Mail time with "The Bird's Nest"

From hot dogs’ validity as a sandwich to drawing up the best starting 11 if the Orioles were fielding a soccer team, all bases were covered in Episode 100 of “The Bird’s Nest.” We talked about some baseball, too. 

If you didn’t get the chance to tune in, you can watch the full episode here: https://masn.me/tc1q2qs8 

As we did on the show, let’s start with the fun ones. 

If you both were stranded on an island and could listen to only one album, which one would it be? And is lasagna a casserole?

I have no idea how to pronounce the name of the person that asked this question. Roch? Strange spelling. 

Anyway, my top five came down to Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Jeff Buckley’s Grace, John Denver’s Back Home Again and John Mayer’s Where the Light Is, in no particular order. Mayer’s live album may not count, so Prince’s Purple Rain would take its place. If Mayer’s live album counts, that’s the winner. If not, we’ll go with Pet Sounds. 

To answer the second question: No, lasagna is not a casserole. Lasagna is lasagna. Why do we have to classify everything? A hot dog is a hot dog, too. We don’t need a family, genus and species for everything. 

What's your take on Syracuse not having a baseball program? This is a fact I learned just today, when I realized I couldn't think of any MLB players from your alma mater.

Snow. Baseball in Syracuse would be great, but it makes sense. At least there’s the Syracuse Mets, a club that has produced some relatively notable broadcasters. 

What doesn’t make sense is that Syracuse doesn’t have a men’s ice hockey team, just a club team. The cold doesn’t explain that one away. 

What are your and Annie's thoughts on defensive metrics? How much stock do teams put into them? Baseball Savant has poor Fielding Run Value numbers for many Oriole fielders. Should the O's consider these rates and seek to make changes? Is Holliday an infielder, should Gunnar be moved off of SS?

Starting with the team's stock in those defensive metrics, I don’t think they give much of a hoot. Outside of the front office, we rely on things like outs above average and defensive runs saved to evaluate fielders, along with what we have of the eye test. Clubs’ analytical departments have plenty of information that we are not privy to. Teams certainly have their own way of evaluating players analytically, which reinforces what they get to see every day in games and practice situations. 

Personally, I believe that stats like OAA and DRS are valuable tools. They can aid in providing context for the players you’re evaluating, but you should always be wary of allowing those stats to frame the entire story. 

For example, Gunnar Henderson’s OAA in 2025 is worse than it was in 2024. However, having watched Henderson play a lot of shortstop this year, I’d be confident in saying that he is a better defender this season than last. I’m confident that Henderson and Tony Mansolino would say the same, too. Does that mean that OAA is a flawed statistic? I don’t believe so. But it is an incomplete one, giving importance to combining it with other stats like arm strength, arm value, errors and general player context in order to get a more complete puzzle. 

On Henderson specifically, I don’t see any reason to move him to third base, especially given his improvements. Jackson Holliday was a good enough defensive shortstop to help his draft stock as the first overall selection, and wasn’t moved off of the position because of poor play. The O’s just happened to have a franchise shortstop when he got to the big leagues. 

Holliday is still new to second base. Give him some more time there, and he has all the tools to be great. 

Nate George is the next … 

Great Orioles prospect, Baltimore hopes. 

At just 19, there’s so much projection when trying to evaluate the kind of player that George will become. With track speed, natural athletic gifts, and a batting average hovering around .330 in the lower levels of the minor leagues, it’s easy to dream on the upside. 

If all goes well, George could be an everyday center fielder that will steal a ton of bases and hit for a good average. For now, he’s an incredibly intriguing young prospect and an outstanding athlete working to refine his mechanics on the field. 

If George reaches his massive ceiling, how about a Pirates-era Starling Marte comparison? A .280 hitter that can play gold glove defense and steal 40 bags with 15 home runs. 

Some other names that came to mind were Tommy Pham, a former 16th-round pick, and Myles Straw, a former 12th-rounder that brings outstanding outfield defense. 

Who knows what George will become. But for now, he’s an exciting player with really intriguing upside. 

Plus, he’s a great interview, but more on that soon.