Official Orioles Draft Pick Thread

[AgentOrange]

Flanny just announced that they are making Wieters a pitcher.

You can never have too much pitching depth...

[Frobby]

Question: do you think that the fact that the O's don't have picks for the next couple of rounds influenced their decision to go for Wieters?

1. No high picks so need to get a sure thing

2. No money to be spend in the early rounds after round 1 so that money can go to the Wieters war chest

If this is the case, are you still unhappy we don't have those picks? Would you rather have had another player besides Wieters and then the other picks, or would you rather have Wieters?

And can someone remind me, in what round is our next pick? The 4th?

[Sports Guy]

Question: do you think that the fact that the O's don't have picks for the next couple of rounds influenced their decision to go for Wieters?

1. No high picks so need to get a sure thing

2. No money to be spend in the early rounds after round 1 so that money can go to the Wieters war chest

If this is the case, are you still unhappy we don't have those picks? Would you rather have had another player besides Wieters and then the other picks, or would you rather have Wieters?

And can someone remind me, in what round is our next pick? The 4th?

It is a good question but i don't think it influenced it personally.

We, apparently, are willing to spend more money on guys we draft late(like Watson last year) because of this and if they do that, it will help make up(somewhat) for losing the draft picks.

[Three Run Homer]

This is very exciting news. In terms of how players were regarded at the time they were selected, you could argue that Matt Wieters is the best player the Orioles have ever selected in the draft. Good for them for not being scared off by Scott Boras, and good for them for taking another player (like Markakis) who already has plus plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.

[markpolis]

You can never have too much pitching depth...

I wonder if he's fast enough to pitch and catch.

[geschinger]

This is very exciting news. In terms of how players were regarded at the time they were selected, you could argue that Matt Wieters is the best player the Orioles have ever selected in the draft. Good for them for not being scared off by Scott Boras, and good for them for taking another player (like Markakis) who already has plus plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.

I wouldn't go that far... Jeffrey Hammonds was extremly well regarded when he was picked. But it is nice to have someone who should hopefully move quickly considering we went w/the longer term approach in the first round the past couple of years.

And of course there was Big Ben McDonald

[markpolis]

And can someone remind me, in what round is our next pick? The 4th?

Our next pick is the #129 Overall. The fifth selection is the 4th round. Probably some time around midnight.

[alexei606]

From BA blog:

Orioles area scout Dave Jennings as at home in Alabama, but I just spoke with him and it sounded like he was ready to jump through the phone.

“I think the Cubs were the biggest obstacle, but once he got by them we were confident we had a shot at him,” Jennings said. “His overall package (was what we liked about him). His receiving, his throwing, his bat and power from both sides of the plate.”

Link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=84

[Frobby]

This is very exciting news. In terms of how players were regarded at the time they were selected, you could argue that Matt Wieters is the best player the Orioles have ever selected in the draft. Good for them for not being scared off by Scott Boras, and good for them for taking another player (like Markakis) who already has plus plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.

Ben McDonald still owns that title, though he never lived up to his hype. Jeffrey Hammonds also was considered the no. 1 talent on the board the year we picked him.

[nadecir]

I think the Orioles could promote the negotiations on Wieters' first contract as a pay-per-view event. Angelos gets personally involved, and with Boras on the other side of the table, it would lead to some interesting conversations. Two heavyweight negotiators go head-to-head.

Boras will mention this at least once:

Wieters is eligible to return to Georgia Tech for one more season. He said he needs two more years to complete a bachelor's degree in business administration. His mother, Pamela, is a teacher at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C., his alma mater. So chances are Wieters will return to Georgia Tech at some point to finish his degree.

And if things don't go as planned Thursday, there's always the slim chance he'll be playing college baseball again in 2008.

"There's always a chance I'll go back," Wieters said.

How close does Boras get to his desired $10 million signing bonus? Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall if Angelos gets involved in the negotiations with Boras? My guess is this contract negotiations goes right down to the August 15th deadline.

[ScottieBaseball]

...and as soon as I knock out some stuff for my 9-5 gig, I'll transcribe and post what I got after the O's took Wieters. Here's a little tidbit to hold you over:

Me: Where (organizationally) do you see (Wieters) starting out?

Flanagan: Well see, it depends on when he signs. With the first rounders at times it takes a bit longer. If he signed early, he could probably kick around double-A even. But if not, probably an A ball team at some point to get used to the wooden bat.

[square634]

Also from the BA blog:

Word among scouts who worked Georgia was that Wieters would sign for a bonus of $7 million.

If this report is true, do you think it would be worth it to meet his demands immediately and have him start playing at Frederick or try to haggle for a better price? I have a feeling that this is irrelevant and that Boras will drag it out as long as possible anyway so he gets more leverage.

[BoysofArbutus]

Looking ahead...

Anybody have a list of some players that may be available when the O's pick again (sometime just before the next ice age)

[BoysofArbutus]

If this report is true, do you think it would be worth it to meet his demands immediately and have him start playing at Frederick or try to haggle for a better price? I have a feeling that this is irrelevant and that Boras will drag it out as long as possible anyway so he gets more leverage.

The difference between $6.5 mil and $7 isn't much. Get him in here

[DrungoHazewood]

Flanny just announced that they are making Wieters a pitcher.

If they Van Benschoten him that's it - the franchise is done!