Orioles 2nd round pick - CF Xavier Avery (HS)

[mikezpen]

With all that speed and athleticism, maybe he can bulk up his numbers by stealing first base.

[Stotle]

Well, work picked an awful time to explode so I missed most of the discussions. :angryfire:

With regards to Xavier Avery, two things I take away from the pick:

1. The Baltimore scouting department and Joe Jordan have a plan and are being given room to execute. Avery is a great tool set (and everyone who's seen me type on here knows I'm a sucker for tool sets) and is the type of player that could have ended up a first rounder after three years of development at Georgia. While I would not have made this pick (I think #50 was a little early), I'm sort of excited that Baltimore did. It shows some guts and I absolutely keep in mind that a pick like this is not made lightly -- they like he kid they're getting.

2. Jordan didn't think Avery would be there in the third round and wanted to make sure Baltimore got him -- must be very high on him.

[mcgraw238]

I'm intrigued by this kid. Great speed and tons of athleticism. Its hard to ignore the Carl Crawford comparison. Its sounds like he's ready to sign a professional contract.

[DrungoHazewood]

With all that speed and athleticism, maybe he can bulk up his numbers by stealing first base.

Why do you choose to assume that Xavier Avery is Darnell McDonald?

[forest leech]

What we don't know is what particular, specific information Jordan had that might separate Avery from these prior failures. I'm going to withhold judgment until we see how Avery performs.

Why is this so hard for people to do? There is a reason that Jordan picked the players he did, and it is way too early to judge whether it was the right decision. Most if not all of the people complaining certainly don't have anywhere close to the info on these players that Jordan and his team does, if any at all. They just read a 5 sentence scouting report/bio and jump to a conclusion.

[Ruzious]

To answer your question, no, NO and HECK NO! They should not have drafted this guy in this round period. I just don't get it. It certainly seems like logic and common sense got thrown out the window by someone, and it really is irritating. Again, someone needs to be accountable.

No worries about that.

"Baseball has always been my first love," Avery said. "I did football, too, for fun and to keep busy."

And he's not just a super athlete; He did hit well over .500 in HS with decent power and tons of steals. Let's see what he does before making a judgment.

[Moose Milligan]

Why do you choose to assume that Xavier Avery is Darnell McDonald?

Because it's the easy and lazy thing to do.

The post above this that includes the word "pigeonhole" is a good one.

I also agree..the more I read about him, the more excited I am.

[DennisTheOsFan]

Maybe the reason I'm not excited about Xavier is cause he reminds me of Willie Harris--quick as lightning, but light with the bat.

But one thing that does strike me as encouraging is how the ATL organization were looking at him. They seemed to have liked him enough. Maybe if we didn't take Xavier, he would have gone shortly after the 50th pick. If Jordan likes him that much, I want to see (and hear) what Jordan sees in him.

[mikezpen]

Why am I presuming he'll be Darnell McDonald, DH?

Here's why..

59 XAVIER AVERY, OF, Cedar Grove HS, Ellenwood, Ga.

Athleticism, speed and the unknown are all words coinciding with Avery. This spring he signed to play football as a running back with Georgia. A center fielder, Avery is one of the fastest players in the draft and has been timed at 6.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash. However, Avery is hampered by the poor level of competition on his high school team's schedule, making him a tough player for scouts to evaluate this spring. He was visible last summer and performed well both in the East Cobb league and on the showcase circuit, leading to his being named an Aflac all-American. Avery's tools are thought to be raw, as are his instincts. However, with his speed, he is projected to be an above-average outfielder with an average arm, similar to Carl Crawford. At the plate, Avery's ability is even more of a projection. Hitting lefthanded and having above-average speed will always give Avery a chance to hit for average, but scouts feel he is still a ways away with the bat and his approach. Avery could be an exponential improver with proper instruction and multiple at-bats in the minor leagues.

That means fast, questionable bat ("he is still a ways away with his bat.."etc.), didn't play any real competition, anyway,... "COULD BE AN EXPONENTAL IMPROVER.." what does that mean? Kieron Pope w/o the power?

Now granted DH, I don't know if he'll be a flop. But what kind of a second-rounder scouting report is that for a team desperate for hitting? Couldn't they find ONE other prospect who's better than this guy? Why couldn't they have drafted somebody with a hitting pedigree as impressive as this guy's ability to run around real fast? I w/have much rather they drafted a slow guy w/a weak arm but a powerful bat. He could play either first or be a DH-and actually be of use.

All the Orioles seem to have drafted is a real swell 4x100 relay team.

[Tony-OH]

To answer your question, no, NO and HECK NO! They should not have drafted this guy in this round period. I just don't get it. It certainly seems like logic and common sense got thrown out the window by someone, and it really is irritating. Again, someone needs to be accountable.

You sure do have a strong opinion about a guy you probably had never heard of before yesterday.

Someone is accountable and his name is Joe Jordan. If Avery turns out to be a bust, he'll join a long line of 2nd round busts for this organization over the years and Joe will be held accountable.

Again, It's fine to say you would have gone in a different direction, but to make these claims are bordering on ridiculousness. I find it amazing that some people are so upset over these draft picks that they are already calling for accountability, and the players haven't even played one game as a pro yet.

Chances are, some of these players are going to be busts, but it's all part of the draft process.

Would I have liked to have seen the Orioles go for more power, sure, but I don't know the players well enough to know the weaknesses of each player and why a player was ranked ahead of another one. And guess what? Neither do you?

[furryburres]

Why am I presuming he'll be Darnell McDonald, DH?

Here's why..

59 XAVIER AVERY, OF, Cedar Grove HS, Ellenwood, Ga.

Athleticism, speed and the unknown are all words coinciding with Avery. This spring he signed to play football as a running back with Georgia. A center fielder, Avery is one of the fastest players in the draft and has been timed at 6.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash. However, Avery is hampered by the poor level of competition on his high school team's schedule, making him a tough player for scouts to evaluate this spring. He was visible last summer and performed well both in the East Cobb league and on the showcase circuit, leading to his being named an Aflac all-American. Avery's tools are thought to be raw, as are his instincts. However, with his speed, he is projected to be an above-average outfielder with an average arm, similar to Carl Crawford. At the plate, Avery's ability is even more of a projection. Hitting lefthanded and having above-average speed will always give Avery a chance to hit for average, but scouts feel he is still a ways away with the bat and his approach. Avery could be an exponential improver with proper instruction and multiple at-bats in the minor leagues.

That means fast, questionable bat ("he is still a ways away with his bat.."etc.), didn't play any real competition, anyway,... "COULD BE AN EXPONENTAL IMPROVER.." what does that mean?

Now granted DH, I don't know if he'll be a flop. But what kind of a second-rounderscouting report is that for a team desperate for hitting? Couldn't they find ONE other guy who's better than this guy? Why couldn't they have drafted somebody with a hitting pedigree as impressive as this guy's ability to run around real fast? I w/have much rather they drafted a slow guy w/a weak arm but a powerful bat. He could play either first or be a DH-and actually be of use.

All the Orioles seem to have drafted is a real swell 4x100 relay team.

Every hitter is different. Not very, totally, different, but different in their own way. McDonald didn't work out. That means we can't pick an more toolsy outfielders? If you can't make high risk-high reward picks (see Seattle Mariners: Josh Fields), then you're team will never be good. Learning from our mistakes is good. Using the past to completely predict the future is stupid, IMO. And he has the ability to hit. It will develop. You can't expect every draftee to hit, hit, and hit again. You just can't. Some have to develop.

The pick this high was puzzling, IMO. But I'm going to trust Jordan, because he knows how to draft.

[Tony-OH]

Why am I presuming he'll be Darnell McDonald, DH?

Here's why..

59 XAVIER AVERY, OF, Cedar Grove HS, Ellenwood, Ga.

Athleticism, speed and the unknown are all words coinciding with Avery. This spring he signed to play football as a running back with Georgia. A center fielder, Avery is one of the fastest players in the draft and has been timed at 6.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash. However, Avery is hampered by the poor level of competition on his high school team's schedule, making him a tough player for scouts to evaluate this spring. He was visible last summer and performed well both in the East Cobb league and on the showcase circuit, leading to his being named an Aflac all-American. Avery's tools are thought to be raw, as are his instincts. However, with his speed, he is projected to be an above-average outfielder with an average arm, similar to Carl Crawford. At the plate, Avery's ability is even more of a projection. Hitting lefthanded and having above-average speed will always give Avery a chance to hit for average, but scouts feel he is still a ways away with the bat and his approach. Avery could be an exponential improver with proper instruction and multiple at-bats in the minor leagues.

That means fast, questionable bat ("he is still a ways away with his bat.."etc.), didn't play any real competition, anyway,... "COULD BE AN EXPONENTAL IMPROVER.." what does that mean?

Now granted DH, I don't know if he'll be a flop. But what kind of a second-rounder scouting report is that for a team desperate for hitting? Couldn't they find ONE other prospect who's better than this guy? Why couldn't they have drafted somebody with a hitting pedigree as impressive as this guy's ability to run around real fast? I w/have much rather they drafted a slow guy w/a weak arm but a powerful bat. He could play either first or be a DH-and actually be of use.

All the Orioles seem to have drafted is a real swell 4x100 relay team.

Exponential improvement to me means he has a very high ceiling if he develops. To me, Jordan is playing for the straight on the river with this kind of pick instead of going with a safer college level hitter in the second round. If he hits it, it's going to pay off in dividends, but if not, he's going to end up another Keiron Pope type of potential guy who doesn't pan out.

From everything I've read, the kid is going to sign and loves playing baseball. I may have gone in a different direction with this pick, but I can understand where Joe is coming from, with the pick.

His first pick was a safe pick, his second a risky, high upside guy. His third pick is a bit of head scratcher because he went with another high risk pick, but again, I don't know the board well enough to say it wasn't a good pick with the guys left.

If Avery ends up an everyday center-left fielder and Hoes a replacement for Roberts at second, I guess Joe will look like a genius.

[sector7g]

The biggest problem these projectable HS kids are going to face is our expectations of them. Too many people are looking for our 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks to fill holes we have in the majors. In my opinion (and that's all it is) it's tough to get a no doubt top talent in the 2nd round, if you pick a developed 22yr old college bat you're going to get a guy that 49 other teams passed on and one that's left with relatively little projection for improvement. So why not go for the higher risk, projectable guys that have the potential to be anything (including top 1st round talent in 4 years)?

Avery and Hoes have terrific upside, sit back, enjoy watching them develop for a few years and quit being down on them because they don't guarantee you 30HR next year.

[mikezpen]

FB, it's a matter of percentages. Do you have a better chance of getting a hitter with somebody like this guy, or somebody whose scouting report says "strong hitter"? You tell me.

[sector7g]

FB, it's a matter of percentages. Do you have a better chance of getting a hitter with somebody like this guy, or somebody whose scouting report says "strong hitter"? You tell me.

If you do that from the 2nd round onwards you're going to have more guys in the Ben Broussard range that reach the majors (compared to drafting high risk/high reward guys) but never find the top of the range talent. We've already got a team of Kevin Millars and Aubrey Huff's.....

I understand your line of thinking, I just see it differently. I'm excited by our 2nd and 3rd round picks. They could be anything, or nothing but let's enjoy finding out.