Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde each anticipated to carry their end-of-season information conferences underneath totally different circumstances, however, as Elias famous, “sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.”
On the heels of the Orioles’ sweep by the hands of the Texas Rangers within the American League Division Series, Baltimore’s basic supervisor and skipper each spoke with the media Thursday morning to wrap up the 2023 season and sit up for 2024.
Here are 10 takeaways from what they stated.
Elias and Hyde are again for 2024 and ‘100% in’
Elias and Orioles Chairman and CEO John Angelos have each declined to reply specifics about how lengthy the overall supervisor or Hyde are signed for.
Elias as soon as once more declined to supply such particulars, noting he doesn’t consider it’s “beneficial” for the group to take action. However, when requested particularly if he and Hyde could be returning for 2024, Elias laughed and stated, “We’re back next season. I’ll give you that.”
“Me and Brandon, we are 100% in on this,” Elias stated. “We are giving our hearts and souls and minds and quite a bit of experience to this, and I hope that lasts forever.”
The Orioles have many inquiries to reply this offseason — from the lease to arbitration-eligible gamers to free brokers. But who’s main the entrance workplace and workforce aren’t amongst them.
Elias doesn’t need to speak about roster specifics
The season simply ended for Elias, too, and he doesn’t know what the offseason seems to be like. And even when he does, he nonetheless wasn’t answering particular questions concerning the Orioles’ roster.
“I’m going to be kind of boring today with specific positional roster questions,” he stated when requested if the Orioles want a front-of-the-rotation beginning pitcher. “This is very fresh. We just got off a plane. I’ll have probably a lot more to say later.”
Elias, getting into his sixth offseason because the Orioles’ prime govt, was nonetheless requested about whether or not the group views Tyler Wells and DL Hall as starters or relievers, the membership’s 16 arbitration-eligible gamers and different roster-related questions.
“I’m going to plead the fifth again and not talk about specifics with the roster or the offseason,” he stated when requested about Wells and Hall.
The ALDS sweep was formative, but it surely was one small pattern
Elias opened his information convention by placing the blame for the ALDS sweep on himself.
“Any shortcomings that anyone perceives with the 2023 campaign should be directed towards me,” he stated.
But how will he consider the failure that was the three-game playoff sequence with the large success that was his workforce’s 162-game common season?
“I think that we want to overweight our failures when we go and self-reflect over the winter and try to push ourselves to get better,” he stated. “That said, if we’re evaluating players or things like that, I don’t want to get caught up in what they did in a three-game sample. We’re going to weigh it heavily as an organization, but in terms of, like, finite events on the field, there’s much larger samples to draw from.”
Hyde was requested the identical query about how he views the playoffs versus the common season.
“In the world of analytics — there’s big samples and there’s small samples — they tend to long at the big sample,” Hyde stated with a smile. “So, three games is kind of a small sample. It’s also a first experience for a lot of those guys and we’re going to evaluate everything going forward, we just got our teeth kicked in, so we’re still wearing it.”
Hyde is ‘still pissed’ about playoff loss
Like his gamers Tuesday, Hyde on Thursday was each unhappy at how the season ended however eager for the longer term. He twice stated he was “still pissed” about how his membership’s magical season ended.
“I’ll watch,” Hyde stated when requested if he’ll watch the rest of the MLB postseason. “I’m gonna watch a little differently this year, I’m gonna watch a little irritated, to be honest with you. Still irritated, still frustrated, still pissed.”
He was later requested about probably being named the AL Manager of the Year in November, an award he’ll doubtless win after main the Orioles to 101 wins after the membership misplaced 110 two years in the past. But Hyde isn’t involved about November awards and needs his workforce was nonetheless taking part in.
“That’s nice,” he stated. “I’m still pissed, to be honest with you.”
Hyde, Elias focus on 5-day layoff
The means the MLB postseason has gone has led to loads of discourse about whether or not the present format is truthful for the game’s finest groups.
Of the 4 groups that obtained byes within the wild-card spherical, two have been swept within the ALDS (Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers), one has its backs towards the wall (Atlanta Braves) and one superior to the AL Championship Series (Houston Astros). With the struggles of these groups, particularly the 100-win Dodgers and 101-win Orioles, some have questioned whether or not the five-day layoff is just too lengthy and truly served as an obstacle.
Elias referred to as the dialogue “interesting” however stated he didn’t need to use that as an “excuse.”
“I do not believe that was the difference between us winning or getting swept in the ALDS the way we did,” he stated. “I don’t have a big opinion about it.”
Added Hyde: “Well, I don’t think it helps. Let’s put it that way. … I don’t know what they’re going to do about that. I think it’s a long time.”
Jackson Holliday may make Orioles’ 2024 opening day roster
Underneath the Orioles’ 101-win season is the top-ranked farm system within the sport. Jackson Holliday, who Baseball America ranks as baseball’s prime prospect, climbed from Low-A Delmarva to Triple-A Norfolk in his first full skilled season at simply 19 years previous.
Next season, he’ll not be a young person, and maybe he’ll cease being a minor leaguer, too.
“He didn’t have a full season anywhere because he moved so fast, but he hasn’t been in Triple-A terribly long but he did pretty well,” Elias stated. “I think when you’re 19 and then you’re 20, it’s one year, but that’s a lot of aging and physical development. I can’t wait to see what he looks like in spring training. Look forward to having him there, he’s going to have a chance to make the team.”
John Means’ elbow is OK
Starting pitcher John Means’ elbow, which flared up throughout his simulated sport earlier than the ALDS, is “in good shape,” Elias stated, and the left-hander might be a “full-go” in spring coaching.
Whether Means began considered one of Baltimore’s video games in Texas or got here out of the bullpen, not having the veteran did take a dependable arm out of the Orioles’ pitching employees for the sequence.
“It’s unfortunate, but it happened and it didn’t allow us to have one of our starters go in the bullpen,” Hyde stated.
Team unsure on nearer for 2024
Félix Bautista, who underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction on Monday, will quickly start his rehab on the workforce’s advanced in Sarasota, Florida, Elias stated. The right-hander is predicted to overlook your complete 2024 season and be prepared for 2025 spring coaching.
The Orioles obtained by with out him over the marketing campaign’s last six weeks, however changing him for a whole season received’t be straightforward.
“That is a massive hole,” Elias stated. “We’re going to bring all of our brain power towards answering that question.”
Baltimore is perhaps a lovely vacation spot without spending a dime brokers
Elias wouldn’t decide to a better payroll for 2024, however he did say he hopes the Orioles’ success in 2023 results in extra free brokers seeing Baltimore as a spot to win.
“It’s something that’s really important for me to have a good environment for players,” he stated. “We talk constantly about how best to do that. I think it showed this year. I think our clubhouse was wonderful, a lot of people to credit for that, but we want this to be a great place to play.”
The Orioles entered 2023 with a $60.9 million payroll that ranked twenty ninth of 30 MLB groups, based on Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Elias has but to signal a free agent to a multiyear contract throughout his tenure.
“Everybody from last year was very interested because of the talent we have on our team and what we’re going to look like going forward,” Hyde stated. “I think it’s going to be the same way this year, where people are going to see that they enjoy playing here, this is a fun team to be on and we’re going to win.”
The 2023 season was nonetheless a hit
Despite their disappointment at the way it ended, each Hyde and Elias acknowledged the Orioles’ unprecedented 101-win season was nonetheless worthy of reward.
“The way it ended was awful, it sucked, and we’re wearing that still, but it was a really successful season,” Hyde stated. “Overcoming so many odds and obstacles which might be towards us and so many individuals considering that we weren’t going to be playoff workforce and swiftly we win 101 video games and win the American League East, that claims loads about lots of people within the group, a whole lot of guys in that clubhouse, so I’m actually pleased with that.
“Unfortunately in the postseason, we just didn’t play our best and ran into a little bit of a buzz saw, but I’m going to have great memories of this team.”
Elias has ceaselessly spoken concerning the wealthy baseball custom in Baltimore, and he hopes the workforce’s followers are pleased with what the 2023 workforce completed.
“I hope that the city of Baltimore remembers this group for kind of reminding the world that this is Baltimore and we do baseball here,” he stated.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com