Billy Rowell (1st hand look)

[NickStckMattBat]

I went to the Blue Rocks / Keys game in Wilmington tonight. I saw Billy at a similar game 2 years ago and remember thinking "yeah, he is a project like they say".

Tonight first at bat I thought "wow he (rhymes with ducks)"

Second at bat I thought "thats actually unbelievable (-ly bad)"

Third at bat I thought "I don't think I could even continue my dream of pro-ball if I was actually that bad"

Fourth at bat...he grounded out to the pitcher weakly to go 0-4 with 3 Ks (2 looking)

I am not exagerating when I say he was the worst looking hitter on the Keys squad. He also was BS'ing around during batting practice and reminded myself of guys hitting around before a slow pitch softball game in a beer league.

I have always kept my mouth shut on the Rowell situation and have been pulling hard for him to turn it around, but unfortunately I don't see it in him. His mechanics our horrible, and from what I saw he still acts childish in his approach to the game/practicing.

Not to mention he has no position in the field.

At least we can route for Xavier down in advanced A!

[Lucky Jim]

I went to the Blue Rocks / Keys game in Wilmington tonight. I saw Billy at a similar game 2 years ago and remember thinking "yeah, he is a project like they say".

Tonight first at bat I thought "wow he (rhymes with ducks)"

Second at bat I thought "thats actually unbelievable (-ly bad)"

Third at bat I thought "I don't think I could even continue my dream of pro-ball if I was actually that bad"

Fourth at bat...he grounded out to the pitcher weakly to go 0-4 with 3 Ks (2 looking)

I am not exagerating when I say he was the worst looking hitter on the Keys squad. He also was BS'ing around during batting practice and reminded myself of guys hitting around before a slow pitch softball game in a beer league.

I have always kept my mouth shut on the Rowell situation and have been pulling hard for him to turn it around, but unfortunately I don't see it in him. His mechanics our horrible, and from what I saw he still acts childish in his approach to the game/practicing.

Not to mention he has no position in the field.

At least we can route for Xavier down in advanced A!

I'm curious: if, as you say, he's not a prospect; and if, as you say, he looks really terrible; and if, as you say, you've "been pulling hard for him to come around," why would you take time to disparage him on a message board?

What's the point? Why single him out? Why be glib about it?

Sometimes the timing, and the rhetoric tells you a lot more about someone than what they think they're saying.

[soxhotcorner14]

I am not exagerating when I say he was the worst looking hitter on the Keys squad. He also was BS'ing around during batting practice and reminded myself of guys hitting around before a slow pitch softball game in a beer league

BS'ing around the cage happens all the time. This doesn't tell me if a player is or is not putting his work in prior to the game. Players know when they can BS and when the cannot when doing pre-game work.

Now, after seeing him just one game ( and i know that is not enough to put a fair assessment on somebody) I felt the same way when watching him swing the bat. Defensively he looks clumsy to me at third base. Doesn't look very natural over there. But those are just my observations without getting very technical about it. I'll leave that to others on the board :wedge:

[NewMarketSean]

I've seen him play a few times in Frederick and I can say that he doesn't look very good. As a matter of fact, fundamentally speaking, he looks like the worst player on the field.

He's playing better this year, but he still has a .787 OPS his third time through Frederick with 9 XBH in 150 PA. And if he looks as bad as he does, then there is little hope he will ever make it close to the majors.

[NickStckMattBat]

I'm curious: if, as you say, he's not a prospect; and if, as you say, he looks really terrible; and if, as you say, you've "been pulling hard for him to come around," why would you take time to disparage him on a message board?

What's the point? Why single him out? Why be glib about it?

Sometimes the timing, and the rhetoric tells you a lot more about someone than what they think they're saying.

What are you getting at? This is what this forum is here for. Of the players on the Frederick roster, Billy Rowell cost the largest financial investment from the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Couple that with the fact that he looked the worst on the field yesterday (yes I know its just game, but I am talking fundamental baseball not just the outcome of the at bats). Then you have a reason for me to start a thread. I do not start many threads.

[QSII]

What are you getting at? This is what this forum is here for. Of the players on the Frederick roster, Billy Rowell cost the largest financial investment from the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Couple that with the fact that he looked the worst on the field yesterday (yes I know its just game, but I am talking fundamental baseball not just the outcome of the at bats). Then you have a reason for me to start a thread. I do not start many threads.

Yup. Righteous enough thread.

[tilgaham]

I went to the Blue Rocks / Keys game in Wilmington tonight. I saw Billy at a similar game 2 years ago and remember thinking "yeah, he is a project like they say".

Tonight first at bat I thought "wow he (rhymes with ducks)"

Second at bat I thought "thats actually unbelievable (-ly bad)"

Third at bat I thought "I don't think I could even continue my dream of pro-ball if I was actually that bad"

Fourth at bat...he grounded out to the pitcher weakly to go 0-4 with 3 Ks (2 looking)

I am not exagerating when I say he was the worst looking hitter on the Keys squad. He also was BS'ing around during batting practice and reminded myself of guys hitting around before a slow pitch softball game in a beer league.

I have always kept my mouth shut on the Rowell situation and have been pulling hard for him to turn it around, but unfortunately I don't see it in him. His mechanics our horrible, and from what I saw he still acts childish in his approach to the game/practicing.

Not to mention he has no position in the field.

At least we can route for Xavier down in advanced A!

I'm sorry, but this just pisses me off.

1.He is a big kid drafted out of HS. Of Course he's a project.

2.His OPS was over .900 a while back; it's called a slump. It happens all the time, to every player in baseball, at every level. Look at Albert Pujols.

3. People mess around in BP all the time. There is something to be said about being serious, and having killer instinct, but when it all comes down to it,

Baseball is a GAME. If you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be playing, in any sport.

4.I really hope this guy torches high A to end the year and has a 15 year ML career like he hoped in his article.

Sorry, I know you didn't have ill intentions, It just rubbed me the wrong way.

[LookinUp]

What are you getting at? This is what this forum is here for. Of the players on the Frederick roster, Billy Rowell cost the largest financial investment from the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Couple that with the fact that he looked the worst on the field yesterday (yes I know its just game, but I am talking fundamental baseball not just the outcome of the at bats). Then you have a reason for me to start a thread. I do not start many threads.

I have no reason to doubt your intentions. If I went there and saw in Rowell what you saw, I'd have come here and said the same thing.

Where there's smoke, there's fire, and I haven't heard any substantial first hand accounts throwing water on that fire. I'd love to believe that he'll find his immense hidden talent, but (for me) the most likely conclusion is that he's not even close to being qualified for the job.

[Lucky Jim]

I feel wholly comfortable questioning your intentions.

First, no one here really thinks that Rowell is much of a prospect anymore.

Second, he's been run down for years on this board.

Third, your take on his "work ethic," from a one-off viewing from the stands contradicts what we hear from folks close to the situation, which is that working hard isn't the problem.

Fourth, the glibness of your tone in running him down speaks volumes.

Look, I was never on board with the Rowell pick because the first thing I read was that he was all-or-nothing, All-Star or bust. I didn't like a big, HS power bat who hit tool lagged behind his power. Just didn't make sense to me.

That said, I've never actually taken pleasure in his failures. Your post clearly does:

Tonight first at bat I thought "wow he (rhymes with ducks)"

Second at bat I thought "thats actually unbelievable (-ly bad)"

Third at bat I thought "I don't think I could even continue my dream of pro-ball if I was actually that bad"

Fourth at bat...he grounded out to the pitcher weakly to go 0-4 with 3 Ks (2 looking)

I am not exagerating when I say he was the worst looking hitter on the Keys squad. He also was BS'ing around during batting practice and reminded myself of guys hitting around before a slow pitch softball game in a beer league.

I have always kept my mouth shut on the Rowell situation and have been pulling hard for him to turn it around, but unfortunately I don't see it in him. His mechanics our horrible, and from what I saw he still acts childish in his approach to the game/practicing.

The post tells me a lot more in its approach than it does in its (alleged) content.

You watched one game, disparaged his skillset and his character. Kudos.

I'm no apologist for the guy, and I've been turned-off by some of what I've heard. But I've never enjoyed kicking a guy while he's down. For others, it's sport.

[NewMarketSean]

I've seen him play a few times in Frederick and I can say that he doesn't look very good. As a matter of fact, fundamentally speaking, he looks like the worst player on the field.

He's playing better this year, but he still has a .787 OPS his third time through Frederick with 9 XBH in 150 PA. And if he looks as bad as he does, then there is little hope he will ever make it close to the majors.

To be fair, I also have to say I haven't seen him play this year, so maybe he's changed but from the sound of things, I wouldn't bank on it.

[calebelias]

To the original poster.......pay no attention to Lucky Jim. He is probably lurking on this site 12-15 hrs a day just looking to attack anyone with an opinion. This is an opinion themed message board......am I right?

As for your thoughts on Rowell, Ive never seen him play but Ive also never heard a single reference to him being a hardworking, awe inspired, youngster who feels blessed with the opportunity given him. From every post Ive read on here, be it fans,scouts,staff, Rowell sounds like a kid who thinks he is owed a spot. I wish him luck but dont see it panning out.

[McLovin]

Ive also never heard a single reference to him being a hardworking, awe inspired, youngster who feels blessed with the opportunity given him.

Here you go:

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97465

[Lucky Jim]

To the original poster.......pay no attention to Lucky Jim. He is probably lurking on this site 12-15 hrs a day just looking to attack anyone with an opinion. This is an opinion themed message board......am I right?

As for your thoughts on Rowell, Ive never seen him play but Ive also never heard a single reference to him being a hardworking, awe inspired, youngster who feels blessed with the opportunity given him. From every post Ive read on here, be it fans,scouts,staff, Rowell sounds like a kid who thinks he is owed a spot. I wish him luck but dont see it panning out.

I offered an opinion. 99% of this board is opinions. I don't care if you have an opinion.

I do lurk here too much, though. It's true.

I call it like I see it. It's always helpful to me when folks point out that I'm doing something gratuitous, petty, and/or unnecessary.

[NewMarketSean]

It's always helpful to me when folks point out that I'm doing something gratuitous, petty, and/or unnecessary.

Well you are a lawyer.

[calebelias]

.....remind me not to get arrested in Brooklyn. RIMSHOT!