Quote (tuckerblair89 @ Feb 1 2012 06:23pm)

but they have never seemed to have been *I never seemed to have been fondling with myself reading this*

lol that line never made sense when i was writing it but i was lazy and never changed it.
i figured everyone would just skip that part and go to stats LOL

Quote (Wine @ Feb 1 2012 06:27pm)

I do a lot of editing, so I tend to catch things pretty easily.
I liked this article though; you justify your points with metrics (That I am clueless about...) and of course physical identifiers by mentioning his size a lot.

Keep it up bro

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Adam Jones: Comparison To Competition

Postby TuckerBlair89 » February 1st, 2012, 8:14 pm
Adam Jones is probably the Orioles' most recognized player in the national media. He now has a Gold Glove and an All Star Appearance to his name. But is he really all that he is made out to be?

-CF had 21 qualifying players at it's position.
-Some guys such as Josh Hamilton and John Jay did not play the entire 2011 season in CF, but I still counted them as qualifiers.

Here are Jones' stats and where he ranks off the 21 qualifying CF:


As seen above:
Jones is middle of the pack in PA, Doubles, K%, BABIP, wOBA, and WAR.
Jones is below the pack in BB%, and FLD
Jones is above the pack in HR, and SLG%

It's pretty evident that while Jones packs some power with his game, he also lacks the patience and on-base skills to truly put him on the level with players such as Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Kemp, and Andrew McCutchen.
Even though Jones come off just as average based off the above rankings, it is important to remember that there are only 21 qualifiers. Based off the total league achievements, Jones is above average.

2012 will be a very important year for Jones. Can he take his game to the next level? Can he improve his patience and on-base skills enough to dramatically change his stats?

If Jones can do any of the above, he could be in line for a huge pay-day from the Orioles. He could also be a trade target if the Orioles deem him unnecessary of a new contract

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Orioles Sign LHP Casey Fossum

Tweet
By: Tucker Blair 
Published: February 1, 2012 10:32 pm

The Orioles have signed LHP Casey Fossum to a minor league deal, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

Fossum, 34, has not pitched in the majors since 2009 with the Mets. He has a career record of 40-53 with a 5.45 ERA, 1.517 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, and a 7.0 K/9.

Fossum posted an 0-4 record with a 6.56 ERA, and a 1.738 WHIP in 35.2 innings for the Mets AAA team in 2011.

He was drafted in the 7th round of the 1996 draft by the Diamondbacks. Buck Showalter was a part of the team then. He was later drafted by the Red Sox in the 1st round of the 1999 draft. Dan Duquette was their GM at the time.

Quote (tuckerblair89 @ Feb 1 2012 06:54pm)

it was one of my best in my personal opinion.
It's tough to come up with a good gameplan sometimes though.

Quote (Basement @ Feb 1 2012 10:42pm)

About The Author
Tucker Blair - Staff Writer
Tucker joined Orioles Nation in October 2011. He is an Orioles season ticket holder and attends around 30 games a year. Tucker has been blogging about the Orioles for over a year. Email Tucker at tblair@orioles-nation.com.




when did Tucker become famous

Quote (Wine @ Feb 1 2012 10:51pm)

I can imagine. I like your style though.

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Thursday, February 2, 2012
Prospect Watch: Xavier Avery
In the second addition of Prospect Watch, I want to talk about a raw, but talented Outfielder. Xavier Avery has all the physical gifts to be a very good player at the MLB level, but will he ever be able to fully put it all together?

Avery, 22, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft out of Cedar Grove HS (Georgia). At 5'11' 180lbs, he has the prototypical body of a speedster. Stealing bases has always been one of Avery's strengths, as he has stolen 117 bases throughout his four year minor league career. He is widely considered one of the fastest people in the Orioles system, and projects to be an above average fielder as well.

Of course, fielding and base running are not the problem when it comes to Avery. His plate discipline and overall approach are the problem. Avery has a career batting line of .265/.324/.355. While not terrible, it is certainly not the line one would expect when you think of a potential "lead-off" or speedster type of player.

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus had this to say about Avery in his latest prospect ranking:
"Speedster held own in Double-A, but approach is a mess, as is swing."

As you can see, it is widely known that Avery has much work to do before he gains access to the MLB. However, there are some positives to his game. He has never faltered extensively when moved to the next level, and is usually a year behind his competition in terms of age. He has plenty of time to grow still, and it seems that the Orioles are in a position to not rush him with Adam Jones still patrolling CF.
Unfortunately, his career K% of  22.7% in the minors is a telling sign still needs to learn how to stay off the junk and figure out how to hit the off-speed stuff.
Add that with his career BB% of 7.9% and you can get a better picture of why he has trouble getting on base.
After watching him on occasion at AA last season, and from what I saw in the AFL games broadcasted, he still has much work to do in the above areas mentioned.


Overall, Xavier Avery has plenty of upside, but his on-base skills will determine whether he becomes anything more than a 4th OF. He does not have the power(13HR in four seasons), like Adam Jones, to get away with such a high K% and low BB%. Avery will most likely start the 2012 season in AA or AAA, depending on whether the Orioles deem him necessary for the next level. He is certainly a guy to watch in the future though.

*Credit as usual to Fangraphs and Baseball Reference for the statistics*