According to Jon Heyman, the Orioles have agreed to terms on a contract with former Braves pitcher, Jair Jurrjens. The value of the deal is $1.5 million, with incentives to bring the total to $4 million. The Orioles needed another pitcher to slide into the rotation in 2013. Jurrjens has experienced some success at the major league level previously with Atlanta. His career high in wins is 14, set back in 2009. Recently, he has endured some injuries and was not brought back after the 2012 season in Atlanta.
This was an example of yet another low risk roster addition by Dan Duquette. Jurrjens can eat innings and showed previous potential to pitch effectively. He is still ONLY 26 years old. He should slot in as the possible fourth or fifth starter in the Orioles 2013 starting rotation. This signing also most likely takes the Orioles out of the running to re-sign last season's postseason hero, Joe Saunders.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Showalter Extending His Stay in Baltimore
It is not a done deal yet, but it looks as though manager, Buck Showalter, will be signed to a contract extension some time in the near future. It has been rumored that it will be for three years. This is an excellent move for the Orioles. I think Buck fits the Orioles perfectly. Ask anyone who has ever played for or against Buck, you get the same comment. He is one of the most detail-oriented and best prepared managers in the game today. For a fairly young team; or at least young core, I'd rather have that, as opposed to some drill sergeant in the dugout.
All of that is before even mentioning that Showalter turned an abysmal team from 2011 into the Wild Card winning Orioles we all got to enjoy in 2012. Baseball pundits say that part of that was luck, especially since it's widely known that Baltimore plays in arguably the most competitive division in baseball. The powerhouse teams in this division make it that much harder to succeed, having to play each of them 18 times a year. I think a great bit of our success in 2012 came from Showalter's magnificent use of the bullpen to hold all those one run leads. He made all the right switches; trusting his players to deliver, which they did. The Orioles roster had good players, but Buck did the best with what was considered mostly average players. For that, he deserves all the credit in the world. Each player put forth his best effort in contributing to what has now become a winning mentality in Baltimore.
The Orioles finished with the ONLY winning record and playoff appearance since the 1997 season in 2012. The record switched from an embarrassing 69-93 in 2011 to the reverse. The term "Orioles Magic" is occasionally thrown around in conversations today, and for the first time in a long time, I think we have it.....in Buck Showalter! Kudos to Peter Angelos for making every effort to keep this intact.
The Buck STAYS here....in Baltimore!
All of that is before even mentioning that Showalter turned an abysmal team from 2011 into the Wild Card winning Orioles we all got to enjoy in 2012. Baseball pundits say that part of that was luck, especially since it's widely known that Baltimore plays in arguably the most competitive division in baseball. The powerhouse teams in this division make it that much harder to succeed, having to play each of them 18 times a year. I think a great bit of our success in 2012 came from Showalter's magnificent use of the bullpen to hold all those one run leads. He made all the right switches; trusting his players to deliver, which they did. The Orioles roster had good players, but Buck did the best with what was considered mostly average players. For that, he deserves all the credit in the world. Each player put forth his best effort in contributing to what has now become a winning mentality in Baltimore.
The Orioles finished with the ONLY winning record and playoff appearance since the 1997 season in 2012. The record switched from an embarrassing 69-93 in 2011 to the reverse. The term "Orioles Magic" is occasionally thrown around in conversations today, and for the first time in a long time, I think we have it.....in Buck Showalter! Kudos to Peter Angelos for making every effort to keep this intact.
The Buck STAYS here....in Baltimore!
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