Grade the first 20 rounds

[Sports Guy]

What grade would you give this draft thus far?

I am saying C-....Could go with a C though.

[Duke2010]

Way too early to tell. Once the signing deadline has passed we'll have a much better idea of what we've got. Just looking at it now, I like a lot of the players we've taken. In the beginning, there's going to be a lot of complaining around here, but with time, I think this group will be pretty productive.

I really liked the first day, and although I preferred Wheeler in the first, I like Hobgood's package. Givens was a great pick, too, because I think he'll have a good chance to stick at SS and I hope he can follow Avery's production. I love the power potential of Townsend and Devin Harris, and I really like the HS catcher we took, Michael Ohlman.

The arms we took have potential, and I really hope we're able to sign most of these guys. There's a lot of upside in the group of Hobgood, Henry, Berry, Cowan, Wirsch, Bush, and Martin. Two years from now, I think we'll be happy with what we got.

Now, it all just comes down to getting these guys signed. We'll have to spend to sign Berry and Ohlman, and if we do I'll be impressed. I wish we would have gotten a couple other guys, and my intial impression was that we have down slightly above average, so I'd say B-/C+. In a couple years though I think it'll bump up and be a solid class for this system.

[crawdad]

Sports Guy . . . give me a run down of each pick in the top 20, then I'll listen to your grade. We simply do not know enough about many of these players. We have to go back and look into these new guys.

[LookinUp]

Lol. That's why I gave us an A. Jordan gets the benefit of the doubt so it's as valid as just about any other grade in the poll.

[Fan4Life]

Sports Guy . . . give me a run down of each pick in the top 20, then I'll listen to your grade. We simply do not know enough about many of these players. We have to go back and look into these new guys.

This is one of those debates that can't find a resolution... because really, you can't know the answer to this question until 2-3 years or more down the road. Grading anything now is all subjective speculation based on some other peoples opinion of player value.

[waroriole]

I don't think anyone on this board can give an informed opinion yet. Too many players to evaluate and too much ignorance regarding the players and the reason behind Jordan drafting them.

[JTrea81]

First day - B

Second day - D

We could have gone after more talented players for above slot money in the second day. Signability was too much of a factor in this draft IMO.

[crawdad]

This is one of those debates that can't find a resolution... because really, you can't know the answer to this question until 2-3 years or more down the road. Grading anything now is all subjective speculation based on some other peoples opinion of player value.

Well, in a definitive sense, right, you cannot know the answer until 2-3 years from now . . . but, you can have an educated answer. If we were all familiar with the players then we could give a genuine group think analysis here. The problem is that I would imagine that most people who would vote in this draft was not aware of any of the people the Orioles selected until their names were announced; and now are probably aware of maybe three or four from their immediate recall and reading up on them.

I could understand the point of this poll if the choice was educated. I consider myself one of the more well read folks here and I have studied video as well. I cannot answer this question. I could answer a question based on a top ten selection, but that required a bit of effort.

This just seems to be the type of poll that give message boards a bad name . . . people answer things not because they know enough to give an answer, but because they were merely asked.

[Mizerooskie]

Well, in a definitive sense, right, you cannot know the answer until 2-3 years from now . . . but, you can have an educated answer. If we were all familiar with the players then we could give a genuine group think analysis here. The problem is that I would imagine that most people who would vote in this draft was not aware of any of the people the Orioles selected until their names were announced; and now are probably aware of maybe three or four from their immediate recall and reading up on them.

I could understand the point of this poll if the choice was educated. I consider myself one of the more well read folks here and I have studied video as well. I cannot answer this question. I could answer a question based on a top ten selection, but that required a bit of effort.

This just seems to be the type of poll that give message boards a bad name . . . people answer things not because they know enough to give an answer, but because they were merely asked.

Exactly right. There's maybe 1 or 2 people on the message board that could give an educated answer. Everyone else is just comparing names drafted with Baseball America's ranking and a few seconds of a scouting video.

[Fan4Life]

Well, in a definitive sense, right, you cannot know the answer until 2-3 years from now . . . but, you can have an educated answer. If we were all familiar with the players then we could give a genuine group think analysis here. The problem is that I would imagine that most people who would vote in this draft was not aware of any of the people the Orioles selected until their names were announced; and now are probably aware of maybe three or four from their immediate recall and reading up on them.

I could understand the point of this poll if the choice was educated. I consider myself one of the more well read folks here and I have studied video as well. I cannot answer this question. I could answer a question based on a top ten selection, but that required a bit of effort.

This just seems to be the type of poll that give message boards a bad name . . . people answer things not because they know enough to give an answer, but because they were merely asked.

Being aware or not is a result of what other people in this business who we presume have good? better? the best? skill at knowing how to value talent say. Which, as we all usually agree, is a crapshoot. Jordan is going to evaluate players differently than Callis, and likely almost every other scout or interested sports writer etc etc. The only way to know who was right is to wait and see.

[hoosiers]

I think evaluation is premature right now, but I'll wade in with a B+.

It feels different because we picked a known premium commodity last year with Matusz and I do not have the feeling about a similar pick this year. Joe Jordan casts a wide net and he unevitably picks up little nuggets and gems in the middle rounds like Berken, Spoone, Bundy, Zagone. The scouts and Joe Jordan have a process in place that does an excellent job of evaluating pitchers and I think we took some very, very exciting arms (some with injury histories). We'll see about the bats, but there is potential there as well.

The lack of consensus guys makes it easy to wonder if this draft won't blow up on us, but I trust Joe Jordan. This feels like it went down as his kind of draft so hopefully we will all like the results.

[QBsILLEST1]

IMO we took more of the high risk high reward guys like Bundy in this draft. I personally like this draft more than last year's so far, but you have to remember, like Crawdad said, there is no way to grade it now. Last year when we took Zagone in the 5th or 6th round, people were complaining like crazy because all they did was look at stats and his era which was in the 5.00's in college. Then after a full season, he is the 2nd best pitcher numbers wise to come from that draft. Im much more intrigued in the arms in this years draft, and we got a lot of steals and value picks. I honestly do not see hyow anyone can give anything lower than a C if you look at the players bio's and you see that we have guys we took in the 4th who were 1st rounders, we took guys in the 9th who were 1st-supplemental 1st rounders etc. Just because we didnt take the names that are well known does not mean that they arent gonna be as good or better. I hate it when Im selling cars on my car lot and a dumb customer whose bought 3 cars in their life tries to tell me that they know more about selling cars than I do.....This essentially is what I see running rampant around here with Joe Jordan....give him the benefit of the doubt and read the scouting reports on some of these guys, its impossible not to get excited......

[Gurgi]

Does anyone REALLY know how to grade this draft? All you can do is grade off of where players were expected to go in the draft. What does this really tell you?

I suggest there are very few people who are qualified to grade this draft.

Drafts usually take two/three years to grade.

After all 2005 looks alot better now than it did even two months ago.

[Fan4Life]

Does anyone REALLY know how to grade this draft? All you can do is grade off of where players were expected to go in the draft. What does this really tell you?

I suggest there are very few people who are qualified to grade this draft.

Drafts usually take two/three years to grade.

After all 2005 looks alot better now than it did even two months ago. *** see below

This is one of those debates that can't find a resolution... because really, you can't know the answer to this question until 2-3 years or more down the road. Grading anything now is all subjective speculation based on some other peoples opinion of player value.

Letters, numbers, people, places and more

[Sports Guy]

Well, in a definitive sense, right, you cannot know the answer until 2-3 years from now . . . but, you can have an educated answer. If we were all familiar with the players then we could give a genuine group think analysis here. The problem is that I would imagine that most people who would vote in this draft was not aware of any of the people the Orioles selected until their names were announced; and now are probably aware of maybe three or four from their immediate recall and reading up on them.

I could understand the point of this poll if the choice was educated. I consider myself one of the more well read folks here and I have studied video as well. I cannot answer this question. I could answer a question based on a top ten selection, but that required a bit of effort.

This just seems to be the type of poll that give message boards a bad name . . . people answer things not because they know enough to give an answer, but because they were merely asked.

I base my grade more on who was there when we drafted and who we didn't take.

I wanted to see them take more guys who dropped, as Tony said they would.

I wanted to see more Arrieta and Bundy type guys, especially since they went cheaper with the Hobgood.

Perhaps the guys they got will be fine but it seems to me that they could have gotten better talent.

BTW, while I think Jordan has done a good job, he hardly deserves Ozzie Newsome respect/credit(or whatever word you want to use).

The idea of well, Jordan drafted him over other guys is enough for me isn't valid IMO.