Garret Stallings Interview at Time of draft and edited to add today's with Steve Mewleski

[bobmc]

On 12/8/2020 at 6:43 PM, Frobby said:

I wonder who is the best player we ever received in a trade before he had played in the majors?    In recent years, I’d say it was Tillman.   There may have been someone better than that from prior years, but I’m not immediately recalling someone off the top of my head.  

Edit - I guess it’s Schilling, even though his excellence came after we traded him.    
 

Brady, Melvin Mora, Demper?

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, bobmc said:

Brady, Melvin Mora, Demper?

All played in the majors before they were traded.

[bobmc]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

Some more from a subsequent Melewski blog post:

“I think that is one of the biggest things that separates me from the next guy - my ability to command all four pitches,” Stallings said in a Zoom interview with O’s reporters. “I think it’s just something that I really pride myself on. You know, playing catch or throwing bullpens, I just have an extreme focus on what I’m doing and what I’m trying to accomplish that day. Now I kind of have been a victim sometimes of throwing too many strikes, throwing pitches down the middle too often. I have to perfect my craft a little bit more and it’s allowed me to focus on other parts of my game that need improvement. Like velocity, commanding better breaking pitches for more punchouts and stuff like that. It is something I’ve taken pride in from a young age.”

He also has taken pride in his work in the classroom. He was a 4.0 student at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, Va. He was named the Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Tennessee. He said he likes to do work in the community, too.

“I’m very fortunate to have two wonderful parents that instilled some great values in me. Baseball is just what I do, not who I am,” he said. “Playing baseball has opened a lot of doors for me, allowing myself to impact the community in a high way. I’ve just taken pride in being the best person I can be on and off the field. If I can give a little kid a pitching lesson, or sign a ball. You know, I’ve kept some of my old jerseys to someday give out to fans. Just to (be able to) have more of an impact, I will take it. I was a little kid one time going to Norfolk games, wanting an autograph or asking someone to take a picture. I know the impact that it can make, I’ve been there myself. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed doing and I think I’ll continue to do that my entire life.”

https://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2020/12/os-expected-to-field-two-gcl-teams-notes-on-shortstop-and-more.html

Like I said, quality kid.    

Wow!  I'm not crying but I bet you were!  Thanks for extracting this!  

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, bobmc said:

Wow!  I'm not crying but I bet you were!  Thanks for extracting this!  

There’s no crying in baseball!

Actually, you guessed correctly that I can get pretty weepy in sentimental situations.