Heston Kjerstad 2023

[deward]

1 minute ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

No idea. But is there a thread I'm missing to discuss his years draft for Sunday? The player I like the most has chance to go 1st overall so not any likelihood of him being an Oriole, lol. (Paul Skenes). A recent mock draft suggested we were looking at ANOTHER shortstop.

https://forum.orioleshangout.com/forum/32-os-amateur-draft-and-international-signings/

[Billy F-Face3]

5 minutes ago, deward said:

https://forum.orioleshangout.com/forum/32-os-amateur-draft-and-international-signings/

Thanks. Somehow there doesn't seem to be anything about the Orioles 2023 Amateur draft. Most of it is about International signings or the 2022 draft.  Looks like no one posts there much.

[Alasdaire]

10 minutes ago, deward said:

I'm trying to recall who people were clamoring for at the time. Wasn't it Martin? 

Given that the O's were pretty clearly determined to go underslot, they were never going to choose someone like Martin. Personally, I felt that if they were going to go underslot, they should have gone for a signable prep bat with a high ceiling.

Zac Veen and Robert Hassell fit that bill and went 8 and 9 in that draft. Like the other guys on that list, they're struggling right now. But they're still much more highly regarded than pretty much all of the college position players from that round other than Kjerstad.

That year was weird because covid interrupted the spring season. So I think teams were hesitant to take 18 year olds who they didn't even have senior year data on. But the value in that draft did come prep bats who were taken later on: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jordan Walker, and Tyler Soderstrom.

The O's front office deserves all of the credit in the world for somehow identifying the only good college bat in Kjerstad and then taking their savings and convincing Coby Mayo to sign with them. That's some wizardry right there.

 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, deward said:

I'm trying to recall who people were clamoring for at the time. Wasn't it Martin? 

Yes, mostly.   I think by now most posters have realized that Elias and his staff know what they’re doing when it comes to the draft.   

Edit: you can read the OH reaction to the Kjerstad pick here.   It’s pretty hysterical, in both senses of that word.  
 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Frobby

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

Thanks. Somehow there doesn't seem to be anything about the Orioles 2023 Amateur draft. Most of it is about International signings or the 2022 draft.  Looks like no one posts there much.

It’s been more active in the years we were picking 1 through 5, for the obvious reason that people had a better idea of who’d still be on the board when the O’s chose.   But there are still several threads there about this draft, and it will be super-busy there on Subday-Tuesday.

[Chaka Garcia]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

Yes, mostly.   I think by now most posters have realized that Elias and his staff know what they’re doing when it comes to the draft.   

Edit: you can read the OH reaction to the Kjerstad pick here.   It’s pretty hysterical, in both senses of that word.  
 

Off topic, reading these old posts, whatever happen to Greg Pappas, really enjoyed his posts on prospects/draftees?

[deward]

6 hours ago, Frobby said:

Yes, mostly.   I think by now most posters have realized that Elias and his staff know what they’re doing when it comes to the draft.   

Edit: you can read the OH reaction to the Kjerstad pick here.   It’s pretty hysterical, in both senses of that word.  
 

I remember reading some of that thread now. You're not kidding, re-reading it now is absolutely hilarious. I have a feeling the Westburg thread will be pretty funny too.

[Just Regular]

Futures Game tonight also on a streaming service.   Trezza MLB.com story suggests he has a plum lineup spot.

Lineup (subject to change)

1. Jonatan Clase, CF, SEA
2. Marcelo Mayer, SS, BOS
3. Heston Kjerstad, RF, BAL
4. Harry Ford, C, SEA
5. Lawrence Butler, LF, OAK
6. Junior Caminero, 3B, TB
7. Tyler Soderstrom, 1B, OAK
8. Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH, DET
9. Nick Yorke, 2B, BOS

[OriolesMagic83]

8 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Futures Game tonight also on a streaming service.   Trezza MLB.com story suggests he has a plum lineup spot.

Lineup (subject to change)

1. Jonatan Clase, CF, SEA
2. Marcelo Mayer, SS, BOS
3. Heston Kjerstad, RF, BAL
4. Harry Ford, C, SEA
5. Lawrence Butler, LF, OAK
6. Junior Caminero, 3B, TB
7. Tyler Soderstrom, 1B, OAK
8. Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH, DET
9. Nick Yorke, 2B, BOS

No Holliday, the #1 prospect?  Or did Mayer get the start over him?

[Just Regular]

2 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

No Holliday, the #1 prospect?  Or did Mayer get the start over him?

I guess so.    Veteranosity for the young man from the High School Class of 2021.

[Ridgway22]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

Yes, mostly.   I think by now most posters have realized that Elias and his staff know what they’re doing when it comes to the draft.   

Edit: you can read the OH reaction to the Kjerstad pick here.   It’s pretty hysterical, in both senses of that word.  

Just for fun, went through the KJ draft pick thread. I thought I remembered much more gnashing of teeth and wailing at the moon, but still a few gems:

"I think passing on Martin will be one of those decisions that haunts the Orioles for years to come."

"I think years from now we will lament not taking Austin Martin at #2. Frankly I was yelling at the screen in anger."

"I'm pissed. 10 years of seeing Martin light us up while we've got an outfield with 40 speed."

"Poor walk numbers, unexceptional speed and little defensive value."

"My initial reaction is that I do not like the pick with who else was available."

"Guys rise and fall all the time but there were better projected players between #2 and where Kjerstad was expected to be taken."

"I get that Martin wanted above slot, however there were several better projected players at #2 that they could have signed. You can't convince me otherwise."

"I’d rather have Martin than Kjerstad/Bitsko."

"He's a slow power bat that has trouble with plate discipline and okay to good fielding. I can not look at him and not immediately make a parallel to Roughned Odor."

And finally...

"I’m not going to lie — I pretty much hate this pick. I don’t like the ratio of upside to downside."

 

TBH, I had bought into the Austin Martin as generational talent story, and wanted him. Thought I had posted as such, but could not find record of same.

[Frobby]

55 minutes ago, Ridgway22 said:

 

"I’m not going to lie — I pretty much hate this pick. I don’t like the ratio of upside to downside."

You were kind not to attribute that to me.   But I also said that I would root to be wrong.  Right now, it looks like I was, but only time will tell. 

[Alasdaire]

1 hour ago, Ridgway22 said:

Just for fun, went through the KJ draft pick thread. I thought I remembered much more gnashing of teeth and wailing at the moon, but still a few gems:

TBH, I had bought into the Austin Martin as generational talent story, and wanted him. Thought I had posted as such, but could not find record of same.

I wasn't posting on OH then, but I also admit to having hated the Kjerstad pick. Not because I liked Martin, but because I thought we needed to go upside with prep bats. Heston just really wasn't a sexy pick. And we were still in the dark ages with no proof of concept with the front office.

But like I mentioned above, it's astounding that the front office somehow found what might go down as the best college hitter AND the best prep bat in the same draft. Oh, and throwing in Jordan Westburg in between. In a year that must have been a nightmare to scout players. A year after having found the best college hitter and the best prep bat in Adley/Gunnar (and throwing in Joey Ortiz). Did they do it again with Holliday and Fabian?

We're witnessing some next-level scouting from this front office. If they can continue to find hitters up and down the draft, I'm totally fine with continuing to pass on pitching.

[Sports Guy]

 

[Moose Milligan]

4 hours ago, Ridgway22 said:

 

"I'm pissed. 10 years of seeing Martin light us up while we've got an outfield with 40 speed."

 

Yeah, that's me.  I wanted Martin.

Crazy how things have turned around and I'm very pleased to have been wrong.