2015 1st A (36) - Ryan Mountcastle - SS - Hagerty HS (FL)

[Stotle]

Why not right?

If he can figure out SS that maximizes his long term value. Moving him somewhere else now basically ensures he will never be a SS. The Orioles have a professional coaching staff for a reason: to teach players. Let them try.

What's the risk? You lose 3-6 months of defensive development time that could have been used elsewhere. Seems like a good trade off to me.

This would be my rule of thumb for any player under 20 years old. Give them a shot at there most valuable possible position, then move them around once it doesn't pan out.

I think this is what teams generally do outside of extreme cases where there is disproportionate value in the bat. Sometimes the professional coaches can watch a player workout at a position and determine they simply aren't going to be able to pull it off. Truly, a player isn't getting moved off of his most valuable potential defensive position without the developmental folks observing him, working him out, and weighing in with their thoughts.

[weams]

Another home run tonight.

[Otter]

Looking at his stats, the most pleasant surprise for me might be the 9 for 11 in stolen bases. Some of the scouting reports mentioned he wasn't a great athlete, and had slow feet/ below average lateral quickness for the SS position. Now I realize that GCL pitchers and catchers aren't necessarily great at holding down the running game, and these stolen bases in rookie league don't necessarily mean it will translate at higher levels. But I do think 9 stolen bases shows he might be a better athlete than some of these scouting reports suggested.

[Can_of_corn]

Looking at his stats, the most pleasant surprise for me might be the 9 for 11 in stolen bases. Some of the scouting reports mentioned he wasn't a great athlete, and had slow feet/ below average lateral quickness for the SS position. Now I realize that GCL pitchers and catchers aren't necessarily great at holding down the running game, and these stolen bases in rookie league don't necessarily mean it will translate at higher levels. But I do think 9 stolen bases shows he might be a better athlete than some of these scouting reports suggested.

Lateral quickness on defense doesn't have a lot in common with stolen bases. Look at Brooks for instance, his high for stolen bases in a season was three.

[Number5]

Lateral quickness on defense doesn't have a lot in common with stolen bases. Look at Brooks for instance, his high for stolen bases in a season was three.

How'd he ever steal three?

It's a miracle.

[Can_of_corn]

How'd he ever steal three?

It's a miracle.

Same way Wieters did in 2012.

You just need to pick your spot and not lollygag.

[Otter]

Lateral quickness on defense doesn't have a lot in common with stolen bases. Look at Brooks for instance, his high for stolen bases in a season was three.

While true in Brooks' case, I don't think you can necessarily make that generalization. The first step when stealing a base is lateral quickness, IMO. Quickness can be more important than high-end speed when stealing bases. Regardless, I haven't seen the kid in an actual game so just speculating based on some encouraging SSS stats.

[Can_of_corn]

While true in Brooks' case, I don't think you can necessarily make that generalization. The first step when stealing a base is lateral quickness, IMO. Quickness can be more important than high-end speed when stealing bases. Regardless, I haven't seen the kid in an actual game so just speculating based on some encouraging SSS stats.

I'd rather not assume a correlation then assume a correlation.

[eb45]

Looking at his stats, the most pleasant surprise for me might be the 9 for 11 in stolen bases. Some of the scouting reports mentioned he wasn't a great athlete, and had slow feet/ below average lateral quickness for the SS position. Now I realize that GCL pitchers and catchers aren't necessarily great at holding down the running game, and these stolen bases in rookie league don't necessarily mean it will translate at higher levels. But I do think 9 stolen bases shows he might be a better athlete than some of these scouting reports suggested.

He's a good athlete and might have some speed. That doesn't mean he's a big-league SS. The two aren't really correlated in any meaningful way. If he can steal some bases, fantastic. If his lateral quickness and first step in the field improve, and he smooths out some of his actions, and works on his footwork when fielding ground balls, then maybe we'll talk about him as a long-term SS. Until then, I'm assuming he'll be a corner OF. But from everything I've seen, the kid can hit for real, which, in my opinion, is the most important thing.

[weams]

[McLovin]

That's an Ironbirds uni BTW.

[weams]

That's an Ironbirds uni BTW.

He's there now. I am glad someone noticed.

[MachoMachadoMan]

And he knocked a home run in his first at bat last night. Report says he pulled it to left field.

Any live reports would be appreciated!