Orioles select SS Richie Martin with 1st pick of Rule 5 Draft

[weams]

7 minutes ago, Ruzious said:

Diddier?  Wow, I've been following him in the Braves system for a few years, and - while he seems very good defensively -  he can't hit - at all.  Seems like that would be a problem if a player can't hit in the minors.    

All signs point to Orioles and Martin as of now. 

[atomic]

Richie Martin good. 

[murph]

Martin

[jerios55]

Richie Martin it is

[Moose Milligan]

Richie Martin!  Welcome to the suck!

[TonySoprano]

Richie Martin stats
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=martin017ric

[TonySoprano]

Quote

Martin, who turns 24 later this month, was the 20th overall pick in the 2015 out of the University of Florida. The Detroit native slashed .300/.368/.439 this year at Double-A Midland, with 29 doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 42 RBIs, 25 stolen bases in 35 attempts and 68 runs scored in 118 games.

The bat has lagged behind defensive skills that made him one of the most attractive players available today. He hasn’t played above the Double-A level.

Martin hasn’t shown much power, totaling 15 home runs in 369 games. He’s a career .257/.340/.366 hitter.

Though he’s primarily been a shortstop, Martin made 21 starts at second base this summer.

Martin ranked as Oakland’s No. 12 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, which rates his arm tool at 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He’s a 60 defender.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2018/12/orioles-select-shortstop-richie-martin-in-rule-5-draft.html

[NCRaven]

Plus defender at SS must have been the deciding factor.

[Tony-OH]

Not sure why this discussion is being buried in another thread, but this deserves it's own thread.

Please, please start new threads about big moves and not bury it in a previous discussion. Thanks.

As for me, I'm a little surprised just because of his extreme ground ball rate. I'm guessing Elias thinks he can teach Martin a new bat path that will enable him to lift the ball more.

Saying all that, it will be interesting to see if Martin's defense is as good as advertised.

[Legend_Of_Joey]

Just now, Tony-OH said:

Not sure why this discussion is being buried in another thread, but this deserves it's own thread.

Please, please start new threads about big moves and not bury it in a previous discussion. Thanks.

As for me, I'm a little surprised just because of his extreme ground ball rate. I'm guessing Elias thinks he can teach Martin a new bat path that will enable him to lift the ball more.

Saying all that, it will be interesting to see if Martin's defense is as good as advertised.

They also picked up another infielder for International money, so maybe some competition there.

[Rene88]

I wanted Ferrell just Bc he is a pitcher and seemed to have high upside, but Martin could be a very good pick as well. (Ferrell selected 3 by Marlins)

[interloper]

8 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Not sure why this discussion is being buried in another thread, but this deserves it's own thread.

Please, please start new threads about big moves and not bury it in a previous discussion. Thanks.

As for me, I'm a little surprised just because of his extreme ground ball rate. I'm guessing Elias thinks he can teach Martin a new bat path that will enable him to lift the ball more.

Saying all that, it will be interesting to see if Martin's defense is as good as advertised.

I would caution folks who think that Elias is going to agree with everything the OH thinks or sees. I just feel like we're setting ourselves up for disappointment when the guy doesn't wave his magic data wand on everybody on Day 1 of ST. Not that I'm saying you are, Tony. But just throwing it out there to folks. 

I'm guessing this pick is all about the lack of the Orioles having a SS worth a damn, IMO. Teaching the guy a new swing path might be the last thing on Elias' mind - I think he just knows he needs any kind of talent ASAP.

"ML glove with speed? Absolutely. You're picked. What bat? Who cares? Another SS is available? Let's get him, too. Here, have some international money. Alright now we have a couple infielders and I can breathe a little."

[interloper]

Found this on a MiL SBnation site for the A's:

The A's completely retooled his swing

They added a leg kick and got him to incorporate his lower half. Out of college he had a slappy, opposite field approach with no power.

He looks completely different at the plate, and I think it took him a while to successfully incorporate those changes.

[interloper]

 

[Andtothewall]

Only a slightly related thought, but - should teams value players differently based on how advanced their team's player development is? For example, Orioles pitchers over the past five-ish years have consistently improved when they leave the organization, meaning they might have been undervalued by statistical analysis or scouting simply because their organization wasn't putting them in a position to succeed. Players from "smart" teams, on the other hand (like Martin from Oakland and Jackson from LA) might be closer to their ceilings because of superior player development. I wonder if front offices have started to factor that in.