Big Mac

Zimmermann

You'll find people who are higher on Lowther than Akin and Kremer (I'm not one of them). If he is left unprotected I'd be very surprised if he wasn't selected in the Rule 5. I think all three will be protected personally.

Right, "something there" likely means a middle or long reliever. But unlike many other pitchers on this roster, I think he has a realistic medium/long-term future pitching in the majors.

He and Phillips are both clearly guys that had success in the minors by having good stuff and getting hitters to chase. They have horrendous command. Carroll missed his spot by 3 feet several times. I'd keep throwing them out there this year because why not but I don't think either has a chance of being a ML pitcher without some mechanical adjustments that will refine command.

He missed a lot of bats last night, I think there is something there. He needs better fastball command though.

Also, there have not been any of the gray road jerseys available in the orioles.com shop.

I'd like to see Zimmermann, Lowther and Wells there too.

So much for the worry that we aren't going to spend our entire draft allotment.

I don't think there are any lower than 60, I bet the average is likely 65. Doesn't really matter because we are splitting hairs at that point. I don't believe the hit tool is a 70 and I am pretty confident the Orioles don't either.

The below scouting report sound familiar? Any guesses? Hitting ability: one of the best pure hitters in college, with great bat control and plus bat speed. He stays in the zone a long time, hits the ball where it's pitched and stays back on soft stuff. Power: There's a debate over how much power he will have. He should run into some home runs and might have average power as a pro. Running speed: He's a plus runner and is almost deceptive with a nice, easy stride. Base running: He is an excellent baserunner.

"Some scouts go as high as 70"...how is that different than me saying I don't doubt there are 70 grades? Also that quote implies those 70 grades are outliers.

Right. Also, he probably was the "best pure hitter in the draft". That doesn't make him an elite or generational prospect. It just means he had the best of one tool in a draft that was weak at the top. Kjerstad also probably was the best left-handed power in the draft. Some people value different tools differently.

I've ready plenty of them and seen lots of video. I don't doubt there are 70s out there but 60-65 seems like more of the consensus. I question how much the hit tool ultimately ends up playing if he doesn't end up hitting for much power. I like him as a prospect but I don't think he's anywhere close to a generational or franchise altering type of prospect some are making him out to be.

Richie Martin was drafted in the 1st round. He was drafted in the 38th out of high school.

No he isn't.

I think the underslot at 1:2 strategy carries a ton of risk. That being said, Martin got crazy overhyped this year because this draft was not top heavy talent wise. I've made this comp before, but I think a very likely outcome for him is a Dansby Swanson bat that can't play on the left side of the infield. He could end up being a very good player, but the idea he was a slam dunk BPA at #2 is just not accurate.

TCU

I assume so. I figure just looking at high draft picks from 2018-2020, you are looking at needing spots for all of Neustrom, Stowers, Rizer, Watson, Kjerstad and Hankin in A and A+ ball. Doesn't leave much room for more fringe guys, but I guess that's the point of contraction...

Given minor league contraction, are we even going to have room for all of these outfielders? We also took 3 college OF in the first 7 rounds last year.

Yes, that would certainly change things significantly.

Okay, I think of hit tool as more pure contact ability but fair enough. And I do think Tork will have more value with the bat, just speculating maybe it's closer than people think and Kjerstad plays a more valuable defensive position.

Yes, we're talking about different things. One of the big concerns about Kjerstad seemed to be the amount of swing and miss in his game. I have no doubt Tork will walk more, but maybe their hit tools are closer than the common wisdom would indicate.

Kjerstad had a significantly better K rate than Torkelson this year. I think it's entirely possible he ends up being a comparable bat at a more premium defensive position. This pick has grown on me since last night.

sounds like it's Westburg.

This just really isn't true. It works with Kelley too among others.