Henry Urrutia (DFA)

[Can_of_corn]

Henry was hurt. But I agree on Alvarez.

You can't get caught up in the story.

[weams]

You can't get caught up in the story.

I like Hank.

[Ruzious]

I saw Alvarez in a spring training game last year. He took an inside fastball over the left field wall by dropping his hands and turning on it with almost no obvious excess effort. He's got bat speed in spades. I think he's going to be a good one. Henry...not so much.

That's great if we're playing slow-pitch softball. Alvarez hit how many homers in how many at bats for Norfolk last year?

[Ruzious]

That's great if we're playing slow-pitch softball. Alvarez hit how many homers in how many at bats for Norfolk last year?

Even fewer than the number of walks he had.

[Can_of_corn]

I like Hank.

What does like have to do with anything?

[Can_of_corn]

What does getting caught up in the story having to do with Weams saying that Urrutia was hurt last year?

Hobgood.

You can't let getting caught up in a good story cloud your judgement.

Weams is rooting for Henry, which is fine.

That doesn't mean Henry is a viable major league player.

[weams]

Hobgood.

You can't let getting caught up in a good story cloud your judgement.

Weams is rooting for Henry, which is fine.

That doesn't mean Henry is a viable major league player.

I never went for the Hobgood story. And he was always hurt.

[weams]

I see the dots but no connecting lines. Hobgood had major shoulder surgery. Has Weams been touting him as a viable ML pitcher?

Urrutia had a solid minor league season in 2013, making it all the way to the majors. His performance at the ML level was not exciting. He was injured last year and he didn't perform close to what he did the previous year. No one knows how much the injury affected him before they finally shut him down or for how long it might have affected him. I did not see Weams suggest that Urrutia was likely to be a regular at the ML level this year.

I have had several personal interactions with Henry including meeting him the day after he arrived in the USA and attending his first cage work while being observed by Dan Duquette. If he does make that leap forward to being able to help the team at any point it will please me.

[Ruzious]

True, he only had one home run but he had 17 doubles in something like 44 games. He also had 14 homers in 91 games at Bowie. He's got some power. How much at the ML level, I don't know but he's no slap hitter. The difference that I saw between him and Urrutia is that Alvarez can turn on the ball and use the opposite field. Urrutia's can go the opposite way very well and with power but he does not turn on the ball well. Or he hasn't shown he can up to this point. I think Alvarez is a 15-20+ homer guy in the majors if he can hit enough to get full time duty.

I'll agree that he's a much better prospect than Urritia - and should get consideration as a backup for the O's.

[Can_of_corn]

I see the dots but no connecting lines. Hobgood had major shoulder surgery. Has Weams been touting him as a viable ML pitcher?

Urrutia had a solid minor league season in 2013, making it all the way to the majors. His performance at the ML level was not exciting. He was injured last year and he didn't perform close to what he did the previous year. No one knows how much the injury affected him before they finally shut him down or for how long it might have affected him. I did not see Weams suggest that Urrutia was likely to be a regular at the ML level this year.

That is because you are evidently not privy to the underlying context between Weams and I.

I use Hobgood as a shorthand example of becoming enamored with a good story and then having that cloud your judgement about a player.

I think Weams' personal connection with Henry clouds his evaluation of him as a player. Him being hurt last season is irrelevant. He proved in 2013 he is not a viable major league player.

[BohKnowsBmore]

I'll agree that he's a much better prospect than Urritia - and should get consideration as a backup for the O's.

I think he is better served playing every day in AAA rather than being a backup.

[Jim'sKid26]

That's great if we're playing slow-pitch softball. Alvarez hit how many homers in how many at bats for Norfolk last year?

I've never equated a major league spring training game with slow pitch softball. His recognition of an inside pitch and his response to it, couple with his bat speed through the zone impressed me. That's all I'm saying.

To your point about Norfolk, Harbor Park is not a very good park in which to hit the long ball. One wonders how this might have effected Alvarez's HR production.

[OFFNY]

o

Urrutia was born on Friday the 13th in 1987.

I remember that because it was exactly one week after Mark Breland won the vacant W.B.A. welterweight championship of the world by knocking out South Africa's Harold Volbrecht in the 7th round on H.B.O. I saw the fight at my brother's house.

Today is Urrutia's 28th birthday, which is ........ Friday the 13th.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/urruthe01.shtml

Happy birthday, Henry.

[Fiver]

o

Urrutia was born on Friday the 13th in 1987.

I remember that because it was exactly one week after Mark Breland won the vacant W.B.A. welterweight championship of the world by knocking out South Africa's Harold Volbrecht in the 7th round on H.B.O. I saw the fight at my brother's house.

Today is Urrutia's 28th birthday, which is ........ Friday the 13th.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/urruthe01.shtml

Happy birthday, Henry.

What an odd talent a photographic memory is!

[Beef Supreme]

I remember hearing Palmer making a comparison to Rod Carew during one of his early MLB at-bats. Quick wrists?