Wieters.... Best Oriole prospect ever?

[caljr]

I can't ever remember another prospect that has had this much sucess in the minors. Can anyone else remember an Os prospect that has had this much sucess in our history?

[Moose Milligan]

Sherman Obando.

[wayne25]

Sherman Obando.

Sherman was a yankee prospect. Was # 1 prospect in the NY penn league if I remember correctly.

[TGO]

Sherman was a yankee prospect. Was # 1 prospect in the NY penn league if I remember correctly.

Yep, we took him in the Rule 5. He had his breakout at Rochester the year after he had to spend a season in Baltimore.

Mike Mussina has to be on any list of best prospects ever. Don Baylor might be the best ever.

Wieters is definitely up there.

[BaltBird 24]

It's pretty tough to match up to what Matt Riley was his first couple years in our system. Give me an 18 year old with a 1.19 ERA, a 4.55 H/9, and a 14.75 K/9 and i'll show you a kid who was an elite prospect.

[Boy Howdy]

In 1967, Don Baylor hit .346 & slugged .549 as a 18-y.o. in rookie ball.

In A ball the following year, he hit .369 and slugged .504, earning a brief look see in AA.

He hit .300 & slugged .473 as a full-time AA player in 1969, then hammered AAA pitching at a .327 / .583 clip in 1970.

The O's had no room for him, so he went back to AAA in 1971 and hit .313 while slugging .539.

Of course, he came up and had success, including an AL MVP award in 1979. Unfortunately for the O's, they'd traded him away by then in the miscalculation that they could convince Reggie Jackson to re-sign here as a free agent.

Jim Fuller had some of the best minor league numbers for an Oriole ever, but big league pitchers found a hole.

"Success" isn't the best way to describe pitcher Steve Dalkowski's minor league resume, but his numbers are jaw dropping and he seemed to be putting it all together when injuries got in the way.

[MurphDogg]

In 1967, Don Baylor hit .346 & slugged .549 as a 18-y.o. in rookie ball.

In A ball the following year, he hit .369 and slugged .504, earning a brief look see in AA.

He hit .300 & slugged .473 as a full-time AA player in 1969, then hammered AAA pitching at a .327 / .583 clip in 1970.

The O's had no room for him, so he went back to AAA in 1971 and hit .313 while slugging .539.

None of those seasons are as good as what Wieters is doing now. Just an incredible season he is having with another homer tonight for Bowie.

[Mackus]

Matt Riley's gotta be in the discussion. Remember, we're talking prospects, not who fulfilled the promise.

Hard to argue with these numbers out of an 18/19 year old:

Year  Age Tm  Lg  Lvl Aff  W   L   W-L%   G   GS  CG SHO  GF  SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK   ERA   WHIP+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+1998   18 DEL SAL A   BAL   5   4  .556   16  14   0           0   83     42   19   11       44  136                         1.19  1.04 1999   19 TOT              13   8  .619   28  28   3           0  178    147   72   60       56  189                         3.03  1.14           FRE CAR A+  BAL   3   2  .600    8   8   0           0   52     34   19   15       14   58                         2.60  0.92           BOW EAS AA  BAL  10   6  .625   20  20   3           0  126    113   53   45       42  131                         3.21  1.23 

[hoosiers]

Bedard was about a run better ERA-wise than the guy behind him in AA when he went down with an injury. Baseball America was on the verge of naming him the best LHP in the minors.

I do not remember the stats, but there was an awful lot of hype around young Athur Rhodes when he came up.

[Boy Howdy]

None of those seasons are as good as what Wieters is doing now. Just an incredible season he is having with another homer tonight for Bowie.

I don't think it's the slam dunk you're making it out to be, especially considering Wieters is 22-y.o. with half a season of professional baseball under his belt.

By the time Baylor was 22, he was already had an 8-game cup of coffee in the majors in addition to 5 seasons of mashing minor league pitching.

Baylor played 558 minor league games. In addition to 72 homers, he scored 425 runs and drove in 377. 106 doubles, 51 triples, 72 homers, 115 stolen bases, walked 284 times and also reached on 63 hit-by-pitches.

His defensive value never compared to a plus catcher like Wieters, but Baylor did just about everything a man could do in the minor leagues. His only "crime" was doing it at a time when the Orioles were absolutely stacked at the big league level.

[Leitch]

Eddie Murray hit .274/.399/.530 in AAA Rochester at age 20.

And Ripken hit .288/.383/.535 in Rochester at 20 in 1981.

[Boy Howdy]

Where's the love for Calvin Pickering?

.500/.516/.717 in his first 60 minor league at bats as an 18-y.o.

.325/.408/.675 the the next year in Rookie ball

.311/.384/.554 in A ball

.309/.425/.566 in AA

All before turning 22!

[grady41]

Bobby Grich and Don Baylor were at Roch at the same time, both had pretty good years. I my memory serves me correctly Grich hit 383, was brought up to play some SS and 2B, cannot recall the year. I believe the next winter they traded D Johnson for Earl Williams.

Grich and Baylor bath had great years, hopefully Wieters can have a career similar to both of them only all with the O's

[jcumansky28]

Bobby Grich and Don Baylor were at Roch at the same time, both had pretty good years. I my memory serves me correctly Grich hit 383, was brought up to play some SS and 2B, cannot recall the year. I believe the next winter they traded D Johnson for Earl Williams.

Grich and Baylor bath had great years, hopefully Wieters can have a career similar to both of them only all with the O's

Alan Freed. A pure monster at the plate.

[jcumansky28]

Alan Freed. A pure monster at the plate.

It's late. I meant Roger Freed, who tore up the O's system before he was traded. Never made a major-league impact.