Is Mahoney a prospect now?

[LookinUp]

Believe me, I would love -- love -- to have a 6'7", 230 lb., athletic 1B who can run. Has there ever been such a player? All the 6'7" guys I can think of at 1B are plodders.

Agree, but there isn't a question of his size or whether he can run. The only question appears to be whether he can hit more advanced pitching. The athleticism is there.

OTOH, I'd bet a guy who's 6'7" tall doesn't age well, but that's now something we need to worry about for a long time.

[wildcard]

If Mahoney is so athletic then why has he commited 9 errors at 1B in 91 games? Tell me about his defense.

[Can_of_corn]

If Mahoney is so athletic then why has he commited 9 errors at 1B in 91 games? Tell me about his defense.

I have not seen him play but being athletic does not necessarily cut down on errors. A more athletic player can get to (and get errors on) balls that a more stationary defender would wave at. Eddie for instance led both leagues in fielding percentage, he also almost never got his uniform dirty on defense.

[wildcard]

I have not seen him play but being athletic does not necessarily cut down on errors. A more athletic player can get to (and get errors on) balls that a more stationary defender would wave at. Eddie for instance led both leagues in fielding percentage, he also almost never got his uniform dirty on defense.

Eddie had 3 Gold Gloves. I am just trying to get someone who has seen Mahoney play to tell me how skilled he is at 1B.

[BaysoxFan39]

If Mahoney is so athletic then why has he commited 9 errors at 1B in 91 games? Tell me about his defense.

Don't worry. It's AA baseball. Most of these guys are finally begining to put their learning to good use. His mechanics around the base are good. His attitude is good, he hustles and seems very coachable. Let's see how the pennant run will affect his overall play and judge at the end of the year. I am gambling Joe will be in Camden Yards this time next season unless he is traded.

[BaysoxFan39]

Yeah, the Hafner move was a travesty, but at least Cleveland has gotten its just rewards since then.

I'm curious, since you see all these guys close up, which players impress you most? How would you rank Adams, Henson, Mahoney, Miclat, Joseph, Waring? And how about the pitchers, does anyone strike you as a potential major leaguer now that Britton has moved on? What's your view of Britton compared to the others who have come through the last 2-3 years?

I watch a lot of minor league baseball and am not an expert but here it goes. The one player that has impressed me the most even though I did not see him a lot was Matt Angle. He struck me as having it figured out. His work ethic was solid. He knew his role (small ball) as a leadoff hitter. His speed to first was good and he ran the bases well. No big looping HR swings. He took what the pitchers gave him. Excellent fielder. Took good angles to the baseball and had a decent arm. I like Adams at the plate. Short, compact stroke with doubles power. He has not figured out the fielding side of the game due to his temper at making mistakes and letting them dwell on him. Henson may be the best all around athlete at Bowie. This kid has amazing power, runs well, plays a good left field but has to cut down on his strikouts. Mahoney has been very impressive. A big guy with excellent speed. Has a power bat and has the basic fundementals down defensively at first base. He could be a pleasant surprise next season and should go to the Arizona fall league. Miclat does not impress me at this point. He should start in Bowie next season. Joseph is interesting. He has gotten better as the season progressed. His defense is average but his effort is A+. He hustles and will do anything to get on base or help the team. A clear leader. He has played some first base and outfield too. Waring swings hard, strikes out a lot, but has pure power. The sound of a ball connecting with his bat is electrifying. 20 plus HR every level he has played. I would pull for this kid because of his power and what he could do if he improves his contact. At this point I see no pitcher in Bowie I would expect to see in Baltimore. Lebron has closer stuff but he is hurt. That kid Diaz throws in the high 90s but weighs over 320lbs and there must be some health issues there. Zagone has potential. He needs to get out of the first inning which seems a problem. He gets hitters out with a lot of non-spectacular stuff. Britton is the real deal. He has consistent command of the strike zone with his 3 pitches. His change up turned everything around late first half. I hope the O's don't rush him. I have no idea where he will rank with the others (Bergenson, Arrieta, Matusz, Tillman, Hernandez) because I feel there is a problem with player development those pitchers I mentioned have suffered from being rushed. Thats what I have. Thanks for asking me to comment.

[bobmc]

Nice summary BSF39! On a side note, the Sun's Steve Melewski did a little small sample comparison of Wieters and Mahoney for similar periods at Bowie:

"An interesting question and, after a little research, here are the numbers for Mahoney and Wieters in their first 24 games at Bowie.

Wieters in 2008: .333-3-11......13 runs.....6 doubles.....419 OBP......519 slugging.......938 OPS.

Mahoney in 2010: .413-7-20....21 runs.....7 doubles.....455 OBP......739 slugging.....1.194 OPS.

Wieters got promoted from Frederick to Bowie that year on June 28 and Mahoney went up this year from Frederick on July 9. Wieters went on to hit .365-12-51 that season with an OPS of 1.085 in 61 Baysox games.

I would say Mahoney stacks up rather well." Melewski

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/08/comparing-mahoney-wieters.html

[RVAbird]

Nice summary BSF39! On a side note, the Sun's Steve Melewski did a little small sample comparison of Wieters and Mahoney for similar periods at Bowie:

"An interesting question and, after a little research, here are the numbers for Mahoney and Wieters in their first 24 games at Bowie.

Wieters in 2008: .333-3-11......13 runs.....6 doubles.....419 OBP......519 slugging.......938 OPS.

Mahoney in 2010: .413-7-20....21 runs.....7 doubles.....455 OBP......739 slugging.....1.194 OPS.

Wieters got promoted from Frederick to Bowie that year on June 28 and Mahoney went up this year from Frederick on July 9. Wieters went on to hit .365-12-51 that season with an OPS of 1.085 in 61 Baysox games.

I would say Mahoney stacks up rather well." Melewski

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/08/comparing-mahoney-wieters.html

To be fair, Wieters was a year younger, in his rookie professional season, played a much more premium position, and was promoted after obliterating the Carolina League. He went on to post an even better slash line by the time he was through with the Eastern League, whereas I'd be surprised if Mahoney didn't regress toward the mean from here until the end of the season. Time will tell, though.

[oriolesprospects]

To be fair, Wieters was a year younger, in his rookie professional season, played a much more premium position, and was promoted after obliterating the Carolina League. He went on to post an even better slash line by the time he was through with the Eastern League, whereas I'd be surprised if Mahoney didn't regress toward the mean from here until the end of the season. Time will tell, though.

Wieter's plate discipline was also much better.

Mahoney: 7 BB, 15 K in 95 AB

Wieters: No idea about first 24 games, but on the season only 29 K's in 208 ABs and 38 walks.

[thundercleetz]

How is the big guy's defense?

[DrungoHazewood]

If Mahoney is so athletic then why has he commited 9 errors at 1B in 91 games?

Because one has nothing to do with the other. Bo Jackson is probaby the most athletic baseball player in history but he made errors at an astounding rate. In 1990 he was one error off the league lead among left fielders despite playing only 36 games in left.

[wildcard]

Because one has nothing to do with the other. Bo Jackson is probaby the most athletic baseball player in history but he made errors at an astounding rate. In 1990 he was one error off the league lead among left fielders despite playing only 36 games in left.

I have just been trying(real hard) to get people that have seen him play to comment on his defense. That is what my question is all about.

[mweb]

I have just been trying(real hard) to get people that have seen him play to comment on his defense. That is what my question is all about.

Here's a suggestion: Just say how's his defense? Instead of adding the athletic part which rightly has drawn criticism.

BTW, 0-6 with 2 BB's and 5 K's the last two games.

[bobmc]

Melewski's blog airs Hunter and Dempsey's interview with the big fella. When asked about his take on other hopefuls, he recognizes Avery, Hoes and Hudson from Frederick and Waring, Henson and Adams from Bowie as similar to him with potential. He also gives a nice piece on how he has gotten to his power by identifying the pitches he can drive.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/08/joe-mahoney-interview.html

[Hank Scorpio]

Nice summary BSF39! On a side note, the Sun's Steve Melewski did a little small sample comparison of Wieters and Mahoney for similar periods at Bowie:

"An interesting question and, after a little research, here are the numbers for Mahoney and Wieters in their first 24 games at Bowie.

Wieters in 2008: .333-3-11......13 runs.....6 doubles.....419 OBP......519 slugging.......938 OPS.

Mahoney in 2010: .413-7-20....21 runs.....7 doubles.....455 OBP......739 slugging.....1.194 OPS.

Wieters got promoted from Frederick to Bowie that year on June 28 and Mahoney went up this year from Frederick on July 9. Wieters went on to hit .365-12-51 that season with an OPS of 1.085 in 61 Baysox games.

I would say Mahoney stacks up rather well." Melewski

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/08/comparing-mahoney-wieters.html

Let us not forget, however, Brandon Snyder's 2009 stop in Bowie where he also bettered Wieters then went to Norfolk and absolutely slammed into the wall.