How is our player development?

[DennisTheOsFan]

What are your opinions on our organization's player developmental ability?

I know McPhail has made this one of our priorities, and maybe its too early to make a judgment call on this. But are you guys confident that we can develop players in the minors?

Reason I ask is because as I read the scouting reports on Avery and Hoes, an implication was made that we may have taken these high schoolers with our 2nd and 3rd round picks (regarded as high picks) because we are confident in our ability to develop them.

Otherwise, it would have made more sense to use our high picks to go after more advanced players (collegiates).

[TJ Wrangler]

What are your opinions on our organization's player developmental ability?

I know McPhail has made this one of our priorities, and maybe its too early to make a judgment call on this. But are you guys confident that we can develop players in the minors?

Reason I ask is because as I read the scouting reports on Avery and Hoes, an implication was made that we may have taken these high schoolers with our 2nd and 3rd round picks (regarded as high picks) because we are confident in our ability to develop them.

Otherwise, it would have made more sense to use our high picks to go after more advanced players (collegiates).

I give it an F for as far back as you want to go. The number of quality homegrown players is probably in the single digits within the past 10-15 years.

[PaulBako]

I give it an F for as far back as you want to go. The number of quality homegrown players is probably in the single digits within the past 10-15 years.

Now with MacPhail and company it should be getting much better.

[TJ Wrangler]

Now with MacPhail and company it should be getting much better.

We shall see. The past 11 months show otherwise, and the drafts are all on Jordon.

[Shopay]

We shall see. The past 11 months show otherwise, and the drafts are all on Jordon.

Do you have no confidence in Tillman, Mickolio, Butler, Patton, Turner or Waring helping the O's in the future? This doesn't even take in consideration Jones, Scott, Sherrill and Albers already helping the O's.

[Runs2the1Show]

Do you have no confidence in Tillman, Mickolio, Butler, Patton, Turner or Waring helping the O's in the future? This doesn't even take in consideration Jones, Scott, Sherrill and Albers already helping the O's.

I'm sorry, but which of these players are "homegrown?" If your talking about players we have acquired, yes they may help. But these guys have pretty much been developed by other teams.

[Shopay]

I'm sorry, but which of these players are "homegrown?" If your talking about players we have acquired, yes they may help. But these guys have pretty much been developed by other teams.

The post I responded to implies that AM has done nothing to get talent into the organization, and it excluded players being drafted as a means for AM to accomplish this (see reference to the draft being all on Joe Jordan). That is why I referenced the young talent he has gotten into the organization since he arrived.

[mark_beckens]

I give it an F for as far back as you want to go. The number of quality homegrown players is probably in the single digits within the past 10-15 years.

Exactly how far back can you go? Cause it always hasn't been the case! Back in the 60's, 70's and 80's it was about homegrown talent.

Then we had idiots running the asylum in the 90's! Thank you very much Sid Thrift!!!

[mark_beckens]

Do you have no confidence in Tillman, Mickolio, Butler, Patton, Turner or Waring helping the O's in the future? This doesn't even take in consideration Jones, Scott, Sherrill and Albers already helping the O's.

Homegrown means players we draft and develop not players we scout and acquire from other clubs.

[DennisTheOsFan]

Well, if Joe Jordan didn't feel that we have the ability to develop players, he wouldn't have used such high picks to take raw high schoolers, right?. I can see why he took Brandon Snyder and Billy Rowell, because they were thought to be advanced high school bats. But to take a gamble on a big time project like Xavier Avery, might mean that he has confidence in our player development.

I don't think we can judge our player development from the past decade, since it has nothing to do with McPhail's implementation. Same token, I guess we can't make a judgment because enough time has not passed to see if McPhail has set up a good developmental program.

[DennisTheOsFan]

Here's another question: what has McPhail done to improve our player developmental program? What specific things has he set up, or fixed, to get us going on the right track?

[Frobby]

Player development has been in a constant state of change the last 7 years so it's hard to say where it is right now. I liked what Brad Komminsk and Mike Griffin were able to do at Bowie, as it seemed like just about everyone who spent significant time at Bowie last year improved, particularly the pitchers.

[allstar1579]

Player development has been in a constant state of change the last 7 years so it's hard to say where it is right now. I liked what Brad Komminsk and Mike Griffin were able to do at Bowie, as it seemed like just about everyone who spent significant time at Bowie last year improved, particularly the pitchers.

Komminsk might have been the manager for Akron when Cliff Lee, Sizemore, Macier Izturis, Ryan Church, Victor Martinez, Fausto Carmona, Guthrie, and Luke Scott were all there. I think he has been doing something right if all of those guys developed pretty well.

[DennisTheOsFan]

So maybe Reimold's improved K:BB rate is because of Komminsk? Maybe Lou Montanez's breakout year was due to Komminsk, too?

[hoosiers]

It seems like we've had several guys go through the system with decent results the past few years - especially the pitchers - Bergesen, Berken, DHernandez and Spoone and early returns on ZBritton are encouraging and we did not slow down Tillman's progress either.

There has been less hitting talent taken in the draft but Reimold and Snyder are doing well enough even with injuries slowing them down.

It's hard to tell if the drafting is better or if the development is better, but something is working the past three years or so - particularly on the pitching side.