How bad are the Baltimore Orioles this season? One unnamed MLB scout did not pull punches in his assessment of the team.
With the Baltimore Orioles being in sell mode, their games will be a hot item for MLB scouts, at least for the next few games. Manny Machado and Zach Britton may be gone, but the Orioles still have pieces to sell. With contenders circling around the carcass of Baltimore’s 2018 campaign like vultures waiting to feast, they are a vital draw for scouting departments.
And yet, given how putrid the Orioles have been, not every scout has enjoyed the assignment. One unnamed MLB scout did not pull any punches when discussing the Orioles brand of baseball recently.
An #MLB scout on the 29-73 #Orioles: "I watched them for a couple of nights, and I was hoping I'd either get hit on the head by a foul ball or struck by lightning.''
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 26, 2018
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We all fantasize about ways that we can get out of work. Maybe the power goes out, or traffic is bad enough where there just is no getting in to the office. However, there are few of us, if many, that contemplate grievous bodily harm to avoid going to work. Getting hit in the head by a foul ball or being struck by lightning? That’s a bit extreme.
Of course, one could understand the plight that this scout faced. Yes, he gets to watch baseball, but this is bad baseball. Adam Jones can only hit once in a lineup. Watching the likes of Chris Davis, Austin Wynns, and Tim Beckham flail away to little avail, or seeing Alex Cobb, David Hess, and Tanner Scott getting beaten night after night can be tiring. There is just so much a scout can take, even if it is their job to watch these games.
There are reasons to watch Baltimore over the coming days. Jones, as well as Jonathan Schoop, Brad Brach, and potentially Mychal Givens, could all be moved by the end of the month. But what then? Aside from watching to get an idea of what their teams will be facing, is there much of a reason for a scout to watch these games? The Orioles do not have much on the roster that appears to be major league caliber.
The Baltimore Orioles have been tough to watch this season. They are even tough to watch for a major league scout.