Rank the top 25 players in the O's organization

[wildcard]

Here is my top 25.   What is yours?  Helps me think about who needs to stay and who needs to go.

1. Gunnar Henderson -Superstar capability.   Proved he can play SS.  And when you are the big dog you play where you want.

2.. Adley Rutschman - All-Star catching ability with a clutch bat.

3. Grayson Rodriguez -Ace in the making.  The stuff and the makeup are off the charts

4. Kyle Bradish - Top of the rotation starter.  He proved it in 2023.

5. Jackson Holliday - 1:1 talent. Mature beyond his years.  Moves to second.

6. Coby Mayo -  30-40 HR power with plate discipline.   1B will get him to the majors faster.

7. Heston  Kjerstad 30-40 HR ability.  Probably claims RF when he is ready.

8. Felix Bautista -  Dominate Closer if his arm comes back in 2025.

9. Samuel Basallo - Developing bat with power

10. Cedric Mullins - Elite defensive center fielder who hits when healthy.  Base stealer.

11. John Means - When healthy has no hit stuff.

12. Anthony Santander - 30 HR ability.  Middle of the order bat. RF/1B/DH

13. Austin Hays - All-Star left fielder when healthy

14. Colton Cowser -  20/25 homer, high OBP.  Plays all three outfield positions.

15. Enrique Bradfield Jr - Game changing speed on the bases and in center if he hits.

16. Joey Ortiz - His quickness in the field makes him my 3B. High OBP. SS behind Gunnar.

17. Jordan Westburg - Good all round player. Surprising speed. 20 HR power. Showed well at 2B.

18. Dean Kremer - 13-5, 32 starts, 172 IP

19. Connor Norby - Bat in search of a position.  Average 2B that is buried behind better talent.

20. DL Hall - Great stuff. May have found a home in late innings in the pen.  Becoming a starter still lingers.

21. Tyler Wells -  Excellent stuff for half a season.  Starter/Reliever

22. Dylan Beavers - Big, strong corner outfielder with high OBP but has not come into his power yet.

23. Ryan Mountcastle -  20-25 homer  1B/DH when healthy.  GG finalist.

24. Yenner Cano -  2.11 ERA, 72.2 IP, 1.00 WHIP.  Good setup man.

25. Chayce McDermott -  Good potential as a starter currently at AAA.

Edited November 3, 2023 by wildcard

[RZNJ]

Obviously, amount of service time has no bearing on the rankings?

 

[wildcard]

38 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Obviously, amount of service time has no bearing on the rankings?

 

My list is based on talent.   If you make a list do whatever you want. If you look at a guy like Means who is to say the O's would not extend him?

Edited November 1, 2023 by wildcard

[Frobby]

So, you’ve got 7 prospects who’ve never played in the majors (Holliday, Mayo, Basallo, Bradfield, Norby, Beavers, McDermott) and 3 who’ve barely gotten their feet wet (Kjerstad, Cowser, Ortiz).   Left off your list are veterans Urias, O’Hearn, Mateo, McCann , McKenna, irvin, Baumann, Perez, Coulombe, and Akin, and a few others.   

I think the odds are that some of the prospects won’t do more in the majors than the guys I listed that you omitted.   But I really can’t say for sure who it will be.   Almost for sure, I’d have Urias in my top 25 over Norby or Beavers.  Urias is criminally underrated.

As to your general order of things, I’d probably have a lot of the prospects a bit lower than you do.   There’s just a lot of prospects who never quite meet fan expectations once they reach the majors.
 

[wildcard]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

So, you’ve got 7 prospects who’ve never played in the majors (Holliday, Mayo, Basallo, Bradfield, Norby, Beavers, McDermott) and 3 who’ve barely gotten their feet wet (Kjerstad, Cowser, Ortiz).   Left off your list are veterans Urias, O’Hearn, Mateo, McCann , McKenna, irvin, Baumann, Perez, Coulombe, and Akin, and a few others.   

I think the odds are that some of the prospects won’t do more in the majors than the guys I listed that you omitted.   But I really can’t say for sure who it will be.   Almost for sure, I’d have Urias in my top 25 over Norby or Beavers.  Urias is criminally underrated.

As to your general order of things, I’d probably have a lot of the prospects a bit lower than you do.   There’s just a lot of prospects who never quite meet fan expectations once they reach the majors.
 

The way I look at it Urias had a 720 OPS in 2022 and a 702 in 2023.   That is not good enough to hold on to a starting job at 3B vs Ortiz and Westburg.   Urias defense at 3B was great in 2022 and fell in 2023.  I think Ortiz defense at 3B  is probably as good as Urias with a better bat.

I think Urias is traded this off season. Both Ortiz and Westburg will be cheaper than Urias.  Why pay more for less production?

Edited November 1, 2023 by wildcard

[Frobby]

33 minutes ago, wildcard said:

The way I look at it Urias had a 720 OPS in 2022 and a 702 in 2023.   That is not good enough to hold on to a starting job at 3B vs Ortiz and Westburg.   Urias defense at 3B was great in 2022 and fell in 2023.  I think Ortiz defense at 3B  is probably as good as Urias with a better bat.

I think Urias is traded this off season. Both Ortiz and Westburg will be cheaper than Urias.  Why pay more for less production?

I interpreted your question to mean who are the players who will have the best careers from here forward.  I agree Urias may be displaced but I think he will have more value to some major league team (not necessarily ours) than Norby or Beavers.  You’ll notice I didn’t say he should be ranked ahead of Ortiz or Westburg (though I’d have to think about Ortiz).   

[Sports Guy]

Bradfield over Westburg and Ortiz is…interesting 

[Frobby]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

Bradfield over Westburg and Ortiz is…interesting 

I would not have put him that high.  However, I’ve been told by someone i trust that the threshold of what he has to do offensively to be a solid major league starter is as low as it can possibly be, due to the spectacular defense and speed that he brings.   So, take that for what it’s worth.   

[Sports Guy]

46 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I would not have put him that high.  However, I’ve been told by someone i trust that the threshold of what he has to do offensively to be a solid major league starter is as low as it can possibly be, due to the spectacular defense and speed that he brings.   So, take that for what it’s worth.   

I don’t doubt that. I’m fine with him but to have him higher than someone who held his own in the majors and a guy who is a top 75 prospect that has an elite glove at a premium position, as well as high exit velocity numbers and things like that is extremely premature. 
 

 

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I interpreted your question to mean who are the players who will have the best careers from here forward.  I agree Urias may be displaced but I think he will have more value to some major league team (not necessarily ours) than Norby or Beavers.  You’ll notice I didn’t say he should be ranked ahead of Ortiz or Westburg (though I’d have to think about Ortiz).   

Norby is not as good defensively as Holliday, Westburg or Ortiz at 2B or  Cowser in LF.    Though I think his bat is talented I think he gets traded this off season.

Beavers is only at AA.  He is doing well and is only 22.  I would keep him and let him develop.

[Just Regular]

Re: Enrique, Myles Straw was a prospect HOU had like that, and he went to CLE for Phil Maton in a young player for young player trade of a full-time Bat for a middle reliever, as we're wondering whether may happen with one of the corner outfielders.

Speed and defense being a young man's skill, I have a feeling Bradfield will be as ready as he'll ever be by 2025, and I'm curious to see if he'll get the Norby "hit for more power" coaching kind of thing.     I think the Club thought Norby would need to tap into that to survive, but that may not be as necessary for Bradfield.

I have wondered if Mullins 2025 walk year could be in a corner, and if the legs hold up better with that move.

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Bradfield over Westburg and Ortiz is…interesting 

You make a  good point.  I would not argue if you flipped them.

Edited November 1, 2023 by wildcard

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Bradfield over Westburg and Ortiz is…interesting 

 

2 hours ago, wildcard said:

My list is based on talent.   If you make a list do whatever you want. If you look at a guy like Means who is to say the O's would not extend him?

Is it current talent, or what we think will be likely peak talent? 

If we are going on current talent (likely production level if you put them on the MLB roster today), Bradfield and Basallo probably shouldn't be in the top 20. If talent means likely peak production level, then I see the justification.

[sportsfan8703]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

I interpreted your question to mean who are the players who will have the best careers from here forward.  I agree Urias may be displaced but I think he will have more value to some major league team (not necessarily ours) than Norby or Beavers.  You’ll notice I didn’t say he should be ranked ahead of Ortiz or Westburg (though I’d have to think about Ortiz).   

Urias and Westburg are really underrated.  Not only on this list but in general.  

[Moose Milligan]

8 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Urias and Westburg are really underrated.  Not only on this list but in general.  

Westburg needs to show some more power.  He's valuable because he can play multiple positions but his OPS+ was exactly average in 208 at bats last year at 100+.

I don't think he's underrated at all.