Machado doing what he needs to do to get a promotion?

[Tony-OH]

COUGH...puthimonthemound...COUGH

.. I'd expect nothing less from you.

The good news is he's starting see the ball better and is having better at bats for the most part but his start is certainly discouraging. With Machado, Schoop and Adams in the system already, they do have a some depth to adjust from if need be. I never saw Givens on the mound so I can't make an assessment, but the reports I've gotten on his defense at second base are largely positive and I think we have to wait until after the season before deciding his future.

I still like his swing even if he isn't hitting. I bet he bounces back soon and goes on a hot streak.

[Stotle]

.. I'd expect nothing less from you.

The good news is he's starting see the ball better and is having better at bats for the most part but his start is certainly discouraging. With Machado, Schoop and Adams in the system already, they do have a some depth to adjust from if need be. I never saw Givens on the mound so I can't make an assessment, but the reports I've gotten on his defense at second base are largely positive and I think we have to wait until after the season before deciding his future.

Haha. Of course, and I absolutely agree. BAL shouldn't flip the script based off of a lousy month. I was typing with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But you know I had to type it, right?

[Can_of_corn]

COUGH...puthimonthemound...COUGH

Trying to remember from when he was drafted. Power arm somewhere in the 93 range with a side arm- 3/4 delivery? Extremely low mileage on the arm?

[Stotle]

Trying to remember from when he was drafted. Power arm somewhere in the 93 range with a side arm- 3/4 delivery? Extremely low mileage on the arm?

Pure side-armer, short arm circle. Could hit upper-90s (I had him bump 96/7 mph). Slider/change-up secondaries. Good bore on fastball. Could be power groundball reliever with closer upside. Needed more consistency in secondaries, but limited experience so understandable. Very easy arm action.

[Can_of_corn]

Pure side-armer, short arm circle. Could hit upper-90s (I had him bump 96/7 mph). Slider/change-up secondaries. Good bore on fastball. Could be power groundball reliever with closer upside. Needed more consistency in secondaries, but limited experience so understandable. Very easy arm action.

I meant sitting at 93 not maxed there. What is meant by short arm circle?

[Stotle]

I meant sitting at 93 not maxed there. What is meant by short arm circle?

Time from where his hand breaks to when the ball is up and ready to accelerate forward. Size of the arm circle will usually depend on the speed of the rest of the delivery and point in delivery where the hands break, in order to make sure the pitchers timing is correct. smaller arm circle usually has the advantage of some deception and less likelihood of "flashing" the ball, though younger pitchers in particular can see timing issues whith too small a circle, and unnecessary stress on their shoulder/elbow.

[LookinUp]

No one is saying Machado can't be in the majors at 20-years old, all I'm saying is that he should be allowed to stay at Delmarva through the All-star game and then go from there. Right now Manny is learning how to deal with being on the road, playing every day, and the increased media attention he's receiving due to his hot start. Delmarva's PR Director Bret Lasky says no matter who does what during a game, most media outlets want to talk to Manny. He's the story each night whether he goes 4-for-4 or 0-for-4 so it's something he has to learn how to handle.

Not to discount the rest of your post, but learning to travel on a bus, playing a full season and getting interviewed after every game can happen at any level. They're not special to Delmarva.

I want to see where he stands in another 2-3 weeks. If his OPS is still 1.100, I say promote him.

I do wonder if we're all over reacting just a bit to the small sample size though.

[Flosman]

No one is saying Machado can't be in the majors at 20-years old, all I'm saying is that he should be allowed to stay at Delmarva through the All-star game and then go from there. Right now Manny is learning how to deal with being on the road, playing every day, and the increased media attention he's receiving due to his hot start. Delmarva's PR Director Bret Lasky says no matter who does what during a game, most media outlets want to talk to Manny. He's the story each night whether he goes 4-for-4 or 0-for-4 so it's something he has to learn how to handle.

He, Schoop and Givens have a good relationship and they are building a bond as well. It might be nice for Manny to be allowed to learn how to be part of a team and not just the guy who gets moved up as soon as he gets in a hot streak. Evyerone knows Manny is the top prospect, but from talking with his manager Ryan Minor this weekend, one of the special things about Manny is that he's very popular with his teammates because he's just one of the guys, not the superstar.

Taking all those things into consideration, I like the idea of keeping Machado in Delmarva at least until the All-star break and then it can be evaluated whether or not a promotion is what's best for his development.

Tony or anyone else that actually has eyes on information on MM. Is his power real and is there any question on it translating to higher levels? He appears to be exceeding all reasonable expectations. He has exceeded Arod's production at the same age and level and is on par with Pujol's 20 YO season. Is he thought to be just lucky enough to start his career with a hot streak or is he really the player that we have seen thus far? Arod skipped high A and was sent to AA after 65 games at his A- stop. Would the O's ever do something like this? and would his skills play at AA this year?

[lovetoaster]

I hope Machado stays at Delmarva for at least May. I'm going to a Shorebirds game in May and was hoping to see him play.

Yeah, I want him to stick around a little while for purely selfish reasons. I have the Delmarva-Kannapolis series on my calendar in a few weeks and was planning on going up and catching a game.

[melankfo]

As much as I would like to see him move up, I want to see how he responds to going through the league a couple of times.

Absolutely. Despite current appearances, he's not superman. Or if he is, there is some Kryptonite somewhere. After the league has seen him a couple of times, they will start to notice where he seems most vulnerable at bat. Regular A level pitchers may often not have the command to exploit that, but at times they will. Then he'll come down to earth, at least a little. If you move him up to Frederick now, then he gets the same honeymoon period in the Carolina league in which no one knows how to pitch to him. It's important to see how he does once he's a known quantity.

[Frobby]

Absolutely. Despite current appearances, he's not superman. Or if he is, there is some Kryptonite somewhere. After the league has seen him a couple of times, they will start to notice where he seems most vulnerable at bat. Regular A level pitchers may often not have the command to exploit that, but at times they will. Then he'll come down to earth, at least a little. If you move him up to Frederick now, then he gets the same honeymoon period in the Carolina league in which no one knows how to pitch to him. It's important to see how he does once he's a known quantity.

Just to play devil's advocate, there are 14 teams in the Sally League. He's not going to see multiple cycles of playing against the same team. That happens much more in the 8-team Carolina League. Arguably, the sooner you move him there, the more he will have to learn about adjusting to pitchers who have seen him several times.

However, for other reasons Tony gave, I'm fine leaving Machado in Delmarva until the all star break.

[HokieOs]

Just to play devil's advocate, there are 14 teams in the Sally League. He's not going to see multiple cycles of playing against the same team. That happens much more in the 8-team Carolina League. Arguably, the sooner you move him there, the more he will have to learn about adjusting to pitchers who have seen him several times

Well, over the course of a half season, he's not going to see much of that in either league. My guess is that pitcher adjustment is a lesson he'll learn in 2012... which may well end up being a full season in Bowie.

But while he started off pretty well.... he seems to have gotten blazing hot of late. We definitely need to see more games (he went hitless last night) to make sure that that wasn't just a blazing hot streak or to confirm that he's just not being challenged in the Sally League. I tend to think the latter... but it would best to confirm that. Not to mention the other reasons to leave him in Delmarva for a little while longer that have been rehashed several times throughout the thread.

[Tony-OH]

Not to discount the rest of your post, but learning to travel on a bus, playing a full season and getting interviewed after every game can happen at any level. They're not special to Delmarva.

I want to see where he stands in another 2-3 weeks. If his OPS is still 1.100, I say promote him.

I do wonder if we're all over reacting just a bit to the small sample size though.

Show me where I said that they were. I was just talkign about all of the things he's currently going through. There is value in letting him get comfortable with a team before moving him.

[Sports Guy]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/05/rosenthal-on-mariners-bautista-machado-rays.html

Man amongst boys.

[Tony-OH]

Tony or anyone else that actually has eyes on information on MM. Is his power real and is there any question on it translating to higher levels? He appears to be exceeding all reasonable expectations. He has exceeded Arod's production at the same age and level and is on par with Pujol's 20 YO season. Is he thought to be just lucky enough to start his career with a hot streak or is he really the player that we have seen thus far? Arod skipped high A and was sent to AA after 65 games at his A- stop. Would the O's ever do something like this? and would his skills play at AA this year?

Well, he hit a home run over the Purdue Stadium scoreboard so that's about 400+ ft home run so I would say his power is very real. Obviously the talent he possesses should translate well to the upper levels but until he gets there there's no way to know for sure. Is he just in a hot streak or is he amazingly good? I don't think anyone can say for certain. The pitching in Low-A ball is not very good overall so it's always hard to gauge hitters. What I love though is the plate discipline that's going along with the power. Also, when I saw him, he doesn't chase pitches off the plate. He seems to pick up pitches very well as well.

I think the Orioles will be fairly aggressive with Machado, but I do think they will give him at least until the All-Star break at Delmarva before making a move. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but unless he stops getting pitched to (which would be a valid reason to move him up) I don't think there is anything wrong with giving him the first half of the season with one team. He's already seen one team twice and according to his manager Ryan Minor they did make some adjustments to him and he made the necessary adjustments back. I'd like to see him face teams multiple times so he can get a full understanding of the adjustment game that will happen more heavily as he moves up.

I know everyone is excited, and rightfully so in my opinion, but there's no rush here at all. He's going to move quickly as long as he puts up this production but for me, it's important to have some stability in that first half of his first pro-season.