A couple of requests for Joe Jordan

[wildcard]

Concerning the O's first round pick:

1) No surprises. This draft appears deep enough that several of the highly touted prospects that will be available would be good picks. Don't try to out do everyone with a surprise pick.

2) Pick a college player. Help for the major league team in the short team is preferable to waiting 5 years. Example Aaron Crow who is currently in the Royals pen instead of Hobgood in A Ball. (If its a HS player he better project to be in the majors in 2 years). The O's window for contending with the current group of young players would benefit from having help in 2 years.

Past that, good luck Joe. Good luck is always a good thing to have.

[Hutman]

I'm very high on either Bundy or Bubba at #4. It be nice to have another premium prospect like Manny in our system and in my mind Sterling is the best position prospect behind Rendon.

[Frobby]

Concerning the O's first round pick:

1) No surprises. This draft appears deep enough that several of the highly touted prospects that will be available would be good picks. Don't try to out do everyone with a surprise pick.

2) Pick a college player. Help for the major league team in the short team is preferable to waiting 5 years. Example Aaron Crow who is currently in the Royals pen instead of Hobgood in A Ball. (If its a HS player he better project to be in the majors in 2 years). The O's window for contending with the current group of young players would benefit from having help in 2 years.

Past that, good luck Joe. Good luck is always a good thing to have.

You could just as easily give an example showing a college pitcher who never made it compared to a high school pitcher who became a big star. I tend to agree with you that I'd prefer a more majors-ready player, but I don't think your example really illuminates anything.

[hoosiers]

So, what you are saying is that our system does not need another Manny Machado if one was available?

Joe Jordan is who he is because he trusts his scouts and has good judgement. If you don't trust JJ, that's fine. Otherwise, let him do his job and pick his players.

[Tony-OH]

Concerning the O's first round pick:

1) No surprises. This draft appears deep enough that several of the highly touted prospects that will be available would be good picks. Don't try to out do everyone with a surprise pick.

2) Pick a college player. Help for the major league team in the short team is preferable to waiting 5 years. Example Aaron Crow who is currently in the Royals pen instead of Hobgood in A Ball. (If its a HS player he better project to be in the majors in 2 years). The O's window for contending with the current group of young players would benefit from having help in 2 years.

Past that, good luck Joe. Good luck is always a good thing to have.

I've heard the Orioles are looking very hard at a few college arms for their top pick. Hopefully that holds true since I agree with you, unless you have an opportunity for a "can't miss" Machado type high school pick, the Orioles need to lean college heavy in this draft, especially with their 1st few picks.

[Sports Guy]

I've heard the Orioles are looking very hard at a few college arms for their top pick. Hopefully that holds true since I agree with you, unless you have an opportunity for a "can't miss" Machado type high school pick, the Orioles need to lean college heavy in this draft, especially with their 1st few picks.

Totally agree Tony...They need some "help you soon" picks if they make sense.

I am hoping that Rendon is slipping some and we can get him...That would be a dream pick IMO.

If not, Hutlzen sounds like the guy to get.

[OrioleMagic]

This small quote was noted in an ESPN Insider blog:

Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon and UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole remain the top two prospects but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll go 1-1 and 1-2.

Other names in the conversation include Virginia southpaw Danny Hultzen, Cole's teammate and fellow right-hander Trevor Bauer, and perhaps Gardner-Edgerton star centerfielder Bubba Starling. But this is a draft class full of potential impact talent, so we won't fixate on the top few picks in this week's look at the stock market.

[Frobby]

I've heard the Orioles are looking very hard at a few college arms for their top pick. Hopefully that holds true since I agree with you, unless you have an opportunity for a "can't miss" Machado type high school pick, the Orioles need to lean college heavy in this draft, especially with their 1st few picks.

At Fanfest, MacPhail said that he basically leaves the picks up to Jordan, but that he (MacPhail) typically preferred to use the top pick on a pitcher unless there was a clearly superior hitter available, and that Jordan knows this. I'm sure a college pitcher would suit MacPhail.

[clapdiddy]

So...if Rendon would fall into our laps, do you think we'd take him? Would it depend on who's left?

[eb45]

Concerning the O's first round pick:

1) No surprises. This draft appears deep enough that several of the highly touted prospects that will be available would be good picks. Don't try to out do everyone with a surprise pick.

2) Pick a college player. Help for the major league team in the short team is preferable to waiting 5 years. Example Aaron Crow who is currently in the Royals pen instead of Hobgood in A Ball. (If its a HS player he better project to be in the majors in 2 years). The O's window for contending with the current group of young players would benefit from having help in 2 years.

Past that, good luck Joe. Good luck is always a good thing to have.

Counterexample: Crow who has already been transitioned to relief over Mike Trout who is the #2 prospect in baseball. Give me a superstar in five years over a reliever in two.

Not to say I definitely want Starling or Bundy, but to say the Orioles should only look at college players is beyond foolish.

[wildcard]

Counterexample: Crow who has already been transitioned to relief over Mike Trout who is the #2 prospect in baseball. Give me a superstar in five years over a reliever in two.

Not to say I definitely want Starling or Bundy, but to say the Orioles should only look at college players is beyond foolish.

Crow may not stay in the pen.

My post is about this years draft, so are you saying that Starling or Bundy are superstars? I have not heard that any of the high school players measure up to Machado. If that is true then a college player looks like the best pick to me.

[TGO]

On the subject of picking college players, you guys don't remember 2007?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=franch_year&team_ID=BAL&year_ID=2007&draft_type=&

I remember following this draft here and people being a little concerned that we drafted I think 7 high schoolers in the entire draft. It was college guy after college guy for the first 15 rounds (though with some JCs thrown in). And so far all we have to show for it are the first two picks, Wieters and Arrieta. Now, to be fair, we didn't have picks in rounds 2-4. But we also followed that up with a college heavy draft in 2008 (16 HSers if I counted correctly) and all we have to show for that is Matusz. And the three best prospects after him from that draft were high schoolers (Hoes, Bundy and Avery), two of them picked in rounds 2-3.

For every Aaron Crow there's probably four dozen Tim Bascoms. I realize that's a round 1 vs round 4 comparison, so I will throw out the name Chris Smith and go hide under something while you guys throw things at me for speaking his name.

I have a general preference for college players, all things being equal, especially at the top of the board, but you can't go crazy with it and overlook HS guys who are good risks in the right situation. Even in rounds 2-5 there are going to be college players whose upsides maybe aren't where you want them to be.

[eb45]

Crow may not stay in the pen.

My post is about this years draft, so are you saying that Starling or Bundy are superstars? I have not heard that any of the high school players measure up to Machado. If that is true then a college player looks like the best pick to me.

Have you been paying any attention at all?

[palmer22]

In his ESPN chat today, Keith Law said that the Orioles were thought to be in on Jed Bradley but that they may have cooled on the lefty. He keeps hearing college arm for the O's, possibly Bauer, but that Bundy is as advanced as some of the college arms so they may go with him. FWIW, Law is very high on Bundy. On Bauer, he says every team, except Seattle, in the top eight is probably looking at Bauer.

[wildcard]

On the subject of picking college players, you guys don't remember 2007?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=franch_year&team_ID=BAL&year_ID=2007&draft_type=&

I remember following this draft here and people being a little concerned that we drafted I think 7 high schoolers in the entire draft. It was college guy after college guy for the first 15 rounds (though with some JCs thrown in). And so far all we have to show for it are the first two picks, Wieters and Arrieta. Now, to be fair, we didn't have picks in rounds 2-4. But we also followed that up with a college heavy draft in 2008 (16 HSers if I counted correctly) and all we have to show for that is Matusz. And the three best prospects after him from that draft were high schoolers (Hoes, Bundy and Avery), two of them picked in rounds 2-3.

For every Aaron Crow there's probably four dozen Tim Bascoms. I realize that's a round 1 vs round 4 comparison, so I will throw out the name Chris Smith and go hide under something while you guys throw things at me for speaking his name.

I have a general preference for college players, all things being equal, especially at the top of the board, but you can't go crazy with it and overlook HS guys who are good risks in the right situation. Even in rounds 2-5 there are going to be college players whose upsides maybe aren't where you want them to be.

I am only talking about the 1st round. After that it a different story.