masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgToday we revisit a few topics recently discussed on the blog. Time to address them further and discuss them further.
Skipping levels on the farm: We recently looked at the possibility of players skipping levels in the farm system for the 2021 season. Without any games to track player performance or for players to use to make progress during 2020, how will the organization place minor league players next year? Do they just send them to the level they would have begun at in 2020?
No, not…

Today we revisit a few topics recently discussed on the blog. Time to address them further and discuss them further.

Skipping levels on the farm: We recently looked at the possibility of players skipping levels in the farm system for the 2021 season. Without any games to track player performance or for players to use to make progress during 2020, how will the organization place minor league players next year? Do they just send them to the level they would have begun at in 2020?

No, not necessarily. Some players, for various reasons, may skip a level.

“It’s going to be a case-by-case basis,” said Matt Blood, the Orioles’ director of player development, in this entry. “But there are definitely players that made jumps this year and are ready for a challenge. I feel like our philosophy is, we want to continue to challenge players. We want to put them in environments where they are challenged. And if they have already surpassed, in our evaluation, a certain level, we want to move them to the next level so they are continually building skills.”

This story also includes a Zoom video with Blood. Are the O’s right to be aggressive with some player placements moving forward?

Lot of questions: Yes, there are questions to be answered about the 2021 O’s roster. Such as, in this entry, the question of who will play shortstop now that José Iglesias is gone. This is probably the most intriguing question facing the team. Birdland is rather curious.

Iglesias made only 22 starts at short during the 60-game season, but the Orioles played .500 ball (11-11) in those games. Iglesias played strong defense when he was on the field and hit .373/.400/.556.

So who is up next at short?

Thumbnail image for Cobb-Brings-White-sidebar.jpgWhat’s next for Cobb?: He is entering the last year of a four-year deal with the Orioles and it makes some sense that they will try to trade right-hander Alex Cobb either before or during the season.

But in a recent Zoom interview, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias made it sound like Cobb is not going anywhere.

“First of all, he’s serving a very important role on our team stabilizing our rotation with the young guys, mentoring the young guys, and we’re planning on keeping him all year and would be thrilled if he contributed and is healthy again like he was last year and stabilized the entire rotation that way,” Elias said early this month.

Check out more in this entry.

In 2020, Cobb went 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA. But he gave up 56 percent of his season total earned runs allowed (14 of 25) in three starts. In the other seven, he allowed two earned runs or less each time.

Will he still be an Oriole after the 2020 trade deadline?