Four Reasons the Orioles Suck
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by user DNL
When people as "What's wrong with baseball?", eyes glare and fingers point at the Yankees. By spending much, much more than the next team, the Yankees deserve this response.
However, the Yankees spend this money and win. Some teams spend money -- and lose. Exhibit 1? The Baltimore Orioles, who are consistently in the top half in salary -- and in the bottom half in wins.
I blame Peter Angelos. George Steinbrenner learned to get out of the way and let baseball people run the team, but Angelos has his fingers in every pot, and is a curmudgeon to boot. The team is hamstrung by bad decisions which are the product of management-by-committee, and that management style is a top-down edict.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to outline some transactions that, colloquially, can be called "Four Reasons the Orioles Suck."
But to be honest, the list can be one entry: "Peter Angelos."
At $3 MM, Sucky Old Pitchers are a Bargain!
This spring, the Orioles inked Steve Trachsel -- he of ERA+ of 87 last year (league average is 100, anything lower is below average) -- to a one year, guaranteed $3.1 million deal.
To put that in perspective, that same week, the Mets signed Chan Ho Park -- ERA+ of 88 -- to a one year deal worth $2.4 million. And Park's money isn't guaranteed. Per MetsBlog:
- Chan Ho Park will be paid $600,000 this season if he makes the team’s opening day roster. He can earn up to $2.4 million in performance bonuses based on innings pitched.
- However, if Park does not make the opening day roster he will only be paid $150,000.
- [...]
- Furthermore, according to the Daily News, if the Mets cut Park prior to March 16 he will only recieve $100,000.
The Orioles spent at least $500,000 more for the same pitcher -- and maybe as much as $3 million more.
It's nothing new, though:
- Before the 2001 season, the O's signed Pat Hentgen to a two year, $9.6m deal. Hentgen was 32 and had come off three seasons of 90, 103, and 98 OPS+ performances.
- Before the 2003 season, the O's brought in Omar Daal: Two years, $7.5 million. Daal's seasonal age: 31. Daal's previous three OPS+? 77, 96, 97.
Nice job, boys!
Isn't Left Field a "Hitter's" Position?
There are few positions in Major League Baseball where defense matters little. Left field is one of those positions.
As many readers know, OPS+ is a very strong way to measure how a player performs offensively in comparison to the rest of the league that year. An OPS+ of 100 is league average; higher is above-average, lower is below.
Since 2000, the Orioles have had the following guys in Left:
- 2000, B.J Surhoff: 102 OPS+ in 411 AB
- 2001, Delino DeShields: 71 OPS+ in 188 AB; Jay Gibbons (109 OPS+) and Jeff Conine (126 OPS+) also had significant playing time out of the position.
- 2002, Marty Cordova: 102 OPS+ in 458 AB
- 2003, Larry Bigby: 120 OPS+ in 287 AB; Surhoff (104 OPS+) also had significant playing time in left, as did Melvin Mora (148 OPS+), but Mora should have been filling in for the pathetic Tony Batista (76 OPS+ in 631 AB) at third base.
- 2004, Bigby: 96 OPS+ in 478 AB
- 2005, Bigby: 88 OPS+ in 206 AB; many others as well, but no one was significantly above 100 OPS+ if at all
- 2006, Conine: 88 OPS+ in 389 AB -- at age 40, and at the price of about $1.7m
Designated Outmaker
The last time the Orioles had a DH with an OPS+ over 125?
1999 -- care of then-40-year-old Harold Baines.
The number of sub-90 OPS+ season they've had during that period?
Two, including last year's $9 million investment in Javy Lopez and his 88 OPS+.
Because 30 Year Old Catchers Really Do Have Breakout Seasons
Arguably my favorite signing of all time -- for any team -- is the Brook Fordyce deal. For years, he was the definition of a scrub -- waived by one team, cut by the next, traded for a no-name minor leaguer by the third, and then acquired in trade deadline salary dump by the Orioles. Going to the other team (the Chicago White Sox) in that deal was Charles Johnson, so, someone had to catch for the O's. The 30 year old Fordyce got the call, and surprised everyone. He slugged nine homers -- matching his best season. He hit .322 and slugged a .537 clip.
The Orioles rewarded him with a "bargain" contract -- a three year deal worth just shy of $8 million.
Fordyce, naturally, came back to earth. He hit .242 with 12 homers and 68 RBI over the three year period.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to add more bad Oriole habits in the comments.
