2020 Round 3 (74): Anthony Servideo - SS - (Junior)(Mississippi)

[HowAboutThat]

4 hours ago, Frobby said:

I’d pay good money to talk to Luke after tonight and get the scoop on how all this goes down.   But then of course he’d have to kill me.    

If you can share the information before the knife falls, it would be worth it.

[Spl51]

Doin' work vs Detmers, hitting bombs to center. 

[Just Regular]

2 minutes ago, Spl51 said:

Doin' work vs Detmers, hitting bombs to center. 

That color is full Ric Flair.  

Whether you like it, or you don't like it, learn to love it, 'cause it's the best going today - WOO!

[Otter]

We've drafted a lot of SS prospects in the past 3 years, but I like his defense much better than any of them.  Granted, I've only watched a bunch of highlights and warm-ups, but he appears to have incredibly quick feet and hands.  He looks the definition of a quick twitch athlete.  I know it seems like SS overload, but I don't think you can ever draft too many guys who project to stick at SS.

[MachoMachadoMan]

I do love this guy's fire. I don't know if that means he is the best pick, but I love attitude he brings. Baseball should be fun and he's fun to watch. I hope he's successful. 

[BohKnowsBmore]

1 hour ago, Otter said:

We've drafted a lot of SS prospects in the past 3 years, but I like his defense much better than any of them.  Granted, I've only watched a bunch of highlights and warm-ups, but he appears to have incredibly quick feet and hands.  He looks the definition of a quick twitch athlete.  I know it seems like SS overload, but I don't think you can ever draft too many guys who project to stick at SS.

Guys who project to stick at SS/CF are strong currency in prospect trades.

[Ruzious]

I'm thinking the O's particularly liked him, because they added 2 SS's last year, and they already used the 30th pick on a SS this year.  Granted, some may eventually move to another position.  

[weams]

 

[weams]

 

[tntoriole]

On 6/11/2020 at 11:18 PM, RZNJ said:

Curt Blefary, former O's great?  That sounds generous.

Hey, I loved Clank!  He caught Tommy Phoebus no hitter.  

[tntoriole]

On 6/15/2020 at 2:10 PM, weams said:

 

And Servideo wears number 3 in honor of Grandpa...

[Cavspider]

I wish all the O's draftees make it, but I am especially rooting for this guy.  Maybe it is the Oriole connection, but something about this kid makes me think he could be special.  His enthusiasm is contagious!

[Ruzious]

3 hours ago, Cavspider said:

I wish all the O's draftees make it, but I am especially rooting for this guy.  Maybe it is the Oriole connection, but something about this kid makes me think he could be special.  His enthusiasm is contagious!

It's the hair; definitely the hair.  If he stops with the bleaching, he's got no chance.  And it'll help if he does the Flair strut and goes "Woooo!"  when he crosses home plate.  Of course, he'll probably get a lot of HBP's that way.  

[tntoriole]

On 6/16/2020 at 10:48 PM, tntoriole said:

And Servideo wears number 3 in honor of Grandpa...

This is an excellent article about Curt Blefary....sad about the alcohol destroying his life, poignant that his ashes were scattered at the old Memorial Stadium site in 2001.   An interesting tidbit in the article that I did not know was apparently Blefary and rookie Mike Epstein were being shopped by the Orioles in 1967 but they did not pull the trigger on a trade with the Cubs for  Billy Williams.  Blefary did ultimately get us Mike Cuellar which was also a very unbalanced trade for our side.  

"While Blefary was a better outfielder than Boog Powell, Baltimore entered 1967 with three left-handed sluggers, none of whom could help the team in the outfield. Mike Epstein, The Sporting News1966 Minor League Player of the Year, was a poor defensive first baseman. The Orioles sent him to the Florida Instructional League to learn left field. The experiment continued in spring training, but Blefary still got his at-bats. Hank Bauer tried him as a catcher after Powell accidentally stepped on backup catcher Charlie Lau’s toe. Blefary also experimented with switch-hitting. He had been a switch-hitter in high school. He asserted that he had more power right-handed. Presumably Bauer wasn’t impressed.

Trade rumors, especially in the Sporting News, were rampant. Years later, Jim Palmer said the Cubs were willing to trade Billy Williams for Blefary and Epstein. Palmer claimed that owner Jerry Hoffberger told general manager Harry Dalton, “You can make that trade, but you’d better be right.”[fn]The Sporting News, February 2, 1998.[/fn] He would have been: Williams outlasted both much younger players and had the seasons that created the mold to cast his Hall of Fame bust in 1970 and 1972. The Sporting News also claimed that Dalton turned down offers from the White Sox for Bruce Howard or Joel Horlen for Blefary."

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/curt-blefary/

[Just Regular]

I just learned Blefary's Age 21 Rookie of the Year season was only a half-win shy of Age 21 Cal Ripken's.

He was before my time and digesting Orioles history as a kid I think I kind of knew the trivia he was a RoY, but didn't realize how wOBA powerful a young hitter he was.

He did seem to have old man's skills even as a pup.