The F16HT of his Life!

Who is Trey Mancini? To me, he's the face of the Baltimore Orioles baseball franchise! Someone that has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is; a real student of the game. Mancini was not a high draft pick by any means; he was drafted in the 8th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft! Mancini made his MLB debut at the of 24 in 2016. Only getting in to 5 games that season, he made a great impression on the Orioles decision makers.

 Fast forward to 2017, the then 25-year old Mancini played 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting for the American League.

A knee injury suffered in 2018 contributed to a difficult season; Mancini himself discusses this in his post on The Players' Tribune.
 

"I went into a massive, three-month slump. My average fell from .284 to .216. I was sure I was getting sent down to Triple A at that point. I was just totally lost.
And then, right before our first game after the All-Star break, my older sister, Katie, sent me a text message that changed everything. She texted me a picture of me playing baseball when I was eight years old. And she said, “You didn’t come this far to only come this far.”"

 Trey Mancini keeps a picture of that message on his phone to this day.  Mancini went on to have a great all around season in 2019 for the Orioles, leading to career bests in most offensive categories! At that point, he had arrived in Charm City.

Then came the news that he had received on March 6; that there was a malignant tumor in his colon. The tumor was removed six days later, on March 12. Orioles star, Trey Mancini was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. No one, whoever you are, wherever you are, EVER wants to hear those words.


Trey is extremely thankful for the team doctors:

"And without the Orioles I never would have caught this before it may have been too late."

Mancini goes on to say,

 "Honestly, I love the Orioles. Our team trainers have been so on top of everything. I am so appreciative for them, and also for the Orioles’ front office and ownership. They have treated me like family. Brooks Robinson called me when I was in the hospital to let me know he was thinking of me and to ask if I needed anything. That was incredible — he’s just an absolute legend in Baltimore.

Really, the support I’ve gotten from everyone has just been unbelievable. It’s given me an appreciation for a lot of things that I’ve always had, but that were getting overlooked as I went about my day-to-day life. Going through something like this had really made me understand all my blessings.

Like the text chain that I’m on with my teammates. We actually have a big team group chat. It’s always been going, but it means even more to me now. I’ve been keeping in touch with them and updating them with everything going on. Those exchanges mean so much to me now. I love those guys."

During COVID-19 especially, having any type of surgery has to be done alone, so Trey's family cannot be there with him during this.  He still plans in staying in baseball shape to the best of his ability, and looks forward to being there in the dugout rooting on his Orioles teammates, when the season does get started.

The Orioles, and the rest of Major League Baseball will be missing one of baseball's great young talents in 2020, but all of Baltimore is here rooting you on and cannot wait to see you back at OPACY!

As your teammates have said, F16HT on Trey Mancini! We will be there waiting to roll out the orange carpet to welcome you back! Get well soon!

When will MLB resume in 2020?

Hey everyone. Being caught in quarantine, I decided to bring back the blog...years later. Like most other baseball fans out there, I'm anxiously awaiting a start to the delayed 2020 baseball season.

Being someone that purchased a ticket for Orioles Opening Day, I miss the feel of being at Camden Yards rooting on the Birds and giving my share of boos for the Yanks!

I've heard rumors of the season possibly being held in Florida & Arizona, MLB doing away with the AL/NL format, and finally, an abbreviated schedule for the season with adjusted playoffs. 

I know that COVID-19 has put everyone's immediate plans on hold, but we as a nation need to do our part to get back to a point where we can enjoy all the luxuries we used to have, i.e. eating out (in an actual restaurant), seeing live sports, and spending time with those near and dear to us. Let the essential workers to their jobs, and please, stay home. People often feel that they are invincible, and those people, usually end up paying the price in the end. Don't become part of a statistic.

This entry was not much for Orioles reporting as it was just stating my personal feelings towards this global pandemic that we are facing. That being said, I wish safety and health to everyone who reads this and their loved ones!

As soon as possible, I hope to be at OPACY ready for a baseball season which will signal a return to normalcy as we know it!

Overhead view of Camden Yards

 Until next time, take care everyone...and back those Birds!

Santana Update

As reported by Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Johan Santana does in fact have an agreement in place with the Orioles, but has not "signed" to make it official as of yet. 

Kubatko goes on to say that if Santana cracks the major league squad at any point in 2014, there is a shot it might be as a member of the bullpen. 

With Santana not having his velocity where it was used to be; he should take whatever chance he can to continue his pitching career, even if that may mean being a reliever.  More on this story as it comes. 

Johan Santana Spotted at Orioles Camp: May Be Nearing Deal!

It is being reported that the Orioles are moving towards a deal with two-time Cy Young award winner, Johan Santana.  Santana has pitched for the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets throughout his career, spanning twelve years in the Major Leagues. 

Santana last pitched in 2012 with the Mets while an injury caused him to miss 2013.  Santana, while healthy, was the premier pitcher in the American League from 2003 - 2007 while with the Twins. Even with the Mets, Santana went 46-34 with a 3.18 ERA.  The biggest Mets memory may be that Santana pitched the first and still ONLY no-hitter in Mets franchise history.

At most, this signing provides depth for the Orioles at the minor league level if it becomes official.  Johan, at this point in his career, should be looking at a minor league deal with an invite to spring training with the Major League team.  His velocity was reported to be around the low 80s during his workout.  This signing could work out quite well for the Orioles if Santana can work his way back to where he used to be, or even close to it.

Orioles Sign Jurrjens

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.

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!

Orioles Offseason

As the Orioles see all the division rivals once again loading up like it's an arms race in the AL East, Dan Duquette and company have been quiet this offseason.  The biggest move(s) we have made include resigning Nate McLouth for $2 million and NOT bringing back former 1B/3B Mark Reynolds. The birds also added Adam Russell and signed Conor Jackson to a minor league deal, neither of which stole the headlines of the Baltimore Sun Sports section.

The Yankees added Kevin Youkilis while Boston added Koji, Victorino, and Dempster. Toronto made two blockbuster trades netting Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle, and R.A. Dickey. Even the Rays made their own trade saying goodbye to "Big Game" James Shields and Wade Davis and getting the Minor League Player of the Year, Will Myers. With every team in "win now" mode, it will be extremely difficult for the Orioles to replicate their 2012 success if they stand pat and make no moves.

Personally, there is one player that I think the Orioles would be complete idiots to not get.  He currently resides a short way down the beltway.  Former Nationals first baseman, Adam LaRoche is sitting out there in free agency.  The Nationals are not willing to go past 2 years in a contract offer for him, so they are currently at a stalemate.  LaRoche provides that middle of the order presence that the O's need while being a plus defensive first baseman.  I read that Duquette was hesitant at the thought of forfeiting a draft pick in order to sign LaRoche.  The way I see it, they have no first baseman on the current roster or in the minors that would get the job done.  Chris Davis, while great offensively, would not be my choice to start at the position come opening day.  I'd much rather him at the DH spot.  It's never great to give up a draft pick, but in this case, it is definitely worth the investment.  The Orioles HAVE the money, time to go spend it.  At worst we have a 3 year investment for $33-36 million for a player that I think would age well and fits Camden Yards perfectly.  All Duquette needs to do is guarantee that third year.  The hole that was left with Reynolds power numbers when he left needs to be filled.

That move, plus one more starter, will reverse my opinion of what has currently been a waste of an offseason.  While I don't implore the team to spend for the hell of spending, I think this would be a wise investment for the franchise.  I don't want to see the team fall back to non-contending like it's been for most of my life.  Signing LaRoche should keep them competitive now and in the next few years.  To me, a move like this is a no-brainer!