Is L.J. Hoes the Orioles best hitting prospect behind Machado?

[Traveler]

Townsend may be (is) older than Hoes, but Hoes has 1308 at bats compared to 561 at bats by Townsend. I know that he has had a hard time with his hamstring, but that has nothing to do with his ability to hit.

[RVAbird]

Townsend may be (is) older than Hoes, but Hoes has 1308 at bats compared to 561 at bats by Townsend. I know that he has had a hard time with his hamstring, but that has nothing to do with his ability to hit.

Townsend may have only 561 professional ABs, but he played three seasons at a Division 1 college program where he faced competition on a par with A-ball talent. He should be expected to dominate A-ball pitching right now. Also, as a first baseman his bat is his only ticket to the big leagues, whereas Hoes has the athleticism to provide value in other ways.

I'm not saying Townsend can't emerge as a good prospect or Major League hitter, but I'm not reading much of anything into success at A-ball, and to be honest the awful K/BB ratio this season is pretty alarming.

He needs to stay on the field and produce at higher levels before I'll bank on that bat over Hoes' total package.

[Frobby]

I really do not think we overhype our prospects more than any other team. The reason we talk about them more than other fanbases (if we do) is there has generally been very little to be excited about about the ML team. So we look ahead to what's coming and hope that that will be better than what we have now.

Regarding the lists that Enjoy Terror posted, I agree that we do not generally suffer from prospect attrition more than other teams - the glaring obvious difference is that we have not been able to produce the superstar that other teams have.

It seems to me that's the whole point. I wouldn't even say "superstars." Just producing some "stars" would be nice.

[Enjoy Terror]

The difference between Hoes and Townsend and why Hoes is often ranked higher is Townsend's age and level (23 in Frederick vs 21 in Bowie), position (1b and 2b; although that's taking a hit for Hoes as he no longer plays 2b), health (Tyler can't stay on the field long enough to deserve a promotion) and discipline (TTs BB:K is atrocious for a guy his age in A+). Thats not to say that Hoes doesn't have a lot of holes in his game, but I think a lot of people gloss over TT's because of the power #s. If Frederick pitchers are confusing him this much at the plate, what do you think Jon Lester is going to do?

[Tony-OH]

I'm going to have to get to Aberdeen just to see Davis. It looks like he's really making the adjustments he needed to succeed in the NY-Penn. Excellent speed, room to develop some power, not bad K numbers. Wouldn't mind seeing a few more walks but the K/BB ratio isn't that bad. You'd think some team would have taken a late round flyer on this guy. How did this guy go undrafted?

He was cut from his high school baseball team (Northeast High school in Pasadena) for some attitude issues then went to community college. The Orioles had always had their eye on him and when he hit well at CCBC, so they had him play on the local college league team (Youse Orioles) where they saw a lot to get excited about. With no senior year and just a local JC season under his belt, he flew under the radar. The Orioles were then able to sign him as a free agent late last summer.

This is a great job of knowing and following a kid by local scout Dean Albany. Albany did the same type of thing when he got Oliver Drake signed out of the Naval Academy when most teams did not think he was eligible or would leave. Albany is one of the gems of this organization and if he ever was in a real strong baseball area like Florida or Southern California he'd be huge for the organization.

[Tony-OH]

Townsend may have only 561 professional ABs, but he played three seasons at a Division 1 college program where he faced competition on a par with A-ball talent. He should be expected to dominate A-ball pitching right now. Also, as a first baseman his bat is his only ticket to the big leagues, whereas Hoes has the athleticism to provide value in other ways.

I'm not saying Townsend can't emerge as a good prospect or Major League hitter, but I'm not reading much of anything into success at A-ball, and to be honest the awful K/BB ratio this season is pretty alarming.

He needs to stay on the field and produce at higher levels before I'll bank on that bat over Hoes' total package.

This is right on the mark. The lack of plate discipline is a giant red flag for me, especially for a 23-years old in A-ball. Add to it that the guy is extremely injury prone and he's not even a top ten prospect despite the power numbers. As for who's a better prospect? It wasn't really that close, but Hoes' positional change and lack of power has hurt his overall status. Still, I'm taking Hoes if I have to take one of them.

[NCRaven]

Thanks Tony! While I'm sure he cost little as an undrafted free agent, so the risk is very low, are there any concerns about the issues that caused him problems in high school? Or has he learned from the experience and matured to the point where they don't believe it's an issue any longer?

[LookinUp]

Still, I'm taking Hoes if I have to take one of them.

Right, because Hoes's approach at the plate does project to play at higher levels. The question is whether he'll ever hit with enough authority to get on base at higher levels. Right now, his upside looks like Brett Gardner.

Townsend's interesting because of power, but his K/BB rates make Mark Reynolds look like Joe Dimaggio. Reynolds k's a lot but he also BB's a lot. Townsend doesn't walk. This is a recipe for AA/AAA flame out unless he really can lay off of pitches out of the zone.

[thejeff07]

Thanks Tony! While I'm sure he cost little as an undrafted free agent, so the risk is very low, are there any concerns about the issues that caused him problems in high school? Or has he learned from the experience and matured to the point where they don't believe it's an issue any longer?

Check this link out NC Raven on Davis: http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/maryland-gazette/mi_8145/is_20100908/attitude-change-leads-orioles/ai_n55073182/

[Tony-OH]

Check this link out NC Raven on Davis: http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/maryland-gazette/mi_8145/is_20100908/attitude-change-leads-orioles/ai_n55073182/

That's a great wrap up of the events. Thanks for finding and posting that article. I knew the back story and as a former Northeast Eagle myself, it's good to know the program has a leader like Bolling.

[Enjoy Terror]

Townsend's interesting because of power, but his K/BB rates make Mark Reynolds look like Joe Dimaggio. Reynolds k's a lot but he also BB's a lot. Townsend doesn't walk. This is a recipe for AA/AAA flame out unless he really can lay off of pitches out of the zone.

I suppose that begs the question; is Mahoney a better prospect than Townsend, despite being older, because he shows better plate discipline?

[LookinUp]

I suppose that begs the question; is Mahoney a better prospect than Townsend, despite being older, because he shows better plate discipline?

Amongst other reasons, yes, I think so.

[thejeff07]

That's a great wrap up of the events. Thanks for finding and posting that article. I knew the back story and as a former Northeast Eagle myself, it's good to know the program has a leader like Bolling.

I am also a former Northeast Eagle myself. I don't know if you've seen it or not, but their doing so much construction on the school...the only thing staying the same is the baseball field!!!!:laughlol:

[LookinUp]

I am also a former Northeast Eagle myself. I don't know if you've seen it or not, but their doing so much construction on the school...the only thing staying the same is the baseball field!!!!:laughlol:

Doing the Eags proud!

[NCRaven]

Thanks. Great article and it answers my question in the best possible way!