Matt Hobgood - is there hope? (No, there is not. Indy League bound.)

[Crazysilver03]

Is he going to be added to the forty man roster?

No way. He won't be taken, and if he is, he will be returned. Orioles make profit.

[OFFNY]

.

4 innings of no-hit ball out of the bullpen.

2 walks, 3 strikeouts.

MATTHEW MICAH HOBGOOD O (vs. ADVANCED-A Myrtle Beach, 8/11)

IP:. 4

H:o 0

R:O 0

BB: 2

SO: 3

Pitches: 54 (34 Strikes, 20 Balls)

2013 ERA: 4.91 (ADVANCED-A Frederick)

*****************

PITCHES BY INNING

16 (91 Strikes, 7 Balls)

16 (81 Strikes, 8 Balls)

15 (10 Strikes, 5 Balls)

71 (71 Strikes, 0 Balls)

[Rene88]

RZNJ makes a good point...Astros, Marlins...

[webbrick2010]

Watched the Keys game yesterday from the first row and here is what I saw:

Hobgood was consistently 88-89, hit 91 on three pitches. He was effective but there were some loud outs, three high fly balls to the warning track.

Had a 78 mph curve that when he put in the zone overmatched the single A hitters. Wouldn't really call him a prospect until he gets his velocity back in the low 90's. He is a big dude, and not in an overweight way, looks fit and strong. Velocity was consistent over the 4 innings.

Zach Clark really struggled with his knuckleball. Couldn't throw it for strikes, couldn't hold runners on base, and committed a costly error on a squibber back to the mound. Knuckleball gave Ohlman fits behind the plate. Had an 88 mph fastball (basically same velocity as Hobgood) that he had to use to get thur 5 innings.

Don't know anything about Travis Adair (2B) but he looked like a baseball player. From my one game assesment Esposito doesn't have the arm to be ML third baseman.

[Ohfan67]

95% that you are right. However, Hobgood is worth taking a flyer on just like we too a flyer on McFarland. Sure, McFarland had a half a year of AAA behind him, but Hobgood might have other things on his side, like velocity. If Hobgood is throwing mid 90's (I don't know that he is) or a team thinks he might be hitting mid 90's by next spring, further removed from the surgery, 25K would be worth a gamble on him. Could he stick with a team as a 1 inning reliever? Probably not but I wouldn't call it impossible either. What would a team like Houston have to lose?

Based on the report below, it sounds like Hobgood is far, far away from hitting mid 90's. I don't think a player recovering from rotator-cuff surgery who's throwing high '80's with 4.91 ERA in A ball is worth a flyer from any ML team.

[Ohfan67]

Based on the report below, it sounds like Hobgood is far, far away from hitting mid 90's. I don't think a player recovering from rotator-cuff surgery who's throwing high '80's with 4.91 ERA in A ball is worth a flyer from any ML team.

Report above, that is.

[Crazysilver03]

RZNJ makes a good point...Astros, Marlins...

There will be better players for those teams to take so early in the draft. Teams rarely carry more than one Rule 5 player.

[sbsd123]

The Frederick scoreboard gun is very inconsistent. I usually sit behind the plate and can see the guns of scouts, and the scoreboard velocity has been up to 5mph slow. Sometimes it is right, but usually not. Can't really rely on that.

Nice interview here:

http://www.masnsports.com/index_medialounge.php?show_id=1844388&p

[webbrick2010]

The Frederick scoreboard gun is very inconsistent. I usually sit behind the plate and can see the guns of scouts, and the scoreboard velocity has been up to 5mph slow. Sometimes it is right, but usually not. Can't really rely on that.

Nice interview here:

http://www.masnsports.com/index_medialounge.php?show_id=1844388&p

If the scoreboard was 5mph low than Clark should give up the knuckleball experiment, and the kid from Myrtle Beach is a phenom as he was consitently at 92 on the scoreboard gun. By the way the kid (Alec Asher) who is only 21 did look like a legitimate prospect. 91,92 all day long, 8 innings, 3 hits (infield hit, bunt single, and line drive to center). Good command, good slider. He was a 4th round pick of the Tigers.

[Redskins Rick]

The Frederick scoreboard gun is very inconsistent. I usually sit behind the plate and can see the guns of scouts, and the scoreboard velocity has been up to 5mph slow. Sometimes it is right, but usually not. Can't really rely on that.

Nice interview here:

http://www.masnsports.com/index_medialounge.php?show_id=1844388&p

When I've been at Bowie and sit behind the radar guns, its pretty strange, seeing all the different numbers, and sometimes even more than 5 MPH difference.

[McLovin]

Really? There were some reports that Hobgood had touched 94-95 earlier this year. Maybe they were wrong. However, for $50K, I'd gamble on his velocity being back by next spring. At worst, you are wrong, and the O's take him back for 25K and you are out a total of $25K. That's not worth taking a flyer on?

Is it really a big deal for a minor leaguer to hit the mid 90's? There are tons out there. It's great if he's throwing harder, but we need to see more than that.

After seeing him in person myself, and reading the remarks from folks like Brian Graham who say he's a bullpen guy - I'd say his upside ceiling looks to be Tommy Hunter, with less velocity.

[Ohfan67]

Really? There were some reports that Hobgood had touched 94-95 earlier this year. Maybe they were wrong. However, for $50K, I'd gamble on his velocity being back by next spring. At worst, you are wrong, and the O's take him back for 25K and you are out a total of $25K. That's not worth taking a flyer on?

How many teams take pitchers like Hobgood in the rule 5 draft? It's a waste of time and roster space. If Hobgood was in somebody else's organization and the O's took him in the rule 5 I bet money that you and many other posters would criticize the pick. Organizations will sometimes pick high flying prospects coming off an injury, but Hobgood has NEVER looked good as a minor leaguer and there is a very low probability that he will become a good major league pitcher. I think if Hobgood was in another organization and you were O's GM, then you would not make that selection. There's very little upside from an outsider's point of view IMO and almost certainly many other pitchers in the rule 5 that are farther along and have a higher chance of making it.

[hoosiers]

How many teams take pitchers like Hobgood in the rule 5 draft? It's a waste of time and roster space. If Hobgood was in somebody else's organization and the O's took him in the rule 5 I bet money that you and many other posters would criticize the pick. Organizations will sometimes pick high flying prospects coming off an injury, but Hobgood has NEVER looked good as a minor leaguer and there is a very low probability that he will become a good major league pitcher. I think if Hobgood was in another organization and you were O's GM, then you would not make that selection. There's very little upside from an outsider's point of view IMO and almost certainly many other pitchers in the rule 5 that are farther along and have a higher chance of making it.

Teams could do a lot worse in the Rule V than gathering up a young pitcher throwing in the mid-90s whose development has been impacted by injuries.

[Crazysilver03]

A former 1st round pick who is 22 years old hitting mid 90's. How many of those guys are available to a team for 50K. You virtually have nothing to lose. Hobgood has been hurt virtually his whole career. Again, he might be throwing a lot better next spring than he is now. It's a great gamble for many teams. Relievers are the easiest type of Rule 5 to carry, especially for a bad team. The O's drafted a low A reliever a few years ago that wasn't even a hard thrower, Adrian Rosario in 2010.

This year the Astros kept Josh Fields, the Cubs Hector Rondon, the Twins Ryan Pressly, and the O's with T.J. McFarland.

In 2012, 15 players were selected, including 9 pitchers. 6 players stuck, including 4 pitchers.

In 2011, 12 were taken, including 8 pitchers. 7 stuck, including 5 pitchers.

In 2010 the Orioles took Adrian Rosario with the 4th pick. At the time, Rosario was 20 years old and his highest level of competition consisted of 14 games (5 starts) in the Midwest League (Low A).

If you think most of these guys were any better risk than Hobgood, think again. He's exactly the type of guy an organization would take a chance on. Teams look for cheap bullpen help. Risking 50 or 25K is nothing compared to finding a reliever who makes minimum.

Do you remember if they selected him for themselves or if he was selected by the Texas (whom we traded him to as compensation for Teagarden I think).

[Malike]

I don't think Hobgood could get MLB hitters out as soon as next year, so I don't think anyone would pick him and hide him on a roster all season long.