Baltimore Orioles: Colby Rasmus Update, Loss of Stu Miller

Aug 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus (28) gets a single during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It is a scary thing to write an update on a pending situation with a free agent player, as just about the time I finish it and schedule the post for early the next morning, the entire situation might change overnight. So, if you are reading this, it will be accurate up until the minute it is posted online – no promises after that.

Probably the top item on the mind of Baltimore Orioles fans at this moment is the progress on the Colby Rasmus situation. After Buck Showalter met with him over the weekend to assess the workability of his possible addition to the Birds’ clubhouse … well, how did that go?

There is this tweet from Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and the MLB network:

Heard Colby Rasmus came away from the weekend meeting with a very favorable impression of Buck Showalter and the #Orioles.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 5, 2015

As the Church Lady used to say on Saturday Night Live, “Well, isn’t that special?” And if you want some humorous reading, go on Twitter and read the responses – the most common one being, “But what did the Orioles think of him?” I don’t know what to do or say other than to promote trusting Buck’s judgment on this one. Another report on MLBTR.com says that Rasmus has drawn interest and had conversations with the Tampa Bay Rays. The source of this is also Jon Morosi … four hours later:

#Rays have had discussions with free agent Colby Rasmus, source says. They could add outfield bat, especially if they trade Zobrist.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 5, 2015

I suppose this is possible, but the Rays are tighter with money than the Orioles. And though there are more than just a few fine players with the Rays, the competitive situation there cannot be as attractive as with the O’s.

Colby Rasmus makes the Orioles “a Complete Team” — Richard Justice

In a

video report on MLB.com

, Richard Justice goes into some detail to discuss the Rasmus / Orioles possibility. He begins by calling the Orioles the favorites in the AL East due to their quality rotation, clubhouse leadership, players returning from injury, and Buck Showalter’s skills.

Justice goes on to say that Rasmus makes them better – “a complete team.” He talks about Buck’s conversation in getting Colby to understand that it is okay to not play every day … that the Orioles use a 30-man roster or more and rotate people in and out. He described this deal as a good fit and something he expects “will be a good marriage.”

"“There are lots of things worse than being the right fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, even if it is only against right-handed pitching.”"

I’ve softened a bit from my original antagonism to this possible deal. By the numbers alone, Nori Aoki would seem to be the better fit for the Baltimore Orioles. But if Showalter from his frontline observation says it is a “go,” I will become a Colby Rasmus fan and hope his father does not interfere.

Stu Miller Passes Away

Former Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Stu Miller passed away yesterday at the age of 87. I would suspect that most younger readers have never heard his name. Someday, you too will have the same experience I had today … of being totally shocked at the age of someone whom you remember playing when younger.

Stu Miller represents my first memory of an effective relief pitcher. He pitched for four teams, including the Orioles from 1963-1967 near the end of his long career.

In 1965 for the Orioles (at age 37) he compiled a record of 14-7, all in relief. That was not a typo back there in the previous sentence! He was indeed 14-7 out of the bullpen, appearing in 67 games and throwing 119 innings to an ERA of 1.89.

Miller had 100 saves in his five years with the Orioles. And his total ERA was 2.37 over those seasons, while his career ERA was 3.24.

I looked back at the box score of the very first game I attended as a boy on May 2, 1964 and was not at all surprised to see that Stu Miller pitched the scoreless 9^th and 10^th innings in a 13-inning loss of the Orioles that day to the Indians. He had four strikeouts. It also caught my eye that the Cleveland starter that day – Jack Kralick – pitched 11.2 innings!