O Damn (1999 Edition)

Jason Michael Barker

Last season we all had a good laugh at the expense of the Baltimore Orioles, who sported a 79-83 record despite the highest payroll in baseball. This season they're down to third on the money list (behind the Yankees and Dodgers), but are playing horribly and are certainly just as much fun to laugh at.

As bad as last season was (and it really wasn't all that bad, until you consider all the money they spent to be mediocre), this season looks to be even worse for the men in orange. Excuse me, the old men in orange, because their primary problem is age. Coming into this season, the Orioles had eight starting position players (including DH Harold Baines) on the wrong side of 30, catcher Charles Johnson being the lone young'un. There isn't anything wrong with having players over 30 years of age per se, but since in general they're on the decline, it's best not to stock your team with them.

Where did the Orioles go wrong? It's easy to point at last off-season since it's still relatively fresh in our minds. The Birds lost the starting left-hand side of their infield, Rafael Palmeiro and Roberto Alomar, to free-agency, and it appeared that for once there was going to be a bit of a youth movement. Prospect Calvin Pickering was more than ready to take over at first base (at least offensively), and Jerry Hairston was probably ready for second. Instead, Will Clark and Delino DeShields were signed, blocking the paths of Pickering and Hairston.

The Orioles also added age to their outfield by signing free agent Albert Belle to a big contract, and re-signing veteran fly chaser B.J. Surhoff to a four-year deal. I won't criticize the Belle signing, because love him or hate him he's a tremendous hitter, but locking up Surhoff for four years was nothing short of insane.

They traded their best reliever (Armando Benitez) for a superb defensive catcher who can't hit (Charles Johnson), then filled the relief void by signing Mike Timlin and Heathcliff Slocumb.

We shouldn't conclude that the Orioles' woes stem just from the moves they made this winter, however, because there are problems further back. The first is Cal Ripken, Jr., although it's hardly fair to pick on the Orioles for continually running Cal out on the field. Sure, he isn't even average for his position any more, but it's hard to imagine Baltimore letting him go as a free agent, or (gasp!) trading him away. They're somewhat bound by his legacy and popularity with the fans, and that's unfortunate.

Next up is the Oriole farm system, which hasn't produced a starting position player this decade. They haven't done well with pitchers, either -- Mike Mussina, while no slouch, is just about all they have to brag about.

Finally, there's owner Peter Angelos, who refuses to let his team rebuild. His reasoning? The fans of Baltimore won't stand to watch a struggling, rebuilding ballclub. So they'd rather watch an aging, mediocre team instead? The result is several questionable personnel moves: re-signing Brady Anderson after the 1997 season, not trading Roberto Alomar while he had some value, signing Will Clark instead of playing Pickering, and so on.

Ever wonder what could have been? Baltimore potentially could have had a starting infield (from first to third) of Calvin Pickering, Jerry Hairston, David Lamb, and Willie Greene this season, Ripken and Mike Bordick's contracts notwithstanding. Lamb, a defensive specialist and singles hitter who walks just enough to be better than Bordick (at roughly one-fifteenth the cost) was taken by Tampa Bay in the Rule V draft this season and is getting a chance to play. Greene, acquired last season for Jeffrey Hammonds, was placed on waivers and claimed by the Toronto, where he's seeing time at first, third, and DH.

While it's debatable whether that younger unit could have out-produced the older one (and I'm inclined to believe they could), they certainly would have been more fun to watch, not to mention actually having a decent future and upside.

Finally, last week I suggested a scenario in which Ripken would retire this season and take over next season as the O's new manager, citing his experience playing for Earl Weaver. Kevin Bertsch writes:

Hi Jason,

Your Ripken Jr. for O's manager scenario looks plausible on the surface, but wouldn't you expect that Cal Sr. would have learned a thing or two from Weaver as well? If I recall correctly, things didn't work out so well for Dad...

But seriously, do you think the O's players would respect him? I've heard rumors that he's not especially well-liked in the clubhouse, especially by newer O's like Belle, Clark, etc., who aren't steeped in the "Oriole Way".

Just a thought,
Kevin

Good points, Kevin. For the record, Cal Ripken Sr. never did have any success managing the Orioles, leading them to a 67-95 record in 1987, his first full season at the helm. The next year the O's got off to a horrible start, and Cal Senior was fired early on; the club finished 54-107 under the guidance of Frank Robinson.

Seeing as I've never actually been in the clubhouse in Baltimore, I can't speak for the chemistry, although I can see how Cal Junior might not be so highly regarded among some of the new players. Particularly Belle, whose approach seems to be "shut up and play ball."

Hiring Ripken might not be the best idea, but it's easy to see how Angelos would think the move would be good for the team, the fans, and the community. He might reason that fans would be more willing to put up with a rebuilding process if Ripken was at the helm, although it isn't hard to imagine that as a manager he would prefer veterans over younger players. As for "chemistry," current manager Ray Miller isn't exactly a "people person" either (nor was his predecessor Davey Johnson), so it's not as if Ripken would have big shoes to fill in that regard.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker recently trekked to Tropicana Field, where he clambered up to the roof-level catwalks, leaned over and shouted, "I'm the king of the world!!" Explain that the people who shouted back, "shut the hell up," were transplanted New Yorkers at jmb@strikethree.com.