Question: As a loyal Orioles fan, at this point, I believe they should fire the pitching and hitting coaches. Neither the pitchers nor the hitters are performing like they have in the past. The coaches are there to give advice on what the players need to do to improve. It is not working so either the coaches are not doing that or the players are not doing it. Either way it is time for them to go. I would keep Brandon Hyde for now but would put him on a short leash. Something needs to change now. They can’t get rid of multiple players but coaches can be replaced easier. What do you think? From: John Leach
Answer: John, while the season has gotten off to a disappointing start, it’s still relatively early. The Orioles have played just 24 games, and what I see on the field isn’t inspiring.
Two of the three hitting coaches this year, Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson, are new. Lead coach Cody Asche is in his first year in that role. It’s way too early to think about a change there.
The biggest problem with starting pitching is that the top two starters, Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez, are hurt. Yes, Charlie Morton has been an extreme disappointment, but I’m not sure that can be blamed on pitching coach Drew French and his assistants Mitch Plassmeyer and Ryan Klimek.
Question: As a lifelong IronBirds fan, I’m extremely disappointed that I’m hearing rumors from other media and from fans that Aberdeen will be stripped of their affiliation and get the college draft affiliation from Frederick. Heard anything? From: Stephen Brady
Answer: Stephen, from what I’ve heard and read, the situation in Aberdeen isn’t a positive one, and while I haven’t been following the day-to-day attendance figures, I know that fan interest is down. I always enjoyed going to Frederick, and I was disappointed when the minor league consolidation forced the end of the Keys as an Orioles affiliate, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Frederick return to the Orioles’ fold.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.