RDT's 2017 First Half Report Card For the Baltimore Orioles Infielders and Outfielders
Thank god the first half is over for the Birds. It started out glorious, 22-10 through their first 32 games, but jesus christ did they lose it after that. They went 20-36 to finish out the year and are now 42-46 in fourth place. This is not a report card you want to show to your parents, nothing really to brag about, except for a few guys. Lets dive right into these grades for the infielders and outfielders.
Catcher
Wellington Castillo- Despite making 2 different DL stints, Castillo has been pretty damn good for the Os. 8 homers, 25 driven in, and hitting .258 in 50 games played, he’s been pretty good behind the plate too. He’s thrown out 12/26 guys on the base paths, good for 46%. I think he’s been everything we’ve wanted for a guy who was replacing Matt Wieters as a short rental. B-
Caleb Joseph- After registering the worst offensive season anyone has ever seen last year, .174/0/0 1 testicular injury, Joseph has rebounded in a nice way. 3 homers, 17 RBI, and an average of .286 in 51 games played. Nice to see a backup who plays very good defense, and has suddenly remembered how to hit again. Nice little catching duo in Baltimore. B-
Infield
Chris Davis- This is the Chris Davis we have come to know and hate at times. The Dong Man cometh, 14 homers in 61 games, and The Dong Man strikesout, 95 in 61 games. He was on pace to beat the record for Ks in a season before an Oblique injury shut him down a month ago. He’ll be activated today and slide right back into the starting spot at first, and we know what to expect. Gold Glove caliber D, tons of Ks, streaky home runs, and an average under .230. As all of Baltimore does, I’m hoping Crush can find his old self and give us a 12 homer month like the good old days. C-
Trey Mancini-I’m putting Trey as an infielder, even though he’s played all over. Trey has been unreal this season, even with his cold streak as of late. Imagine if I told you in March that the rookie would be leading the team in average (.312), tied for third in homers (14), and tied for third in RBI (44). He’s been asked to play left, right, and first, and he hasn’t been great anywhere, but he also hasn’t been terrible. He’s had a ton on his plate as a rookie, and forced his way into the lineup everyday due to his hot hitting early. He’s an everyday guy now, and looks to be for a while. Can’t forget to mention his heroics against the Pirates that include homers in the ninth, and the walkoff in extras. He’s just been great to watch this season. Trey, this goes on the fridge. A-
Jonathan Schoop- What a first half for Schoop. He has easily been the O’s best all around player, even if he has had some questionable plays at second, he’s still a stud. At the plate, he’s been pretty unreal too. We knew he was growing, and becoming a better hitter, but now we are seeing results. .295/18/54 homers. Those numbers earned him his first All Star berth, where he had a double and scored the first run for the American League. Schoop is starring a 30/100 season right in the face, and I think he gets there. A
JJ Hardy- Hardy has been, how do you say….not good. The range is all but gone in the field, but he still has a pretty good arm. I’ll still take him starting for his defense, and anything you get at the plate from him is just a bonus. Before he went down with a broken wrist, he was hitting .211 with 21 driven in, and 3 homers. It’s sad to see how much he has fallen off from his 30 homer seasons a few years back, he’s clearly not close to the same player he was. D+
Ruben Tejada/Paul Janish- They’re basically the same guy, and neither have been good. Decent with the glove, and you don’t expect anything at the plate, we don’t want to talk about Janish’s .077 average. They both have taken over for Hardy since he has been out, and neither have really impressed. They’re just here filling the hole until Hardy and Ryan Flaherty get back from their injuries. D-
Manny Machado- Maybe the most underperforming player in baseball this first half, people talked about him as an MVP candidate coming into the year, but he’s been quite the opposite. At the plate he has looked so lost. The power numbers are still there, 18 homers, 47 RBI, and 17 doubles. But other than that, he’s been shit. .230 average with a .296 OBP, he doesn’t even look like the same guy we saw last year, or in the WBC earlier this year. Maybe Chris Sale and the Red Sox trying to take his head off for a month straight had something to do with it? Defensively he’s been on pace with what we are used to seeing, making some unreal plays where he floats into foul ground and throws someone out by 3 steps, but then you also see him get bored and make a bad throw on a routine play. I still expect him to end up around 40 homers, and hopefully bring that average up to .260-.265. This will NOT be a report card that he brings home to momma. I’m not mad, just disappointed. I expected better out of you. D-
Outfield
Adam Jones- Love me some Adam Jones. You know what you’re gonna get with him, and in his 10th year as an Oriole, that hasn’t change. He’s played good defense, plays banged up everyday, and is still producing at the plate, even when he’s getting called racist names in Boston. The numbers of .267/15/40 are about what I’d expect from him in this first half. On pace for the 30/80 numbers he’s always close to. B+
Mark Trumbo- Not the year we were expecting when he re-signed in Baltimore. After leading the league in bombs last year with 41, Trumbo goes into the second half with just 14. He does have 44 driven in, and for a while was the O’s most consistent hitter, leading them in 2-hit games. He’s mostly a DH because he just sucks in the field, which is what we already knew about him. While he’s been disappointing, he’s not been the worst. C
Hyun-Soo Kim- Kim just can’t catch a break. He was good last year for the Birds, but still seemed to be in the doghouse. This season, he just can’t find the field. The emergence of Trey Mancini (when playing outfield) sent Kim to the bench because Buck REFUSES to play him against lefties. He’s played in 51 games, but only has 118 at-bats. The flash of power we saw last year is all but gone, 1 homer and 9 RBI, and his average has dipped to under .230, but his OBP is still over .300. He just can’t get consistent at-bats, and when he does start for a few games in a row, he’ll get taken out late as a defensive replacement. Oh Kim, I wanted this to work out so well, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was traded before the deadline. D+
Seth Smith- I was on record as saying I wasn’t expecting anything really from Smith coming into the season, but I think I was wrong? 9 homers and 20 RBI from the leadoff spot a majority of the time, he even has 5 leadoff homers. He’s not the typical leadoff guy, but when was the last time the O’s have a guy who was one of those leadoff hitters? The average isn’t what you want from a leadoff guy, .259, but the OBP is what you would like to see, .329. He isn’t special in the field, and has made some boneheaded plays. But we know what he’s here for, to get on base. B-
Joey Rickard- I’m so mixed on Rickard. He doesn’t do anything very well, but he isn’t shitty at anything either. He’s an above average fielder and makes some nice catches when needed, and he isn’t the worst hitter in the world? Not much power, only 3 homers, The .260 average isn’t great, but his OBP is almost at .300, he’s at the bottom of the lineup a majority of the time, so he’s a nice guy to have to flip the lineup over. I’d like to see him hit more consistent this second half, could be a spark plug. C
Craig Gentry- Trash. F++
There is your report card for the Birds infielders and outfielders. Only Schoop, Jones, and Mancini should be happy with their first half. Pitchers and bullpens are next. Come for Mychal Givens’ grade, and stay for Ubaldo Water Trash’s terrible grade.