With the third pick in the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Baltimore Orioles select Manny Machado, Shortstop, Brito Miami Private School, Miami Florida.
This should have been a franchise-altering moment. The Orioles had finally acquired their next franchise cornerstone; a box office attraction that teams dream of finding.
BALTIMORE — Less than 72 hours after the Orioles shut out the Houston Astros 4-0, capping off their worst season in franchise history, the club has parted ways with manager Buck Showalter after a tenure of just over eight years.
The Orioles have yet to confirm the move, but multiple sources within the industry close to the situation, including MASN Orioles insider Roch Kubatko, revealed the news on Twitter.
This isn't a surprise, of course. Everyone knew for a while that we were headed here. Only question was whether Buck might take another position in organization. He's flying back to Dallas today #orioles
According to Kubatko, Showalter initially met with Orioles ownership over the weekend and had another conversation today, where he was told he would not return as the team’s manager. The Orioles expressed interest in moving Showalter to a new role within the team, but no agreement was reached and the skipper is leaving Baltimore.
Showalter’s managerial stint with Baltimore began on July 29, 2010 with the Orioles holding an MLB-worst record of 32-73. The Orioles won 34 of 57 games under Showalter to finish out the 2010 season. After going 69-93 in 2011, Showalter and the Orioles finished with a winning record in 2012 for the first time in 14 seasons at 93-69. The O’s finished second in the American League East, earning a trip to Texas for the American League one-game Wild Card Playoff.
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2012 marked the first year that a second Wild Card team made the playoffs. The Orioles made the most of their opportunity, beating the Rangers 5-1 before falling in a five-game divisional series to the Yankees.
In 2014, the Showalter-led Orioles won their first AL East division championship in 17 seasons when the Birds went 96-66, good for the #2 seed in the playoffs. After the Orioles convincingly swept the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS 3-0, the Kansas City Royals got the better of the O’s, sweeping them 4-0 in the ALCS. In the 2014 World Series, the San Francisco Giants topped the Royals after seven games, winning their third championship in six seasons.
The final time the Orioles reached the postseason under Showalter came in 2016 when the Blue Jays edged Baltimore 5-2 in the 2016 AL Wild Card game. The 11-inning affair saw the most controversial decision of Showalter’s time with the O’s, as the skipper elected to not use closer Zach Britton at all in the game. Britton made the 2016 All-Star team and ended the season with an ERA of 0.54. He did not blow a save all season.
Buck Showalter reportedly will not return as the Orioles manager next season.
From 2012-2016, the Orioles posted a 444-366 record (.548), the 4th-best record in MLB and the best record in the AL. pic.twitter.com/Zj41nZueXP
After the 2016 Wild Card game, things started to go downhill for the Orioles. Baltimore held a 22-10 record on May 9, 2017, but since then the Orioles have played to a combined record of 100-192, finishing in last place in the AL East two consecutive times. The roster underwent a complete overhaul this past summer, and franchise cornerstone Adam Jones likely played his last game in Baltimore this past weekend to cap off the departures.
Even though Showalter led the Orioles to more wins than anyone in the American League from 2012-2016, his managerial career with Baltimore ends with a winning percentage of .494 (669-684). Don’t let that statistic tell the full story. Showalter’s presence changed the culture in the Orioles’ locker room and established a winning precedent. He held players accountable, always making them available to talk to the media even after their worst performances. He commanded respect, but never lashed out at a reporter or a fan wanting an autograph. He cared for and respected his players, both on the baseball diamond and in their personal lives.
At 62-years-old, Showalter’s career as a manager is closer to the end than the start. Teams seeking an established manager with a winning attitude could express interest in him, but it’s also possible that Showalter returns to his TV gig as a baseball analyst. It’s worth noting that Showalter has grandchildren, so perhaps some time off at his home in Texas could prove beneficial in the long run, especially after two very challenging seasons in Baltimore.
As for the Orioles, the club has made it known that they want to make their roster younger. Whether the youth movement includes the manager too remains to be seen. Over the summer, Duquette said that the Orioles want to include analytics and technology in their rebuild, so it’s likely that ownership is seeking a younger manager to grow with the team and implement the analytics that Duquette talked about. This opinion can be tossed out the window if the Orioles dismiss Duquette too, but an announcement pertaining to the status of the general manager should be coming soon.
BALTIMORE — Last week, we passed along a Tweet from USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale that said the Orioles plan on dismissing manager Buck Showalter and retaining general manager Dan Duquette after the 2018 season ends. Well, that story may have changed or might not hold any truth. On Friday, a Tweet from ESPN‘s Jerry Crasnick surfaced and told us that the Orioles’ offseason does not look as clear as we thought it did.
The #Orioles haven't talked to Dan Duquette or Buck Showalter about their futures and haven't made a decision on the status of either, sources say. And there's no indication precisely when the Angelos brothers plan to sit down with their GM and manager and make the call.
Obviously, this is not a good sign. If the above is true, the Orioles are waiting until the last second to make two very important decisions that could shape the franchise for years to come. It’s no secret that a large chunk of the Orioles’ fanbase is frustrated and disconnected from the team after what will be the worst season in team history. A detailed, well-thought-out plan should have been agreed upon already to start shifting the Orioles in the right direction, but now it seems like there’s nothing set in stone.
This is a perfect example of not believing anything you see on the internet until the moves the Orioles make become official and public. Even though Crasnick’s Tweet came a week later than Nightengale’s, Nightengale’s words could end up being the more accurate Tweet. Teams don’t often reveal intricate plans until the season is over, so Orioles representatives could be sending mixed signals out to reporters to not show their cards. However, based on how the Orioles have operated in the past, it’s plausible to suspect that the Angelos family doesn’t have a plan yet.
After tomorrow’s 3:05 pm season finale against the Houston Astros at Camden Yards, the pressure is on the Orioles to make the call on the team’s manager and general manager. This decision needs to happen quickly. Announcements need to be made, and the fanbase needs to know what the future holds for the Orioles.
