Randolph and Jordan Not Returning in 2012

Boy are we going to see a ton of changes to the Orioles next season.

We all know the big one: Andy MacPhail will not be returning as the President of Baseball Operations. This is huge. The front office is now in a state of flux as we do not have a general manager right now. The announcement has yet to come and fans are starting to panic. Obviously, someone will be named Andy’s replacement but who? No one knows and it may be a while before we find out. The Orioles don’t seem to be in any sort of rush.

Two other people have been confirmed to not be returning next year. The first came last week when Joe Jordan, the Orioles former scouting director, took a job with the Phillies. He’s been with the O’s since 2004 and has drafted Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Dylan Bundy, and Manny Machado. However, I’m happy to see him go. Scouting and player development are at the heart of the Orioles problems. If we can’t get our minor league guys to turn out to be good players then we’ll never have another winning season. It all starts with scouting and player development. I have no idea who’s going to take his spot and I’m sure once the announcement is made, I’ll have no idea who the guy is. But I welcome the change of pace and the new face because we sure as hell need it.

The second guy to be leaving is third-base coach Willie Randolph. His contract expires this year and he will not be offered an extension. He was hired on a one-year deal as a bench coach but moved to third to accommodate John Russell and his knee injuries. He was the manager of the Mets from 2005 to 2008 and wants another managerial position. Russell is still under contract and will most likely take his old position as third base coach.

Randolph didn’t do much for me. His biggest success here has been the development of Robert Andino who has made great strides this season, is one of my favorite players, and killed Papelbon- twice.