Third Hand Report on Hobgood

[Stotle]

More from Mike Newman at "Scouting the SAL" via Twitter:

Spoke to a friend who saw #Orioles Matt Hobgood last night. Said he was woefully out of shape and didn't touch 90 in the outing.

Take it for what it's worth, but I trust Mike not to pass along something that isn't of substance.

[Can_of_corn]

Welp it can't be all good news all the time can it?

[soxhotcorner14]

Hell you can tell from that video that was posted on this board not too long ago of his curveball that he was woefully out of shape.

Looked like Sidney Ponson pitching... Not good.. He looks drastically different from his highschool pics in contrast to that video.

[olehippi]

Hell you can tell from that video that was posted on this board not too long ago of his curveball that he was woefully out of shape.

Looked like Sidney Ponson pitching... Not good.. He looks drastically different from his highschool pics in contrast to that video.

It's obvious that he's been eating all that bonus money he got......

[Old#5fan]

It's obvious that he's been eating all that bonus money he got......

Could be the reason only the Orioles would have taken him at #5. Why does the term "sucker" comes to mind regarding that pick?:rolleyestf:

[Tony-OH]

From the first photo I saw of him in spring training I was seriously concerned about his weight control or lack thereof.

For a kid who's make up was "off the charts" according to the Orioles, he sure doesn't look like a kid who's doing everything he can to keep in shape.

[soxhotcorner14]

I know he's a young kid and we have to keep that in mind; and I'm sure people are advising him properly. But you can't show up to camp out of shape as professional ballplayer. There is no excuse for it. Being a number 1 draft pick just magnifies this issue 10 fold.

Now I wouldn't be surprised if the clubbies or trainers didn't throw some pranks his way by showing up out of shape. That's the usual protocol in spring training.

We had this one guy show up with man-tits.. we ordered 50 cheeseburgers and put them all in his locker, we figured he was hungry... LOL LOL

[mcgraw238]

Talk about things going from bad to downright awful. This was the last piece of news you wanted to hear about the kid after all the negative stuff from taking the kid at #5. And I agree that the pictures I've seen this season look nothing like what we saw right after he was drafted. Dissapointing to say the least.

[H0smash]

As this year has progressed, I wish more and more that we had taken Matzek.

[eb45]

Has moving Hobgood to 1B ever been discussed?

[clapdiddy]

Hearing reports like this makes me wonder about our minor league instruction/conditioning. I truly think this organization needs a thorough cleaning out.

[PBR Street Gang]

It's all about accountability or a lack thereof. It seems like some of these guys need more of a stick than a carrot.

[Can_of_corn]

Remember he wasn't in shape until his senior year in high school. He got himself into shape the fall/winter before his senior season. He then stayed in shape long enough to have a strong senior season and get drafted. From what I read last season he showed up out of shape for short season ball last year after getting drafted.

He only has a total history of maybe 6 months being in top physical condtion.

I was worried this was going to happen when he was drafted but a bunch of folks dismissed my concerns.

[Duke2010]

What a waste. I don't want to crucify the kid, and I know his family reads this board, but the weight/conditioning issue is ridiculous. I don't know what Hobgood did or didn't do this offseason, but he needs to realize a few things. His natural talents are no where near good enough to coast through the minors and become an impact pitcher in Baltimore. Every year there are very talented players who have the natural ability AND extreme work ethic and still fail to have big league success. Hobgood has tools to work with, but he needs to put in the work and then some to become the player he wants to be.

I just hope he realizes the opportunity he has, because there are thousands of people, past, present, and future, that would love to have the same chance of living their dreams. If he's already struggling with his conditioning, hopefully the hot summer months serve as a big time wake up call.

I know he's a great young man, and as long as he's in this organization I'll root for him as hard as I can, but I hope he realizes the reality of his situation.

[Old#5fan]

Remember he wasn't in shape until his senior year in high school. He got himself into shape the fall/winter before his senior season. He then stayed in shape long enough to have a strong senior season and get drafted. From what I read last season he showed up out of shape for short season ball last year after getting drafted.

He only has a total history of maybe 6 months being in top physical condtion.:eek:I was worried this was going to happen when he was drafted but a bunch of folks dismissed my concerns.

So with this in mind our genius Drafter Joe Jordan picked him anyway at # 5 no less! If I was AM I would looking to replace someone and it wouldn't be Hobgood but the guy who made that decision. Was he on a cruise partying or something (paid for by the Yankees) or something when he made that pick?