JJ: We'll go with best available player

[BillySmith]

The scoop

"I don't know that it's an outstanding year once you get past a certain guy, but it's solid. I'm not sure that there's huge upside with any of those guys, but you try to evaluate them and compare them to what you've seen in the past. You never know what's going to happen in front of you. We've got a pretty good feeling on how we think the country lines up, but we're going to take the best available player." -- Joe Jordan, Baltimore's director of scouting

This is from Fordin's article on MLB.com.

[Greg Pappas]

The scoop

"I don't know that it's an outstanding year once you get past a certain guy, but it's solid. I'm not sure that there's huge upside with any of those guys, but you try to evaluate them and compare them to what you've seen in the past. You never know what's going to happen in front of you. We've got a pretty good feeling on how we think the country lines up, but we're going to take the best available player." -- Joe Jordan, Baltimore's director of scouting

This is from Fordin's article on MLB.com.

He has maintained that philosophy all along... and it's wise in my view.

[JTrea81]

He has maintained that philosophy all along... and it's wise in my view.

Buster Posey was BPA last year IIRC as the Rays were looking at him with the #1 pick. Obviously he was ranked lower on the Orioles' board.

You can almost throw a dart at all the HS arms this year in the top 10. It's that close IMO.

[WebLink21]

Joe Jordan is my hero! He made it fun to be an O's fan that enjoys to watch kids in the minors again. I think he deserves all the credit in the world for what he has accomplished here. Whatever direction he wants to go I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I still to this day do not understand what happened to our minor league systems under the previous scouts. It is crazy to me to think of how bad it was.

[LookinUp]

If he was it was by a nose. I do agree that other factors were likely considered when we looked at him (cost, position).

[Greg Pappas]

Buster Posey was BPA last year IIRC as the Rays were looking at him with the #1 pick. Obviously he was ranked lower on the Orioles' board.

You can almost throw a dart at all the HS arms this year in the top 10. It's that close IMO.

Yeah... the HS arms are tightly contested. I've read numerous articles/scouting reports on the Big Five of Matusz/Wheeler/Miller/Turner/Purke, and deciphering a consensus on who is ranked ahead of whom is a daunting task.

In my view -not based on personal observation, but on quite a bit of research- the player that seems to get the most consistent love is Tyler Matzek.

I would rank them (very tightly) in the following order:

Matzek

Wheeler

Miller

Turner

Purke

I'd not be remotely surprised if we took a prep arm, unless Crow is on the board. I am high on Crow, and I believe Jordan is as well.

[QBsILLEST1]

Was there much talk around here about Crow last year around draft time? Did it seem as though JJ considered him at our pick or was it already a consensus thing that Matusz was the best pitcher out and it was Matusz vs. the best position player.... Even though Matusz is a safer pick and more polished, I believe Crow has the higher ceiling....Im still in the Crow crowd, along with the Wheeler crowd and and Scheppers crowd, if we pick any of them and I am gonna be tickled Aside from Wheeler, Id be happy with any of the other HS arms, like Trea said, its kinda like throwing darts at dartboard with them....

[crawdad]

Buster Posey was BPA last year IIRC as the Rays were looking at him with the #1 pick. Obviously he was ranked lower on the Orioles' board.

You can almost throw a dart at all the HS arms this year in the top 10. It's that close IMO.

He may or may not have ranked lower for the Orioles. His asking price was considered absurd and few teams wanted to deal with it. He wound up unable to get what he was asking for.

[Duke2010]

Was there much talk around here about Crow last year around draft time? Did it seem as though JJ considered him at our pick or was it already a consensus thing that Matusz was the best pitcher out and it was Matusz vs. the best position player.... Even though Matusz is a safer pick and more polished, I believe Crow has the higher ceiling....Im still in the Crow crowd, along with the Wheeler crowd and and Scheppers crowd, if we pick any of them and I am gonna be tickled Aside from Wheeler, Id be happy with any of the other HS arms, like Trea said, its kinda like throwing darts at dartboard with them....

Well, according to Johnathon Mayo, Crow was high on the O's draft boards last year, and that's why he thinks that our scouts will still be high on him. If Crow is there at 5, I think he'll be our guy, assuming that Stras and Ackley are gone. As it stands now, I think Crow goes to Pittsburgh and we'll be choosing between Matzek, Wheeler, and Scheppers.

[wayne25]

He has maintained that philosophy all along... and it's wise in my view.

Well, maybe THIS year he'll stick to that philosophy, if Mcphail, is not whispering in his ear 5x a day that we need a pitcher. Matusz, was certainly not the best available player last year, though he may have been the best pitcher available. If Jordan makes "HIS" pick, then fine by me.

[allstar1579]

Well, maybe THIS year he'll stick to that philosophy, if Mcphail, is not whispering in his ear 5x a day that we need a pitcher. Matusz, was certainly not the best available player last year, though he may have been the best pitcher available. If Jordan makes "HIS" pick, then fine by me.

Really? I mean still? This debate is raging on in the minors forum, so I'm just going to ignore this here...

Jordan will make his pick this year just like he made his pick last year.

[Greg Pappas]

Well, maybe THIS year he'll stick to that philosophy, if Mcphail, is not whispering in his ear 5x a day that we need a pitcher. Matusz, was certainly not the best available player last year, though he may have been the best pitcher available. If Jordan makes "HIS" pick, then fine by me.

That's far from certain given Jordan's comments last year.

[clarence]

I think this could be a year that most teams in the top 10 stick to slot money and take their chances with the player accepting. It will be interesting to see how many teams offer under slot and are willing to take the pick next year if the player doesn't bite.

[allstar1579]

I think this could be a year that most teams in the top 10 stick to slot money and take their chances with the player accepting. It will be interesting to see how many teams offer under slot and are willing to take the pick next year if the player doesn't bite.

The problem with that approach is the HS kids either have to take it or go to college, which takes them out of the draft for the next 2 seasons. The college juniors could just go back for their senior years, but the guys that are seniors and the 2 indy guys are faced with that going to indy leagues to stay ready problem. That could hurt just as much as it helps, either the tougher competition hits you better, or you don't get as much of a chance to show what you have (the indy season starts very close to the draft).

[Mackus]

Well, maybe THIS year he'll stick to that philosophy, if Mcphail, is not whispering in his ear 5x a day that we need a pitcher. Matusz, was certainly not the best available player last year, though he may have been the best pitcher available. If Jordan makes "HIS" pick, then fine by me.

This is just flat out untrue. Jordan had Matusz ranked ahead of Smoak, he's said that. And he said that he was ranked enough ahead that the need for a first baseman wasn't enough to pull Smoak even in terms of who he thought was the best pick.