Questions about Frederick

[Duke2010]

Seeing how i've never had tha opportunity to see these to play, i was wondering if anyone could answer my questions about Brandon Erbe and Ryan Finan.

First off, just how much off a prospect is Finan? It seems like he has some in his bat as he has hit 26 homers in the last season and a half, so does anyone think that he has the potential to become anything special? I also realize that it isn't all about the bat, so how is his footwork and fielding in general?

Now, about Erbe, can anyone tell me how his velocity is looking. I'm not worried about him, because if you look at his stats, and remove one or two bad starts, then he is actually looking pretty good.

[HoodGuy007]

At best he is a mediocre prospect. I don't think he is going to be anything more than a backup major leaguer at the most. He has some pop, but is a little old for the level.

Compared to last year, Erbe's velocity is down, but he has been working on new pitches as well as mastering his breaking ball. Nothing incredible to report that anyone else hasn't. I would recommend reading AVencill's report abut the first half of the season. You can find it on the front page under Other-

[Duke2010]

Thanks for the help hood. I figured that Erbe had to be developing a change or a more reliable breaking ball since he has probably been to over-relient on his fastball for most of his career, especially in his high school years.

Also, this is probably a dumb question, but is Brandon's last name pronouned
like "Er-Bay" or more like "Urb"?

[PaulFolk]

Also, this is probably a dumb question, but is Brandon's last name pronouned
like "Er-Bay" or more like "Urb"?
I believe it's "ER-bee."

[Jenius]

First off, just how much off a prospect is Finan? It seems like he has some in his bat as he has hit 26 homers in the last season and a half, so does anyone think that he has the potential to become anything special? I also realize that it isn't all about the bat, so how is his footwork and fielding in general?
IMHO, best case scenario for Finan is a poor man's Kevin Millar, but more likely he becomes a AA/AAA organizational guy with a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has performed well but has been too old for each level. I believe Doc Shorebird has indicated he fields 3B well, so that's a plus. I'd like to see him promoted to Bowie before the end of the season, but I don't think the O's view him as a prospect, so a callup seems unlikely.

[Fairfax Bird]

IMHO, best case scenario for Finan is a poor man's Kevin Millar, but more likely he becomes a AA/AAA organizational guy with a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has performed well but has been too old for each level. I believe Doc Shorebird has indicated he fields 3B well, so that's a plus. I'd like to see him promoted to Bowie before the end of the season, but I don't think the O's view him as a prospect, so a callup seems unlikely.

You would think given his age and the fact that Bryan Bass is playing 3B for the Baysox that Finan would move up.

[Hoovedawg]

Right now Finan is definantly the best hitter on the Keys and shows off some major pop in BP. His plays both 1b and 3b. He is above average defensively and has a good throwing arm. He has a good batting eye and is getting on base a .392 clip. Personally if I'm in the O's FO I'd promote him straight up to AAA to see if he can handle it. At age 25 it's now or never for him. If he does well, great, if not then he can play at A or AA next year and just become an orginizational filler

[orioole28]

Right now Finan is definantly the best hitter on the Keys and shows off some major pop in BP. His plays both 1b and 3b. He is above average defensively and has a good throwing arm. He has a good batting eye and is getting on base a .392 clip. Personally if I'm in the O's FO I'd promote him straight up to AAA to see if he can handle it. At age 25 it's now or never for him. If he does well, great, if not then he can play at A or AA next year and just become an orginizational filler

I agree!! He had a good year last year with Delmarva and now he is putting up some good numbers at Frederick. It's time to promote him to Norfolk and see if he is a player!! If he does well, like you said, great!! Give him a chance!!!

[Three Run Homer]

If Jeremy Guthrie has taught the O's anything, it should be that sometimes there are good players who are late bloomers.

Ryan Finan isn't going to be a star, but if he can repeat his success at AA and AAA next year he could be a cheap, reasonable option for the O's at third base for a couple of years until Rowell is (hopefully) ready.

I would say the same about Luis Jiminez, our former 1B/DH prospect who is hitting well at Bowie and who is only 25.

[AVencill]

Finan has made great defensive plays at third base all season long, and also plays first base on occasion (not so much now that Fleisher has started hitting). But Finan has been the go-to guy in the clutch most of the year, as his 44 RBI's coming into the year lead the Keys. As far as to what he projects later down the road, I do agree with many that he could be a backup/DH Millar-type hitter, but he works hard in the cage and has really possessed a hot bat over the past three weeks.

As far as Erbe's velocity, I'll agree with HoodGuy about that its down, but its not down enough that anyone should get concerned. While it is down just a couple MPH (he's still hitting 93-96 routinely) he's not popping it at 95-97 like last season and relying exclusively on his fastball. His breaking pitches still need refinement, but when he brings his A-game like he has several times this season, he's explosive and he's real special.