The cupboard really does seem bare these days

[Frobby]

Remember those days when you might get Tillman, Matusz and Britton all pitching on the same night? Or maybe Arrieta in one of those four slots?

Remember those days when Bergesen, Hernandez, Tillman and Berken were all in the Bowie rotation, with Arrieta below them and Britton below him? And Erbe was in there too, pitching well at Frederick?

Right now, our minor league starting pitching looks like a barren wasteland. Who is actually pitching right now who is of any long term interest? Bobby Bundy, maybe?

Maybe I'd feel better if Hoes, Avery and Givens weren't hitting .158, .152 and .125, respectively. Even Machado has slumped the last couple of days (.286, but still a .417 OBP).

[allstar1579]

Remember those days when you might get Tillman, Matusz and Britton all pitching on the same night? Or maybe Arrieta in one of those four slots?

Remember those days when Bergesen, Hernandez, Tillman and Berken were all in the Bowie rotation, with Arrieta below them and Britton below him? And Erbe was in there too, pitching well at Frederick?

Right now, our minor league starting pitching looks like a barren wasteland. Who is actually pitching right now who is of any long term interest? Bobby Bundy, maybe?

Maybe I'd feel better if Hoes, Avery and Givens weren't hitting .158, .152 and .125, respectively. Even Machado has slumped the last couple of days (.286, but still a .417 OBP).

Ollie Drake got a promotion today. He's one to keep an eye on. If I had to pick a few to keep tabs, it'd be him, Klein, Bundy, Mahoney, and then the infielders plus Avery.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Remember those days when you might get Tillman, Matusz and Britton all pitching on the same night? Or maybe Arrieta in one of those four slots?

Remember those days when Bergesen, Hernandez, Tillman and Berken were all in the Bowie rotation, with Arrieta below them and Britton below him? And Erbe was in there too, pitching well at Frederick?

Right now, our minor league starting pitching looks like a barren wasteland. Who is actually pitching right now who is of any long term interest? Bobby Bundy, maybe?

Maybe I'd feel better if Hoes, Avery and Givens weren't hitting .158, .152 and .125, respectively. Even Machado has slumped the last couple of days (.286, but still a .417 OBP).

Well, you do have to take any minor league success and struggles with a grain of salt just like the majors. A bigger one, in fact, since they began basically a week later.

[Frobby]

Well, you do have to take any minor league success and struggles with a grain of salt just like the majors. A bigger one, in fact, since they began basically a week later.

Yes, I know. I'm not really worried about the hitters yet. I just wish they were doing something to take my mind off the fact that our starting pitching in the minors is the weakest it has been in years. I'm not talking about results, I'm talking about talent. And most of the potentially interesting pitchers are on the shelf right now -- Hobgood, Berry, Bridwell, Coffey, Wirsch, Beal and others. Klein is very interesting of course, but he's not being used as a starter, so you can't look forward to the days when he is starting. As I said, Bundy is about the only guy in a rotation right now who I could imagine being a big league starter -- and he's not a sure thing by any means. It's dismal.

Tony or someone who follows the minors closely -- please tell me I'm wrong!

[eb45]

Tim Berry is interesting, but hasn't gotten past the "interesting" level yet.

[allstar1579]

Yes, I know. I'm not really worried about the hitters yet. I just wish they were doing something to take my mind off the fact that our starting pitching in the minors is the weakest it has been in years. I'm not talking about results, I'm talking about talent. And most of the potentially interesting pitchers are on the shelf right now -- Hobgood, Berry, Bridwell, Coffey, Wirsch, Beal and others. Klein is very interesting of course, but he's not being used as a starter, so you can't look forward to the days when he is starting. As I said, Bundy is about the only guy in a rotation right now who I could imagine being a big league starter -- and he's not a sure thing by any means. It's dismal.

Tony or someone who follows the minors closely -- please tell me I'm wrong!

Difference between weakest and not as hyped. Don't worry too much.

[wildcard]

Klein and Jed Bradley.

[Triple Crown]

Kipp Schutz and Jonathan Schoop are off to nice starts. It will be fun to watch their progress in the coming weeks. Pitching on the other hand not so much.

[Tony-OH]

Yes, I know. I'm not really worried about the hitters yet. I just wish they were doing something to take my mind off the fact that our starting pitching in the minors is the weakest it has been in years. I'm not talking about results, I'm talking about talent. And most of the potentially interesting pitchers are on the shelf right now -- Hobgood, Berry, Bridwell, Coffey, Wirsch, Beal and others. Klein is very interesting of course, but he's not being used as a starter, so you can't look forward to the days when he is starting. As I said, Bundy is about the only guy in a rotation right now who I could imagine being a big league starter -- and he's not a sure thing by any means. It's dismal.

Tony or someone who follows the minors closely -- please tell me I'm wrong!

Wish I could but outside of Machado and Schoop, no one is doing that well right now. I was disappointed that Bridwell, Coffey and Wirsch did not make full season clubs. Bundy is probbaly the top starter pitching right now with Klein is relief until he builds up arm strength. Besides Macado, Schoop and Townsend, not too much to get excited about so far, but it's very early. Lot of slow starts though....

[Singleton]

I was thinking the same thing. It's not just that our pitchers aren't putting up good numbers, it's that it's hard to even see them as real prospects. I feel good for them when they have a nice day but I can't get too jazzed up knowing it's not likely he'll have an impact on the big league club in the future. I know sometimes prospects pop up out of nowhere but it's hard to find much to generate much interest -- at least on the mound.

[Scrat1]

Schoop, Mummey, Townsend, Welty (can he keep the strikeouts down?), and Machado are all doing well, as others have mentioned.

Would be nice to see more out of Hoes and Givens. I'm not sure I understand the O's handling of Avery.

Considering all the talent we've graduated, and how young our major league roster is, I don't agree with the sentiment that our relatively thin minor league system spells doom and gloom in the future.

[Skywalker76]

I know what you mean Frobby. Back in other years when the Orioles lost, you at least had some positive news from the minors to check and at least 5 players had their own tracker etc...

I still think this is the main difference between the O's and the other four teams in the AL East, with the O's having the weakest system overall.

[ThisIsOurHouse]

Schoop, Mummey, Townsend, Welty (can he keep the strikeouts down?), and Machado are all doing well, as others have mentioned.

Would be nice to see more out of Hoes and Givens. I'm not sure I understand the O's handling of Avery.

Considering all the talent we've graduated, and how young our major league roster is, I don't agree with the sentiment that our relatively thin minor league system spells doom and gloom in the future.

You are correct but our pitching depth has next to nothing and that scares me a lot because Tillman does not look like a major league pitcher and we do not have the rotation right now to compete in the AL East. We really need to load up on arms in the next draft as I feel our bats should develop and give us some everyday major league players.

Klein looks like he is going to take some time to become a starter, and we really do not have anybody else (Other than Bridwell) who screams future major leaguer right now. This farm system has a lot of work to do.

[Hutman]

One of the reason's the O's have the weakest system is because NY, Boston, and this year Tampa Bay have a boat load of Supplimental picks because of all of their Type A and Type B free agents. They have 5 or 6 top 100 picks and we have 2 maybe 3. Boston has worked the system masterfully for years and Tampa is starting to do this now.

[HokieOs]

We certainly have a good number of infield prospects. However, as mentioned, there isn't much else. There are a few OK pitching prospects, but noone who even looks like a future legitimate MLB starter. Maybe a couple decent relievers. Then we have Avery and that's about it.

At this point, we need to draft the best pitcher available in this draft unless there's a positional player who is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above the best pitcher. But this looks like a pitcher heavy draft anyway. Pitching and outfield need to be BIG concerns though. But the infield is stocked enough for now (compared to the rest).