Baltimore Orioles: A Game of “Who Said It, Who Did It?”

Aug 26, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) connects for a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

As we as Baltimore Orioles fans head into the Christmas season with families that gather together and may spend some time playing games, let’s have a little game here on The Baltimore Wire that I will call “Who said it, who did it?”

Maybe you can get your crazy uncle (who is a big baseball fan) to see if he can guess any of these five questions correctly.

Question #1 — Who Said This?

"“I will say that we’re very much in the market still for another starting pitcher and a corner outfielder. We feel we have quality depth in the outfield, but we have a desire for an experienced corner outfielder. And we would like another quality starting pitcher.”"

And this person went on to add in the same interview …

"“I have said in the past that our goal is for our starters to pitch more innings this year. We know the wear and tear and strain that puts on your bullpen. We have to get more innings out of our starters.”"

The first guess would of course be Dan Duquette. Every word there could be said by him, or perhaps by Buck Showalter or someone from the Orioles’ management.

Nope, it was Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore. It is interesting that the World Champions are searching for all of the same component pieces as the Orioles. And in a world where it is so often presumed that a team can only go so far as their rotation will take them, the Royals’ starters were dead last in the American League in innings pitched in 2015.

Question #2 — Who Said This?

"“When you get down to this player, he’s a special kid and special talent. He has every intangible that the really, really good players have. Barring injury, we agreed to terms with a very special player. … I know this kid, I know his intangibles. You know, I think this is a kid that’s not afraid to be really, really good.”"

Maybe the way to set this up is to have you guess who it is referencing. It is an Orioles player. There are two key words in the quote: “barring injury.” Yes, I know. That doesn’t narrow the field too much.

These are the words of Orioles scouting director Joe Jordon at the time that Dylan Bundy was drafted and signed to an unusually high-dollar contract. It can still work out and pay off for the O’s, but that needs to find fruition beginning this season.

Question #3 — Who Was This Said About?

Here are a pair of fan remarks on a comment board after a recent signing was announced. So who was the signing?

"“Start printing yer playoff tickets boyz!” … and … “With [this player] on the roster, can there be any doubt [we] are WORLD SERIES BOUND??? /sarc off.”"

Probably the most annoying fan remark in response to any signing that is less than a top-level acquisition is that of the ubiquitous “start printing the playoff tickets.”

Since Hyun Soo Kim was signed yesterday, perhaps you might think it was about him. Or could it be the recent re-acquiring of L.J. Hoes or Xavier Avery?

Actually it is from outside the Orioles’ organization and relates rather to the Tigers. Last Friday they signed the utility infielder Mike Aviles. And Detroit comment boards looked a lot like what we see in Baltimore written about Duquette and Angelos. Fans were mocking the mediocre signings of multiple small contracts and not landing a Cespedes or Gordon. The feelings of many fans are the same in many places.

Question #4 — Who Accomplished This Feat?

The MLB.com site has some new statistics that were added this past season, tracking some unusual items such as home run distance, exit velocity, average exit velocity, fastest pitches, and average pitch velocity.

Actually, an Orioles player did hit the third-longest home run in MLB in 2015. While you think about who it is, let me tell you that there really aren’t any Orioles very high on the fastest pitches list. Former Oriole reliever Tommy Hunter ranked fairly well. And the Oriole who is the highest is actually Zach Britton.

But back to home run distance … you’d probably guess Chris Davis. But no. And it was not Manny Machado or Adam Jones, and not even that monster hitter Ryan Flaherty.

It was actually Jonathan Schoop, who hit an absolute bomb in Kansas City on August 26^th off Johnny Cueto. It landed 484 feet away (picture above). This was third for distance in MLB; the longest shot was 495 feet by the Cubs’ young third baseman Kris Bryant. The most common name on the long home run list is Giancarlo Stanton.

Question #5 — Who Accomplished This Feat?

Another stat being tracked is that of average launch speed, or exit velocity. This is defined as: dividing the sum of all Exit Velocities by all Batted Ball Events. The MLB.com site says of this: “Attaining a high Exit Velocity is one of a hitter’s primary goals. A hard-hit ball won’t always have a positive result, but the defense has less time to react, so the batter’s chances of reaching base are higher.”

So who on the 2015 Orioles or the current 40-man roster had the highest-ranking number for this statistical category? He was #6 overall in MLB.