Grade the Orioles’ draft

[Number5]

2 hours ago, CaptainRedbeard said:

 

This explains why the Orioles didn’t go into their overage (and why they have historically been reluctant to do so). At least they planned well enough to use every dollar of their pool, unlike some of those other teams. 

Also explains why Baumeister went down to the wire - he was almost certainly trying to dip into the overage but the Orioles held the line.

I thought we did go slightly over.  No?

[Frobby]

I think a disappointing outcome for Bradfield would be a Michael A. Taylor type career.  A great outcome wouid be something like Devon White.  There’s a lot of room in between, but even Taylor has had a pretty decent career.  

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think a disappointing outcome for Bradfield would be a Michael A. Taylor type career.  A great outcome wouid be something like Devon White.  There’s a lot of room in between, but even Taylor has had a pretty decent career.  

I personally prefer the Kenny Loftin

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/loftoke01.shtml

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I personally prefer the Kenny Loftin

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/loftoke01.shtml

That’s just a little too “lofty” for me to hope for (see what I did there?).  Though I was surprised to see that White outhomered Lofton by a significant amount.  

[RZNJ]

Just now, Frobby said:

That’s just a little too “lofty” for me to hope for (see what I did there?).  Though I was surprised to see that White outhomered Lofton by a significant amount.  

White was not the stolen base threat that Loftin was.  White was a tall glider.  Physically, Bradfield is more similar to Loftin.

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

White was not the stolen base threat that Loftin was.  White was a tall glider.  Physically, Bradfield is more similar to Loftin.

I loved White’s defense.  I like your tail glider description.  He had such long strides and covered a ton of ground without it ever seeming like he was running hard.   He’s kind of underrated — rWAR very close to Torii Hunter, but you never hear them mentioned in the same breath. 

[Grady]

Eddie Murray said this. What if Devon White named a son after Odibie McDowell? For real Eddie said this

[RZNJ]

Per Baseball America.  I don’t remember this piece.

Draft Theme: Elite Vertical Break Fastballs.

If you can’t get carry and ride on your fastball, don’t worry about looking good in black and orange. The Orioles place a heavy premium on fastballs with vertical break, and six of the team’s seven pitchers selected among the top 10 rounds had a fastball with 17.5 inches of induced vertical break or more this spring, led by righthanders Jacob Cravey and Levi Wells, who both eclipsed the 20-inch mark. RHP Braxton Bragg was the only pitcher who didn’t, and he is a sidearming senior sign. 

Most Interesting Day 2 Pick: OF Jake Cunningham, 5th round

A Charlotte native who stayed in his hometown to attend college, Cunningham struggled offensively in his 2021 freshman season, but exploded in 2022, when he hit .304/.410/.595 with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Cunningham has a big and athletic frame that could still add more weight, with a high-upside package of tools including power, speed and center field defense. His 2023 season started slowly after an ankle injury that limited him early, and he also missed time after getting cleated and needing stitches, but overall he hit .267/.359/.519 with 11 home runs and 14 doubles. It was an injury-plagued, down year for Cunningham when he needed a strong one to reinforce his hitting chops, as scouts have wondered about his pure hit tool thanks to contact concerns and limited track record in summer leagues with a wood bat. Cunningham also struggled against the 92-plus mph velocity his saw this spring. When he does make contact he hits the ball hard and has plus raw power with a 94 mph average exit velocity and 111 mph 90th percentile exit velocity this spring. When healthy he’s also been a plus runner and savvy basestealer, though post-injury in 2023 he stole just one base on one attempt. He has a chance to be an above-average defender in center field with solid arm strength. If he hits Cunningham could be an impact player, but there’s plenty of risk with his pure hit tool.