now

That floor-to-ceiling clearance is a bit tight for a guy 6'-3"

I must have missed something. Urias is injured? But Urias is playing in the WBC? Can someone clarify please?

Westburg = supersub Frazier = superfluous

I agree. LH SP rated over Gibson, with the much needed backup C in between. Frazier--superfluous.

Yeah, there's always that, too. (But Adley's going to be there a lot). Anyway my concern was more about worrying about Mountcastle's bat, as well as Santander's fielding.

This makes me think they might have Santander ticketed for 1B as a platoon or insurance for Mountcastle, if Ryan is injured or scuffles too much at the plate. Not a bad plan IMO. (Or do the same with Stowers at 1B if he's deemed too slow for the OF).

You mean EdRod II, right?

One stretch-comp deserves another. Had forgot that Syd Thriftism re. EdRod I: "the next Alex Rodriguez." LOFL!

Jake Rill begs to differ: While Irvin and Gibson will be locks for the Orioles’ rotation, the battles for the final three spots have tightened. Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells all pitched well at times last year and will be favorites in the mix, while Grayson Rodriguez, the club’s top pitching prospect, has a high chance of earning a rotation spot in Spring Training. Austin Voth, DL Hall, Mike Baumann and Bruce Zimmermann are also starting candidates. Those who don’t make the rotation will either pitch out of Baltimore’s bullpen or start for Triple-A Norfolk to open 2023. Yikes, this really changes our previous in-house outlook. Grayson no longer a lock, with Wells ahead of him by this account. Voth and Hall banished for now. Of course, things always change due to injuries, etc. So what we fantasize as a 5-man rotation really means 9-10 arms in the mix, as the season progresses. BTW John Means says hi, too. https://www.mlb.com/news/cole-irvin-orioles-trade

Not sure what you're saying here. One conclusion could be that they don't consider Vavra or Stowers to be bona fide prospects. I share your desire to see the kids play. So maybe this time around they'll have better prospects on hand and we'll actually see them play more.

Agreed, he looks as slow as he is. I guess the surprise would be to see him remain a fixture out there if we have some speedier replacements in the OF pipeline. Love the bat, and I guess the arm is good, but more DH and perhaps 1B could be wise for him. Hays is slipping, too. Oh for the days of Finley-Anderson-Devereaux!

Some real suprises here... - Gunnar so much ahead of Mullins? - Mountcastle had been touted as faster but this seems more expected. - Rutschman faster than Vavra? I thought Vavra was a speedster. - Santander pretty low for RF!

Norby getting some love here as #6 MLB 2B prospect... and said to arrive 2023. Frazier and Westburg, watch out below! https://www.mlb.com/news/top-second-base-prospects-2023?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Every one of our starters has something to prove next year, and no one's performance level is a given. I think of them in pairs: Kremer & Bradish - flashes of brilliance, haven't put it all together yet with consistency. Both could fit easily in #3-4 slots. Wells & Means - will have to show full recovery from injury to stick in the middle of the rotation, higher with luck. Rodriguez & Hall - blue-chip rookies; Rodrigues the surer rotation lock, Hall with bullpen options. Gibson & Voth - Gibson is the known quantity but he has a new team, city and league to impress (and a new slider). Voth made a case last year for a solid #4-6 floor. (rotation #'s generic; obviously someone has to serve as #1 and #2 for the O's)

What a spinning turnstile it's been with Diaz. IIRC, recently MLB.com had a feature on hidden nuggets and mentioned him with Miami.

Looks like an Elias vs. Owknows smackdown.

A hopeful comp would be Sandy Koufax... his BB9 (all totals in MLB play): ages 19-24: 6.0, 4.4, 4.4, 6.0, 5.4, 5.1 ages 25-30: 3.4, 2.8, 1.7, 2.1, 1.9, 2.1 And to double the sample size, here's a bonus lefty: ages 24-28: 5.7 ages 29-42: 2.7 I'm saying, there's a chance...

I like both these picks. GRod has had a few bad outings (incl. in a playoff game?) that show he isn't superman, as we might hope from his billing as "best pitching prospect on the planet." (TINSTAAPP sez hi.) Plus, as an Oriole fan the default setting is "Cavalry-shy."

Obviously subjective, with so many variables: tool ratings, future projections, scouts vs. stats, multiple ranking lists, etc. We've already seen some differences of opinion on the BA list of prospects. What about for the system as a whole, current MLB roster included? Just spitballing here (I'm a fan, not an expert pundit), but here are my picks (in no particular order): Most overrated (step down from the pedestal, sir): Mountcastle, Stowers, Westburg, Hays, Mullins Most underrated (don't sleep on these dark horses): Vavra, Baker, Voth, Vespi, Norby Who else?

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2023-baltimore-orioles-top-mlb-prospects/ Have to say, I find it surprising (shocking?) to see they rank Stowers with best power in the system and best OF arm. Really? Maybe I'm obtuse, or uninformed, or biased by eye test, or something... but I just don't see it.

Fair enough re. Means. Still, Voth as an Oriole outperformed Bassitt last year, and I do like giving Means's innings to Wells/Hall also. In other words, Means/Voth/Wells/Hall = Bassitt.

Interesting stats, but my gut/eye test says Santander, no contest. I was going to admit recency bias, but I think it's more about that impressive 2020 season (135 OPS+; and wasn't he O's MVP that year?)

I'm thinking along the same lines, with hope for a rearmed Means to approach what Bassitt could supply, for the second half anyway. Until, then, plug in a Wells/Hall tandem to the rotation, or try for a repeat of 2022-Voth.

Good point. I guess they figured Hou was overrepresented with four appearances in the last ten years. Diversity and Inclusion! https://www.mlb.com/news/predicting-world-series-winners-from-2023-2032

MLB.com predictions arrive on schedule today: O's over Dodgers in 2028! https://www.mlb.com/news/predicting-world-series-winners-from-2023-2032