I agree with you for the most part, but you were pretty generous to Mora and Roberts and maybe even Guthrie. I think Mora is a D. Roberts is a C+, at best. We were counting on these guys to produce and they really haven't. Roberts' lack of effort really earns a down grade in my view. Guthrie is supposed to be the ace. Maybe that's an unfair expectation, but it's the expectation. As an ace he's no C. Koji is probably a D too. We've won two games that he started. I don't know how he can be rated higher than Rich Hill. I also don't think Reimold really should be graded higher than Jones. I know Reimold's expectations are lower, but not by that much. Reimold has tailed off just as much as Jones has. All in all a pretty accurate assessment though.

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Pete's reply: The Reimold grade is based on him being a rookie and an early callup. It wasn't really meant to be a comparison with anyone else on the team.

Nice job. Someone had to do it. Overall, as an Orioles fan, it is tough not to love these guys and appreciate what they are dong. That was sort of your guiding light. I may agree or disagree with one or two, but you got it roughly right ....as an O's fan.

Having said that, the Orioles are in last place and sadly, not getting the job done relative to the competition. With all the grades having been posted, the result is still the same. Yes, it is a tough division and it might be better somewhere else, but that is not an acceptable defense. We are in the AL East - that is good and that is hard.

I sincerely hope that this is a legit rebuilding year. The position player side is VERY GOOD. The outfield is fantastic and the infield is decent (curiously just the opposite of what we might have said in the recent past). The universal question mark continues to be pitching.... It has been the Orioles historical plus. We definitely need some help in this category.

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Pete's reply: Agreed. I think MacPhail will audition Tillman soon and the O's will start next spring with a ton of young talent with a chance to be in the rotation, but I would still favor a veteran No. 1 or No. 2 to take some of the pressure off those prospects.

I should just ignore replying to this posting because regardless of how hard i try we will never agree on what value brian roberts has to this team.While i give you credit for giving nick a b- for not really living up to his power numbers you gave brian roberts a b which i feel is very generous.See pete just looking at his stats doesn't really factor into why i feel he is a disappointment to this team. Regardless if he is not a vocal leader, he still is the longest tenured oriole besides melvin, and there are way to many times that his body lanuage sends the wrong message to the younger players on this team. I still will take heat on the fact that i know in my heart he doesn't want to play on this team and would relish the chance to play on a contender, something that completley alludes you.

Overall I agree with your assessments, but I would give Guthrie, B Rob, Huff, and Markakis all lower marks for the first half. Them and Mora have all underachieved so far this season and hope they pick it up the 2nd half. I still think with the call up of Tillman this team has a chance to be a .500 team.

Terpfan,
Wins and losses are a terrible way to evaluate pitchers. Koji's grade from Pete was a C and to me that's just too low. He has a decent era at 4.05 but, sorry to drop an advanced stat, his FIP or fielding independent pitching mark is 3.53. FIP is a much better look at a pitchers performance than ERA and a 3.53 mark is outstanding. He also has the best strikeout to walk ratio on the team at 4.00. He was the O's best starter for a good chunk of the season and who knows how often he was pitching hurt? On top of all this he's an mlb rookie and doesn't speak english. He's at least a B if not a B+ to me and I think he belongs back in the rotation when he returns. This is assuming he is healthy enough to start. He is a very good 4-5 starter with some upside and I look forward to seeing him pitch again, this season or next.

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Pete's reply: JD, I agree that Koji's performance on the mound was better than a C, if you only look at it from a pure statistical standpoint. But I don't think you can take the injury situation completely out of play. I gave him a C because he pitched well while he was out there, but I think his lack of durability plays into the grade some. I'm not blaming him for being hurt, but it does factor into the equation.

Pretty fair assessment. I only had a few I disagreed with.
I thought Mora should have a D. Not only his power outage but his lack of run production has been terrible as well.
Wiggy I thought a C. He has been hitting well lately but those double plays and fist pitch pop-ups he had has cost the O's many a rally, and probably a few games.
I would have given Hendrickson a B-. He has pitched pretty damn well since being relegated to the bullpen. But if you count an F as a starter and an A or B as reliever, then I could see a C.
Hopefully all these players performances go up the 2nd half. Might be hard though, the O's September schedule is pretty damn brutal.

Peter,
I think I have an idea of what you're trying to get at with Nick's assessment, but I don't really get what you mean by "..power numbers have been in subtle decline.."

I understand that a Markakis evaluation can only be based on a sampling of years, and it can go in either direction to be called a fullblown trend. So it's a little tricky to predict anything with any certainty with him, but his final HR totals have been 16, 23, 20 during the previous 3 seasons. His SLG has been going up every season. And uncannily, he hits exactly 14 HRs in one of the halves of every season. Usually it's after a slow start. If the same happens this season, he's right at the same HR rate, a final total of 22.

That being said, I do agree that Nick doesn't exactly seem like the same patient budding star this season as in previous seasons so far. He is hitting at a lower SLG rate right now. He seems to be pressing more and chasing pitches he'd never swing at last year. If anything we're used to hearing whispers that he's taking too much. It isn't out of range from a good month to go back to career norms though. I don't think we can think of him as a young pretender just being exposed after 3 strong years in, and, he's too young to be in decline now. Nick looks like he just needs to relax and be himself. Though even if this ends up being one of those seasons that becomes a "lost" year, for any strange number of reasons, I wouldn't panic. It happens.

Personally, the one major difference between this season and previous ones is that it's the only one he started the season in the #3 hole. At this point, he is being asked to be "The Man." There is no Tejada, or triumverate of veteran established guys behind him to swap places with. He's being asked to be the #3 hole hitter from start to finish. Would this have anything to do with him pressing?

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Pete's reply: If I was guessing, and it's just a guess, I think both Markakis and Roberts have been affected by the major life changes that they've gone through this year. Nick got married and had his first child. Brian got married. I know that they got a bunch of money, too, but I really think they're just adjusting to having more than baseball to worry about.

Pete

I'm with on almost all the grades and my only changes would be two slight downgrades...a B for Jim Johnson---his sinker and control have not been what they were last year AND Melvin Mora a C- his fielding has been good, but his throws are erracti and his baserunning God-awful. Both of those factors have caused major problems at inopertune times.

I'd have to agree with most of the others regarding Roberts. He is doing well in HRs and RBIs (8/42) compared to the last 2 full season totals (12/57 and 9/57) but the rest of his game is off.

Average and onbase is down (273/339 vs 290/378) and his fielding is very poor. Seven errors at the break, in all his prior years playing 2B full time his season high was 9. Add in some lack of hustle and I think a C+ is plenty.

Pete,

You gave Koji the player a C. What grade would you give Koji the situation?

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Pete's reply: That's a complicated question, because I don't think his injuries have hurt the team that much. David Hernandez has done a good job filling in and I'm one of the people who think the global implications of his signing were legit and will pay some dividends in the future. I think I'd also give the situation a C, because the good and bad seem to be in balance.

By situation I'm referring to the broader strategic value his acquisition can bring. If he is always injured are the Orioles being shown in Japan, and if this is the case is he still worth the risk? Further, do the O's have a plan to mitigate this risk, perhaps putting him in the Pen upon his return.

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Pete's reply: I think all of the above. He'll be a very expensive long or setup reliever, but the global aspect probably makes up for some of that in an indirect way through increased marketing on the Pacific Rim. I'm not really sure, however, whether the Orioles get any extra bite out of the MLB marketing pie for the souvenir sales in Japan.

I think Hendrickson deserves a higher grade. He's really held some games together this year and wasn't totally awful as starter.

I agree with some others you are giving too high to Roberts but maybe he will grow into his grade in the second half.

I wish I had you for some classes in school. Maybe I could have avoided those three years in the 3rd grade.

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Pete's reply: Bill, I actually taught at Cal State Fullerton before I came to Baltimore and, looking back, I was probably a bit of a soft touch when it came to grades.

Pete,
That is an interesting comment you make regardin Roberts and Markakis marital status, etc.
We sometimes forget these are human beings (young ones) going through the life changes the rest of us do. We think because they are very rich that they shouldn't be affected.
Sounds like a good article could be had there. You could explore the subject even further and could be a interesting book there.....
I think divorce has had some interesting effects on players careers also if I'm not mistaken.

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Pete's reply: Working title: "The Home Front." Probably taken, however.

Pete,
Good points. We forget that Nick, in spite of being such a mature composed individual, is still a very young man. In any other circumstance your typical 25 yr old might be just starting their first real "responsible" job.

That being said, I still think Nick will more or less end up right around his usual numbers. Even if that's not the case, I personally think he's not quite the type to carry a team all by himself (at least not right now). He's an all-around player with 5-tools but none of those tools really stand out above the rest in a gaudy way. His main asset is that he's good in all areas, and pretty consistent, not a slight thing by any means. I expect his best years to be perhaps 2-3 years from now. If your typical MLB career peak about age 27-33, the fact that we expect him to be a star today says something.

I think all of these guys benefit after they play with each other for a while. Nick's bat will light up once he doesn't have to be the guy every night, by NOT having pitchers single him out as the guy they don't let beat them. In a nut shell, I think that's the adjustment Nick hasn't been able to make just yet. Pitchers are pitching around him in key ABs in games, esp. 3rd or 4th AB late in a game, with runners onbase when the game is on the line. When you are "The Man," instead of taking the walk when they are pitching around him, he wanting to be The Man and chases those balls. Those ABs end up being the ones that get lodged in your memory in losing games.

As a side note, it would be really eery if Nick again hits exactly 14 HRs after the break.

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Pete' s reply: That's why I keep the Twilight Zone theme handy on my Ipod.

It would take several years for the O's to return, a local sports writer wrote. I say 1 or 2 years is the answer - just keep the players together as a team and pay for them. Let 'em "play" together in rain or sun.

id give weiters a lower grade. i would expect he would have trouble adjusting to ML pitching, but his miscues such as the dropped ball at the plate and in the rundown make me think that he is not going to be the star we expect him to be.

and why is Berken pitching the first game back from the break? Guthrie and Bergesen are rested, or are we trying to give them extra rest time also? I would put any of our four other starters out there to start the 2nd half before Berken right now.

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Pete' s reply: I think you're suspicion is correct. They are taking this opportunity to give Bergesen a couple extra days because he's going to end up throwing way, way more innings this year than he ever has.

Schmuck I love your blog and your articles, but you were way too nice on that list. Here is how it realistically should look:

Guthrie: D (based on his role as opening day pitcher / staff ace)

Gregg Zaun: C (not a big deal, but he hasn't done anything to deserve the +)

Mora: D at best. Originally our #5 hitter. Loses points for hitting and defense is average, no way does he get a C.

Wigginton: D+ "good all around players" have an OBP higher than .303, I don't care if it is in a limited role. I also am disappointed that he hasn't really shown a knack for third base.

Felix Pie: D 1 stolen base, caught stealing 3 times, .299 OBP, some bonehead plays in the field. No reason to keep him except for potential upside by seasons end, but he didn't show it first half of the year.

I dunno Pete, I'd reconsider.

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Pete' s reply: It's too late for me to reconsider, but I did the grades to spark this kind of conversation, so I'm glad you chimed in.

Schmuck I love your blog and your articles, but you were way too nice on that list. Here is how it realistically should look:

Guthrie: D (based on his role as opening day pitcher / staff ace)

Gregg Zaun: C (not a big deal, but he hasn't done anything to deserve the +)

Mora: D at best. Originally our #5 hitter. Loses points for hitting and defense is average, no way does he get a C.

Wigginton: D+ "good all around players" have an OBP higher than .303, I don't care if it is in a limited role. I also am disappointed that he hasn't really shown a knack for third base.

Felix Pie: D 1 stolen base, caught stealing 3 times, .299 OBP, some bonehead plays in the field. No reason to keep him except for potential upside by seasons end, but he didn't show it first half of the year.

I dunno Pete, I'd reconsider.

I think it would take a few years for the Os to return to being perrenially competitive..but, as long as the general arc is upwards, it will be exciting to watch. The next great Os team may be 5+ years from now, but along the way we may get to watch some legitimately great young players who turn into the great players of that future team. If a ballclub has hope and talented youth, it is always redeeming.

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Pete' s reply: I think that's a good way to look at it, but I'm not so sure they can't compete a lot sooner. Remember, other teams have competitive arcs, too, so they might be able to pass a couple of teams on their way down. It's probably too much to hope that the Yankees collapse with that payroll every year, but nobody else is invincible.

Just wondering, have you graded players based on their capabilities and/or the club's expectations of them, or are you grading every player on the same scale?

I read "Grades are based on performance relative to each individual's role on the Orioles' roster," and I can't help but think that a guy like Oscar Salazar deserves an A+, and a guy like Jeremy Guthrie gets a grade like Jason Berken. Salazar is not jsut hitting the cover off the ball, he's doing it in tremendously irregular at-bats. He's overperformed for his role on this team, and well above a B+. Guthrie, on the hand, has underperformed very badly. His role isn't just to give the Orioles a chance to win, it's to go deep into games and provide constency in an uncertain rotation. He's consistently gone 5-6 innings, while giving up many home runs.

On a regular report card, you'd give Guthrie and Salazar somewhat similar grades because of their value to the team at their present playing levels, but as far as fulfilling their roles and meeting expectations, Salazar has Guthrie beat by more than just a letter-and-a-half.

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Pete' s reply: I think you can make the case that Salazar, based on my own explanation of the rating criteria, should get an A, but I'm not sure that's fair to Guthrie. Maybe I'm breaking my own rules, but I didn't judge Guthrie in comparison to Roy Halladay. He was the ace only by where he showed up in the rotation. He was never advertised by the team as a marquee starting pitcher. Based on his ability and development, I think he has been only a mild disappointment.

Pitching=D

Hitting=C+

Defense=C-

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Pete's reply: I didn't do any cumulative grades, but I'll do that now:

Pitching: C- -- The closer, setup guy and Baez have been real good overall and the young pitchers have -- in total -- well exceeded expectations. The veteran starters, overall, have been a definite disappointment, even considering that a couple of them came with no expectations.

Hitting: B -- Last place team that ranks in the upper half of offensive ratings in most categories. Can't call that average.

Defense: C+ -- I think people only remember the errors and stupid plays. Overall, this is a decent defensive team.

Baserunning: D- -- I'm guessing it improves in the second half, but a real trouble spot.

Pete, thanks for doing the grades, as I know I hounded you to do them. I agree with most of your grades, but I would've graded Guthrie at a C- and Brain at B- . I was glad to see Luke, Bergy and George, all score high grades because those three guys, are clearly the best hitter, starting pitcher and reliever on this team for the 1st half of the year.

Pete, what are your grades for Dave and Andy? I would grade Dave at a C- and Andy, gets an A- in my book.

The first half of season is kaput and, with it, the pre-All Star roster moves. Hernandez is about to be called back to pitch against the Chisox. That makes a 26 man roster. Somethings got to give. Someone's got to go (back to the minors and through waivers). My guess is Salazar. He's 30/31 years old and career minor leaguer who might slip through unnoticed again this time. Any guess Pete?

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Pete's reply: I think Hernandez will pitch in the following series, not against the White Sox. My guess on the roster is that Andy makes some kind of deal to move somebody off the roster. Frankly, I hope it's not Salazar, though I'm not overvalueing him. I just think he has brought a great attitude to the O's bench and is performing really well right now.

Pete, Nice job I agree with most. Really Roberts has been sick for a month, so I would keep him there. Pie, I give an F to for the part of the first half when he was a starter, a C to as a back up. So I guess I would go with a d-.

I disagree with some of the blog guys on Mora, his defense has saved some rune, yes he is not producing runs like he is capable of, and if he does not start producing I agree that option will be an issue for 2010.

Funny how you say Andy will audition Tillman soon. Earl would never let that happen, he would look at what he had in the spring and if call ups were needed, he would work with his guys. I do not think Dave had much to say about Pie being a starter at the front end of the first half, is that a safe assumption?

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Pete's reply: Yes, I think it is, but remember that Dave is not Earl, so he wouldn't be expected to have Earl's juice in the organization. This is Andy's show. Everybody knows that.

Hi Pete, Sorry about the double post the sun website is having issues this morning.

I also do not like the four days off.. But then again, it may be good for the players that are banged up, or sick.

The Orioles could use a veteran pitcher. But not too expensive - someone with maybe a bit of an injury history, left-handed preferably, who's used to the role of staff ace on a less-than-successful club. Doesn't have to be a clubhouse leader, just take the ball, throw 7 innings or so, and win 3 out of every 5 outings.

I do believe there's someone in Seattle whose contract runs out this winter who fits the bill perfectly.

Sign Erik Bedard!

And yes, I'm totally serious.

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Pete's reply: I've got no problem with that, but somebody who could win three of every five starts would be a 20-game winner, based on 33 or 34 starts in a season.

I just love the fact that you mentioned that maybe being married and having additional responsibilities have affected both brian and nick. What a joke. I was 21 years old with 2 babies 14 months apart working 2 jobs and going to the university of baltimore getting a degree and i never let those called responsibilies affect me. Pete i know my dad would be turning over in his grave if he read that. These are professional ball players making millions of dollars doing something that every poster on here wish they could be doing and yet you find every excuse in the book for them not to perform the way they are expected to perform. I thought you were a little more old school then that pete.

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Pete's reply: Just trying to analyze the situation, not judge it. I suspect that in your situation, with all that responsibility, you weren't 100 percent focused on your job 24/7, but fortunately, there weren't 40,000 people sitting in bleachers around you judging your every move.

I agree on Bedard. How crazy would that be, trade him away for Jones, Sherrill and Tillman then get him back when you need him again. I think Andy might file that under s for "steal."

That said, I'm not sure who the other front line starter FAs will be this offseason. Any names that you know of that come to mind?

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Pete's reply: John Lackey, but I'm guessing he'll sign with the Angels or Rangers,

Peter, you are a kind man. Let me know the next class that you're teaching. I like your grading scale for a last place team.
http://joelbiebersblog.joelbieber.com/

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Pete's reply: Remember, I said in the disclaimer that I wasn't judging the players relative to players on other teams or even teammates, only relative to their particular role and how well they performed relative to the expectations for them.

Hey Pete,

What do you think the chances are of the O's signing Bedard in the offseason. If not Bedard, I think they definitely need to bring in someone (a veteran "#1 guy" - which we do not really have). Who do you think they could bring in? Great blog, thanks.

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Pete's reply: You know, I doubt Andy would make a strong play for Bedard, because of his apparent lack of durability, but if he wants to come back here and the club doesn't have to spend $90 million, I'd be in favor of it.

Why is Berken starting Fri.? There can be no logical reason. Bergeson on his normal rest after another gem makes sense to me.
I'd give Salazar an A and Pie an Incomplete. I know they've faced an inordinate number of left handed starters, but i'd have to guess he's started one game in the last month plus. And he had two hits. His avg since 6/1 is probably over .400.

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Pete's reply: I think it sense to give Bergesen the extra rest. He's going to pitch way more innings than he ever has this year. I don't see the significance of Friday vs. Sunday. It's not Opening Day. I think Bergesen probably will still make the same number of starts in the second half, though I haven't plotted out the rest of the season.

Pretty generous grades for a last-place team. That said, it's a difficult task as it depends on whether you're grading relative to expectations or not, which the Orioles were careful to set low.

Did I miss it or did you grade Trembley? I would give him a C-: his "respect for the game" has not been evident in the players' many miscues and lack of fundamentals. Either the manager is not getting his message across or the players are not as good as their grades would indicate.

I would give MacPhail a B+: it finally appears that there is a method to the madness that has been afflicting this franchise for the past 12 seasons.
I expect this team to have a better 2nd half than 1st, so I'll be grading accordingly.

This Jeff Zebriec dude from the Sun should be fired. What a moron!

I read his article where is says "Despite last-place showing, MacPhail's rebuilding plan seems to be working"

Really!!!! If the plan was to look like a Single A team coached by a 5 year old, perhaps the plan his working.

They're in last place. There is more questions than answers about the pitching. Everyone on the team needs to be sent down to the minors to learn the fundamentals, including the manager.

Let's face it. This is the big leagues. These guys are supposed to take the field every night expecting to get nothing less than a win. Don't tell me that we know we are going to struggle and not win this year.

Yes, if the PLAN was to be in last place they have achieved it, but things like that are not GOALS. They are called miserable failures.

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Pete's reply: Nice, way to see the forest for the trees. This team used be run just the way you would run it...from 1998-2007.

Hey Slugger,

Welcome back. Glad you enjoyed the first half so much.

The team has gotten a lot younger, they are 40-48 with a young rotation, young everyday players that have talent. It takes time please be patient.

Pete, I don't generally disagree with you much which may say more about me than you, but I wish you were every college professor I ever dropped a class with. EASY - 2 D's. You make these guys look like the '27 Yankees.

Peter: You may not have a choice in this matter, but if so, please don't format articles such that I have to click through many pages to read them. I'm glad there is a one-page alternative here.

Companies assume everyone has a super-fast connection. Not yet.

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Pete's reply: That's why I also put up the link for the single page. The photo galleries are done that way, for obvious reasons, because there are individual photos...and also because it certainly doesn't hurt web traffic.

Hi Cbcoach,

You're a glass half full guy. I personally don't care about the 40-48 record. I would not care about a 48-40 record.

Baseball is a competitive sport. If your competition, the Boston Redsox, are 14 game in front of you and on pace to be 28-30 games ahead of you by the end of the season, I don't even care if we are 500 or better.

You have to step on the field with the attitude that you're playing to go the World Series. Anything less is unacceptable.

Winning is something that the Orioles organization and most O's fans have given up on.

How would you feel if the Ravens or whoever you're football team is, said that their goal is to develop talent, and be happy with 500?

Pete, I'm mostly in agreement with you, but here are a few exceptions:

Sherrill over Johnson--There's no way the two should have the same grade; Georgie was dominant for most of the first half and much more deserving an All-Star roster spot than J.J., who though very good, had stretches where his sinker left him. I'd keep Johnson's grade where you have it, but bump up Sherrill a half a grade.

Izturis over Andino--Yes, Robert filled in very nicely and offensively they were close, though Cesar out hit him .258 to .228 and seemed to be getting into the swing of things before his last injury, while Andino was slumping. The real difference though was on the bases: Izturis was the team's most consistent base stealer with nine SB in nine attempts, while his backup was caught three times in five attempts.

B-Roberts--Minor quibble, but I'd give Brian a B+ to A-. I don't know who some of your readers have been watching to want to grade him a C, but what we've seen has been pretty much vintage Brian Roberts. He's second in the league in doubles and should end the year with 50-60, and is on pace to score 100+ runs and steal 30+ bases. My only gripe is that he needs to get his average/OBP up in the second half. I think he often is getting graded against hims past seasons, while a better evaluation is probably to let the stats speak for themselves (as shown next with Jeremy Guthrie).

Guthrie--Your most generous grade (at least among front line players). Look, I like Jeremy, too, but let's not let feelings get in the way of the brutal truth here. For starters, he's 6-8 (and probably lucky it isn't worse) with a 5.35 ERA, an ugly, not-so-ace-like 1.43 WHIP and his 20 HR allowed is second worst in the AL, trailing the Angel's Joe Saunders by just one in that dubious statistic. So I don't think we even need to look at what our expectations for Jeremy were going into the year. Just look at it this way, Pete, imagine someone handed you his stats, didn't tell you it was and asked you for a grade. Are you going to give the unknown pitcher a C? I seriously doubt it. The good news is that Guthrie has another 15 or so starts to put his season back on track.

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Pete's reply: I'll give you the 5.35 ERA but not the record, since the quality of the team obviously factors into that.

Slugger,

Is it really your contention that for the O's to be in a rebuilding phase is unacceptable?
Every season should be approached with a "win now" attitude (at any cost)?
Or is it that they just shouldn't admit to it?

Hi Jeff,

My point is that you don't have to get paid like the Yankees or the Redsox to play like them.

You don't rebuild in the majors. These guys have played baseball their entire lives. They should be ready to win the World Series when they come to the majors. The minors are for building/rebuilding last time I checked.

The hated Yankees have won 25+ championships, not solely because they spend money, but because they expect to win it every year. They are professionals and they go about it with a winning attitude.

Although there is still a ways to the seasons end, i can't wait for you to start focusing on the ravens,don't get nearly as frustrated.

Pete, We're talking a (very generous) C- to a ( more realistic) D+ tops for Guthrie and you know it. I think what you're doing is like a teacher who subconsciously says to himself when grading a normally top student who's been slipping , "Well, he's a former Honor Student so I can't (won't?) grade his as low as his performance really deserves."

At least that's how it looks.

I agree that the record is somewhat out of the pitcher's hands, but to be perfectly honest, most of his losses were due to bad pitching and nothing else. He's started 18 games this season and I bet you can count on one hand the times he's an outing that was a truly above average start, one that reminds you of why the Orioles have had such high hopes for him.

Reality check: Jeremy's 5.35 ERA for the first half is four percentage points higher than Mark Hendrickson's career mark as a starter, 26 points higher than Daniel Cabrera's, but far worse, a whopping 146 points higher than his own career ERA coming into this season. That's a D in anyone's grade book.

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Pete's reply: I guess I'm just too nice. I think he's been put in a difficult situation and hasn't handled it well. But I doubt anybody would have argued with a D+.

Pete, I want to see Jeremy succeed and I believe he will succeed. One thing occurred to me just now that allows for a bit of a grading curve and that's the World Baseball Classic. I really think that set him back and he still hasn't gotten on track.

(I think they need to get rid of the WBC for cases like this. American players are the ones who seem to suffer most, because they're just getting back into playing shape, while many Latinos have been playing in winter leagues. Also, players need to be with their teams--I remember Rick Kranitz bemoaning the fact that Jeremy wasn't in camp, and now I see why. Bottom line: There is really no good time of the year for Americans to play, but the games could be played in the winter in the southern U.S. and other places with warm weather. I doubt if too many players would appreciate the MLB forcing its way into their off-season like that, and they'd be right to complain. It's time to retire the WBC.)

I think Guthrie has the resolve and the wits to fight through this and get back to where he should be. I refuse to believe that the past two years were a mirage, but he's got to figure out how to keep from getting lit up, because those homers are killing him.

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Pete's reply: I wouldn't be surprised if the WBC contributed to his poor first half, but there's no way to really quantify that. Others who played in it are doing okay. I'm also not a fan of the WBC, but we're going to be outvoted on that.

Pete, I agree it can't be quantified, but I'd love to take a look at the regular season stats for players who participated in the WBC. I'm sure you're right that some of them are faring well, but I doubt that Guthrie's the only one who seems to be negatively effected.

I remember that this same issue was raised by after the first WBC, but Bud Selig is not to be denied. I think it may be shelved eventually, but not on his watch.

My last post should have read "negatively affected."

Slugger,

I think every fan wants their team to win. Sometimes you have to sit back and wait for the horses to come to age. That is where we are right now. The future looks bright, but the now is a challenge. If it was as simple as one or two veteran players added to put the club over the top that would be great, but most of us know that is not the case. You could always find out if Marty Cordova, Steve Traschel, David Segui, Jay Gibbons and all the others that were carrying the Orioles to losing records for ten years.

The fact is they are YOUNG, HUNGRY, ATHLETIC and have BASEBALL TOOLS but at the MLB level it takes time, and I think that most people are supporting it. I give them a lot of credit, for not giving Freel the playing time, recognizing Hendrickson is a relief pitcher, taking Pie out of the everyday line up and bringing up all the young guys. That is what you as a fan should be fine with.

Slugger, you make no sense. How is this team rebuilding through the Major Leagues? The last time I checked the majority of our front line prospects since Andy has taken over are still in the minor leagues. But apparently to you, rebuilding in the minor leagues means when a prospect comes up, they automatically become Albert Pujols. Tampa Bay played with essentially the same roster the year before they won the AL East. They were a 90 loss team that year. Kazmir, Sonnenstine, Upton, Pena, Shields, Garza were all on that team. Were they rebuilding through the major leagues?

Correction, Garza wasn't on the team then. Sorry

"Pete's reply: If I was guessing, and it's just a guess, I think both Markakis and Roberts have been affected by the major life changes that they've gone through this year. Nick got married and had his first child. Brian got married. I know that they got a bunch of money, too, but I really think they're just adjusting to having more than baseball to worry about."

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Everyone is different, but when most couples get married or have their first child, its usually a great time and not an excuse for performance at work. Especially when only one parent works and the financial situation is not an issue.

Peter- I thought you were fair with your grades but they were incomplete. Do you have a thought what grades you would give the GM, manager and coaching staff? My thoughts- McPhail gets an B minus. We talk alot of the players in the minors. Did he draft any of them? He did get Pie and Eaton. Trembley- B. I like most of his in game decisions. It is a shame that he doesn't have a bullpen to work with. Crowley- A minus. I like our offense except Melvin. The Crow's work shows. Kranitz- C. I am not seeing him make a difference. Do you?

Pete,

I agree with you on 23 of 26 players. I'm not sure how Berken gets a D+ and Guthrie gets a C when Guthrie was expected to be the anchor and the ace of this rotation, and Berken was not even expected. I would have reversed those grades based on what the expectations were going into the year. As for Sherrill, A- is way too high. Although he has changed for the better from the month of April, he still puts too many base runners on and nibbles way too much. I would give him a B- only because of his success rate. Otherwise, I enjoyed your insights.