Is Wieters a disappointment?

[pdiddy]

The fact that they had him at #2 means they didn't see him as Mauer with Power. Mauer without Power is a lot more valuable then David Price.

Can't argue with that. The write up has scouts quoted as "best defensive since Charles Johnson" and "only C ranked better was Mauer", but you can always find ONE scout to say whatever you want...doesn't make for a consensus.

[AlbionHero]

The fact that they had him at #2 means they didn't see him as Mauer with Power. Mauer without Power is a lot more valuable then David Price.

He could post averages near .280 with 30-homer potential in the big leagues.

They still thought he could do better than what he became, though. And this is before he decimated minor league pitching.

[Can_of_corn]

They still thought he could do better than what he became, though. And this is before he decimated minor league pitching.

Notice the use of terms like "could" and "potential". I still think he has a 30 homer season in him.

[George]

Wieters is a fine defensive catcher, which is the most important aspect of the position. He also hits some and is a plus in the line-up. I am disappointed only because my hopes when he was drafted were sky-high, imagining Wieters might be the second coming of Yogi Berra.

[SouthernBird]

Wieters came here as the switch-hitting Jesus. We all remember the expectations.

Looking at his career so far, are you disappointed? His career OPS stands at .747.

I want some of what you are smoking...that is the only logical reply I have to this post.

[SilentJames]

So he didn't turn into Johnny Bench. Big deal.

So Buster Posey has a better bat. So what.

Wieters is still one of the best all-around catchers in the baseball. He is going to be an off-and-on all star throughout his career and hopefully he stays an Oriole for a long time.

[AlbionHero]

I've got a question for the people who say they aren't disappointed by Wieters.

If I told you that Dylan Bundy would only become a solid #3 pitcher, would you be okay with that? Would you not be disappointed at all?

Or if Manny Machado just ended up being a "pretty good" player, but not great?

When it comes to superstar prospects, you expect the world of them. For me, I wouldn't be happy with them just being "okay". I want them to be great.

[SouthernBird]

They guy manages the game better than almost all catchers in the league. He is a presence on the field and has all the intangibles that make the team better. I can only say I am disappointed in the performance of one player on this team so far this season and I am sure he will turn it around eventually. Reps to whomever guesses who that player is. It shouldn't be difficult to determine either.

[Can_of_corn]

I've got a question for the people who say they aren't disappointed by Wieters.

If I told you that Dylan Bundy would only become a solid #3 pitcher, would you be okay with that? Would you not be disappointed at all?

Or if Manny Machado just ended up being a "pretty good" player, but not great?

When it comes to superstar prospects, you expect the world of them. For me, I wouldn't be happy with them just being "okay". I want them to be great.

Pretty sure #3 pitchers don't make multiple All Star games by their age 26 season.

[pdiddy]

Notice the use of terms like "could" and "potential". I still think he has a 30 homer season in him.

Me too. As does DD...I remember an interview with him during spring training on MLB radio where he was talking about acquisitions/lack thereof in the offseason. One of the points he made was that they thought they were seeing signs of better plate disclipline (or at least potential of it) from Wieters, Jones, and Davis, and that he expected all three to improve in that area. I'm not sure that's come to pass as much as he expected, but it isn't unreasonable to expect improvement.

[SouthernBird]

I've got a question for the people who say they aren't disappointed by Wieters.

If I told you that Dylan Bundy would only become a solid #3 pitcher, would you be okay with that? Would you not be disappointed at all?

Or if Manny Machado just ended up being a "pretty good" player, but not great?

When it comes to superstar prospects, you expect the world of them. For me, I wouldn't be happy with them just being "okay". I want them to be great.

A #3 pitcher is what you would call average. Are you saying Weiters is an "average" catcher, meaning you would rather have half the starting catchers in baseball than him? I think not.

[SilentJames]

I've got a question for the people who say they aren't disappointed by Wieters.

If I told you that Dylan Bundy would only become a solid #3 pitcher, would you be okay with that? Would you not be disappointed at all?

Or if Manny Machado just ended up being a "pretty good" player, but not great?

When it comes to superstar prospects, you expect the world of them. For me, I wouldn't be happy with them just being "okay". I want them to be great.

The road of baseball history is LITTERED with the decaying corpses of "can't miss" prospects. These things happen - they do. Wieters looks to be a fixture on this team for a long time. It stinks that he isn't putting up Hall of Fame type numbers right now but he is an essential part of this team, he is major reason for this team's success and this team would be significantly worse without him.

Moreover, look at someone like Strasburg. Already been on the shelf with surgery, looks a lot more mortal so far this season and has whispers of stiffness in his elbow. Look at someone like Francisco Liriano. Look at the ENTIRE Kansas City Royals team. You can't get caught up in the hype.

For every Harper there are hundreds of can't miss guys that completely collapse.

We are fortunate that Wieters is what he is - easily one of the best at his position in the game.

[russ snyder]

I've got a question for the people who say they aren't disappointed by Wieters.

If I told you that Dylan Bundy would only become a solid #3 pitcher, would you be okay with that? Would you not be disappointed at all?

Or if Manny Machado just ended up being a "pretty good" player, but not great?

When it comes to superstar prospects, you expect the world of them. For me, I wouldn't be happy with them just being "okay". I want them to be great.

I'm ok with both of these scenarios, especially if the Orioles continue to be a contender.

The ceiling is certainly set higher for "superstar prospects." Maybe weiters is not great in your eyes, you have to admit that he's been better than okay.

[J.D.]

Last year there were 5 catchers with a better WAR than Matt Wieters: Buster Posey, Yadier Molina, Carlos Ruiz, Joe Mauer, and Miguel Montero. Of those guys, Mauer is playing DH primarily this year, and Ruiz and Montero are off to catastrophic starts. So you're looking at, overall, probably the third best catcher in baseball. We'll place him comfortably between the third and fifth best catcher in baseball.

Now, let's look at age. Posey is 26. Obviously, he still has room to get better. Molina is turning 31 during this season. He is at his peak with little chance to become a BETTER player than he is presently. Ruiz is 34. He's on the way down. Mauer is semi-out of the discussion, but he's 30. At or near his peak. Montero turns 30 this summer. At or near his peak. Wieters is about to turn 27. Entering his peak with room to grow still. This year, really, the one guy that you can say, factoring in hype/talent, has made that leap forward to be in the discussion is Carlos Santana (just turned 27). So factoring in upside, he's still one of the top 3-5 catchers in the game with the chance to move past Molina at some point in the near future.

The point is, I don't see how you can be disappointed with top-5 in the game talent at a position unless you were legitimately expecting top-5 to ever play the game talent. I know some scouts went there with him. That's why it's helpful to go across the board and not rely on a few scouts. There were also scouts that were legitimately concerned with things that have proven to be a problem (bat speed) and things that are kind of funny now (defense).

Or, put it this way: How many other guys do the O's have that are legitimately top 3-5 at their position in baseball?

[AlbionHero]

Well, if you're looking at it from it from a pessimistic perspective that you hope he is at least a good major league player, then yeah I guess he isn't a disappointment. He's one of the better catchers and we're lucky to have him. But I've just got a bit more optimistic perspective with these players, and I'm hoping they turn into super stars instead of just hoping they aren't total busts. It leads me to more disappointment but it also gives me more hope. It may not have worked with Wieters but it looks like my hope is working for Machado so far at least.