As the Orioles begin their offseason retooling efforts, there?s a perception that they will open the pocketbook and spend freely on at least one big bat, preferably someone who plays first base or left field. It?s nice to have run-producers in your lineup, but a simple perusal of the league stats for the 2006 season reveals the club?s most pressing need: Pitching.
You can throw the word “potential” and names like Bedard, Cabrera, Loewen and Penn at me all day, but the numbers speak for themselves:
Orioles? pitchers gave up the most home runs in the American League ? 216.
Orioles? pitchers issued the second-most walks in the AL ? 613.
Orioles? pitchers gave up the second-most earned runs in the AL ? 843.
Orioles? pitchers allowed the fourth-most hits in the AL ? 1,579.
I don?t think for a second that Leo Mazzone left his smarts behind in Atlanta, but the contrast between his first full season there and his first full season here could not be any starker.
Mazzone took over the Atlanta staff in June 1990 when Bobby Cox took over from Russ Nixon as manager. His four principal starting pitchers were John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Charlie Leibrandt and Steve Avery. The Braves that season finished with a team ERA of 4.58, rock-bottom worst in the National League. They allowed the most hits and issued the most walks.
There was nothing to suggest that they?d be in the playoffs the very next year, yet in 1991 ? Mazzone?s first full season, including spring training, as the big league pitching coach ? the Braves jumped to third-best in ERA in the NL, first in fewest hits allowed and fifth in fewest walks allowed with the same four principal starters. Smoltz, Avery and Glavine were all 25 or under; Leibrandt was the veteran at 34.
When the Orioles signed Mazzone last winter to replace Ray Miller as pitching coach, it was assumed by many to be the key to the offseason.
The Orioles spun their marketing campaign around Mazzone?s arrival ? in retrospect, a mistake ? and the fans, including the owner, figured the improvement would be remarkable. Given Mazzone?s Atlanta resume and longstanding relationship with manager Sam Perlozzo, who could blame them?
In Atlanta, Mazzone had the luxury of working with the same four pitchers who had started for the Braves the previous year. Similarly here, four of the five arms that composed the 2005 rotation ? Lopez, Chen, Cabrera, Bedard and Ponson ? returned in 2006, with Kris Benson replacing Sir Sidney.
I can?t blame Mazzone for the failures of Lopez and Chen; Rodrigo has never had what anyone would consider an ace?s repertoire, and most pro scouts were skeptical that Chen would ever duplicate his ?05 season. But, for the club?s cumulative ERA to go up nearly 0.8 of a run, and walks and home runs allowed to jump appreciably ? let?s just say it?s not what we expected.
I still think Mazzone is a solid major league pitching coach. In time, 2006 may seem to be an aberration. The raw material he had to work with here was clearly inferior to what he had in Atlanta. Still, it?s results that count, not potential.
Phil Wood has covered baseball in the Washington/Baltimore market for more than 30 years. You can reach him at [email protected].
