Why is the book closed on Mountcastle at 3rd?

[Ripken]

Saw him play a ton at Frederick.  Loudest bat I ever heard there.  Worst arm I ever saw there.  I wanted them to try him at second base but that never happened.

[SteveA]

4 hours ago, VaBird1 said:

Longenhagen an McDaniel actually use him as the example of someone who shouldn't play infield.  His arm is rated by McDaniel as a 45 on the 20-80 scale, but his arm utility is a 20.  Arm utility is the assessment of whether or not your arm can make the plays needed in the infield.  They hold him up as the perfect example of someone whose arm is passable in the outfield, but can't get the job done making all of the unique throws required in the infield. 

Given everything I've read in this thread, I have no doubt his arm is completely inadequate for the infield.

But that kind of begs the question, how was he ever drafted as a shortstop in the first place.

[NCRaven]

1 minute ago, SteveA said:

But that kind of begs the question, how was he ever drafted as a shortstop in the first place.

Bat.  Would have been special if he could handle short.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

Given everything I've read in this thread, I have no doubt his arm is completely inadequate for the infield.

But that kind of begs the question, how was he ever drafted as a shortstop in the first place.

They hoped they could coach him up or maybe give him throwing drills that would help.    And they figured that even if it didn’t work out, he had enough bat that they could move him to another spot.   

[Ruzious]

2 hours ago, SteveA said:

Given everything I've read in this thread, I have no doubt his arm is completely inadequate for the infield.

But that kind of begs the question, how was he ever drafted as a shortstop in the first place.

It really doesn't bet that question.  

[SteveA]

Just now, Ruzious said:

It really doesn't bet that question.  

I probably didn't ask the question right.   I wasn't questioning drafting him.

Why was he playing shortstop in the first place if his arm is SO bad for an infielder.   Is what I was trying to ask.   

[Can_of_corn]

36 minutes ago, SteveA said:

I probably didn't ask the question right.   I wasn't questioning drafting him.

Why was he playing shortstop in the first place if his arm is SO bad for an infielder.   Is what I was trying to ask.   

They hoped they could develop it.

[Just Regular]

35 minutes ago, SteveA said:

I probably didn't ask the question right.   I wasn't questioning drafting him.

Why was he playing shortstop in the first place if his arm is SO bad for an infielder.   Is what I was trying to ask.   

I don't think there's anything more to this than he was the best shortstop on his high school team.

He probably had the best arm on the team too, though he mentioned recently Zach Eflin and Riley Greene as fellow alums of his high school in a recent Inside The Yard podcast.

On the Damon LF arm, I remember one beautiful play from the Thome Oriole days in which he flicked one over the third baseman's head.  Something had to give, Thome tried for 2nd and made it.

[Just Regular]

40 minutes ago, SteveA said:

I probably didn't ask the question right.   I wasn't questioning drafting him.

Why was he playing shortstop in the first place if his arm is SO bad for an infielder.   Is what I was trying to ask.   

Its a testament to the fame of his bad arm I thought surely this question HAD to be about high school, and in looking back at his pro records, am honestly surprised 200-some SS games exist.   He was a prospect for a LONG time.

[Tony-OH]

39 minutes ago, SteveA said:

I probably didn't ask the question right.   I wasn't questioning drafting him.

Why was he playing shortstop in the first place if his arm is SO bad for an infielder.   Is what I was trying to ask.   

The player development folks evaluated Mountcastle immediately and decided he was not a shortstop. I was told Dan Duquette himself insisted that Mountcastle play shortstop because it would up his value. The problem of course with that idea is that if no other team thinks he's a shortstop, it doesn't help out his value at all. 

There were some people in the organization that wanted to move him to the outfield after his Delmarva season but were overruled. So the team kept playing him at SS and then moved him over to third where everyone knew his arm wouldn't work there either. 

So basically they lost out on several years of outfield defense development because Dan Duquette felt Mountcastle had more value playing SS even though I'm betting, he knew he really couldn't play there either. 

I try to call Duquette's moves and management as I see it, and in this case, his plan for developing Mountcastle defensively was poor.

[Tony-OH]

31 minutes ago, OrioleDog said:

Its a testament to the fame of his bad arm I thought surely this question HAD to be about high school, and in looking back at his pro records, am honestly surprised 200-some SS games exist.   He was a prospect for a LONG time.

I can remember it being reported coming out of the draft that Mountcastle had an above average arm. I got reports in instructional league that his arm was "awful" and would never play at SS so if you look back, my initial scouting report him has him a poor arm. 

From our 2015 scouting report after his GCL season in a draft year:

 

Quote

 For giggles we'll call him a SS, but with a 35 arm on the scouting scale, he's heading somewhere else defensively, possibly to LF or 1B. Luckily, everyone who saw him thinks his bat plays even at a premium offensive position. Makes adjustments and hits the ball hard to all fields. Hard worker who has advanced baseball instincts on the field and at bat.

From our 2016 Scouting report
 

Quote

What we know: Moutcastle's tool is his bat and it will determine how far he goes. What we also know is he is not a SS. No one thinks he's a shortstop. He doesn't have the arm strength or throwing motion to play shortstop and his range is below average. Ask scouts about Mountcastle and unanimously they say, "He's not a shortstop" right off the bat. Player development intended to move him to left field in the instructional league but were overruled by the Orioles front office who feel he has more value as a shortstop. If he really was a shortstop that would be true, but he's not, and other teams know it. 

 

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, OrioleDog said:

I don't think there's anything more to this than he was the best shortstop on his high school team.

He probably had the best arm on the team too, though he mentioned recently Zach Eflin and Riley Greene as fellow alums of his high school in a recent Inside The Yard podcast.

On the Damon LF arm, I remember one beautiful play from the Thome Oriole days in which he flicked one over the third baseman's head.  Something had to give, Thome tried for 2nd and made it.

He was the best player on that Hagerty HS team, I don't know about the best arm. I don't think so. They always have talent all over the field. Many of the high schools in this area do. I am a little spoiled that way.

Jeff Driskel, (NFL QB) a few years before him. Zach Eflin was a few years before him as well. And that team is always very talented. The school was established in 2005 and has a three first rounders (Riley Green, Mountcastle, Eflin), and several others drafted recently. They took a little more than half of the Oviedo HS talent pipeline when they started that school.

[linedrive]

11 hours ago, Sanfran327 said:

There's no way his arm is worse than Johnny Damon's. I have (at nearly 39 years old) a better lefty throwing arm than JD did in his prime, and I'm right handed.

I don't know... I've seen Johnny Damon's arm in the outfield, but I've never been so shocked at seeing a Mountcastle throw from third base. I felt embarrassed for him.

[linedrive]

11 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Pretty sure he's referring to infield arms.  Mountcastle's arm in the outfield is clearly superior to someone like Damon, even with the small sample size we've seen. 

True. I'm okay with Mountcastle in the outfield for this coming season, but when we're competitive again, we're going to need strong outfield arms. An outfield with Mullins and Mountcastle isn't going to deter runners the way Markakis did. Mountcastle would, however, make a fine, full-time DH. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Philip]

Mancini at first or DH, MC at DH or First, Davis sitting on the bench, now go fill the other 23 roster spots.