MLN Sports Zone: Orioles are the Minor League Organization of the Year

[Frobby]

Believe in Miracles

Do not rub your eyes in disbelief, or adjust your computer monitor: The Baltimore Orioles are the well-deserving winners of the MLN Baseball Farm System of the Year 2009.

Dan HICKLING

It was not so long ago that the Baltimore Orioles player development system was an abject joke.

Things got so bad down on the farm that the O's were booted out of Rochester after what had been a storied 38 year marriage between the big club and their top minor league affiliate.

How things have changed.

You can say that the O's have gone from worst to first, earning its anointing as MLN's 2009 Minor League Organization of the Year.

http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseball/affiliated/features/articles2009/07/21/00.php

The rest is premium content I can't access. I don't know squat about MLN or Dan Hickling, but nevertheless, this is a nice accolade.

[SilentJames]

But Andy MacPhail did nothing! Seriously that is really great news.

[SJA]

But Andy MacPhail did nothing!

Actually, all the credit goes to Joe Jordan. McPhail had nothing to do with it.

[adamwolff11]

Very nice to see the O's get some recognition.

[Scrat1]

A steady stream of these sort of articles is pretty much the only thing that's going to keep us sane through this season.

[howie14]

So Andy is "MacFailing" with the best farm system in baseball? Geez, that's even worse!

[QBsILLEST1]

Actually, all the credit goes to Joe Jordan. McPhail had nothing to do with it.

Except for the trades that brought Tillman, Mickolio, Patton, Turner and Waring, all prospects that help make our system the best.....

[hoosiers]

This is also a shout out to our player development folks.

Lots of criticism of those guys even within the past six months.

[xKHx]

This is also a shout out to our player development folks.

Lots of criticism of those guys even within the past six months.

Yeah its funny the things they can do when they have actual talent to work with.

[crawdad]

It is nice to see us get this sort of recognition, but I do find it somewhat undeserved. We are in the top third, but I do not see us as number 1. Hickling has kind of been making his way on the periphery of MiLB reporting for small town newspapers, but he has not shown much of a skill in actually evaluating players.

[xKHx]

It is nice to see us get this sort of recognition, but I do find it somewhat undeserved. We are in the top third, but I do not see us as number 1. Hickling has kind of been making his way on the periphery of MiLB reporting for small town newspapers, but he has not shown much of a skill in actually evaluating players.

I would assume it is because how far we jumped up and not just because we have a top minor league. Yes there are some farms better then ours but we came from league worst to top of the league in a short period of time. For that reason I think he ranked us higher then anyone. We probably jumped 20 teams and that is a heck of a jump.

[QBsILLEST1]

Well, our system is finally boasting a good cominbination of both good drafting and player development. Key players made huge leaping improvements this year to prove the player development is getting much better here....

[crawdad]

I would assume it is because how far we jumped up and not just because we have a top minor league. Yes there are some farms better then ours but we came from league worst to top of the league in a short period of time. For that reason I think he ranked us higher then anyone. We probably jumped 20 teams and that is a heck of a jump.

We jumped those teams over about 4 years of development. Just because some other group has not made up much ground because they have retained their level of excellence would be a pretty poor excuse. Yeah, the Orioles could arguably be the most improved, but to state they are the best overlooks some weak parts in the system. So . . . most improved . . . maybe . . . best organization . . . much harder to argue.

[xKHx]

We jumped those teams over about 4 years of development. Just because some other group has not made up much ground because they have retained their level of excellence would be a pretty poor excuse. Yeah, the Orioles could arguably be the most improved, but to state they are the best overlooks some weak parts in the system. So . . . most improved . . . maybe . . . best organization . . . much harder to argue.

Yeah I do not know the criteria he based his decision on so I am not gonna call him out on it nor am I going to buy premium content just to see but he does elude to us coming out of nowhere with a very good farm system. I also see your point but I see mine as well.

[BringBackMagic]

Actually, all the credit goes to Joe Jordan. McPhail had nothing to do with it.

It's just the fact that we've been so bad for so long that we had to get good by accident. I don't give anyone credit. We'd be so much better if we took Smoak or Krol, or Stassi or Matzek or some other highly rated power bat.