Diner Question: Do Elias and Hyde make you optimistic about the Orioles?

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• Going into the 2018 season was not a happy experience. It was obvious, to me at least, that the O's did not have what was needed to contend in the AL East, yet they were going to try anyway. I was not looking forward to that. With that in mind, I'm looking forward to seeing what the new look Orioles can do this season. I'm not actually optimistic that the record will result in more wins than losses, but I'm happy to see that at least there's a plan in place. If there's anything to be optimistic about it's that the chances of the O's being as bad as the 2018 version are probably incredibly small, and hopefully they improve just a little in that regard.

  • The Astros lost 106, 107 and 111 in consecutive years and they were not in the division with the Red Sox and Yankees. We have some good (but not great) position prospects in the high
    minors but few if any impact pitchers above A ball. And it is hard to believe we will be signing
    any free agents in next couple of years. So the long term future looks brighter but the short term future looks like several more 100+ loss seasons. Besides the fact the Astros were one of the first MLB teams to clearly tank. So does Elias even want to be better in next couple of years if his goal is the #1 draft pick?

  • Creatively, I don’t know that there’s much real difference between 115 losses and 106, but I get your drift.

  • Victor, I’m thinking that by 2021, enough things can be changed so that they’re measurably better by then.

• Yes

• I`m an O`s fan since birth even now living in southern Pennsylvania the Birds are on in my house every night. I believe some wise choices have been made to lead our club into a more modern approach. I hope all of the Orange and Black will be patient to see where this new direction takes us. I will miss Adam Jones but all good things come to an end. Merry Christmas to all. LP

  • Lprice, I appreciate your thoughts.

• Optimistic for the long term future... yes... with long term being 3 to 5 years. Right now they’re going to have to work with the collection of poor draft choices and, even worse, the cast offs Douchette took in trade for the few actual major league players we had. It’s going to take a long time to develop legitimate major league players through the draft. I totally disagree with VIC’s assessment of what the team’s minor league teams have on their rosters. It’s going to be like starting from scratch. We went through some 50 something players this past year. I’ll bet we go through more this year as they filter through all the chaff Douchette left behind.

  • My hope for 2019, Ekim is that the Orioles are better and that you no longer use the tasteless and vulgar euphemism for Dan Duquette.

    • Rich +100

• The question posed is too simplistic. More like this:

  Am I optimistic that the 2019 (or even 2020 or 2021 Orioles) will be measurably better than the 2017-18 team? - No. Not even a little. And this pleases me. You're not rebuilding if you are not rebuilding.

  Am I optimistic that the new guys have the skills, integelligence and wisdom for a return to contention by the mid 2020s something? - Yes.

  Am I optimistic that any guys now on the 40-man will be key members of those future winning teams? - Not so much.

  • Mark, simple questions usually get the best answers. I think the Orioles can get better a little faster than you think, and I agree with your last assessment. Few of those on the 2018 roster will be around when they next contend.

• Yes they do just wish he has Gausman to lead the staff. Do you know what is going to be fine with the international signing money we got for him? Do you know if stiff Davis is in Sarasota busting his butt or are they trying to get him a new shrink to adjust his meds? Will they let Hyde kelp his beard .

  • Done and keep

  • Bhoffman, I don’t know how much they’ll sorbs if the International Signing Bonus Slot money. Chris Davis is not in Sarasota, yet. If Cashner and Cobb kept their beards, I think Hyde could, too if he wanted to.

• The Elias move was one of the best moves O's have made in a very long time.
  I wish Hyde the best but he was not my top choice.
  However, i rather have Hyde than Buck

  • Phil, I’m sorry the Orioles didn’t interview you. I think their 2019 prospects will provoke a number of relevant questions from you.

• After the 2018 season ended, 2019 wasn’t even in my thought process......and I usually think about baseball 24/7......but the hiring of Elias, Zig, and Hyde have me excited again. I know 2019 is going to be another rough season, but I see hope for the future that I haven’t seen in a long time.

  • Vince, a lot of fans agree with you.

• I think new faces should make fans more confident. That is, new faces that can play. I deeply believe Elias is better equipped for draft day than DD ever was. He’s more into scouting and the numbers game. Of course come June, that draft will set our course.
  Relax Bird fans. Rome took awhile to build, too.

  • PA, 2019 will be challenging, but there are many who agree with you.

• Than when the season ended? No. When the season ended, I knew they would be getting a new GM and manager. I expected they would be people with good reputations and positive press. I expected many employees to be gone and Pet Rock Anderson to be pleasing people. The players tendered and non-tendered were the usual suspects, and dipping into Rule 5 was a given. The new GM said the search for a new manager was wide-open, and the new manager said the search for new coaches was wide-open. I suspected, and still believe and hope, that they had pretty good ideas in advance. Do I think the Orioles will lose 118 or more games next year? Not unless they try, a possibility some have raised. Winning two championships in a row is difficult. Setting two consecutive season records for losses is more rare. Yes, there have been changes, but changes were expected. Until there are changes on the scoreboard, wait and see is my posture.
  Merry Christmas to all!!!

  • Will, I’m eager to see what happens in 2019.

• I am guardedly optimistic that the new management team can turn things around. We have unproven commodities in Elias and Hyde in their new roles. They have both earned the right to assume their roles by paying their dues. Sig Medal will also add some good "genes" to the mix. The task ahead is significant but better with them than continuing with Buck and Dan. It will take some serious "baby steps" to get things started with major and minor league coaches, analytics personnel and scouting. We have to be patient and give it some time. Hang on for the ride!

  • Bobbymac, I’m eager for spring training to get here so that we can see what the team has in store for us.

• I for one am not generally optimistic, I have to have proof before I can believe just about anything. with that being said I am surprisingly optimistic about the future of the team then I thought I would at the end of the season. How could it get any worse? I like the new direction of the organization, it's time to get away from the old Oriole way and get with the times

  • Devo, your tone seems to be a common one these days.

• i am one for hoping so. but that said everything seems to really be dragging on 6 weeks to hire a gm another month to hire a manager. no coaches yet. guessing that could drag into next year. and with rosenthal saying the orioles where the quietest team on trades and free agents at the winter meetings maybe there plan is to wait until after 2019 to start this build. that is if they have a coaching staff hired by then.. lol

  • Gijo, as someone whose job it is to keep an eye on what’s going on, it does take them a while, but things will move quicker in 2019, I think.

• Yes, definitely more optimistic - not because I expect a quick turn-around in a year or two, but because Elias/Hyde finally represent an acknowledgement that the Orioles have been a dysfunctional organization ... notwithstanding the 2012-2016 run, the bottom line is that the Orioles have had an above .500 record only 4 times in the past 21 seasons - clearly, drastic changes were needed

  • Birdman, these changes are certainly drastic and are fascinating to watch.

• More optimistic that the Orioles will perform better in 2019 and beyond with Elias and Sig Mejdal making personnel decisions. I remain a little put off about the Orioles offering a person a job and then denying it two times in a two month time period, I guess this is the way the organization will operate and I am pessimistic about that.

  • Jkneps, this is an entirely new organization, and their way of doing things is similar to how many other teams do things.

    • Okay, then I am put off by not only the Orioles way of "doing things" but also am put off by how many other teams do things, awesome! Thinking of signing off from pro sports altogether...maybe that would be a great New Year's resolution! No more pro sports for jkneps! Yes sirree!

• I’m more optimistic that the Orioles are finally moving in the right direction. 2019 might be painful, but I am hopeful that I see players who play well, hustle, and show that they want to be on a major league roster. Hope always springs eternal! I am looking forward to spring training more this year than in several last years.

  • Cedar, I don’t high have expectations for 2019, but think it will be an interesting one.

• I am definitely more optimistic then I have been since the end of 2017 in Toronto with Britton still sitting in the bullpen. It seems like the manager and GM are in sync for the first time in awhile. I am hopeful that this new way of thinking will permeate itself throughout the entire organization. It will definitely be interesting to see what they do at the minor-league level in terms of new coaching and leadership. However, I do think the biggest change which should give every Oriole fan some degree of optimism is the fact that ownership appears very willing to sit back and allow the baseball people to do their thing. If that happens, then we should reap the rewards much faster then we’re expecting.

  • Papa, that was the end of 2016 for the wild card game. There is a new feel here, and I’m getting used to it, too.

• Optimistic???
  I will be optimistic about this team when I see some talented players “Hustling” to first base on a ground ball up the middle. I will be optimistic when I see talented players who take signs from coaches and play this game with the respect it deserves.
  If all this happens to coincide with the hiring of the two guys mentioned, Great!
  I can take a loss to a much more talented team. I can understand being beaten by a great pitching performance, but optimism dives when the players you have are not held accountable for the “On Field” stuff like we have seen from the more recent version of the O’s... I keep hearing about a shift from the “Orioles Way”.... but when did jogging to first base, and getting away with that ever become part of the Orioles way??? I will always be a fan, and will tune in to see the product. But if the product doesn’t change, neither does my level of optimism

  • You express the thoughts of many, WV.

    • Sorry but a superstar like Manny is going to get away with loafing and the other stuff he did on any team he goes to. I don't agree with it but managers do not bench $30 million players.
      Harper does not always hustle either. Adam Jones always hustled and he got shown the door and has not signed with anyone yet.

• The players became comfortable with Buck. I am hoping that new faces will provide a new spark. I am cautiously optimistic that we will see steady improvement from this club throughout the season as small pieces are added. Hopefully a new pitching coach and new hitting coach can improve on some mechanics and make those players a little bit better. I’ve been watching Chris Davis since his joining of the Orioles, he has changed absolutely nothing about his stance or swing. Hopefully a new hitting coach can correct that. You know great season or another poor season, I’m an Orioles fan for life, still enjoy watching even in the bad years.

  • Upsanddowns, I appreciate your comments.

• Hmmm...optimism...the proof is in the pudding. I’m glad to see Duquette go. So addition by subtraction is optimistic. Although I loved me some Buck, his message became stale, and he played favorites over players that could help produce W’s. I like the Elias hire, as well as Hyde, but I’m cautious with my optimism. These guys are both new to their positions, and have extremely high expectations to fill. I hope that Elias and Hyde can build a winning continuity, and make the Orioles a perennial contender in a tough A.L. East!

  • Mcgooding, patience will be required with this group.

• Sure. When the season ended it was obvious that the current regime would be replaced. Elias and Hyde have convinced that the Orioles will follow the best of the Astros and Cubs models and path to the World Series . In the near term we will endure multiple 100 loss seasons to we win the opportunity to draft top amateur talent upon which to build a successful core of sustainable talent . Brooks said it is almost impossible to lose 115 games, perhaps , but I expect us to come close. Orioles will lose what ever is necessary to gain access to top talent on a continuing basis over the next several years . After that , we will see if Elias and Hyde are better than Jekyll and Hyde. I am optimistic that the Astros/Cubs model will prove to be successful for the Orioles . 2021 will be the 55th Anniversary of the Orioles first World Championship. I expect that to be too soon to be celebrating the Orioles 4th World Championship.

  • Onley, three years sounds ambitious, but I expect them to be better by then.

• It is exciting to start a new era. But, who could be better than Buck? We've had a great run after 14 years in the desert, but just because we have new blood, who's to say what the results will be? I don't see Elias as being all-knowing. I think Dan did a great job bringing in good talent. Too bad Chris Davis turned out the way he did. Sure looked like smart move at the time. He's a great guy but I don't see him turning it around in any big way. I see the O's in last place for many years.

  • Herb, Buck was a terrific manager, and Hyde has a tough act to follow. I think they can be somewhat competitive in three years.

• My optimism comes from the fact that the organization is trying to get better. Successful people have a trail of failures that they learned from and overcame. We learned we have to modernize to compete. We have taken steps to overcome that. I am sure there will be more road blocks and potholes. But as another comment already said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

  Just glad we are at least coming up with a plan to get some rocks we can pile up.

  • Papa, I’m looking forward to seeing what the new regime can accomplish.

• A friend of mine who is a Mets fan pointed out to me that the team didn't even sniff .500 until '69 when they won it all. (Still the greatest fluke in baseball history!) Do I see the Orioles improving in 2019? How could they not? But I think Elias and Hyde are cut of the same cloth; like minded and in sync in thought and process, something Buck and DD were not. Progress will be painful and slow, like watching your child navigate the process of learning to walk. But there will be progress. The "Oriole way" was a template on how to play and learn baseball correctly. It's not dead, it just needs to be refreshed. Would 50 wins be enough improvement? Would 60? ANY improvement will be welcome. Run out ground balls and pop-ups, show you care, and just play solid fundamental baseball. That will show us O's fans the team cares.

• I would be optimistic if I had time for a rebuild. Going into my 40th year as season ticket holder dont know how much longer I can travel from York.