Jump to content

Hoppy signs with Orioles


Recommended Posts

Baltimore Sun

Less than 24 hours before Monday's midnight deadline to sign 2009 draft picks, the Orioles agreed to terms with 11th-round selection Michael Ohlman, a high school catcher from Bradenton, Fla., and 28th-round pick Kyle Hoppy, a high school outfielder from Orchard Park, N.Y. They continue to have negotiations with second-round pick Mychal Givens, though the high school shortstop remains unlikely to sign.

"I think we're pretty much done," Orioles amateur scouting director Joe Jordan said. "I don't see anything else happening. Obviously that can change, but I don't think so."

Hoppy, a high school quarterback, had planned to play football and baseball for Bucknell University. He hit .551 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in his senior season for Orchard Park High.

This was brought up in the Ohlman thread but I figured it deserved a thread of its own.

The bonus for Hoppy must be high for him to forgo his Bucknell scholarship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a great interview with Kyle which took place the day after he was selected. Sounds like a well spoken kid and I'm thrilled to add another talent positional prospect to the organization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qgquwu6ZgA

Nice find. He really seems like a sharp kid.

Hopefully he will also get a special place on that list of Major Leaguers who were drafted and signed by the O's because of Mychal Givens greed and ignorance. :laughlol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hoppy said the Orioles' inability to sign many of the picks taken higher than him freed up some money. He wouldn't say how much money his signing bonus was, but did say he's getting fifth-round money. The recommendation from the baseball commissioner's office for fifth-round picks is between $150,000 and $200,000. The offer also includes money toward college tuition. He's likely to take online courses when time allows.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/765834.html

At this point, the first sentence from the above quote seems like an oversimplification from a writer whose target audience isn't the Orioles Hangout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because he's signing so late, he will not play for the Orioles' short-season rookie league team in Bluefield, W. Va. Players need at least seven days of practice to be eligible and there's only two weeks left in the season. In two weeks he'll report to Sarasota for five weeks of the fall instructional league.

I wonder if Doc or Gulfbird could give us a heads up on how the guy looks when he plays? I think we'd all appreciate it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure we'll still hear the complaints that we're not spending on the draft like Oakland (who hasn't signed their 1st round pick) and Tampa.:rolleyes:

As someone who views the Hobgood pick as signability over projectability I will say that I have been very happy with the overslot signings in the latter rounds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who views the Hobgood pick as signability over projectability I will say that I have been very happy with the overslot signings in the latter rounds.

I would have to agree, I'd say Hobgood was a good mix of talent & signability... but given the number of high school kids we have been able to bring into the mix, I feel relatively positive about this year's draft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, this one surprised me. So we basically signed all the overslot kids that we could have wanted except for Bush and Nadolski. Hopefully between those 2 there will be no Tanner Scheppers. So my question now is, of the position players that we took in this draft, who has the highest ceiling? It would be between Branden Webb, Kyle Hoppy, Tyler Townsend and Michael Ohlman. Thats a pretty nice set of young posional talent. When all of these kids from this year's draft are acclimated with pro ball and fully entrenched in their pro careers, our system is suddenly going to become VERY deep and will more than likely have some very good premium talent. When if ever was the last time that we got such a quantity of quality ball players in a draft?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have to agree, I'd say Hobgood was a good mix of talent & signability... but given the number of high school kids we have been able to bring into the mix, I feel relatively positive about this year's draft.

This is a very intresting fact that probably calls for its own thread, but I'll comment here for now.

Given McPhail's stated preference for playing the odds by acquiring a high quantity of high upside talent rather than targeting a specific guy or two, this draft makes a ton of sense.

Is it now safe to assume that, in the absense of a top-notch blue-chip prospect (e.g., Wieters, Longoria, Porcello...not Matzek or Green), McPhail will go for the best talent that signs at a modest price in order to save budget $'s and allow the team to go after more of these late-round guys? I think so.

However, I still wonder if it's safe to assume that McPhail would draft the top guy - think Strasburg in 2010 - rather than continue to implement the 2009 strategy. Does he value the combined value of guys like Hobgood, Ohlman, Landers, Hoppy and Webb over a single blue chipper? Should he?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...