Orioles prospects playing in Arizona Fall League

[Tony-OH]

Avery has been moved aggressively which certainly can hurt his bat when it comes to the overall numbers, but the fact is he's still a below average outfielder, doesn't move runners over well, doesn't bunt particularly well, and doesn't run the bases very well despite outstanding speed. He's the opposite of Matt Angle. He's got the tools but Angle knows how to play the game.

[Frobby]

Avery has been moved aggressively which certainly can hurt his bat when it comes to the overall numbers, but the fact is he's still a below average outfielder, doesn't move runners over well, doesn't bunt particularly well, and doesn't run the bases very well despite outstanding speed. He's the opposite of Matt Angle. He's got the tools but Angle knows how to play the game.

I am getting the clear impression that we won't be seeing Avery in the OH Top 10 this year. Which is fine by me, by the way (not that you asked). I suppose he still has a lot of upside, but there are only so many sub-.700 OPS seasons you can have before folks start to question whether that potential is going to be realized.

[wildcard]

I am getting the clear impression that we won't be seeing Avery in the OH Top 10 this year. Which is fine by me, by the way (not that you asked). I suppose he still has a lot of upside, but there are only so many sub-.700 OPS seasons you can have before folks start to question whether that potential is going to be realized.

Avery is only 21 playing at AA. I would think he gets more time to figure it out.

[Frobby]

[/b]

Avery is only 21 playing at AA. I would think he gets more time to figure it out.

Who is saying otherwise? Sure he does. But I haven't seen a lot of changes in Avery's erratic pattern since 2008 when he was drafted and spent a full summer in the GCL.

[Frobby]

Well, Avery continues his AFL hot streak, with his OPS up to .866 overall and 1.165 over the last 10 games. Nothing he does in a sample this small is going to convince me that he has turned a corner, but I'd sure rather see him doing well than doing poorly.

[Tony-OH]

SSS alert! Avery is a totaly different hitter against RHP's than LHP's so far in the AFL. I think he's always been much better that way but his plate discipline numbers so far are really telling. 8 walks and only 3 K's in 49 AB's against RHP's. His OPS is over 1.000 against them. His baserunning has also been telling, as the stats show that all 9 stolen bases, without being caught, are against RHP's. I think these numbers reflect Avery's history in the minors but are a little more drastic in the AFL. I'd love to know what Avery's career numbers look like in the minors but don't know where to find them since Minor Leauge Splits took a nosedive. Maybe Avery at least becomes an interesting platoon player down the road.

Let's not forget the pitching sent to the AFL is not always all that good since most of the top prospects are shut down after their seasons. It's one of the reasons why it's considered a hitter's league. Good to hear Avery is doing well against righties, but at the end of the day he needs to strikeout less and put up better numbers during the season.

[Frobby]

Let's not forget the pitching sent to the AFL is not always all that good since most of the top prospects are shut down after their seasons.

True enough. You get some good college pitchers who were drafted but signed late (Arrieta, Matusz) and maybe some guys who missed time during the season due to injuries (Loewen). But mostly, you get Steve Johnson, Casey Lambert, Cole McCurry and Sean Gleason.

[Frobby]

Avery (.842 OPS) and Mahoney (.939 OPS) are still doing pretty well in Arizona. It's a hitter's league -- average OPS is ~.818 -- but still those numbers are pretty good. Of the 180 players in the AFL, Avery is about the 18th-youngest, based on my quick look.

[stef]

With just a couple of games remaining:

Mahoney .935 OPS with 14/4 K/BB

Avery .819

Ward .692

Lambert has pitched well his last 10 games; Johnson has a 2.95 era.; McCurry has been pretty bad and Gleason has been awful (33 hits in his last 10 IPs, 20+ era). I wonder if Gleason is hurt.

[NCRaven]

I wonder if Gleason is not as good as the hitters in this league?

[stef]

Gleason's results are a bit more dramatic than "not as good." He was pretty effective at Frederick; his dismal results in the AFL might, just might, indicate something besides being outclassed. Oh, well.

[Frobby]

Final numbers:

Mahoney .325/.360/.542

Avery .288/.378/.414

Ward .273/.385/.318

Johnson 2.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

Lambert 4.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

McCurry 5.51 ERA, 1.78 WHIP

Gleason 16.62 ERA, 3.08 WHIP

For context, the league OPS was about .815, the league ERA was about 5.54. Avery was among the 20 youngest players out of 210 total.

[ccbird]

I believe Mahoney's bat will get him to the Majors. Not sure if it'll be enough for him to stick, especially at 1st. He'll have to start showing more pop but I do think he's on pace to get a look at some point.

[wildcard]

I believe Mahoney's bat will get him to the Majors. Not sure if it'll be enough for him to stick, especially at 1st. He'll have to start showing more pop but I do think he's on pace to get a look at some point.

I think he will do better than that if he can stays healthy. He spends too much time on the DL or not at full strength.