Orioles fashion, the quiet greatness of Mullins, and where to see the top prospects.
Good morning Birdland,
As Orioles fans, we were spoiled with the opening week of the season this year. Because the O’s began the year in Toronto, a stadium with a retractable roof, they did not need to build a rain date into their plans. So their first off day of the year came on Tuesday, after playing five whole games. If that’s not evidence for why every new stadium should have a retractable roof, I’m not sure what is.
The Orioles are back in action tonight, however, and they will have to face the newly paid Garrett Crochet. It was reported yesterday that Crochet and the Red Sox had agreed to a six-year, $170 million extension that begins next season. It includes an opt out after the 2030 season and has escalators based on how Crochet finishes in Cy Young voting. There is not a no trade clause, but there is a $2 million bonus if Crochet is dealt at any point.
It was likely that Crochet would get an extension from Boston at some point. The pitcher made that a requirement of any trade he was involved in last year. So when he was acquired for a decent prospect haul in the offseason, one would have to assumed that the acquiring team was ready to pony up some cash as well. Perhaps that is why the Orioles never got particularly close to bringing Crochet themselves.
Now, I know nothing about Crochet. He’s probably a lovely person, and he is obviously a talented player. But he plays for the Red Sox now, which means he must be destroyed on the baseball field. If the Orioles could achieve that in the same week that he gets a ton of money from the team, it would feel pretty great!
We’ll just have to see how it all shakes out. Zach Eflin takes the mound at 6:35 tonight to get things underway from Camden Yards.
Links
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Roch includes a note that Cedric Mullins is only the fifth player to debut this century with 80 home runs and 125 stolen bases in his first 700 career games. It has been a rocky road for him to get to those 700 games, but he feels like a seriously underrated player in the grand scheme, but he?
The Orioles are trying to revive a decade-old fashion trend: ‘We’re bringing it back’ | The Baltimore Banner
Finally, the deep dive on the Orioles’ Phiten necklaces that the people demanded. I’m about the same age as Ryan O’Hearn, and like him I remember most kids in high school baseball wearing these things. Now, did the pseudo science they claimed actually work? No. But did they look cool as heck? Also, no. The goofiness of these is what makes them even more endearing.
Here’s where O’s top prospects are expected to start season | MLB Pipeline
A nice little run down of where and when you can see some of the Orioles’ most notable youngsters. For me, I’m most interested in the 2024 draft picks. They only got a taste of pro ball last year, and it’s tough to draw any conclusions from that. This season will be the big test.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Pete Incaviglia turns 61 today. The outfielder played parts of two seasons with the Orioles between 1996 and ‘97.
- The late Gordon Jones (b. 1930, d. 1994) was born on this day. He pitched in 32 total games for the Orioles between 1960 and ‘61.
- It’s a posthumous celebration for Art Ceccarelli (b. 1930, d. 2012) as well. The southpaw tossed 58 innings for the 1957 O’s.
- The departed Bobby Ávila (b. 1924, d. 2004) was also born on this day. His 11-season MLB career included a 20-game stint as an infielder with the 1959 Orioles.
This day in O’s history
1976 – The Orioles pull off a big trade with the Athletics. Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman end up Baltimore while Don Baylor, Mike Torrez, and Paul Mitchell head to Oakland in the swap.
2003 – Former Orioles infielder Todd Zeile becomes the first player to hit a home run for 10 different major league teams when he smacks a round-tripper in his first at-bat as a Yankee. Before the year is out he will join the Expos, and make it 11 teams.