There are plenty of Orioles fans that have lost faith in the organization. They hear the talks about the future and say it’s the same old talk they heard 11 years ago. Some seem to think that the Orioles are going in circles and getting deeper and deeper into a cycle of losing with no possible way out.
Image Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun
Yesterday, an era came to an end as Hayden Penn was traded from Baltimore to the Florida Marlins for infielder Robert Andino. While on the surface it looks like just another Oriole pitcher who failed to reach Major League potential, it really marked the end of the staff that Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette instilled here in Baltimore.
Ever since Andy MacPhail’s arrival in Baltimore, nearly a year and a half ago, he brought in a lot of talent with Adam Jones, Luke Scott, and George Sherrill (not to mention the young arms in the minors). But MacPhail also has been cleaning up the mess that the former administration left in Baltimore.
David Steele of the Baltimore Sun wrote an excellent piece on Penn’s departure and the end of this era. He believes that building a good rotation has a lot to do with luck. I think that is only partially true.
Penn was supposed to be in the mix with Erik Bedard, Adam Loewen, and Daniel Cabrera. It’s scary to think of how he would have fit into that group. But it was not long ago that O’s fans were eager to see what these young arms had to offer. Now they have all gone their separate ways.
What will the future hold? Will MacPhail’s future rotation hold up better than the previous regime’s? I guess only time will tell.
Penn has talent without a doubt, but so did McDonald, so did Ponson, and so did Cabrera.
You can continue to try and beat it out of a guy in hopes that eventualy he will become great on your watch (or at least good enough to be a regular big league quality starter), or you can move on. McDonald, Ponson, Cabrera, all examples of guys that could shine on thier brightest day, but they never had the consistancy it took to meet thier true potential. And what did we do, we kept hope alive failed start, after failed start thinking that one day, they would make it up to us.
Sorry, you can only cheat me so many times before I’m not askin you out on another date. Penn had his chance, to be honest, he did not perform. He may elsewhere, and if he does I don’t fault McPhail for making the move to go forward without him. Lets give a fresh arm a look in his place instead of just sitting back in hopes that one day the kids performance will match his raw talent. You can waste years doing that, perhaps this is the new tone, perform, or go elsewhere, its a tough line to take, but pro baseball is a tough buisness.
You nailed it Cliff. It’s sad because Penn really did have potential.
I keep hearing about disgruntled fans wanting MacPhail to to bring these guys up to learn in the big leagues. I think it’s all about managing these guys the right way. Daniel Cabrera was a perfect example of rushing talent.
I’m hoping Andy does things the right way. Baseball is a tough business, but I feel confident about the future.