#2 Prospect - LHP Brian Matusz

[Tony-OH]

http://www.orioleshangout.com/article.asp?ID=1803

As much as we like some other prospects, a four-pitch lefty with two plus-plus pitches and command gets the nod despite not throwing one profesional pitch yet.

[ChaosLex]

Yay! I guessed it right. :clap3:

[blueguy]

In stats below his profile, it has Level: A+ with 3.26 ERA. Was that a typo?

[TakebackOPACY]

In stats below his profile, it has Level: A+ with 3.26 ERA. Was that a typo?

Man, I'm such a stats geek. I recognize those numbers. Anyone else?

ǝʎɹoɥɔ

[Sports Guy]

Yea, this is what I figured as well.

I think it makes sense.

[Tony-OH]

In stats below his profile, it has Level: A+ with 3.26 ERA. Was that a typo?

Thanks for the catch. Dang cut and paste catches me sometimes....

[DennisTheOsFan]

And after watching Cole Hammels pitch today, I'm hoping we're getting the same type of pitcher out of Matusz. Hammels' change was on, and his curve swept across and down the strikezone. And when he needed to, he'd reach back and throw a 93 mph FB.

We'd be blessed if Matusz is similar to Hammels.

[YardBirds13]

And after watching Cole Hammels pitch today, I'm hoping we're getting the same type of pitcher out of Matusz. Hammels' change was on, and his curve swept across and down the strikezone. And when he needed to, he'd reach back and throw a 93 mph FB.

We'd be blessed if Matusz is similar to Hammels.

Hamels.

And I can't really argue with this. I thought Tillman deserved to get the number two spot based on already having been pretty dominant at AA and still being younger than Matusz, but no argument here.

Considering Tillman has a chance to be a Top 30 prospect in all of baseball, I'd say that's pretty good that he isn't even in our Top 2!

Excited to see how Matusz does next year, I'd love for him to see some action in September.

[oriole_way]

Throws his fastball anywhere between 89-94 MPH with above average command to both sides of the plate.

I hope that fastball is usually at least 91-92 mph. You don't see too many above average starters nowadays with a fastball that sits at 89-90, even if they have good control and plus offspeed pitches.

[RVAbird]

I hope that fastball is usually at least 91-92 mph. You don't see too many above average starters nowadays with a fastball that sits at 89-90, even if they have good control and plus offspeed pitches.

I believe I read that he sits comfortably at 90-92. He pitches off his offspeed stuff, though, which is nasty and he commands it well. I've also read that with a minor mechanical adjustment (leg work) he might be able to add a tick or two to his velocity. We'll see.

[Frobby]

This could have gone either way. Your write-up is inspiring -- if he's really got as good command of four pitches as you say, there's no reason we shouldn't see him in an Orioles uniform sometime in 2009.

[Stotle]

Good selection, Tony. I completely agree.

[Tony-OH]

This could have gone either way. Your write-up is inspiring -- if he's really got as good command of four pitches as you say, there's no reason we shouldn't see him in an Orioles uniform sometime in 2009.

I agree, but if he's as good as advertised, no one in the system has as much stuff and command in one package and that's why he got the nod at number two. I certainly understand the line of thinking that says Tillman was 20-years old and had success in Double-A, but Tillman doesn't have the command that Matusz has and as a righty without a dominant fastball, that puts him down a tick or two from Matusz.

The concern of course is that Matusz has no professional stats, but those sparkling college stats give you a pretty good indication of his potential.

[Frobby]

I agree, but if he's as good as advertised, no one in the system has as much stuff and command in one package and that's why he got the nod at number two. I certainly understand the line of thinking that says Tillman was 20-years old and had success in Double-A, but Tillman doesn't have the command that Matusz has and as a righty without a dominant fastball, that puts him down a tick or two from Matusz.

The concern of course is that Matusz has no professional stats, but those sparkling college stats give you a pretty good indication of his potential.

Mark me down as a fan of promoting pitchers who show command. There's nothing more enjoyable than watching a good pitcher who can put the ball right where he wants to and can mix up a variety of pitches.

It's very exciting to me that BA ranks Tillman the best pitching prospect in the Eastern League, and yet we have someone that you think is even better. There has never been a time in the last 10 years where we had three pitching prospects like Matusz, Tillman and Arrieta all just 1-2 years away from reaching the big leagues. And we have some pretty decent guys behind them, too.

[tywright]

I have to say, I'm a little surprised about this selection. By all accounts, Tillman is a top 15 pitching prospect in all of baseball. He has #1 upside as well, but more than likely will be a #2.

Matusz still needs to prove to me he can pitch against top talent, so hopefully he has a very good debut in the AFL.