Nolan Reimold

[Sports Guy]

It's my job here at the site when evalutating players to be vocal about player's strengths and "short comings". I ranked Reimold the Orioles #7 overall prospect, so I think while pointing out things he needed to improve upon, I obviously felt he could become a solid major league player.

I've only seen Reimold for a few games while he's been up so I can't say what the major differences are, but I will say is that players do improve with development and the Orioles have taken their time with his development.

I just love the fact when a player does bad when he arrives it's because the organization rushed him, but when he does well he was held back. Maybe the Orioles took their time with Reimold for a reason and he's fulfilling his promise because of it? Maybe this truly is a case of very good player development.

The longer Reimold stays up here and goes through the league a few times his holes may show up. Like with any players, the league will adjust to him and it will be his job to adjust back. Perhaps he's closed some holes in his swing and from what I've seen so far he does seem more balanced at the plate. These are good signs.

But before we start throwing around "What happened" and "Why was everyone down on the guy?" Let's see how he reacts to his first slump and how he adjusts once the league adjusts to him. Also, I never really heard too many guys be totally down on Reimold. Scouts have differing opinions on him and that's probably because he's been a streaky guy over his career. If a guy catches him in a tailspin he's certainly going to get written up lower than a guy who saw him when he was red-hot.

Let's hope Reimold reaches his ceiling and becomes an impact left fielder, but the worse case for me is that he becomes 420 at bat, .260/.340/.490 guy in the big leagues and that's not too bad.

Have you talked to anyone in the organization this year about him?

Do people feel he has improved in those areas?

[markdublya]

.260/.340/.490 is a pretty great worst case.

Especially when you figure 830 OPS is Pie best case.

Yes, sign me up for those being his "off years"!!

[markdublya]

Let's hope Reimold reaches his ceiling and becomes an impact left fielder, but the worse case for me is that he becomes 420 at bat, .260/.340/.490 guy in the big leagues and that's not too bad.

The more I think about it, that makes it sound like Nolan is Pat Burrell (offensively) in your eyes. Is that fair? Or do you expect his good years to be not as good as Pat's? And hopefully he won't have any 2009 or 2003 Burrell seasons...

[Smokin' Joe O]

So, if he sticks...we line up like this relatively soon:

Markakis (RF)

Jones (CF)

Reimold (LF)

Pie (reserve OF)

Snyder (1B)

Roberts (2B)

Izzy/Andino (SS)

??? (3B)

Wieters ©

Other than a void on the left side of the IF, that's an awesome, young lineup.

What is Snyder's deal? Is he considered an average/good/great prospect?

[ChesterPeake]

This is the answer I think we've been looking for. Reimold is LF. Pie is a great 4th OF, defensive replacement, pinch runner, left-handed pinch hitter extraordinare.

I'm on board with everything you wrote except for the "great" and "extraordinaire" parts. I'm OK with Pie as the 4th OF but I think you're getting a bit carried away.

If that turns out to be the O's plan, let's just hope that Pie takes to the role and develops as a player. If he does, then maybe he'll become the LF and Reimold will move to 1B or DH.

[Tony-OH]

The fans have yet to see that Reimold is a plus defender as well with a big arm. He doesn't throw quite as well as Markakis, but he is accurate. He will prove soon that those who questioned his defense in recent years had little basis for it.

I like Steve, but this comment is ridiculous and since we've had this discussion many times, I know he's trying to single me out here. That's fine, I stand by my assessments, but let's get a few things straight. First off, Steve is the Jim Hunter of the minor leagues. He's going to give you the cheery outlook on everything Orioles and he's also a talking head for David Stockstill and the player development folks. That's all well and good and he provides a lot of good information that the Orioles want to get out.

Me on the other hand, I have to actually do analysis and scouting while also talking with many other scouts and coaches. I feel the fans deserve a complete picture on players and not just what the Orioles organization wants to get out.

so for Steve to say I had little basis to question Reimold's defense is just irresponsible. I've seen Reimold get bad jumps and take bad routes and I've seen him make poor throws. I've seen him go into the right field corner and come up and not really know where to throw the ball with runners on base (instincts). I've also talked with multiple observers that saw similar things and told me other stories. Now, does this mean he can't improve these short comings? Absoultely not.

Stockstill reported Reimold worked very hard in the AFL on his left field defense and that could very well be paying off. No one has ever questioned his athleticism so perhaps it's all coming together, but to suggest his short comings were not there is just plain ridiculous.

I'll be the first one to congratulate Reimold or any other player who improves upon his shortcomings but only the most naive commentators would suggest a player in the minors did not have "short comings" they needed to improve.

[ScottieBaseball]

It's my job here at the site when evalutating players to be vocal about player's strengths and "short comings". I ranked Reimold the Orioles #7 overall prospect, so I think while pointing out things he needed to improve upon, I obviously felt he could become a solid major league player.

I've only seen Reimold for a few games while he's been up so I can't say what the major differences are, but I will say is that players do improve with development and the Orioles have taken their time with his development.

I just love the fact when a player does bad when he arrives it's because the organization rushed him, but when he does well he was held back. Maybe the Orioles took their time with Reimold for a reason and he's fulfilling his promise because of it? Maybe this truly is a case of very good player development.

The longer Reimold stays up here and goes through the league a few times his holes may show up. Like with any players, the league will adjust to him and it will be his job to adjust back. Perhaps he's closed some holes in his swing and from what I've seen so far he does seem more balanced at the plate. These are good signs.

But before we start throwing around "What happened" and "Why was everyone down on the guy?" Let's see how he reacts to his first slump and how he adjusts once the league adjusts to him. Also, I never really heard too many guys be totally down on Reimold. Scouts have differing opinions on him and that's probably because he's been a streaky guy over his career. If a guy catches him in a tailspin he's certainly going to get written up lower than a guy who saw him when he was red-hot.

Let's hope Reimold reaches his ceiling and becomes an impact left fielder, but the worse case for me is that he becomes 420 at bat, .260/.340/.490 guy in the big leagues and that's not too bad.

I agree with you Tony, both on your asessment of Reimold as well as your comments about player development. I think it's hard for O's fans to judge because we've seen so such sparse everyday talent not named Markakis developed by this organization.

I'm glad to see Reimold look good so far, but let's see what he does the second time around the AL East before we break the seal on the anointing oil.

[markdublya]

Tony - is my post accurate, that offensively-speaking you expect his numbers to emulate Pat Burrell (after Nolan establishes himself)?

[Stotle]

Have you talked to anyone in the organization this year about him?

Do people feel he has improved in those areas?

By my eye, he closed some of the holes in his swing by altering his hand placement in his set-up and load. He's added a little bit of length but is in better position to reach all quadrants in the hit zone.

You're a Wood fan -- his swing is more similar to Wood's now, without quite as much length (but still more than you'd generally want). I'll stick with plus-plus power projection and contact rate being the determining factor as to whether or not he reaches his ceiling.

[Hank Scorpio]

I like Steve, but this comment is ridiculous and since we've had this discussion many times, I know he's trying to single me out here. That's fine, I stand by my assessments, but let's get a few things straight. First off, Steve is the Jim Hunter of the minor leagues. He's going to give you the cheery outlook on everything Orioles and he's also a talking head for David Stockstill and the player development folks. That's all well and good and he provides a lot of good information that the Orioles want to get out.

Me on the other hand, I have to actually do analysis and scouting while also talking with many other scouts and coaches. I feel the fans deserve a complete picture on players and not just what the Orioles organization wants to get out.

so for Steve to say I had little basis to question Reimold's defense is just irresponsible. I've seen Reimold get bad jumps and take bad routes and I've seen him make poor throws. I've seen him go into the right field corner and come up and not really know where to throw the ball with runners on base (instincts). I've also talked with multiple observers that saw similar things and told me other stories. Now, does this mean he can't improve these short comings? Absoultely not.

Stockstill reported Reimold worked very hard in the AFL on his left field defense and that could very well be paying off. No one has ever questioned his athleticism so perhaps it's all coming together, but to suggest his short comings were not there is just plain ridiculous.

I'll be the first one to congratulate Reimold or any other player who improves upon his shortcomings but only the most naive commentators would suggest a player in the minors did not have "short comings" they needed to improve.

Do you see Reimold having enough of a bat to hold down the DH spot?

The two things that have really stood out to me thus far are Reimold's hustle and ability to layoff big league sliders. He really looks polished at the plate.

[Tony-OH]

Tony - is my post accurate, that offensively-speaking you expect his numbers to emulate Pat Burrell (after Nolan establishes himself)?

I think Burrell could end up being a pretty decent comp but I think Reimold will strike out less and maybe hit for a little higher average. Burrell may also get the nod in power a bit, but that's more to do with the fact that Reimold gives up some power for average and less strikeouts with two strikes.

[Tony-OH]

Do you see Reimold having enough of a bat to hold down the DH spot?

The two things that have really stood out to me thus far are Reimold's hustle and ability to layoff big league sliders. He really looks polished at the plate.

I certainly think Reimold will have enough bat for a DH spot, but I don't want it to seem like I'm saying he can't play defense effectively. I think he'll end up an average or possible slightly above average defensive left fielder.

[TyCobb]

I certainly think Reimold will have enough bat for a DH spot, but I don't want it to seem like I'm saying he can't play defense effectively. I think he'll end up an average or possible slightly above average defensive left fielder.

He has looked pretty damn good in the field so far. Strong arm with his speed is a good combination for a LFer. Sounds like he has a good work ethic...so he can improve on his routes.

Maybe he feels more comfortable in LF as oppose to RF.

[Lucky Jim]

I just love the fact when a player does bad when he arrives it's because the organization rushed him, but when he does well he was held back. Maybe the Orioles took their time with Reimold for a reason and he's fulfilling his promise because of it? Maybe this truly is a case of very good player development.

I think this point shouldn't be underestimated. The O's have made some mistake, but the sustained and continued success throughout the O's minors is a nice turn of events. And it appears Reimold's readiness is a great example of taking a raw and inconsistent product and preparing him for MLB success.

[ScottieBaseball]

I certainly think Reimold will have enough bat for a DH spot, but I don't want it to seem like I'm saying he can't play defense effectively. I think he'll end up an average or possible slightly above average defensive left fielder.

To build on your analsyis of Reimold's defense, I think from time to time we'll see "brain farts" from him in left field...over-throwing the cut-off man, double-clutching because he came up ready to throw into second base but the play is at third, the occasional double because he broke in on a ball that wound up over his head, etc. I'm not saying frequently, but enough to justify the opinions of his defensive instincts.