Will Orioles continue with Mike Elias? | MAILBAG

Question: The Rays just stole home on us, and we find exciting new ways to lose every game. This team appears poorly managed. I think firing Craig Albernaz would be awful for the Orioles’ ability to hire a good manager in the future. But who bears responsibility for this hiring mistake?

I think it’s the same guy responsible for the poor roster construction: Mike Elias. Injuries are plaguing this team, but they are foreseeable. So are regressions to the mean. Mike Elias’s vision for this team could only result in success if many improbably fortunate things occurred together. I, along with many other devoted fans, hope Elias is gone before the likely fire sale at the trade deadline. From: Alex Greenspan

Answer: Alex, I’ve gotten many comments critical of Elias. Brooks Slotterback, Douglas Garner, Stan Carter and John Rekas are among those who’ve echoed your thoughts.

Fifty games is far too early to pass judgment on Albernaz. I know fans have been critical of Elias, and he was the one who picked Albernaz.

Making a change now would accomplish only satisfying fans who aren’t pleased with Elias. I can’t see ownership making a move now. If they’re going to make a move, which I think is possible, they’ll likely wait until after the trade deadline.

Question: Recent comments by Mike Bordick and Ben McDonald were critical of the path that the current Orioles administration has taken.

But both are former players. Why haven’t we heard from the players currently on the team? Some are probably buying into the vision but obviously some may not be. Do the players who want to be critical feel some kind of retribution may befall them?  From: Edward Cuneo

Answer: Ed, that’s not what players do or are supposed to do. It’s a rare player who’s outwardly critical of a manager or general manager, and it’s naïve to think that players would be. Fans can be critical of the manager and GM, but please don’t expect  players to be.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.