Tony-OH

It sure did. No wonder he looked so good as a 17-year old. He was really 20-years old. Nice kid though overall. I always liked Eddie and while I would never condone what he did, it was pretty common practice for guys back then and did explain why the Orioles were able to get him. Most teams probably had a pretty good idea he was old since they had bigger presences down in the DR.

I liked Joe Jordan and I do think he really was a good scout, but his misses at the top of his drafts really hurt the farm system and organization as a whole. Now, I don't think they were all his fault since the development system at that time was truly terrible and there was a riff between him and his scouts and that development system that let to the dysfunction. His only true hit was when Manny Machado fell to him with the 3rd overall pick in 2010. Sure you can argue that Matt Wieters (18.3 WAR) was a good selection, but Madison Bumgarner (10th, 37.3 WAR), Jason Heyward (14th, 407 WAR), Rick Porcello (27th, 18.8), Todd Frazier (34th, 25.2 WAR) and Josh Donaldson (48th, 46.8 WAR) all were selected after him in the 1st or supplemental 1st round and produced more WAR over their careers. But up to this time, he spent $5.45 million dollars on Brandon Snyder, Garret Olson, Billy Rowell and Pedro Beato and they combined to put up -3.8 WAR in the majors. Now when you combine that with the Angelos forced selection of Wade Townsend in the absolutely horrid 2004 draft by Tony DeMacio, Nick Markakis' graduation, and really DeMacio's poor drafts overall, plus no real international presence and a terrible development system, and you get one terrible system.

Heasley has above average spin rates on his fastball and curveball, but is coming of a really poor year between AAA and the majors. Had a pretty good slider in 2022 that he ditched to throw the sweeper more last year but the results weren't there. Here's what I wrote about Espinal: 72. Cesar Espinal – RHP (DSL): Repeated the DSL despite playing at 17-years old all season. He's a 6-2 beanpole with a 89-91 MPH fastball and feel for a slider and change. As with a lot of these young pitches in the DSL, the hope is if he fills out there is more velocity in the tanka and with above average command, that makes him works keeping an eye on next year in the FCL. Heasley looks like a depth piece to me who the Orioles will try to reshape a bit. They certainly have had some success with guys like Jorge Lopez, Perez, Baker and Coloumbe. The Orioles have a pretty good track record of finding guys who they be able to fix a bit, and Espinal is a low-ceiling lottery ticket so why not? If Heasley provides some good innings this year the trade should be worth it.

Was it the fact he looks like hard worker, seems like a good guy, has a good looking girlfriend, and squirts cats with water when they get on the counters? What's not to like? Also after looking at his paintings, we know he's not giving up baseball to become an artist!

Matusz may have touched 94 MPH at times, but was consistently 88-92 MPH for most of his career.

Actually, I think Blood is giving his thoughts very clearly that Holliday is not ready for the big leagues yet. I would agree with him. When you add in that right now the orioles have multiple more mature players ready to play his positions, and I think he's going to spend more time in AAA this season then some think. And that's not a bad thing if there's not a need. In the perfect world, Holliday gets the Gunnar treatment and is brought up at the end of August so he's available for a playoff roster if he shows he ready and there's a need. Joey Ortiz is a ahead of him as a plater both offensively and defensively right now. Jordan Westburg is a stronger, more mature hitter right now. Obviously Gunnar is better them all, but you also have to add in Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo into the mix unless moves are made. That's a lot of depth in the infield. Now, could Holliday show up bigger and stronger, have a great start to AAA and force his way to the big leagues before then, sure, that could happen. But I think Blood is on point. He needs to get physically stronger, hit lefties better, and also not hit as many grounders. We the amount of options the Orioles have right now barring any trades, he's heading to AAA to start the year.

Things were starting to get ugly by 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061026184459/http://www.orioleshangout.com/article.asp?ID=677 This top ten shows how Joe Jordan's first two drafts (2005 and 2006) were complete busts outside of his 2nd round selection Nolan Reimold (2005), 3rd rounder Zach Britton (2006) and 16th rounder David Hernandez. Missing on his first two 1st round (Brandon Snyder and Billy Rowell) and 1st round supplemental picks (Garrett Olson and Pedro Beato) really hurt the overall impact talent in the system. Those four combined to put up -3.8 WAR with Rowell of course being a total wash out. The real top 10 based off WAR: (130 ABs and 50 IP min) 1. Zach Britton - (14 WAR) 2. Jim Johnson - (8.3 WAR) 3. David Hernandez (4.7 WAR) 4. Brad Bergesen (2.9 WAR) 5. Nolan Reimold (2.8 WAR) 6. Chris Britton (1.3 WAR) 7. Jeff Fiorentino (0.7 WAR) 8. Brian Burress (0.0 WAR) 9. Jason Berken (-0.1 WAR) t10. Brandon Snyder (-0.1 WAR) t10. Scott Rice (-0.1 WAR) t10. Eddy Rodriguez (-0.1 WAR)

I couldn't even tell that was Kjerstad, but I was like, holy crap that second guy has a quick bat.

And Dan Duquette.

Ha, I still remember seeing Syd in the Bowie press box. He walked behind me and said, "Make up any more lies today?" It's hard to remember exactly what I said back, but it was something along the line of, "What were lies?" and he kept on going. I honestly believe Syd was in the beginning stages of Dementia/Alzheimer's when he was given the job and combined with his healthy ego, it just created a very dysfunctional environment. But it all started at the top, just like it always did. and The crazy thing is we finally got the exact system and GM that did the thing I always thought they needed to do, but it came with a "cone of silence" that has made getting any inside info pretty hard. Losing my press pass was unfortunate after all those year of having one, but I'm happy to give all that up for an organization is such good hands as Mike Elias. BTW, Mike still responds to me if I text him so I don't think it's him.

Awesome. Only two years after I started it so you count is one the OGs.

Ha, it's the offseason and I'm enjoying going through the wayback machine.

I know you are only half being serious here, but I'd definitely argue Snyder, Loewen and even Scott Rice better major league careers than Fiorentino because they lasted longer. It's kinda like saying a guy with negative WAR, but a major league career was worse than a guy who never made it. Even being a below replacement player level is better than not making it or only making it for a few games. But, saying that, here's the real Top 10 based purely off WAR: (Note: Minimum of 45 innings pitched, or 150 PAs) 1. Nick Markakis: 33.6 in 9321 PAs 2. Jim Johnson: 8.3 in 704.2 IP over 674 games 3. David Hernandez: 4.7 in 648.2 IP over 547 games 4. John Maine: 4.0 in 593 IP over 112 games 5. Brad Bergeson: 2.9 in 424 IP over 102 games 6. Nolan Reimold: 2.8 in 1556 PAs 7. Chris Britton: 1.3 in 89.1 IP over 78 games 8. Jeff Fioentino: 0.7 in 173 PAs 9. Sendy Rleal: 0.3 in 46.2 IP over 42 games 10t. Brandon Snyder: -0.1 in 211 PAs 10t. Scott Rice: -0.1 in 64.2 IP over 105 games So there, you are vindicated!

In my article, "An organization in need of change" I discussed the Orioles mismanagement of him. He eventually ended up making the majors in 2010 with the Blue Jays but never amounted to much at the big league level.

On September 27, 2002 I published my first "manifesto" about the issues within the Orioles organization. it can be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20021012004905/http://www.orioleshangout.com/tony/tt020927.htm I reread it today just to remind myself of the issues back then when I got to my Ten suggestions for improvement at the end. That's when I realized, Damn, I wanted Mike Elias before Mike Elias knew he was Mike Elias! Too bad Elias was a 20-year old Freshman pitching for Yale University at the time. Here were my suggestions for Angelos to take after the 2002 season. News flash, he did not take my suggestions, but he did basically fire Thrift after the 2003 season. Who knows, Maybe John Angelos read it and thought, "One day when I'm in control, I'm going to get that guy that the internet dude thinks we should have gotten!" 1. HIRE AN INNOVATIVE GM First things first: Syd Thrift must be let go and he must be replaced with an energetic, creative, visionary who's not afraid to try some new concepts and not afraid to step out of the norm. This organization needs a leader, a guy who can create a one-team attitude. He must be able to have full authority to run the franchise. Angelos should give him his budget, and let him shape the club as he sees fit. He must have full authority to hire and fire anyone in the system, or at least have the authority to delegate that responsibility to the Farm Director, who should be allowed to hand-pick the staff. Although Tony DeMacio has done an outstanding job, it should be up to the new GM to decide whether or not he stays on, since he has to be sure that all of his team members are on the same page and under the same philosophy. The same goes for Mike Hargrove and his staff. Finally, Angelos will be wise not to get caught in the trap of thinking that the GM needs to be a seasoned baseball man who has held every job in a professional baseball organization. The success of the Yankees' Brian Cashman and Oakland's Billy Beane is a better example and shows what can happen by giving young, smart guys a chance. 2. SAME TEAM, SAME PHILOSOPHY THROUGHOUT ORGANIZATION Without a doubt, the new GM must have a sound and coherent baseball philosophy and be prepared to institute that philosophy throughout the system. The major league and minor league pitching and hitting coaches should be working under the same philosophy, so that from the time a player arrives in the organization until the time he steps into Camden Yards, he's been taught the same thing year after year. This is why it's so important that the new GM be allowed to handpick his Farm Director and Scouting Director as well as hiring his assistants. Everyone must be on the same sheet of music, with no exceptions, and with no behind-the-scenes power struggles. 3. BECOME TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED The organization must think outside the box by using new technologies like collaboration software and servers, which allow multiple users to share ideas, documents, voice, and video across the Internet in a secure environment. Imagine a meeting each day with the farm director at Camden Yards, the GM on a laptop in a hotel in New York, minor league managers and scouts with laptops in their hotel rooms discussing last night's games and action. No more calling up for voice reports for the game, but an actual interactive conversation with the professionals who saw the plays happen live. Take that information and have it entered into an online scouting service which can be accessed by anyone in the system from scout, to manager, to coach, to front office. One such system is IBM's PROS ("Prospect Reporting and Organizational Solution"), a Web-based software application that allows scouts to quickly collect, store and access information on prospects and players. The Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets already use this system. Also, the minor league system of analyzing players' performances could be much better if more information were charted and tracked. Instead of having minor league pitchers chart the velocity and type of pitch on a piece of paper, have each use a pocket pc with pitch/bat charting software like Chartmine/E-chart from Competitive Edge Decision systems or Pro Scout from Inside Edge, Inc. This data can be uploaded into databases which can then be viewed by people within the organization as well as being shared with the players during workout sessions and pre-game preparation. 4. MAKE EVERYONE FEEL THEY ARE PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL Everyone wants to be part of something special. Young military men put themselves through excruciating tests of physical and mental duress to become part of the Army's Special Forces or Rangers, and Navy personnel go even further to become SEALs. Why? Because if they make it, they truly became part of a special team, a special group of individuals that have accomplished a great deal just to get where they are. That type of mentality should be instilled in every minor league player that comes into the system. On day one the new recruits should be shown a film of Brooks Robinson throwing out Lee May in the 1970s World Series or Cal Ripken catching the last out of the 1983 Series in Philadelphia. They should be shown Jim Palmer on the mound and Frank Robinson at the plate. These future Orioles should hear past and present Orioles talk about the things Cal Ripken Sr. stood for, about what a special honor it is to put on the uniform of the Baltimore Orioles. Class, hard work, hustle and dedication should be expected from each player in the system. The consequences of breaking a spelled-out code of conduct should include being benched, demoted or released, depending on the offense. In return, the coaching staff will be dedicated, hard-working men who believe in the philosophy of the organization and who want to work with the young men they are given. 5. TREAT PLAYERS AS INDIVIDUALS Each player that comes into the organization is different. They come from diverse backgrounds and education levels, with unique characteristics that differentiate each one from another regardless of skill level. When a player is signed, the minor league staff and scouts should assess him and an individual developmental plan (IDP) should be outlined to show a player his strengths and weaknesses. This IDP should follow the player from each level so that when the player is promoted, the new coaching staff knows what the player is working on and what he does well, along with other notes from the previous coaching staff and organizational scouts who have seen him. Just as importantly, at the end of the year, the player should be counseled on his season and his IDP should be discussed. The organization should develop an offseason program tailored to the player with such things as drills, fitness, and weight training included.

1-10 11-25 Nick Markakis finally made it to #1, so we got that right! As a side note, I was still in Hawaii when I did this one so this is mostly based of statistical analysis and my conversations with industry scouts and player personnel.

BTW, this is the list that probably started @Frobby's love affair with Jeff Fiorentino as a player!

https://web.archive.org/web/20041010212628/http://www.orioleshangout.com/Wilt/Top10_2004.htm Now this one I can definitely blame on Jon Wilt (lol) as I did not see a single minor league game since I was in Afghanistan the entire year. Lots of misses on this one including another dud at the top for us in Hayden Penn. The fact that Nick Markakis was still only the #3 prospect may have been the reason why he was so cold to me in the major league lockeroom. Markakis and Maine ended up the guys that should have #1 and #2.

He didn't have a baseball player name though! If you know, you know! Seriously though, the team was so bereft of talent that the team really was excited over Penn. He ended up being one of those major league yips guys. He never had control problems in the minors and got to the majors and couldn't throw strikes. Of course when he did get it over they smacked him around. It really was pretty crazy. He had fastball that could touch 95 MPH, a good curve and showed no command problem in the minors. Heck, he was in AA at 19-years old. I'd love to have statcast info on him to try and determine what went wrong or whether it really was the bright lights of being on the biggest stage was just too much for him. I mean, the guy ended his major league career with a 9.51 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in 82.1 IP. The fact that he got that many innings was teams couldn't figure out why he was so bad in the majors. His stuff should have played in relief at the very least.

True that. Now, I will say this about Werth, he was getting hitting advice from his uncle from what I remember and kept hitting off his front foot. I still remember Andy Etchebarren telling me that until he stops doing that, he's never going to hit for the power that he's capable of. I also remember Andy telling me he was never going to be catcher in the major leagues. Say what you want about the old school guys, Andy was rarely wrong with his evaluations. Actually Etchebarren was one of the guys I eventually won over. I can remember him not wanting much to do with me as some internet guy running a website, but I guess the more we talked the more he opened up. Towards the end of his time with the Orioles, by God he was downright friendly with me. And if anyone has met him, that's a feat I'm proud of!

There is no doubt Werth was given a disservice being in the Orioles system back then. Obviously I wrote about the issues in my Syd Thrift article but dysfunctional was a kind word to describe how the system was run.

There's the reason why the Tigers stink year after year. They're run like the 2001 Orioles.

Yep, that along with trading Jayson Werth for John Bale.

I was putting tons of time in back then, going to like 60-70 minor league games a year. Of course I lived like 15 mins away from Prince George's Stadium before Rt 3 became a parking lot around game time like now.

https://web.archive.org/web/20031203175600/http://www.orioleshangout.com/Wilt/Top10.htm This list was missing for many years as it was the first list where someone else (Jon Wilt better known as the famous @DrungoHazewood) helped write and collaborate since I was in Hawaii training to go to Afghanistan the following spring. Unfortunately 11-25 is probably missing forever since it was "plus content" and the way back machine could not access it since it was protected. I almost forgot about the hype surrounding Denny Bautista and that we actually named him the #1 prospect in the system that year. In retrospect Nick Markakis (#4) should have been #1 and Erik Bedard (#6 coming off Tommy John surgery) #2.