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Taillon to Pirates per KLaw Mock 6-4-10


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Well...actually, if Law still says this on Sunday you should worry. He has a lot of contacts and has a talent for hearing who people are taking early, as seen with Sanchez who was TOTALLY out of left field last year.

I still remember the first mock that said Sanchez to the Pirates, and come to think of it, I think it was Law because everyone was bashing him saying how they never listen to him, that he was crazy. Then, suddenly other started saying the same thing, but I believe Law was the one to report it. I agree 100% with you, hopefully things change like they do normally as the few last days count down....

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Why? Because they failed to develop the "super talented" Billy Rowell? :rolleyes:

Just what great talent have the Orioles failed to develop? I may be playing devil's advocate here but I think it's a fair question. Lot's of people have been dropping similar comments. I'd just like to know who the Orioles should have developed, that they haven't?

I don't think it's an inherent developmental flaw in the organization, but I agree with SG that Machado and BAL are unlikely to be a good fit.

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I don't think it's an inherent developmental flaw in the organization, but I agree with SG that Machado and BAL are unlikely to be a good fit.

It's hard for me to believe that Machado is a bad fit anywhere. Baltimore may not be the perfect fit, but he's a real talent even if he's not on the level of Harper/Taillon.

I'll be disappointed if Taillon isn't our guy, but Machado would be a decent consolation, IMO.

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Why? Because they failed to develop the "super talented" Billy Rowell? :rolleyes:

Just what great talent have the Orioles failed to develop? I may be playing devil's advocate here but I think it's a fair question. Lot's of people have been dropping similar comments. I'd just like to know who the Orioles should have developed, that they haven't?

Other than Nick(who they really couldn't screw up because of how he plays), who have they developed?

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Other than Nick(who they really couldn't screw up because of how he plays), who have they developed?

When have any of them been the caliber of Machado? I understand the pessimism, but the people in charge of the O's are changing and Machado is a different person.

I don't know, maybe I'm just looking at this with O's colored glasses, but we'll never be good if we can't even turn a #3 overall pick into a major league player. We need to pick him if Taillon isn't there.

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When have any of them been the caliber of Machado? I understand the pessimism, but the people in charge of the O's are changing and Machado is a different person.

I don't know, maybe I'm just looking at this with O's colored glasses, but we'll never be good if we can't even turn a #3 overall pick into a major league player. We need to pick him if Taillon isn't there.

I think this is the major misconception that a lot of people have about the baseball draft, its different from the football draft in that these guys aren't instant contributors. Whenever you are drafting guys that are 1-2 years away best case, and 3-4 in most, there is a ton of projection. The entire baseball draft is based around projection, where you go for the tools that will translate and hope you get some maturity, coachability, and instincts that will help them succeed. We get talking about these guys at the top like they are can't miss guys, but lets face it, 50% of first rounders will never play MLB baseball, some top 10 picks, some bottom 20. Being a consensus top 5 talent at draft time does not translate to automatic MLB player. Some guys, for whatever reason, will seem like a can't miss prospect, and then will just not put it together.

I didn't mean to go on a tangent here, but main point is that any of these guys could be a flop, and while you can try to eliminate the ones that seem like they could flop, there are some that you will never be able to tell, which is why there are top 5-10 guys every year that don't make it.

You can't make a draft pick thinking that I can't afford to waste this one, you have to look at whats there and say does this guy's talent outweigh the risk? and then make the most educated guess you can. Hence why I personally think when you are looking at similar talent levels in college and HS kids, it's worth taking a shot on the higher ceiling, because if you hit, you're going to hit big. Playing it safe too much is going to lead to a team full of contributors but no real stars like we are looking for.

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So are you saying that if Taillon goes to the Pirates, you'd pick Machado if you were Jordan?

Me personally? I'd take Castellanos and then overspend on my next couple picks. I think there is more of a bust risk with Machado, I easily could be wrong, but when you figure in size, athleticism, position, and quality of instruction it seems like there is more that could go wrong with Machado. It's the same argument I had last year about Green and year before about T. Beckham, SS is a premium position, so you see guys rated a couple spots higher than they usually would be because of it. If Beckham was a 2B would he have been the no. 1 pick? If Green was a 3B would he have been a candidate for the top 10?

All just my opinion, and people keep throwing around "5-tool SS" and things of that nature, but I think if that were REALLY true, he would have been talked about being right there with Harper a long time ago, his push and rise has coincided with the discovery that this draft really isn't that deep. You haven't really seen the push by 10-15 players to move up the first round this year like you do in others. It's been kinda status quo since before the season.

I think Castellanos will end up being similar to Troy Glaus, maybe not hitting as well, Machado, I really have no clue what he's going to turn out to be.

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