With the dismissal of two long-time pieces of the decision-making tree in the “old school” mode, the Baltimore Orioles have opened themselves to a likely move to analytical-focused people in the GM and manager seats
With news that the Baltimore Orioles will be looking outside of the organization to fill both their open GM and manager positions, many believe that the Orioles could be primed to make a sweeping, drastic shift into the analytical side of the game.
Former manager Buck Showalter and former GM Dan Duquette were not known for being opposed to analytics in the game. Showalter has been well-known for his embrace of change within the sport throughout his managerial career, which spans over 25 years in the major leagues and four organizations.
With the cleaning out of both the GM and manager position (and likely the removal of most of the coaching staff, with guys like Roger McDowell well-known for an “old school” approach to their job), the Baltimore Orioles could make a big swath into the world of analytics throughout their organization, from the front office, to the major league dugout and coaching staff, all the way down to the minor leagues.
John Wasdin has done a tremendous job structuring the organization’s pitching development program since being hired before the 2017 season, but all the advanced work he does with arms in the minor leagues can only go so far with a major league coaching staff that will then negate the process used to develop that pitcher. Removing Wasdin from his role could be the one move in the organization that would be a significant step backward at this point in adjusting to the modern game.
While Baltimore Orioles fans may have visions of getting a “name” guy in the seat for their front office and manager to lead the team, moving into the modern era in baseball will likely mean a move to a name in both roles that isn’t highly proven in that role. A good example in the front office would be to look at the Minnesota Twins front office hire when they brought in Derek Falvey and Thad Levine to run their front office decisions. Neither was a major name guy around the game when the search began.
While many note the Chris Davis and how bad it is, Davis’ contract is the only thing on the books beyond 2019, which makes the financial and roster situation for the Orioles fairly attractive. Owner Peter Angelos has never been shy in opening the checkbook to support the team when a final piece or two is needed to compete as well. That’s a very positive situation to come into, and could put the Orioles GM role above the Mets for sure in available spots this postseason.
While this may come off as a time of upheaval for their favorite squad, Baltimore Orioles fans should take solace that the Orioles should be able to come out of this offseason with a GM and manager on the same page to build the organization quickly back to a point of competitiveness.