Good Players Don't...

... Do exactly what several of the Orioles' stop-gap solutions at key positions did this weekend during a gut-wrenching series loss to the beat-up, light-hitting, cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals.

Exhibit A: George Sherrill: Stopgap Closer. Sherill is 2nd in the American League in saves. Thats neat. But...He has an ERA pushing 4.00. He has allowed 47 baserunners (hits and walks and Hit batsmen) in 35 2/3 innings. Real closers do not allow almost 1 1/2 baserunners per inning. That today's abomination in Washington was only his 4th blown save of the season is indescribably fantastic. Sherrill must have the guardian angel of guardian angels. Somehow, teams have yet to discover the wonders of waiting for Sherrill to hang a curveball, something good closers also do not do very often but something for which Sherrill has a clear penchant. Under no circumstances does someone who has the requisite skill and make-up for closing major league baseball games walk a .260 hitter with 2 outs in a save situation and then hang a breaking ball to a .210 hitter for a game winning homerun. Thats something that washed up starters who are plugging middle relief holes in second division bullpens do.

Sherrill is 30 years old. He is not, therefore, a development project. If the Orioles are serious about rebuilding for the future, Jim Johnson, Dennis Sarfate, or anyone else with a long-term upside would be much better suited for closer-in-training duty than George Sherrill. Why Sherrill, despite his age and the myriad of flaws in his approach on the mound is the closer for a "rebuilding team" is beyond me. He makes a very serviceable reliever. Better than average even. But closer? Spare Us.

Exhibit B: Kevin Millar: Stopgap 1st Baseman. Millar is a likable guy. Great in the clubhouse according to most reports and he has provided a number of clutch hits during his seasons wearing orange and black. But... Millar is hitting under .240. He runs with the swiftness of a rusted Yugo sitting engineless in a rural junkyard. He is a dead pull hitter who
under no circumstances can hit behind a runner or, gasp, sacrifice bunt. When stationed next to first base with a glove on his left hand, Millar is an average first baseman. So average that he was ALWAYS replaced in late innings during the Red Sox title run of 2004 by the slicker-fielding Doug Mientkiewicz. Millar is now 4 years older and no more adept with the leather but still finds himself manning 1st base late in games. He let one through the wickets in extra innings this afternoon which, if facing a team with more than 2 major league caliber hitters, could have cost the Orioles the game.

Millar does not hit for enough power to justify his meager batting average. He does not provide the situational hitting or bat control necessary to justify the lack of serous power and low batting average. Simply put, if an opposing team finds itself situation like transpired today in the top of the 12th inning (runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs, and Millar coming up), their manager can rest easy knowing that unless gifted with mistake thigh-high fastball over the inside 1/3 of the plate, Millar will not, under any conditions, be advancing the runners to 2nd and 3rd or driving them in with a base hit. Millar would make a great platoon guy. Maybe even a good 1st baseman on a team that had 2 or 3 other legit power bats in the lineup. But, for Millar, who is 36, to be the everyday first baseman for a "rebuilding team" is just not right.

Exhibit C: Melvin Mora: Stopgap 3rd baseman. The Tagalog word for cheap is mura. When I was studying that language I remembered mura by telling myself "The Orioles can't afford a real replacement for Cal Ripken so they're settling for Mora cuz he's Mura!" Mora is no longer Mura. Signed through 2009, he is making all-star money while batting well under .250. Mora is now one of the last remaining vestiges of the teams in 2002 and 2003 which, like the every other Orioles team in the past decade, finished 4th and lost more than 90 games. Mora was one of the bright spots on a couple of those awful teams. But, like so many other once above average players who have entrenched themselves in an organization, Mora has now become an albatross around the neck of the Orioles as they try to rebuild, re-tool, and return to contention in the AL East.

Mora is hitting a cool .230. Thats just about 100 points lower than where he was 5 years ago. 100 points that divide an All-Star from a liability. Mora bats behind the franchise's best hitter, Nick Markakis. He is Markakis' protection in the lineup and he's hitting .230. No amount of loyalty to players, thankfulness for his years of hustle and contributions, or any other positive quality that Mora can bring can disguise the simple fact that he bats 3rd, right behind Markakis and is hitting .230. Mora is 36 years old.

Did I mention he's hitting .230?


The reason for this quick analysis of 3 key parts of the Orioles machine is simple: barring a Three Mile Island-style meltdown over the next 2 weeks, the Birds will go into the All-Star Break as one of the surprise stories of the 2008 season. Praise for the MacPhail-led "rebuilding" efforts will flow abundantly from the mouths and pens of the baseball press. To be sure, the first half of 2008 has exceeded expectations by more than leaps and bounds. For the first time years the Orioles are providing the Baltimore baseball fans with a product worth supporting. But, lets not congratulate the front office on successfully throwing off the shackles of the "stop gap mentality" just yet. The 2008 Orioles, like the last 10 Orioles teams, are still sticking fingers in leaks rather than rebuilding their boat.

I will continue to root for the Orioles. I will continue to pay to see them play. And I hope that all of the players named above go on hot streaks as soon as i have clicked the "publish post" button at the bottom of my screen. But, when the time comes that an Orioles team is once again playing in a World Series and I stand in line to buy my tickets for the long-awaited event, I will buy a ticket for anyone reading this if the Orioles team which reaches the World Series still has Millar at 1st, Mora at 3rd, or George Sherrill at the back end of the bullpen.

Consider that a promise.