Weiters in Frederick/Bowie in 2008

[RayFink1e]

With the #4 pick in the draft though, I want a star. IMO Loewen will never be a #1 Starter, #2 at best. Prince Fielder would look real good

[Mackus]

With the #4 pick in the draft though, I want a star. IMO Loewen will never be a #1 Starter, #2 at best. Prince Fielder would look real good

How many stars come out of each draft? Its not that many, so you can't be expecting a star out of every top pick.

Getting a #2 starter out of a #4 pick would be fantastic. I'd take that every single year.

[Jenius]

With the #4 pick in the draft though, I want a star. IMO Loewen will never be a #1 Starter, #2 at best. Prince Fielder would look real good

Sorry, but even the most cursory look at the history of top draft picks will tell you that it is something of a crapshoot. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Besides, as good as Fielder is, there are plenty of power-hitting first basemen around (just not on the O's). If Loewen develops into a number 2 starter he will be more valuable, since those are comparatively rare.

[BoysofArbutus]

Loewen still has a chance to develop into a No. 1, but it depends on who he's in a rotation with. If the O's sign Bedard for another 4-5 years, Loewen is potentially an excellent No. 2 with Guthrie at No. 3, making a powerful top of the rotation. If Bedard walks, Loewen could be the No. 1 if he gets healthy.

On the topic, though, Weiters, if signed, is in Bowie next year and ready for a mid-season call up. Hernandez will be in his contract year, so Weiters can spell him once a week and spend some time DHing up to the trade deadline. That's when you deal Ramon to a contender for something substantial. A proven defensive catcher that will hit .275-.280 will bring value.

[hoosiers]

With the #4 pick in the draft though, I want a star. IMO Loewen will never be a #1 Starter, #2 at best. Prince Fielder would look real good

Loewen was the closest thing to Steve Avery and the "kid with the golden arm" when he was drafted. He was rated about where we took him.

This board would have gone up in flames if we had drafted Jeff Francis or Joe Saunders.

Loewen still has a nice enough upside.

[Jericho]

Actually Braun struggled quite a bit in the minors...he was drafted the same time as Zimmerman, and got to the majors almost 1 1/2 years after Zimmerman.

You should look again at Braun's stats in the minors. After signing he got some time late in the year at rookie level and low A ball and destroyed it. He spent 2006 split between high A ball and AA, and hit pretty well. The only thing really keeping him from the majors this spring was his defense.

Yes, Zimmerman got to the majors faster, but that's because the Nats were ridiculously agressive in pushing him. He played a half season at AA and then was in the majors. That's not typical.

Elite college ball (which is what Georgia Tech plays) is equated to AA ball, so I can see starting at or around that level with Weiters. Kansas City did the same with Alex Gordon. Starting him straight at AA. Coincidentally, Gordon was the same draft class as Braun and Zimmerman and considered the best propsect of the bunch.

[Crazysilver03]

Loewen still has a chance to develop into a No. 1, but it depends on who he's in a rotation with. If the O's sign Bedard for another 4-5 years, Loewen is potentially an excellent No. 2 with Guthrie at No. 3, making a powerful top of the rotation. If Bedard walks, Loewen could be the No. 1 if he gets healthy.

On the topic, though, Weiters, if signed, is in Bowie next year and ready for a mid-season call up. Hernandez will be in his contract year, so Weiters can spell him once a week and spend some time DHing up to the trade deadline. That's when you deal Ramon to a contender for something substantial. A proven defensive catcher that will hit .275-.280 will bring value.

Ramon's contract year is 2009 with half of the team, though I could still see him getting traded next year at the deadline.

On the topic of Weiters, he is too advanced to be in A. As stated, he will only be there to get rust off. If he signs a major league contract, it will make it even more tempting to call him up to the majors.

[Zaimoku]

On the topic of Weiters, he is too advanced to be in A.

Until he actually starts to play professional baseball for the first time in his life, there is no way of knowing just how advanced he is. It's all hype until we see the performance.

[Tony-OH]

Elite college ball (which is what Georgia Tech plays) is equated to AA ball, so I can see starting at or around that level with Weiters. Kansas City did the same with Alex Gordon. Starting him straight at AA. Coincidentally, Gordon was the same draft class as Braun and Zimmerman and considered the best propsect of the bunch.

Elite college ball is nowhere near Double-A level. The vast majority of the players playing the top college ball are not even pro prospects. I would say it's a lot closer to Sally League or Rookie level....

[wildcard]

Elite college ball is nowhere near Double-A level. The vast majority of the players playing the top college ball are not even pro prospects. I would say it's a lot closer to Sally League or Rookie level....

So are you thinking that Wieters moves up one level and starts at Delmarva?

[OPACY]

Elite college ball is nowhere near Double-A level. The vast majority of the players playing the top college ball are not even pro prospects. I would say it's a lot closer to Sally League or Rookie level....

Bob Horner was once asked how he felt his college experience prepared him to play in the Bigs. He described the level of competition he experienced at Arizona State as equivalent to the Double-A level.

[hoosiers]

That's fine, but how can it be even close to AA level if 99% of the players are not ready to play at the AA level? 90% of the college players drafted, start there first full year at the low A level, and that doesn't even take into account the players are aren't even drafted at all, which is high. Maybe Bob Horner's no genius. It's only common sense. No?

This appears to be the most obvious and sensical explanation.

It borders on the preposterous that someone could conclude that the average player in an elite college program could be successful in AA.

[Lucky Jim]

Loewen still has a chance to develop into a No. 1, but it depends on who he's in a rotation with. If the O's sign Bedard for another 4-5 years, Loewen is potentially an excellent No. 2 with Guthrie at No. 3, making a powerful top of the rotation. If Bedard walks, Loewen could be the No. 1 if he gets healthy.

Yeah. I mean, who'd want Tom Glavine or John Smoltz with the 4th pick in the draft.

[RayFink1e]

Loewen is not a thinking mans pitcher like Glavine. And his stuff is no where near Smoltzs level. Loewen was barely cracking 90 MPH with his fastball. He looks no better then Garrett Olson to me.

[Mizerooskie]

Loewen is not a thinking mans pitcher like Glavine. And his stuff is no where near Smoltzs level. Loewen was barely cracking 90 MPH with his fastball. He looks no better then Garrett Olson to me.

Loewen was consistently in the 93-95 range with his fastball last season, and that's with some serious cutting action. You are seriously underestimating his stuff. I may be in the minority, but I think it's better than Bedard's.