All along I've figured the O's were not finished signing pitchers to take to camp. Now I think they are. Not that I would mind if they got someone with a bit more solid ML resume, but there should be enough guys in camp to make for a reasonable competition. Let's just hope it's at a higher level than how things shook out the second half of last year.

Dam, MacPhail is really getting good at signing rejects. Pretty soon he'll be in Flanagan's class.

It might be hard to root for him, I wasn't a fan of his the first time around.

Oh, kinda funny that the story yesterday was the gNats picking a lot of ex-O's, Toronto has picked up a few as well right? I know they're rumored to be one of the teams to sign Millar.

What I recall of John Parrish's first go round with the Orioles, he tried to pitch through pain on a few occasions and had a lot of walks to show for it. He was also pretty effective coming into jams and getting the big outs but shaky when called on to start an inning with a lead.

He is a competitor with a nasty slider. I hope he is fit, shows some good stuff in ST, and makes the club.

Now we have two lefties with control issues. I hope that both can overcome it. Nice guy hope he does well.

Pete: Looper coming?

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Don't believe so.

If for no other reason, you have to root for him because in that picture, he looks like Shia LeBouf after about 3 years in a correctional facility. That look on his face means trouble for anyone not rooting him. We need some intensity like that in our pitchers!

Pete, We can use all the pitching we can get. Everybody keeps talking about how the bullpen is an O's strength. I see a bunch of guys with sore arms, coming off surgery and rehab, a closer with an ERA over 4.00 who isn't really a closer, and no replacement for C. Bradford and his miniscule ERA. By the way, who did we get for him? He was one of the reasons the Rays won the pennant. Sure glad we could help out a division rival in their time of need.

At this point, anyone who can reach home plate from the pitchers mound is a good acquisition. And, who knows, maybe we catch lightning in a bottle.

Nice addition. I'd rather have Parrish than Brian Burres. Funny how that works out.

I do believe we are making some progress here, Bird people. It's kind of like shedding your dirty, old skin. Underneath looks a whole lot cleaner and brighter... at least while its new.

Hope he makes it but his age and record don't portend that he will be much help!

Normally such an acquisition could not even legitimately called news. It would belong on that little fine print section on the inside of the section generally called "Transactions".

But those stats out of Triple-A Syracuse from last season are simply amazing.

I wonder if Parrish is actually reaching his prime or learning how to pitch or some such nonsense. Usually, 31 years is far too old to be reaching one's prime, and clearly if he doesn't know how to pitch by now, he never will.

Yet how else can those stats from last summer be explained? Incredibly, this "transaction" might actually turn out to be a good pickup.

Would love to see Parrish make the rotation.

The O's have never won a World Series without a JP in their rotation.

Pete,

Now that the O's have Pie in LF, Freel can play 2B, Wigginton can play 1B which would move Huff back to DH, what would be the chances of the O's trading Scott, Roberts and Sherril (with Ray resuming his closer role) to the Padres for Peavy.

Peavy wants to stay in NL.
Pete thinks Looper is not coming. So what's the rotation going to be? It'll be an interesting spring training. Anyone want to guess on how many losses this year? I'm saying 90+. Probably 94.

Randy Johnson did not figure it out till the age of 29:

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=116615&statType=2

not sure the link will work, but Randy , in 1993 at age 29 finally dropped his Walks below 100 and went 19-8, the rest is domination for the most part.

Age 31 is not the end of a career in baseball. Not saying he is the next Randy, but he had a good year at AAA in Toronto. Take a chance and see what happens. He is not to old.

NIce to see John Parrish back. Him and Hendrickson are our closest to being hometown guys. Parrish/Lancaster, Pa. and Hendrickson/York/Pa.
This will have to do till Brandon Erbe comes along. He's from Severna Park, right?

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Owings Mills.

Bill Veeck used to trade a washed up shortstop for somebody else's washed up shortstop (I think Willy Miranda for Foster Castleman, at one point) just to make the fans think the club was moving forward. Some of these deals seem like that to me. I'm not opposed to anything that shakes up the roster of a pretty bad team like the '08 O's, but I'm not sure how much real value a Parrish, Freel, et.al. really bring. At least, Spring Training is more interesting, if for no other reason than having to learn all these new names and faces.

If Parrish is no longer 'consistently inconsistent' as his AAA numbers may indicate......however, didn't he come in relief @ the 5th or 6th for Toronto against us late last summer w/ no control and we rocked him hard? None the less , with 1) all the calculated risk acquisitions that Andy has made, 2) hopefully recouped injured pitchers and 3) talented, young arms; there's no way they can all come up 'snake eyes' is there?

Pete,

Hello from Belgium! had to check in once while travelling for business. looks like the O's have been busy in the my 3 days away and really looks like all moves with good potential. Cold, rainy and dreary here, but the Beer is out of this world! With this beer, it might be a good place to come back to when the season hits that long hot summer stretch, I think it could make me forget the loss count!

...............................................................................................
Pete's reply: I think you're right. Last year at Camden Yards, it seemed like about 30,000 people a night were in Belgium.

Everytime I thought MacPhail has done his Off-Season moves , he spun around another move after another .
Pete: Did you know if MacPhail was reading your blogs ?

John Parrish's return ? Well , it is a MINOR league deal , he is a lefty , he coming off a decent year off Toronto's Major and AAA teams .
What did the O's have to lose , right ?
Furthermore , I want to see our pitchers EARN their spots , not by DEFAULT . Now thats progress !

Was he a FA or did Tor release him? I'm wondering why they didn't have more interest after his year in AAA for them.

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: He is a six-year guy, so I guess he was a free agent.

Did they let him wear his Jays hat for the prison photo?

Pete. . .saw your comment stating you don't Looper will end up here.

Why? Are the O's really trying to sign him?

He'd be an excellent addition to the staff.

............................................................................................
Pete's reply: He is telling everyone that he wants to play in the NL.

1) It's Chorye Spoone who is from Anne Arundel County, Pasadena, actually.

2) Why do people keep asking what we got for Bradford? We've been told the O's got cash considerations, not to mention not being on the hook for the rest of his contract.

3) Why is picking up Parrish with a minor league contract a problem. If Penn and/or Pauley don't pan out and get released and Parrish looks good in the spring, why wouldn't we want a 31 year old lefty with experience in the majors as an option?

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: The cash consideration for Bradford apparently was the waiver price.

Wasn't it Parrish who struck out Knobloch, Williams and Jeter in a start for the Orioles in his ML debut seven or eight years ago?

(Then, after the game, Mussina told him to make the media wait before he talked to them).

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: It's been a long time. I don't recall the Mussina part.

Different topic: I was about to mock that wire-service story about Jay Gibbons not finding an MLB job because of steroids. But then I looked up his minor-league stats last year. He hit .312/.348/.541 for Milwaukeee's AAA team, very solid numbers. I'm surprised the Brewers didn't call him up in September as a pinch-hitter.
Why is it, then, that Gibbons gets lumped in with the steroid "villains" while Andy Pettitte, for example, gets a free ride?

...............................................................................................
Pete's reply: I don't think Gibbons has been lumped in with the steroid villains, but I do think the game is more forgiving of the ones who are still marquee-caliber players.

I think AM is doing a fine job. Our top pitching prospects will not be start the season in the rotation until 2011. Arrieta, Matusz, and Tillman are all projected top of the rotation starters. Why not take 4 or 5 low to no risk guys, throw them at the wall and see who sticks for this season. Maybe you find a diamond in the rough. Whether it's Hill, Pauley, Henrickson, Parrish, Waters, Penn or any other guy, we just need to get through 2009 & 2010 anyway.

Lets look at the positives, our offense for the next 10 years seems to be coming together with Wieters, Markakis, Jones, Pie, Snyder, Riemold, and hopefully BRob. That could be 7 of 9 pieces. Maybe it finally clicks for Rowell (only 20) or add an FA or 2, and we could be legitimate contenders in 2011.

This Orange Kool-Aid is delicious.

One reason why Looper would like to stay in the NL is that he likes to hit (.254 BA last season in 63 AB).

Peter, perhaps you, or one of the commenters, can educate me a little. The names of pitchers, Pauley and Penn, are frequently put forth as two of the possible starters for this season. I've seen Pauley pitch in two games last season and was not impressed. What is Penn's upside?

............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Penn was a big prospect here, but has had terrible injury luck. Not fragile, just unlucky. I'm not terribly famliar with Pauley, but his great Triple-A numbers at Pawtucket obviously have turned some heads.

"Randy Johnson did not figure it out till the age of 29"

Doug -

Randy Johnson won 39 games, recorded a sub-league average ERA three years in a row and posted back-to-back 200+ strike out seasons before he turned 29.

1993 was his first great season, but I would say Johnson "figured it out" before then...

Doug M . -
While I try to see your point , as Llyod Bentsen told Dan Quayle your'e no Jack Kennedy . And just as Pete Schmuck is no H.L. Mencken {that's for you pete :) }. John Parrish is no Randy Johnson.

...........................................................................................
Pete's reply: You are correct on all counts.