Splicetoday: Orioles put faith in pitching guru Rick Peterson

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Splicetoday: Guthrie trade is Orioles latest head-scratcher

I intended to write a rare, positive piece about the Baltimore Orioles; that is until GM Dan Duquette traded his Opening Day starter to the Colorado Rockies for no apparent good reason. My positive Orioles piece will have to wait until later in the week. The Guthrie deal takes precedence today. Continue reading

Splicetoday: Dan Duquette's Island of Misfit Toys

The Detroit Tigers shocked the baseball world earlier this week by signing free agent Prince Fielder to a nine-year contract for $214 million. The wisdom of the Fielder signing will be debated endlessly but there is no debating the commitment to winning exhibited by Tigers ownership.  While Fielder was packing his bags for Motown the Baltimore Orioles announced that they had agreed to a two-year deal with free agent infielder Wilson Betemit. Such is life for an O’s fan. Continue Reading

Yahoo! Sports: Orioles sign Wilson Betemit

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Baseball Reflections: Orioles December Reflections

The Dan Duquette era in Baltimore has started with a collective yawn among the orange and black clad faithful.  Duquette said all the right things in his introductory press conference about building the farm system, increasing the team’s International scouting presence, and generally upgrading the talent level across the organization.  Perhaps it’s unfair to judge Duquette’s clearly long range goals after less than two months but the Orioles do have a season to play in a few months and several gaping holes left on an already unspectacular roster. Continue Reading

Who the hell is Tsuyoshi Wada?

If you're in Camden Yards next year wondering why Zach Britton looks strangely Asian and 30 it's probably because you're watching Tsuyoshi Wada. The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly agreed to sign Japanese pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada to a two year contract worth over $8 million. If you're not a fan of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Japan Pacific League you're probably asking "who the hell is Tsuyoshi Wada?" Good question. From all accounts he's a pretty solid pitcher who lacks velocity but makes up for it with outstanding control.

The 30 year old Wada has been compared to a young Jamie Moyer. If he's half the pitcher Moyer was Baltimore should be thrilled. Here's hoping Dan Duquettte's newest import logs a Wada innings and wins and doesn't allow a Wada baserunners or dingers. At this point Wada likely slots in behind Jeremy Guthrie as the Orioles number two starter. It will be interesting to see how he handles his transition to the US and the murderers row that awaits him in the AL East.

Splicetoday: Orioles may get older and slower

The Baltimore Orioles, as any casual baseball knows, have several areas of need. The most glaring are the starting rotation and the middle of the lineup. Baltimore currently has a collection of number four starters and number six hitters. The team desperately needs premium talents at several positions if they ever intend to contend with the current core group of players. Continue reading

Baseball Reflections: November Brings Duquette into fold for Orioles

Check out my November Orioles post for baseballreflections.com: November was an eventful month for the Baltimore Orioles.  The team’s clumsy, haphazard search for a new General Manager concluded with Baltimore taking former Red Sox front man Dan Duquette out of mothballs.  Duquette built half a championship team in Boston before he was kicked to the curb to make way for whiz kid Theo Epstein nearly a decade ago.  Frankly, the Orioles are probably lucky to have landed someone with as much experience and past success as Duquette. Continue reading

Splicetoday: Would $444.5 Million Make the Orioles a Contender?

The Baltimore Orioles’ new GM Dan Duquette has his work cut out for him. He was out of Major League Baseball for nine years before the Orioles pulled him off the scrap heap recently and tasked him with turning around a team that has spent 14 years mastering the art of losing. Only time will tell if Duquette has the power to make lasting changes but history suggests he’s probably just along for the ride.  Continue reading