Beginning of Season Q&A

[Tony-OH]

Since not everyone was able to make the minor league forum, I will take questions on any player in the system in this thread.

I'll be at Delmarva tonight to see Zach Britton (weather permitting) so I will try to answer these as soon as I can.

[tywright]

Have you heard any confirmation that Beato is now allowed to throw his cutter?

[CharmCityHokie]

Can you tell me more about Jordan Wolf? How long has he been with the O's? Is he just an organizational filler or does he have a chance to see the bigs?

[tywright]

What's the rotation order in Frederick? And how has Erbe and Renshaw looked in ST?

[NewMarketSean]

What went wrong with Erbe last year? Do you think he'll bounce back this year? Could be get promoted to Bowie if he pitches well this year?

[CharmCityHokie]

What's the rotation order in Frederick? And how has Erbe and Renshaw looked in ST?

Second that Renshaw opinion, I'd like to know more about him

[Mackus]

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

[CharmCityHokie]

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

African or European?

[NCRaven]

Run away, run away!

[oriole_way]

I posted questions regarding Penn in another thread, if you don't mind answering. I'll quote them here:

Looking for opinions about Hayden Penn?

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We were anxiously awaiting his arrival two years ago but he has since floundered a bit since then for various reasons. That combined with the acquisition and development of other pitching prospects has seemed to push him into the background somewhat. As a result, I don't see too much written about him anymore.

Therefore, I'm looking for knowledgeable opinions about him. Maybe people in the know can chime in about several topics. Some examples of questions on my mind:

1. How's his stuff? Does he not have the stuff to consistently get major league hitters out? Does he need to work on commanding any particular pitch? Does he have the same stuff that he had two years ago when people had high hopes for him?

2. Have injuries set him back? I know he's had a few minor ailments but I don't recall anything too serious.

3. How is he from the neck up? I recall a few negative comments about him last year but I don't know how valid those were. How does the organization view him in this respect?

Thanks in advance.

[DenaTerpFan]

Thank you for doing this. The minor league league system has vastly improved in the last three years making it much more interesting to follow. I have three questions:

(1) How has Joe Mahoney looked, and is he a possible sleeper positional prospect?

(2) How has Brandon Tripp looked this spring?

(3) Are there any sleeper positional prospects other than Tyler Henson who may make the prospect radar this year?

[Tony-OH]

Have you heard any confirmation that Beato is now allowed to throw his cutter?

As I understand it the Orioles want him to focus on his fastball, curveball and change but he will throw the cutter occasionally.

[Tony-OH]

Can you tell me more about Jordan Wolf? How long has he been with the O's? Is he just an organizational filler or does he have a chance to see the bigs?

I talked with Jordan tonight and he's impressive young man. Very thoughtful about what he's doing behind the plate and he gets rave reviews from his Manager Ramon Sambo on his handling of the pitchers.

He had a tough debut with Aberdeen but he had a long season after starting the year in college. We'll have a better idea of him by the end of this year but plate discipline and defense will get you far as a catcher.

[Tony-OH]

What's the rotation order in Frederick? And how has Erbe and Renshaw looked in ST?

Adam Vencill can probably chime in on the order, but both Erbe and Renshaw looked pretty good this spring from what I heard. Renshaw's out pitch is a split-finger pitch and his delivery suggests his future is in the pen, but he'll remain in the rotation for now.

[Tony-OH]

I figure this is a make or break year for Kieron Pope. I was surprised to see him batting 5th in the Delmarva opening night lineup. Did he have that good of a spring?

Pope had a good second half of spring training according to most folks, but I'm not sold on him. He's got good bat speed, but his pitch recognition is still not there and his lack of work in the outfield due to his shoulder woes has really made him a sub par outfielder. He doesn't get good jumps on balls and his positioning needs work.

We'll know for sure after this year, but I'd be pleasantly surprised of Pope has a good year this year at Delmarva.