Bigger Bust?

[SerenityNow]

Matusz had a 3.1 WAR last year. Wieters' WAR this year is 3.6

This vote isn't as close as it should be IMO especially when you consider expectations when they were prospects.

But, I don't want to piss off SirMeowMeow with any more "idiocy".

I think Pedro's train of thought is still at the boarding station.

[Can_of_corn]

I mean I agree Matusz has been bad but he didn't have the expectations and he was hurt this year. I'm willing to give him a pass for now and chalk this up as a lost/bad season.

Wasn't Matusz a top 5 draft pick? Wasn't he the top pitcher in his draft? Wasn't he a highly ranked prospect? Didn't he sprint through the farm system?

There were plenty of expectations for Matusz.

[Pedro Cerrano]

If you want to say, "I'm really disappointed in Matt Wieters compared to my unrealistic expectations, and want to use ridiculous hyperbole to make that point," then go ahead. That's pretty dumb, but whatever.

If you're saying that the book has been written, Matusz and/or Wieters are what they are and that we now know they will never be the stars they were projected as, then that's just plain stupid. It flies in the face of everything we know about baseball. Every single year, players have down seasons, and mobs of fans and sportswriters shriek about how they're done. And then next season, they all look like idiots. Because they were being shortsighted and alarmist.

Well, no, that's not what I'm saying, at all. Obviously I can't predict the future so I assumed the poll meant right now, at 8:46 on September 19, 2011 and I am more disappointed in Wieters. I also happen to think Wieters has more upside and am excited about how he's finishing his season.

Sorry if this upsets you.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Wasn't Matusz a top 5 draft pick? Wasn't he the top pitcher in his draft? Wasn't he a highly ranked prospect? Didn't he sprint through the farm system?

There were plenty of expectations for Matusz.

All true but I respectfully disagree with the notion that expectations for Matusz were as high as Wieters.

[crawjo]

What would this poll have looked like 45 days ago, I wonder.

Seriously? Pretty sure that 45 days ago Matusz was still pitching awful and Wieters was at least holding his own defensively with a league average bat. There's no comparison to be made here.

[OFFNY]

Wasn't Matusz a top 5 draft pick? Wasn't he the top pitcher in his draft? Wasn't he a highly ranked prospect? Didn't he sprint through the farm system?

There were plenty of expectations for Matusz.

Of all of the young prospects that came up as starters, (Matusz, Tillman, Arrieta, Bergesen, Berken, Henrnandez, Britton, etc), Matusz was the only one who came directly to the Orioles from AA-Bowie. He hadn't pitched a single inning at AAA-Norfolk. Plus, he was with the Orioles before pitching a full season in the minors OVERALL. So yes, I would say that he sprinted through the farm system, and that expectations of him were indeed pretty damned high.

[Sports Guy]

Wieters has saved his season.

Catchers defense is really overrated, especially on this site(because people want to hold onto anything about their guy) but his offense is showing real signs of becoming at least close to what we hoped.

Bmat has done nothing but get worse this year.

I was serious before...IMO, this season for BMat is the single biggest disappointment of the last 14 years, in terms of player expectation vs production.

[Can_of_corn]

All true but I respectfully disagree with the notion that expectations for Matusz were as high as Wieters.

I did not say as high. Mordecai Brown could count on one hand the number of prospects in the last 20 years that have had the hype Wieters did upon entering the majors.

I will also say, he has exceeded the wildest expectation I heard in regards to his defense.

[MikeAD]

I mean, as disappointing as Matusz has been, he can't be a "bust" yet. If he stays this way into next year than hes a huge bust.

"More of a bust?" though, it HAS to be Matusz. Who voted for Wieters? The only way you can call Wieters a "bust" is if you fully expected him to be a top 10 offensive player right away. Hes been good, he will get better. He is not the second coming.

[weams]

[mweb]

What would this poll have looked like 45 days ago, I wonder.

Well you look up the results from the same poll maybe a month or so ago if you like.

Maybe it's not the same poll though. The other one specified this season I believe while I suppose you're talking overall.

[El Gordo]

This poll is a joke, right?

[Sports Guy]

Well you look up the results from the same poll maybe a month or so ago if you like.

Maybe it's not the same poll though. The other one specified this season I believe while I suppose you're talking overall.

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/poll.php?pollid=4746&do=showresults

[OFFNY]

This poll is a joke, right?

It seems that way, but I don't think it is. I suspect that it was created to drive a point home about a certain claim that Matt Wieters was the biggest bust in Orioles franchise history.

[Skeletor]

What did Matusz hit in high school? Let's convert him to CF now.