Jammer7

I think you are both right. Having an MLB dad can help, but it depends on the kid, the tools, and their relationship. Did the kid hang around dad, the clubhouse, other players, etc… growing up? It can raise the floor, sure. It can certainly help the baseball IQ, the work ethic, the level of instruction and such in some cases, but not every case. The player still has to have talent. The ones you mentioned had almost zero talent.

I think there are several warm bodies occupying 40 man spots that are very expendable. Bannon, Stewart, Krehbiel and C. Perez can all be easily replaced. It would not surprise me to see Paul Fry go also. I think they bring in another veteran starter candidate, hopefully to a major league deal. Perhaps a veteran reliever to mentor the young pen arms. Perhaps a SS candidate is added, but unless it is Andrelton Simmons I would pass. Two rule 5’s would be likely, at least one pitcher. Personally, and I know the overwhelming prevailing logic is against it, but I like the Catcher from the Rays, Blake Hunt. Take a long look at him, maybe he sticks as a back up for Adley. If Nottingham or Benboom are that much better defensively, send him back. But if you can see him improve rapidly under Cossins and Hyde, take the shot at it.

A really good interview. To me, the HS pick comments were about his career in scouting/drafting, not just about Baltimore. Though I do think they will take more HS players in future drafts than they have in the first three. Elias did take more HS players in Houston than he has here, so far.

For a 5-08 guy, he packs a lot of punch. I had a chance to watch some video when he was a Reds prospect, and some Mariners video. I liked him better as a Red. It looks like LH breaking balls eat him up. Maybe Ryan Fuller has some things he can work on in AAA, and perhaps Cedric Mullins has some words of wisdom for him. Similar swing and build. Or maybe nothing comes of it. It’s a minor league deal, and there is nothing else to talk about.

Hays remains the most talented OF on the roster. Star potential. With the injuries and all that, he was held back before 2021. Last season, I noticed he was selling out to yank the ball to LF. He pulled off of a lot of pitches, but he did lift some HR’s out to LF. When he first came up, he was hitting absolute bombs to RCF, while staying through the ball with more of a gap to gap approach. I did not like his approach in 2021. If he keeps that up, the changes to LF wall will be detrimental to him in particular. I am not sure what prompted him to make that change. Perhaps it was related to his core injury, or maybe a wrist issue prevented him from staying through the ball. But that has to get back to the old Hays’ swing. Or he will sink.

You know I am very intrigued by him as well. I think he found something that clicked for him in August or September. I think he kinda shocks the league in 2022.

I don’t think it is likely he nets more at the deadline than in the preseason. Really, if they do trade him, It is to get at bats for guys that need them. It would enable Santander and Stewart to DH and get more looks. Of those names, Santander has the possibility of a decent or better return. He is also most likely likely to end up on the IL. Stowers, McKenna, perhaps Neustrom, Shed Long and Jahmai Jones benefit. The flexibility would certainly help break some guys in and evaluate what we have.

Just saw that. If Joe is onto other things, best of luck to him. Zach is coming from covering the Cardinals.

@Tony-OH, I can imagine how you must feel. We know you put a lot into this, and it shows in your work. When we compare things, many of the national sites contrast with your thoughts. It is usually pointed out quickly that the other various lists differ from yours in some ways and the shortcomings are cited. The interest in most of those lists, for me anyway, is just to see if they have a different take on something from a different angle. Whatever MLB does, it will not be about the demographics we are a part of. They haven’t cared about the fans our age in a decade or more. The commissioner is driving the game to be more like the NBA, gasp! I rarely go to games anymore. Some of the promotions have me disgusted, and I long for the days when it was just about the great game of baseball. They have forsaken the true fans of the game to accommodate those who could actually care less about the game as they play on their phones. College baseball still loves the game. Especially the SEC. The energy is fantastic. There are still some kids I coached playing college ball. That is where I will spend my money. Minor league games are still great, too. I will also be going to more high school games again. I live out of the MASN market, and I don’t believe we’ll get the MLB app this season. All of that said, I hope you realize that OH has been a community for many of us for a large portion of our adult lives. We’ve shared a lot over the years, ups and downs, baseball and otherwise. We’ve lost some friends recently, men I have never met. But my feeling of loss was as real as if we were friendly neighbors. It is more than stats and analysis. We argue, bicker and sometimes snap at each other on occasion. But we keep coming back. I enjoy the community, as well as the baseball talk. It is a bit of a virtual old school neighborhood bar, with grown folks having in-depth discussions over a beer about the game we love. That is what real fans do. The culture of the game is as great as the game. The OH has always been that for me.

Absolutely. So many things change, even into their early-mid 20's.

Excellent tribute!

I probably voted with more optimism than is warranted. I do think he could be in the .850 range, though. Honestly, he could be a .700 guy, and he could equally be a .900 guy. It is a strange case for me because he has shown improvements that could sustain excellent performance and then he reverts back to what happened in 2021. Many things go into what will happen for Tony. First, he needs to take his conditioning very seriously. I think he gained too much weight last year, and it helped him break down physically. Second, he need to show the improved plate discipline he showed in 2020. Third, he needs to stay healthy and continue to play through more minor bumps and bruises.

He has a few years on an MLB roster, so for me, Joey is not a failure for what was spent/invested on him. If we spent a high round pick on him, or something like that, then yeah, I guess.

The only reason I brought this up was I heard and read this on his from some lesser outlets. I find it anecdotal, at best. It was something I heard old school baseball guys talk about years ago. Rickey is the first one I bring up, but it is odd that there isn't many. Joey Rickard was one Oriole who came to mind.

Jud enrolled at UF in Spring 2019 after graduating early from HS. He has played 1.5 years of college baseball and will not be 22 yoa until 9/27. He is a COVID junior this season, so he did not give up his leverage as someone suggested. He bet on himself, sure. We’ll see how it turns out. He also gets to play with his brother this season, which is special for Jud and his family. He certainly needs to make more contact, but the BB rate is not bad. There is legit CF tools and power there. I would point out that all of the UF hitters had serious issues in 2021, not just Jud. My son played with and against many of these kids, but I have not had an opportunity to ask them this year. If it is true that the Orioles were going to draft him, based on what we know about Elias and co, they must have seen a swing alteration and/or a way to improve his swing decisions. His fly-ball/ground-ball rate was pretty high as well. The only thing I find to be a negative, and it is a superstition, an unwritten baseball axiom, is that he is a LH thrower and RH bat. For whatever reason, that failure of that profile is a weird thing that gets brought up because so few players excel with that profile. I hope he proves that to be a silly thought.

Crohns/Colitis is a debilitating disease for anyone who needs to maintain a level of physicality in their jobs. I have had it for 21 years now, and it has been a journey I would not wish on anyone. A large majority of your immune system is based on your colon. It is also where most nutrients are absorbed. It is very difficult to maintain energy levels for an athlete. There is much more to this discussion, and this is not the place for all that. What Cedric Mullins did this year was remarkable for any human being. But doing it with a serious case of Crohns, that is just amazing. Wow!

Urias at #2 would be solid for many reasons already listed in this thread. I would add that he works counts, not afraid to get deep to allow Ced to steal a base. He drives the ball to RF as well as any I have seen for a while. Hitting behind the runner and stealing bases is a little old school for some, but I think there is value there, situationally.

There was a couple I saw. One, in particular, he hit a FB up and in over to right. I think it was later in the season. But I do remember many being to LF as well.

This was my first thought, and there is probably some truth in it. However, the development plan for all current pitchers is to work heavily on their secondaries in all counts. I doubt his FB command is "elite," but it is likely better than average. Cowser is supposed to have elite exit velo. He just needs to learn to hit the ball a little more in front. I think the part on Henderson is reasonable. He does drive the ball out to all parts of the park, though. I have seen video of his getting to the inside pitch very nicely, with an ability to keep the ball fair.

I saw Riley Green swing and miss a lot in HS. Mostly against weaker competition. When he faced elite pitchers, he crushed. It is strange how that happens, but I would worry more if it was against better pitching. Riley is the #4 or so prospect in the minor leagues, and a star for a long time to come. Elijah Greene has holes in his swing against the more elite pitchers, but he is impressive in many ways. Druw Jones has a tremendous overall profile, and has great instincts for the game. Druw will still make mistakes and whiff, sure. But Druw is a much more advanced player overall, and for me, a high ceiling pick with lower risk than Elijah. Termarr has a great contact ability, but a 2B profile on a kid that will only get thicker? IDK.

The strong case has been laid out that DJ is an above average #25 pick in the draft. It’s difficult to argue that he isn’t. That was not the point for me, personally. Is he an above replacement-level major league player? And will he bring any value to the Orioles roster? Those are the questions I have. I believe he works hard and has a good attitude, but it is painful for me to watch him in the OF. He has shown he will not hit quality pitching. He is not a prospect any longer, being 28 years of age. In his four MLB seasons, he has accumulated .8 WAR per Fangraphs. He’s more or less a replacement level player, offensively. He is well below that defensively. He has no value as a bench player for me because of his poor defense. He has 26 home runs in 524 MLB at bats. And in fairness, he does not often get regular play. Some of that has been injuries, some because he was struggling badly. I believe that if he was a RH bat, he would have been released already. On a team that is heavy with RH bats, he is clinging to a roster spot until a better LH hitter is available. I have led the charge to release him the past several months. After stepping back and looking at it, I still think he should go. But if the team wants to bring him back for one last shot, so be it. I think Neustrom would have been a better player to keep, but they do know better than me. I guess we’ll see.

I actually just read his substack moments ago, and I kinda laughed out loud. Meoli is a good read, for sure. Raul Rangel is a guy that pops up and could be the next international pitcher in that category. Kobe Perez have several interviews recently. In one, maybe with On The Verge, I think, he pointed out the name of a pitcher, maybe Valdez? Anyway, he stated this guy was one to watch because he has hit 100 mph. Edit: The name that Koby dropped in an interview with On The Verge was Mendez, and he said he has thrown 99 mph. He cited Raul Rangel, Moises Chace, Luis Ortiz, De Los Santos and Mendez being in Delmarva in 2022.

McKenna has not had everyday at bats in Baltimore. He may never get them, either. But I can’t make any conclusions based on what I have seen in his sporadic play. I am not saying he is destined for stardom, but perhaps a solid 4th OF.

I did not say that. My response was to the assertion that Jon Meoli put forward. He stated that the next Orioles pitcher to be included in a top 100 list, whenever that happens, is not currently in the organization. And I believe that Baumler has a better than average chance to be one, whenever that may happen. Probably not in 2022.

Carter Baumler is a guy that certainly has a shot to be a top 100 guy. He is healthy and I have seen video of him throwing in the high 90’s in a drill, pull downs, or whatever that trainer calls them. He is a stud athlete, and if he can show two solid or better secondaries, I think he’s in the conversation.