick to agree to a deal, so Hurt's apparently signed already. So that's good news.

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By the way, here's a list of players the Redskins have released so far, via PFT's Release tracker:

- Casey Rabach
- Phillip Daniels
- Maake Kemoeatu
- Chad Simpson
- Andre Brown
- Roydell Williams
- Josh Bidwell
- Sam Paulescu

No arguments here.

Redskins deal Haynesworth to Patriots

2011-07-28T07:04:00.000-04:00

As I was just finishing my previous post on yesterday's Redskins moves, I saw this: According to Adam Schefter, the Skins have traded Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2013.

To get anything at all for Haynesworth at this point seems like a solid move, even if it's a fifth-round choice in a couple years. The Redskins have now dealt away their two biggest headaches from last season: Donovan McNabb and Haynesworth. And by trading with the Patriots (always a little scary because of the Bill Belichick angle), the Skins also succeeded in keeping Haynesworth away from the Eagles or any other NFC East team.

So long, McNabb and Haynesworth. And congratulations, Redskins, for finally making these deals happen.

Redskins stay busy, gobble up WRs

2011-07-28T06:58:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, the Redskins signed defensive tackle Barry Cofield and brought back Santana Moss at a modest price. They also were very close to trading away Donovan McNabb; that deal was recently completed (for one sixth-round pick next year and a conditional sixth-round pick the year after).

But those moves were just the beginning. The Redskins filled yesterday with more activity, working hard to fill a bunch of holes on the roster. Here's what they did:

Went after wide receivers

The Redskins signed Donte Stallworth and Brandon Stokley to one-year deals. They also traded for Jabar Gaffney, dealing defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon to the Broncos to acquire him. That seems to be selling low on the 23-year-old Jarmon, who never really fit in the Redskins' defensive system when they switched to a 3-4 scheme. It's worth noting that the Redskins spent a third-round pick to select Jarmon in the 2009 supplemental draft then dealt him away for an average receiver in Gaffney -- that's not exactly the best of planning.

Some people are furious with the above moves. Others decided to go the comedic route, which is slightly better. But I don't understand all of the outrage. I'm not saying it's the best idea to target receivers who are 35 (Stokley), 30 (Stallworth), and also 30 (Gaffney). But the only guy who's basically guaranteed to make the roster is Gaffney. The other two seem to be buy-low guys. Both are injury-prone receivers, but maybe the Redskins will get lucky with one of them and be able to hang on to a cheap, decent wide receiver for most of the upcoming season. If not, and they get hurt or don't play well, the Redskins can simply get rid of them.

The only reasonable concern I've heard is that signing these guys will take some reps away from some of the younger or recently drafted receivers -- guys like Anthony Armstrong, Leonard Hankerson, Terrence Austin, Niles Paul, etc. I know there are currently several more receivers on the roster, but those seem like the most likely guys to get a chance to stick around. I found it tough to believe that the Shanahans would overlook what Armstrong did last season, and I'm sure they also want to see what Hankerson and the others can bring to the table when they start practicing. Still, I think it's too early for all the outrage for bringing in two receivers on one-year deals and trading away a player who was probably going to get cut for another receiver. If all three guys miraculously make the team or they start significantly taking away from the development of the other young receivers, then that'll be the time to wonder why these moves were made in the first place.

By the way, as reported by Rick Maese of The Washington Post, Hankerson was the first Skins draft pick to sign.

Signed Josh Wilson

While the Redskins were busy going after wide receivers, many wondered why they were neglecting other weak spots on the roster. Yesterday evening, though, the Redskins addressed their cornerback deficiency, agreeing to terms with Josh Wilson. Wilson, 26, signed for $13.5 million over three years, with $6 million guaranteed. The Wilson deal also signals the end of the Carlos Rogers era in Washington.

With Wilson on board, the Redskins seem to have a decent group of starting defensive backs: LaRon Landry and O.J. Atogwe at safety, and DeAngelo Hall and Wilson at cornerback. Some other defensive backs like Kevin Barnes will see the field, but those are the main four when healthy. If the Redskins can get any kind of consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks this year, the defense should be markedly better.

Brought in Kellen Clemens

The quietest move of the day for Washington was the decision to sign Kellen Clemens to a one-year deal. Clemens will likely battle with Rex Grossman (if he returns) or someone else for the backup quarterback spot. Then again, the Skins may make a move at quarterback if they're not content to roll the dice with John Beck or Grossman.

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For what it's worth, after a couple days the biggest deal the Redskins have handed out is the six-year, $36 million ($12.5 million guaranteed) deal for Cofield.

Redskins notes: McNabb, Moss, Cofield

2011-07-27T06:56:00.001-04:00

The lockout is over, so you know what that means: It's time for the Redskins to win the offseason! Besides signing a few undrafted free agents, here's what the Skins have done so far:

Close to trading Donovan McNabb

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Redskins and Vikings have agreed to the framework of a deal that would send McNabb to the Vikings:

Vikes agree to trade 6th rounder in 12 and possibly 6th in 13 to Wash for Donovan McNabb. Deal contingent on McNabb agreeing to much less $$Wed Jul 27 03:13:03 via UberSocialJay Glazer
Jay_Glazer

Glazer has also reported that the deal is not yet done and that the two sides are "trying to work out dollars." Still, McNabb was never going to see that $10 million bonus from the Redskins at the beginning of the upcoming season, so he'd be wise to work out a deal with the Vikings so that he can go to a team that actually wants him. Then again, if he'd rather go somewhere else or wants more money, he can refuse to restructure his contract and possibly force the Redskins to cut him instead.

Considering what the Redskins traded to the Eagles to pick up McNabb in the first place, a sixth rounder or two doesn't seem like much. However, the Redskins weren't going to bring McNabb back after what happened last season, so it's smart for them to get whatever they can while also removing him from the roster. If this deal gets done, then it's your turn, Albert Haynesworth.

Re-signed Santana Moss

According to Adam Schefter, the Redskins and Moss agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal. $6 million of that is apparently guaranteed. Moss is 32 and has been injury-prone at times, but this type of deal doesn't present much risk. It's not that much money, and Moss is already comfortable in the Redskins offense.

I'd be surprised if the Skins didn't target another wide receiver in free agency, mainly because they like to make a big splash. But even if they did go out and overpay for someone like Santonio Holmes or Sidney Rice, would it really even help the offense out that much? Anyway, the Moss signing seems rational.

Agreed to terms with Barry Cofield

The Redskins have signed the now-former Giants defensive tackle to a six-year, $36 million deal, according to Rich Campbell of The Washington Times. The deal includes $12.5 million in guaranteed money. The Skins were targeting/continue to target defensive line help, and Cofield was a solid defensive tackle in the Giants' 4-3 system. At age 27, Cofield is 6'4 and 306 pounds, so he has the size the Redskins are looking for. But, as The Washington Post's Mike Jones reports, "[Cofield] is listed as a nose tackle according to NFL.com. It’s not immediately clear if he will play nose tackle or end for the Redskins’ 3-4 defense."

Cofield can play, though: In five seasons and a possible 80 games, he's played in 79 of them. He's also accumulated 211 tackles and 10.5 sacks. So as long as he stays healthy and occupies multiple blockers, he should be a helpful addition. Still, spending big money on a player who might not exactly fit? That certainly seems like a typical Redskins move.

Oddly, Redskins fire team blogger Matt Terl

2011-07-26T04:49:00.001-04:00

Wondering how the Redskins make decisions as an organization is increasingly becoming a useless task, but they made yet another curious one when they recently decided not to bring back Matt Terl, the team's official blogger at Redskins Blog.

Here's what happened, via The Washington Post's Erik Wemple:

According to Redskins spokesperson Tony Wyllie, Terl has fallen victim to a “restructuring” of the team’s department of broadcasting and Internet.

Will the team hire a replacement? “We’ll announce what we’re doing once everything’s all set,” says Wyllie. Pressed further, Wyllie offered the Standard Executive’s Personnel-Matter Comment Exemption.

When asked what’s up, Terl said he’s “guessing I’m laid off. It’s not for performance or anything of that nature.” His last post is about a fifth-round draft pick’s thoughts on the movie “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

“That’s a staggeringly dumb last post,” says Terl.

Instead of simply being a shill for the team, Terl provided lots of interesting and original content in a refreshing way -- a shocking thing considering he worked for the Redskins. But the team wants to go in a different direction, and I guess it's their right to do so. But it's still a peculiar move; not only did Terl do a great job, but I honestly can't remember reading anything negative about his work. Sure, the cartoons were kind of wacky, but they didn't take away from the solid work on the website, either.

Terl also linked to one of my posts (here, about Cam Newton), which was pretty cool. I don't get many readers, but that post is one of the most-read items on this site. My take was listed below an entry from Bleacher Report, but it was still an honor to have a link on the team's official blog.

Buck Showalter's logic

2011-07-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

Tonight, the Orioles face the Angels and starter Ervin Santana. As Roch Kubatko mentioned earlier today in a post about Luke Scott (who's returning to the lineup), Felix Pie has three hits in five career at-bats against Santana. One of those hits was a triple.

Predictably, Pie's in the lineup tonight, batting eighth and playing left field. Because Scott's back to fill the DH slot, Nolan Reimold's on the bench. Reimold is having a much better season than Pie and is clearly the better player, but this is probably why he's not playing tonight:

(Career) Reimold vs. Santana: 0-2, 1 BB

(Fake Buck Showalter: "Way to not get a hit against Santana in limited at-bats, Nolan. And who cares about that walk?")

That has to be why Showalter is playing Pie instead of Reimold. He can't believe Pie is better than Reimold, right? Or maybe it's just because Pie is left-handed. Yeah, that has to play a part as well.

I've probably written something similar to this before, but whatever. There's no legitimate reason why Pie should be in over Reimold. It's not like Reimold is a star or an amazing player, so I'm getting tired of having to harp on this point over and over again: He's a competent, above-average hitter. That's more than anyone can say about Pie, who, in only 140 plate appearances this season, has racked up a -1.7 WAR. Every at-bat he's receiving is a wasted opportunity that should be given to Reimold.

Or bring Matt Angle back up from Norfolk and designate Pie for assignment. Angle may not end up being a very good player, but at least we all know right now that Pie is awful.

There's always hope

2011-07-21T06:54:00.000-04:00

Last night, one of my followers on Twitter brought up a great point on the topic of trading Nick Markakis:

@KremsSports if the Angels took Vernon Wells' salary, you gotta figure someone would pay Markakis'.Thu Jul 21 03:47:47 via Twitter for iPadEd Schultheis
EdSchultheis

Not only did the Angels deal for Vernon Wells and the $86 million left on his contract, but they also gave away Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera. All right, so that's the best possible hope for a trade involving Markakis: getting another team to take his contract AND getting a couple of players in return. But Markakis also has much less money remaining on his deal ($44 million, including a $2 million buyout on his $17.5 million 2015 club option), is five years younger, and is probably better than Wells.

Like I said before, it won't be easy, but there's a chance. Maybe the Angels are interested.

Salary information, as always, via Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Time to trade Markakis

2011-07-20T22:40:00.001-04:00

I don't know exactly how it would get done, but now is the time for the Orioles to do whatever it takes to trade Nick Markakis. He is scheduled to make $12 million in 2012, $15 million in 2013, and $15 million in 2014; he's a good player, but he's not that good.

Even though Markakis is one of the best players on the team, the O's should be looking to unload his contract on another team, while also possibly hoodwinking that team into throwing in a useful prospect or two. It won't be easy, but it's worth a shot. And at the end of the day, even just getting rid of his contract would probably be considered a minor victory, since that money would be better off spent on future pieces that could help the team in the next several seasons.

One of the best reasons to deal Markakis now? He's on fire. Just look at his monthly splits:

Mar/Apr: .204/.275/.286, .259 wOBA
May: .287/.352/.357, .318 wOBA
June: .351/.371/.459, .365 wOBA
July: .338/.386/.523, .406 wOBA

So that's impressive. It would be difficult for him to take yet another step forward in August, but it's fun to watch him hit right now. Still, even with his surge at the plate, his numbers are still similar to his disappointing 2009 and 2010 seasons.

One of the oddest things about Markakis's 2011 season is the lack of walks. He has drawn a walk only 6.1 percent of the time this season; he has a career 9.4 BB%. Despite his fantastic numbers the last several weeks, Markakis walked only four times in June and has just four walks so far in July. He does have more than a week and a half to draw more walks this month, but that just doesn't seem like many for Markakis, who has a very good eye at the plate.

He's cut down on his strikeouts: 9.2 K% this season; 13.9 K% in his career. So he's walking less and striking out less as well, meaning he's making a ton of contact. That's not really a great thing for someone whose slugging percentages have been dropping each season since 2008.

So why would another team be so eager to deal for Markakis? Good question. The biggest hurdle is his contract; no small-market team would be willing to bring his contract aboard, which certainly limits the O's trading partners. But he's still a 2.5-3.0 WAR player at this point, and there's certainly value in that. He also plays every day and has never spent much time on the disabled list, so injuries aren't much of a concern (unlike, say, the recent J.J. Hardy signing).

To be honest, it's hard to get too excited about Markakis. At 27 (turns 28 in November), he seems to be playing like he will for the next several seasons: pretty good on-base percentage, limited power, solid contact hitter who uses the entire field, average right fielder, great arm, and slightly above average speed. He's not someone other teams should target if they're thinking of getting a guy who's going to transform an entire offense. He's not that kind of player. But he is a steady force who would seem more imposing on a team with more talented hitters already on it. That doesn't mean he'd hit better there -- after all, lineup protection has more or less been proven to be nonexistent -- but there would be lower expectations on him if he's batting sixth instead of second or third.

Maybe only a handful of teams would be looking to pick up a guy like that -- maybe less. And even if they did, they would resist giving up anything in return. Regardless, the O's should be seeking out those teams and trying to work something out. Then again, if a potential Markakis trade ends up with Buck Showalter playing Felix Pie in right field on a daily basis, I'd reconsider the whole thing. Maybe.

Finding fault with the O's decision-making

2011-07-19T07:06:00.001-04:00

Want to know why some are criticizing the J.J. Hardy signing, despite its apparent team-friendly ramifications? Just take a look at who pitched out of the Orioles' bullpen during last night's 15-10 loss to the Red Sox:

Troy Patton, 25
Jason Berken, 27
Michael Gonzalez, 33
Mark Worrell, 28
Chris Jakubauskas, 32

Patton probably threw the best out of all of them, and Berken was only in the game for two pitches, allowing a hit. But the latter three -- Gonzalez, Worrell, and Jakubauskas -- combined to allow eight runs in the eighth inning, which locked down the game for the Red Sox. Gonzalez and Jakubauskas have been bad all season, but Worrell was just promoted from Triple-A Norfolk, and he didn't look all that impressive either.

So why did I include the ages of those pitchers? Because despite Andy MacPhail's current philosophy to "grow the arms and buy the bats," the O's don't have that many arms to show for it. Yes, I understand that most of the young, high-ceiling pitchers in Baltimore and in the O's organization are starting pitchers, as they should be. Also, there's no sense in promoting pitchers to fill out the bullpen just because they're young and necessarily not ready to be in a major league rotation. But why has it taken so long for a guy like Patton to pitch in Baltimore this season? He seems healthy now, and he's still rather young. He should be given the chance to pitch in more than a few games, even if he pitches poorly.

The O's don't have nearly enough pitching depth. Without a doubt, they still need to get younger and better. It doesn't make much sense to hold onto guys (or pay them a bunch of money, for that matter) who won't help this current team four, five, and six years (etc.) down the road. That's not to say that there can't be a couple of guys like Jakubauskas, Mark Hendrickson, and Worrell in the team's bullpen for various stretches. Every team works with bullpen fill-ins from time to time. But these types of guys show up in the O's bullpen year after year. The only homegrown reliever who's really any good right now is Jim Johnson, and even he should probably be stretched out into a starter if the O's aren't going to deal the 28-year-old. And that's just talking about relievers, who are supposed to be failed starters or guys who can't throw multiple innings at a time. It should be much easier to assemble a decent, young bullpen corps than a competent starting rotation. Yet, the O's can't even accomplish that feat.

Where is all of the pitching talent for a team that annually picks at the top of the draft? Shouldn't someone like Hardy, and others, be used as bait to bring in prospects?

I'm essentially ranting at this point, but here's another questionable move: I turned the game off in the middle of that horrible eighth inning, but apparently Josh Bell pinch-hit for Felix Pie in the bottom of the eighth. He even singled, which is great. But in the ninth, he stayed in to play left field. For one inning, that's not really a big deal. But isn't he a third baseman, and at the very least a corner infielder? Why put him out there at all? That's another situation to examine: If Bell is on the roster, he should play. And if he's not going to play, he should be back in Norfolk playing every day. But he may only be in Baltimore for a few days, so who knows.

Nolan Reimold has been one of the O's most productive hitters this season, and it still took a few injuries to get him in the daily lineup. Vladimir Guerrero and Luke Scott will likely both return from the disabled list soon, and I have no doubt that they'll immediately return to the lineup, moving Reimold back to the bench. What kind of decision is that for a team that's nearly 20 games under .500? Don't they want to know if Reimold is a talented, cost-effective player who they can plug into the lineup for the next few years?

Basically, I don't trust the O's to make sound long-term decisions. And even the short-term ones don't always make much sense.

O's have roster decisions to make

2011-07-18T07:07:00.000-04:00

As Jeff Zrebiec notes here and here, the Orioles' recent roster shuffle continues, and it will likely continue for the next few weeks. After another awful start, Mitch Atkins was sent back to Triple-A. Other spots that recently opened up: Alfredo Simon (restricted list), Vladimir Guerrero (15-day DL, broken bone in his right hand), and Pedro Viola (demoted to Double-A). Those four openings have been, at least temporarily, filled with Matt Angle, Troy Patton, Mark Worrell, and Josh Bell.

Luke Scott, Cesar Izturis, and Vladimir Guerrero are all on the mend and could return shortly. If Scott comes back healthy and starts hitting the ball like he did last season, that could help the O's tremendously. But the other two really only block younger guys from playing while also not giving the O's much value in return. There's also Brian Roberts, who's still dealing with complications from his concussion, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he ended up missing the entire season. Justin Morneau missed more than a year with concussion issues, and he still hasn't played like his old self (though he's also dealing with a wrist injury). Concussions are serious, and Roberts shouldn't return until he's 100 percent healthy. That may take a long time.

Which moves the O's make will tell a lot about how they're viewing the rest of this season. Guys like Guerrero have little trade value, if any, so he'll probably be on the O's roster for the rest of the season. It would be nice to get rid of him somehow to free up some playing time for Nolan Reimold or anyone else to DH (Mark Reynolds?) occasionally, but that likely won't happen. Izturis's presence also seems redundant at this point; is he really an upgrade over Blake Davis or Ryan Adams? And if Scott does start hitting, the O's should do whatever they can to flip him immediately for anything in return. There's already a logjam in left field (Reimold, Felix Pie, Matt Angle), and it doesn't seem like the O's are willing to part with Pie anytime soon -- which is unfortunate, because he can't hit.

The starting rotation will also continue to change, as some of the young starters will be back at some point. Brian Matusz has found a little recent success at Triple-A, and he could be back soon if he keeps that up. Zach Britton will likely be back as well, though he'll have his innings limited for the rest of the season. Chris Tillman could return in September as well, but he hasn't been pitching well at Norfolk.

Oh, and the O's have some decisions to make as the trade deadline approaches. They have a few trade chips, though they recently took their biggest one (J.J. Hardy) off the market by signing him to a three-year extension. So will the O's deal away Jeremy Guthrie or Reynolds? What about Koji Uehara or Jim Johnson? Or anyone else? There's no guarantee that the O's must make a couple of trades, but it would be surprising if the trade deadline passed with the O's failing to bring back a few prospects in a trade or two.

Hardy, O's near extension? (updated)

2011-07-16T07:58:00.001-04:00

(Update: The Orioles have agreed to terms with J.J. Hardy on a three-year contract extension for about $22.25 million. The deal is still "pending finalization of specific contractual language and Hardy passing a physical," but that's all just a formality at this point. The deal seems more than fair and is much less than what I figured Hardy would sign for.)

Although the Orioles continue to lose and then lose some more, there is other news going on with the team: J.J. Hardy has been seeking a new deal, and he may be close to signing an extension to stay in Baltimore. Via Dan Connolly:

The Orioles and shortstop J.J. Hardy continue to make progress on a three-year contract extension that would be worth between $7 million and $8.5 million per season, according to two baseball sources.

"My thought is that I still hope it gets done," Hardy said. "I know my agent and [Orioles director of baseball operations] Matt Klentak have been talking. I don’t know exactly where they are at or what they are thinking. If it gets done or not before the trade deadline, I don’t know what their thoughts are. But I still say I hope it gets done."

Hardy seems interested in staying with the same team for more than a year or two, and that's something the potential extension would accomplish (especially if he receives a full or partial no-trade clause).

But although $7-$8-plus million per season for a few seasons for Hardy seems more than reasonable, I just don't know if it's a deal the O's should be handing out right now. Sure, all teams want good shortstops, and Hardy is solid both offensively and defensively. But the O's are also terrible right now and need to be thinking about which players they can deal away to receive younger talent. Hardy, even though his current deal expires after this season, would likely net the O's a few nice prospects in a trade.

Here's another issue: Hardy is an injury-prone player, which is where most of his value is lost. When he's on the field, there isn't much concern that he'll perform. But the chances of Hardy not getting hurt again are slim, which could force the O's to deal with another Brian Roberts-type situation. Hardy doesn't seem to have as serious an injury risk as Roberts's concussions, but similar risk still exists.

For now, though, this isn't a done deal yet, and talks could break down at some point if Hardy wants more money or if the O's choose to explore the trade route.

Trade chips: Do the Orioles have any?

2011-07-14T07:13:00.000-04:00

After their latest, and ongoing, awful losing skid, it's clear that the Orioles aren't going to win anything this season. Right now, the O's are 36-52 and have lost 12 of their last 13 games. So, with that in mind, the O's should once again start thinking about future seasons and which of their current players can be dealt for young players who can be helpful down the road.

Let's get one thing out of the way: There's no way the O's will trade any of their young starters like Zach Britton, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Chris Tillman. Britton is the best of that group right now, mostly because he pitched with the most success this season. He'll be back in Baltimore at some point in the next few weeks or months while the O's do their best to limit his workload and make sure he stays healthy for years to come. Arrieta is the only one of the four still in the rotation, but he's had his struggles as well. He'll continue to get the ball every fifth day, as he should, but it's also important that the O's keep him healthy. As for Matusz and Tillman, both have certainly struggled at times at the major league level, though Matusz's regression is much more alarming because of his injury earlier in the season and his drop in velocity. Tillman has also been dealing with a dip in velocity, but he never pitched with as much success as Matusz did in the second half of last season, either. Both guys are still young -- Matusz is 24 and Tillman is 23 -- and it's too early to give up on them. However, if both never recover their missing velocity and they don't learn to pitch effectively without it, the O's rotation will be an even larger concern going forward (something that's hard to imagine).

The O's also aren't going to trade Matt Wieters or Adam Jones. Trading one of these guys, or both, is something that could possibly happen in the next few seasons (the Wieters angle was recently examined by Camden Crazies), but the O's front office undoubtedly considers these two guys building blocks and will not part with them easily.

Also, these players on the roster have little or no trade value: Mitch Atkins, Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken, Michael Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Mark Hendrickson, Chris Jakubauskas, Alfredo Simon, Pedro Viola, Craig Tatum, Brian Roberts, Robert Andino, Blake Davis, Derrek Lee, Vladimir Guerrero, Luke Scott (injury), and Felix Pie. Some of them are useful players and have played well in stretches, but they just don't have much value right now because of their overall talent level or their current contract, or both.

I also seriously doubt the O's would want to part with Nolan Reimold, who has demonstrated the ability to both get on base and hit for some power, but then again Buck Showalter hasn't been particularly interested in putting Reimold in the lineup every day, so maybe he knows something about Reimold that fans don't.

Removing all of those guys from the potential trade chip list, a handful of O's players are left. That doesn't mean the O's want to deal them, just that they should at least think about doing so.

J.J. Hardy

The decision on what to do with Hardy may be the O's most important move this season. Hardy has been tremendous and has hit for much more power than the O's anticipated. Unfortunately, solid-hitting shortstops can be expensive, and if the O's want to keep Hardy from walking after this season (if they don't trade him), they'll need to hand him a multi-year contract and a sizable chunk of money. Because Hardy has dealt with a few injuries in his career, handing him a bunch of money over multiple years is extremely risky. At his best, Hardy is a fine shortstop and will probably outplay his next contract, but that won't mean a whole lot if he gets hurt again.

I'm also growing tired of hearing the following as one of the main reasons for keeping Hardy: The O's should definitely keep him around because he'll be a fantastic shortstop until Manny Machado is ready. Sure, that would be wonderful -- having a very good shortstop is a luxury that many teams don't have -- but that doesn't mean the O's should keep him around at any cost necessary. If Hardy wants to stick around for a reasonable deal, that's fine. But he'll also likely work to get the best contract that he can find, as he should. The O's shouldn't take an enormous risk to sign him, whenever it is that Machado is ready to take over the shortstop position in Baltimore.

Hopefully, the O's have learned from the Roberts contract decision from a few years ago. The O's could have dealt Roberts a few times when he was valuable, but they instead signed him to a four-year, $40 million deal that won't expire until after the 2013 season. Roberts is a useful player when healthy, but that's the problem: He can't stay healthy. Do the Orioles really want to go through that again with another middle infielder? I'm not saying that trading Hardy is the right move, but a still-rebuilding franchise shouldn't be handing out tons of money to injury-prone guys. Then again, the O's don't have a problem signing mediocre (and Type A) relievers to multi-year deals, so I wouldn't be surprised with any decision they make.

Jeremy Guthrie

I'm starting to believe that the O's aren't going to trade Guthrie. And that's not the worst thing in the world either. He's a competent pitcher, maybe a fourth or fifth starter on a good team, so he has a little bit of value -- just not a bunch. That means he may be worth a couple decent prospects, but probably not any top ones. Then again, things could change and a team could decide to make the O's a deal they can't refuse. And that's OK. But a pitcher like Guthrie arguably has more value to a team that is struggling to keep their younger pitchers in the starting rotation. Matusz and Tillman are both in Triple-A, and Britton was recently sent down and will have his innings limited for the rest of the season. Besides Guthrie and Arrieta, the O's rotation currently includes some combination of Atkins, Jakubauskas, Simon, and maybe Bergesen or Berken. That's not good, and sometimes (much more frequently lately) those starters have trouble reaching the fifth inning. Guthrie has had his own difficulties lately, but he pitches more innings than the team's other starters.

I believe that next year will be Guthrie's last arbitration-eligible year, meaning the O's could keep him around at a reasonable price. Guthrie is probably also getting to the point where he'd like to explore a multi-year deal, be it with the O's or another team, so that's a possibility as well if he gets traded and pitches well.

Mark Reynolds

Reynolds is under team control until 2012 and has a team option for 2013, so there is some value in that if a team decides that they want Reynolds around for a couple seasons. Then again, that all depends on how good Reynolds actually is at the plate. He started this season off horribly, not only failing to hit for much power, but not getting on base much either. But he's turned that around, and he has a chance to hit 40 home runs. He's also been walking a lot, and he's on pace to walk more than he has in any other season in his career.

So, assuming that the current Reynolds is the real Reynolds, there's just one problem: He's a lousy third baseman. He's having a terrible defensive season at third, and he just might be the worst fielder at that position in the majors right now. He'll likely have to be moved to first base or DH, and if the O's had a better option at third right now, that move likely would have happened already. But, you know, it's important for Guerrero and Lee to get their daily at-bats.

Because of that lack of a third baseman -- Josh Bell doesn't seem to be an option at this point -- and his recent resurgence at the plate, I'd be surprised if the O's decided to part with Reynolds. But, just like almost anyone on the roster, they should consider it if a team makes them a good offer, because while Reynolds is hitting much better at the plate, his bad defense takes away from his offensive value.

Koji Uehara/Jim Johnson

There's not a whole lot to say about Uehara and Johnson being included on this list. They are the two best relievers the O's have, and the O's should consider moving either one for the right price. My only concern would be that it may not be wise to trade both of them; after all, the rest of the bullpen is pretty bad. I'll also say that Uehara is a little better than Johnson, but Uehara also has a $4 million vesting option in 2012. Johnson, on the other hand, doesn't have a whole lot of service time, and he's still arbitration-eligible for the next couple years. That's worth mentioning.

Nick Markakis

Most fans still like Markakis. Heck, I like Markakis. But what I don't like is the production the O's are getting from their highest-paid player. The O's signed Markakis to a six-year, $66 million deal in 2009, and that deal is not looking so good right now. Markakis plays just about every game, which is impressive, but he hasn't impressed in some key areas at the plate, including his on-base and slugging percentages. He still hits plenty of line drives all over the field, but the O's are paying him to be a guy who gets on base much more and hits for more power.

More than anyone on this list, I'd be sad to see Markakis go. I still think there's a chance he regains some of his abilities at the plate and starts walking more and hitting more home runs, but if there's a chance to get some decent prospects in return and to also get rid of that contract, the O's should seriously consider taking it.

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That's basically it. I'll guess that the O's make one or two moves, but probably not anything more than that. Hopefully that includes getting some talented pieces in return.

The O's still aren't developing younger players

2011-07-08T06:54:00.001-04:00

The Orioles lost again last night, but that's not surprising considering how they've been playing lately. The loss included bad starting pitching, terrible relief pitching, and mediocre hitting -- all things that the O's excel at right now. (For what it's worth, Matt Wieters did steal a base [the first of his career], which is something that should never happen.)

It's hard to watch the O's at the moment for obvious reasons; it's never fun to tune in to watch your team lose night in and night out. But something that's even more troubling is an issue that has been plaguing the O's for more than a decade: They still aren't developing their young talent.

Let's take a look at O's players 27 years old and younger and how they're doing. Sure, 27 seems like an arbitrary number and isn't necessarily "young," but it's my list. Here they are, with hitters listed first, then pitchers.

Adam Jones: .283/.326/.457. Jones, who turns 26 on August 1, was having a very good season a few weeks ago before he started to slump a bit and his numbers took a tumble. Still, his numbers are still up slightly and he's on pace to have his best season in Baltimore. It's somewhat concerning that FanGraphs doesn't rate his defense very highly, and the same is true this season. I've wondered why Jones seems to make several fantastic, flashy plays but tends to have a few defensive lapses here and there and not always make the routine plays. I still think he's a pretty good center fielder, but he just may not be an elite one. The same can be said of his skills at the plate; he's not necessarily going to be an elite hitter, but he can be a productive hitter who isn't batting at the top of the lineup. Jones hasn't developed (yet) into a star, per se, but he's still one of the best young players the O's have.

Matt Wieters: .269/.319/.413. The 25-year-old Wieters, the lone O's All-Star this season, still seems to make many people angry because he's not hitting like Joe Mauer. Because of his pre-O's hype, many expected him to completely alter the entire franchise with his amazing abilities. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened, but he's still an intriguing piece. Thanks to his .288/.340/.412 batting line in 385 plate appearances in his rookie year (2009), Wieters probably set the bar a little too high, too early. He hasn't been able to hit for that average or get on base that often since then, but he is hitting for as much power this season and has shown signs that he may be able to hit for even more. It is surprising that with his eye at the plate he doesn't walk more (6.7 BB% this season) -- though he did walk three times last night. While he still has work to do at the plate, Wieters has developed into one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. He's caught 24 of 54 runners (44.4 percent stolen base percentage), far and away the best among all qualified MLB catchers. (The next closest is Alex Avila, at 36.9 percent.) FanGraphs rates his defense the highest among all catchers as well, which is also a top reason why he's leading the O's with a WAR of 2.3.

Nick Markakis: .293/.339/.385. Markakis, 27, has been on fire over the last few weeks and has turned his season around. He's still not walking a ton or hitting for a whole lot of power, but he's been much better lately. Check out my recent post on Markakis for more analysis.

Nolan Reimold: .271/.362/.492. Reimold turns 28 in October, and the O's still have no idea if he's an everyday player or not. Buck Showalter obviously doesn't think too highly of him or else he wouldn't be mostly benching Reimold when a lefty isn't on the mound or pinch-hitting Felix Pie for him. I've written about Reimold plenty lately, so I don't have much more to say. But I will add this: I don't have much faith in the O's playing well in the second half of the season, but I do hope they give Reimold, and maybe some other younger players in Triple-A, some playing time that's being wasted on guys like Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee.

Mark Reynolds: .230/.350/.504. Like Markakis, Reynolds, who turns 28 in August, has turned it on lately and has been hitting the cover off the ball. Unlike Markakis, many of those hits have been home runs. I'm not sure if he's quite this good or not, but he's hitting for a lot of power and is getting on base. He also walks much more than anyone on the team, another valuable skill. Under Reynolds's current contract, he's due to make $7.5 million next season and has a club option for $11 million (with a $0.5 million buyout). Compared with someone like J.J. Hardy, who will likely be looking to cash in as a free agent, Reynolds is still under team control for at least one more season. There's value in that, especially if the O's want to deal him before the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Reynolds has been an absolutely terrible defender at third base this year, and he'll probably need to be moved to either 1B or DH. If the O's had a better option at third, it's possible that Reynolds would have already been moved across the infield to play first. But they don't, and that may play a part in the O's holding onto Reynolds instead of dealing him.

Felix Pie: .231/.244/.282. Pie, 26, probably isn't anything better than a fourth outfielder (if that). Sure, he doesn't receive consistent playing time, but he's never really showed the ability to hit or get on base. He has some value as a defensive replacement and a runner, but that's about it. Sorry, Felix.

Zach Britton: 3.47 ERA, 3.82 xFIP. At 23, Britton has taken over the role as the most promising pitcher on the O's roster. Britton has already thrown over 100 innings, so it's probable that the O's will limit the rookie's workload in the second half of the season. With the way the other young starters have pitched, Britton and Jeremy Guthrie are basically carrying the load right now. Britton (1.7) is second in WAR among all rookie pitchers behind Michael Pineda of the Mariners (2.5). Not bad at all.

Brian Matusz: 8.77 ERA, 5.06 xFIP. Matusz (24) is supposed to be in the O's rotation right now, providing another reliable starting option. Instead, he's back in Triple-A Norfolk after a frustrating, awful return from the disabled list. Much has been written about Matusz's reduced velocity, and it's possible that he's still hurt. But if he never recovers that velocity, he'll have to learn to pitch a new way. It won't be easy, but Matusz still has the secondary stuff to be an effective starter even without that low-90s fastball.

Jake Arrieta: 4.90 ERA, 4.33 xFIP. Like Matusz, the 25-year-old Arrieta has disappointed (though not as much). The frustrating thing about Arrieta is that he has the stuff to be effective, but he can't seem to find the strike zone consistently. He's walking 4.44 batters per nine, which is way too many. He walked four again last night in an ineffective outing against the Red Sox. And there's also a concern that Arrieta may have some kind of elbow injury. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this soon.

Chris Tillman: 4.69 ERA, 4.86 xFIP. There's not a whole lot to say about Tillman (23) right now. Tillman received 10 starts at the beginning of the season, and he pitched OK at times. His big issue, though, was his inability to stock around past the fifth inning, because he tends to throw lots of pitches each inning. When he was demoted, instead of returning to Norfolk and dominating Triple-A hitters in an effort to get back to Baltimore, he's still struggling, walking too many batters and not striking out enough either. I'll be surprised if he doesn't return to the O's at some point later in the season, but he has plenty left to prove. It's also worth mentioning that he's about four months younger than Britton.

Brason Berkensen: 5.90 ERA, 4.06 xFIP; 5.92 ERA, 4.39 xFIP. Jason Berken (27) and Brad Bergesen (turns 26 in September) aren't quite the same -- Bergesen is younger and probably a little better -- but I'm lumping them together because they're both pitching out of the bullpen and haven't been very good. Both have pitched well at times this year, but they're essentially the mop-up crew now (you could add Alfredo Simon to that group, too). Whenever the O's are down by more than a few runs, one of them is usually the guy the O's turn to to get through the next few innings. Sure, there's value in that if it's done properly, but I have a hard time believing that either guy will ever be effective over an entire season (especially in the AL East).

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There's also a few guys in Norfolk -- Brandon Snyder, Josh Bell, Ryan Adams, Troy Patton, Matt Angle -- who have some promise, but that's not much to choose from. The goal all along was for the guys above to take the next step (or several steps) forward, but only a few have really done that.

So the O's are not very good right now

2011-07-07T06:38:00.000-04:00

I was considering writing something demonstrating just how bad the Orioles have been lately, but Dan Connolly went ahead and did just that this morning with a few numbers during the O's skid. Here they are:

6-17 – That’s the Orioles’ record in their last 23 games.

5.80 – The Orioles’ staff ERA in those 23 games.

1 – How many games the Orioles’ starter has lasted seven or more innings in their past 22 contests.

6.85 – That’s the Orioles’ starters ERA in those 22 games.

[...]

18 – The number of errors the Orioles have committed during the 6-17 skid.

14 – The number of consecutive games in which the Orioles have allowed four or more runs. That’s the worst for any team this season and longest for Orioles since 2001.

63-29 – The combined scores of the Orioles’ last nine games (eight losses). Yes, in case there was any doubt, they scored the 29.

The O's, now 36-48, also currently have the second-worst run differential (-80) in the majors. The only team they trail in that category is the Astros (-92).

And as if things couldn't get any worse, after losing five of six in Atlanta and Texas, the O's head to Boston to face the Red Sox for a four-game series right before the All-Star break (which can't come soon enough).

Nolan Reimold vs. Felix Pie

2011-07-03T08:41:00.001-04:00

Lately, Buck Showalter has gone a little overboard when it comes to overmanaging. He mostly does this with the bullpen, but another example presented itself last night. Trailing 5-4 in the top of the ninth, the Orioles had a runner on first with two outs and Nolan Reimold due up. Showalter decided to pinch-hit Felix Pie for Reimold; Pie then struck out to end the game.

So here's the question: Why pinch-hit Pie for Reimold? Simply to have Pie, a lefty, in to face the right-handed Craig Kimbrel? Does that really make much sense? Recently I looked at whether Reimold was some left-handed hitting specialist. He's not. So let's look at Reimold vs. Pie, both in general and against right-handed pitching.

Reimold vs. all: 603 PA, .263/.348/.442, 22 HR
Reimold vs. RH: 359 PA, .261/.343/.430, 13 HR

Pie vs. all: 991 PA, .253/.299/.381, 17 HR
Pie vs. RH: 815 PA, .267/.310/.404, 14 HR

So Reimold is both better against right-handed pitching and a much better hitter in general. Pie has some value for the O's -- defensively, and also as a runner late in games. But unless he's going to be used to hit in the pitcher's spot in NL ballparks or to pinch-hit for someone like Robert Andino when a righty is on the mound, that's really it. Pie should never replace someone like Reimold at the plate; choosing to do so doesn't make much sense at all.

Showalter does seem to like to play the right/lefty game a lot, and that had to be why Pie hit for Reimold. I'd really like to hear the rationale for such a move. I'm also hoping that Pie's higher batting average against right-handed pitching (.267 vs. Reimold's .261) wasn't the reason for the move. Maybe Showalter likes batting average -- who knows.

Basically, though, I'm growing tired of the O's refusing to make logical decisions. Most fans would rather see Reimold in the lineup every day instead of Vladimir Guerrero. Most fans would rather see Koji Uehara or Jim Johnson pitching in a critical situation rather than Kevin Gregg. And I'm starting to get the feeling that most fans would like to see Blake Davis get more playing time than Andino, even though Davis has only been on the major league club for a few weeks.

Overall, there isn't a whole lot that Showalter can do to change this club. He's not the one that put this roster together, and it's obvious that the O's need more talent in order to compete for an entire season. But micromanaging to the level of pinch-hitting Pie for Reimold is ridiculous. I'm sure that Showalter is trying to do everything in his power to end this current slide (2-8 in their last 10), but enough is enough.

The inflexibility of the Orioles

2011-06-29T07:17:00.002-04:00

I was going to give this post a title of "The inflexibility of Buck," but I don't think all of these problems/issues are solely his fault. For example, it wasn't Buck Showalter's decision to sign Vladimir Guerrero (more on that below). Also, I like Showalter (who now has a 69-64 record in Baltimore) and think he's the best manager the O's have had in years. But as the Jim Riggleman-Nationals fiasco recently demonstrated, it's easy to overrate baseball managers and believe that most of them are difference makers. Some of them are, sure. But most of them? Probably not.

Basically, the O's are a below-average team. This is not news. The O's need to get better in several key areas, and even the players and front office personnel would admit that. But after signing a player to fill a specific role, a team sometimes needs to understand that it made a mistake. If no other options are available, then it's normally acceptable to keep using that player in that role. But when other, more intriguing options are available, it only hurts a team to compound that initial mistake by continuing to use said player in a role that just isn't working. Yes, that's a vague description, but here's how it relates to the O's:

Vladimir Guerrero

Guerrero is one of the most exciting baseball players I've ever watched. It would have been a real treat if he had played on the O's during the prime of his career. Sadly, that time has passed. When the O's signed Guerrero to a one-year, $8 million deal in the offseason, I was mostly against it. The issue wasn't just that the O's were overpaying Guerrero, but that as the team's designated hitter, he would clog the roster with a player who can't play in the field anymore. Essentially, he's done just that. With the exception of games in NL stadiums, Guerrero has been in the lineup in most O's games. The O's rarely decide to bench Guerrero and DH someone else, meaning that Luke Scott has to play in the field if the O's want his bat in the lineup.

If Guerrero were hitting, that wouldn't be very important. But he's not. Guerrero is currently batting .282/.313/.386 with six home runs, which is not the kind of production the O's want from their designated hitter. (Here's more on Guerrero's mediocre season from Daniel Moroz of Camden Crazies.) So Guerrero is not hitting for much power or getting on base at a high rate, and yet he's in the lineup every day as the team's DH. Oh, and he continues to bat fourth -- another perplexing decision.

The initial decision to sign Guerrero is not looking good, and unfortunately there's no way to go back and un-sign him. But just because he's on the roster doesn't mean that Showalter has to keep putting Guerrero's name in the lineup every game -- especially in the fourth spot. Not only should Guerrero be moved down in the batting order, but he should sit more often as well. The argument that the O's are trying to pump up his trade value by putting his name in the lineup so often, at this point, is ridiculous. It's not impossible that some AL team in a few weeks makes some kind of offer for Guerrero, but the O's would get next to nothing in return. In fact, they should be happy if another team simply agrees to absorb the rest of Guerrero's salary ($3 million of which, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, is deferred without interest until the 2016-2017 season).

Guerrero's presence on the roster is not helping the team, and it's actually negatively affecting the O's in other ways (listed below).

Nolan Reimold

The O's treatment of Reimold is baffling. I won't make the argument that he's some kind of defensive wizard in left field. But as a 27-year-old who has demonstrated the ability to hit major league pitching, he deserves the chance to play regularly.

In 2009, Reimold hit .279/.365/.466 with 15 homers in 411 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he battled several injuries in 2010 and only batted .207/.282/.328 in 131 plate appearances that season. But the injuries obviously affected his play across the board; Showalter has admitted (a few times, actually) that Reimold wasn't the same player in 2010. Then, because he still had an option left, the O's decided to keep Reimold off the roster at the start of this season and have him report to Triple-A Norfolk. Because of a few injuries to other players, Reimold was recalled in May, and he's been on the roster since. He got off to a quick start, and in 56 plate appearances he's batting .261/.375/.478 with three home runs. Sure, that's not many trips to the plate, but that's the problem: Why is Reimold not playing more? He gets on base, draws walks, and hits for power. And yet he's been relegated to the bench and pigeonholed into being some kind of lefty-hitting specialist who only gets in the lineup when a southpaw is on the mound.

Here are his (albeit brief) career splits:

vs. RH: 357 PA, .260/.342/.429, 13 HR
vs. LH: 241 PA, .264/.357/.447, 8 HR

So he has slightly better numbers against lefties, but in fewer plate appearances. Overall, those are pretty good numbers against both types of pitchers, and it's not any kind of outrageous split. That's not to say that Showalter (hopefully) believes Reimold hits much better against lefties. The reason he's only playing against lefties is that it pushes Scott to the bench, because Scott doesn't hit lefties quite as well (though that's overblown as well).

I'm not arguing that Reimold is a superstar and that it's a crime against humanity for him to sit on the bench so often. But it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to keep Reimold on the roster if he's going to sit out a week at a time. I'm not a big believer in Felix Pie, but I believe that Reimold has the talent to be an effective major league hitter. And hopefully the O's give him a chance to prove that he either is or isn't before the end of the season.

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Here's another point: Before the season, the O's made it known that they wanted to win games now. They weren't going to mortgage the future to do so, but the Guerrero and Derrek Lee signings, along with the Mark Reynolds trade, were made to improve the on-field product for this season in an attempt to reach a .500 record (or close to it). But here's the odd part of that: If the O's are trying to win now so much, the decision to play Guerrero less should be made anyway. His plethora of singles would be nice for, say, someone like Robert Andino, but they're not what the O's want out of their cleanup-hitting designated hitter. Putting Scott at the DH more often gets Reimold's bat in the lineup, and it also saves Scott from having to make throws in the outfield that would put extra stress on his injured right shoulder.

Just like the decision to use Kevin Gregg in situations when either Koji Uehara or Jim Johnson (or both) are available, Showalter and the O's are being rather inflexible when it comes to dealing with Guerrero and the DH position.

Embeddable MLB videos? Nice

2011-06-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

I'm sure this is old news, but MLB.com has made it possible to embed some videos. From what I can tell, they only allow clips that are more than a few days old to be embedded, but that's still much better than no videos at all. So, with that in mind, it shouldn't be all that surprising that the first video from MLB.com that I decided to embed was Adam Jones's amazing catch in Seattle at the beginning of June.

Check it out:

Much better, right? And I'm sure that won't be the last time I include that video in a post.

Lots of people like the Wizards' draft

2011-06-25T07:39:00.000-04:00

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards in the NBA Draft. Over the past few weeks, reports surfaced that the Wizards were enamored with Jan Vesely, the talented, 21-year-old forward from the Czech Republic. But the Wizards were also exploring trade options, including possibly moving up in the draft to select other skilled big men, such as Derrick Williams or Enes Kanter. But in the end, the Wizards held onto all three of their draft selections, and by many accounts, used them wisely.

With the Wizards' first choice at No. 6, Vesely was indeed the selection. So maybe the Wizards tipped their hand a little early, but Grunfeld seemed very happy to get a guy they've been targeting for a while.

At No. 18, the Wizards selected another versatile forward: Chris Singleton out of Florida State. Singleton, also 21 years old, is considered by manner to be the best defensive player in the draft. According to a few reports, the Wizards were apparently considering taking Singleton at the sixth spot, so Grunfeld had to be ecstatic when Singleton was still available 12 spots later.

With their last pick, the 34th overall selection in the second round, the Wizards selected 22-year-old Shelvin Mack, a guard out of Butler. At 6-3, he's listed as a point guard and will probably get a chance to be the primary backup to John Wall, but he's also considered to be a combo guard who can create his own shot and knock down threes. The Mack selection, like the other two, also fills a team need.

I'm not a talent evaluator or a scout, and I haven't seen more than a few YouTube clips of Vesely. But even though I was skeptical of the Wizards selecting him before the draft, I do like the pick a little more afterwards considering the next two picks the Wizards made. The rebuilding goal, according to Grunfeld and Ted Leonsis, is to build around John Wall and keep bringing in younger, more talented players. Hopefully some pieces from this draft end up being significant building blocks to accomplish that plan.

Here's what other scribes around the NBA blogosphere think about the Wizards' draft (many including draft grades):

- "Washington Wizards (23-59): Three quality picks, Jan Vesley will surprise, Chris Singleton will defend and Sheldon Mack will scrap. Grade: A-" [Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk]

- "[Listed under the Winners column:] Washington Wizards: The Wizards very quietly had a terrific draft. First Jan Vesely was available, who fits a need for them at slashing forward. With his athleticism and aggression, he makes a perfect partner to run the break with John Wall. Then, miraculously, Chris Singleton tumbled all the way down to No.18 where the Wizards jumped all over him. Singleton is a lottery talent that fell out of the top 14. He gives the Wizards the ability to move Andray Blatche if they can find a taker for his contract. He can rebound and defend exceptionally well. Singleton's length and athleticism, combined with a chip on his shoulder from dropping, makes him a great pick for the Wizards. Shelvin Mack in the second round was a great value pick for backup point guard." [Matt Moore, Eye on Basketball]

- "Grade: A+ Vesely fawning aside, this was a terrific draft. Vesely will be must-watch TV for those of us who dread pulling up Wizards games on a Tuesday at 7 at night, Singleton is a needed lockdown defender who might allow Flip Saunders to bust out his zone defense once again, and I don't understand why other teams underrated Shelvin Mack. This isn't an area where I want to be proven wrong. No boffo names, but Washington did well to surround John Wall with some eager types who couldn't be bothered with the team's recent history. Well done." [Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don't Lie]

- "Well, we know at least this much about Vesely — he has great taste in women! That stuff aside, Vesely will be a great finisher and running mate for John Wall. Singleton is considered the best defender in the draft and is a great piece for this young team. Mack could be a solid back-up and the team should be considered on the come up. Grade: A" [Dennis Velasco, The Basketball Jones]

- "Synopsis: The only two above-average players on the Wizards each got something to love on draft night. Point guard John Wall picked up a brilliant running mate in Vesely, a flyer who will no doubt find himself on the business end of a number of open court alley-oops. JaVale McGee, the team's quixotic center, found a partner in defensive crime in Singleton.

Of course, these two guys play the same position. But Washington can very easily push either one to power forward for stretches (and maybe over the long-term) given McGee's weakside defense. Individually, Vesely has to develop his jumper quite a bit to avoid becoming a problem in the halfcourt, and Singleton has to be a legit threat from the NBA arc.

Picking up Mack is a wash -- he won't likely be anything spectacular, but you could do worse. Grade: A." [Tom Ziller, SB Nation]

- "[Posted under the "Who won the draft?" column:] Chris Palmer, ESPN The Magazine: The Wizards got Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, two guys who can contribute right away and help turn the franchise around. Vesely has some serious swag to go with his leaping ability. Singleton gives them toughness and could emerge as a quality pro defender. It's a great way to follow up taking John Wall at No. 1 in last year's draft." [ESPN 5-on-5]

- "[Grade: A+] As I mentioned earlier, John Wall can't do it alone. The Wizards won the same amount of games without him in the 2009-10 campaign as they did with him last season (23), but now comes the fun part. In grabbing the athletic, exciting small forward in Jan Vesely (No. 6), they now have a get-up-and-go talent to run the break with their franchise centerpiece. Vesely has been the apple of the Wizards' eye for quite some time and that's precisely why. In Singleton (No. 18), they get a lockdown defender player who claims he can guard all five positions. Shelvin Mack (No. 34) is a nice pickup at the point as well, as Washington's only backup for Wall before the draft was journeyman Mustafa Shakur." [Sam Amick, SI.com]

Sebastian Pruiti also wrote up a solid scouting report yesterday on Vesely -- it's definitely worth checking out.

For more draft coverage and Wizards coverage in general, check out Bullets Forever and Truth About It, as always.