Did MacPhail mess up on Beato?

[wildcard]

I can understand leaving Adams off the roster. The guy doesn't have a position he can play in the majors.

I can understand Pelzer. His control will not allow him to stay in the majors for a whole year.

I can understand Waring. His strikeout totals at AA do not project well in the majors.

But what about Beato?

Beato played this past year at 23 at AA Bowie. He is a 1st round draft choice. He is 6'6", 230. He when 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA. He had 50 strikeouts in 59 IP. His WHIP was 1.14.

Now I know Tony says his control is ordinary at best but it does not show in the numbers. Don't you think someone might take a chance on the guy? Maybe he could be a good middle reliever at this point. Wouldn't it be a shame to lose him to another organization when the O's minors is so thin? And isn't he a good bargaining chip in a trade?

[Roll Tide]

I can understand leaving Adams off the roster. The guy doesn't have a position he can play in the majors.

I can understand Pelzer. His control will not allow him to stay in the majors for a whole year.

I can understand Waring. His strikeout totals at AA do not project well in the majors.

But what about Beato?

Beato played this past year at 23 at AA Bowie. He is a 1st round draft choice. He is 6'6", 230. He when 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA. He had 50 strikeouts in 59 IP. His WHIP was 1.14.

Now I know Tony says his control is ordinary at best but it does not show in the numbers. Don't you think someone might take a chance on the guy? Maybe he could be a good middle reliever at this point. Wouldn't it be a shame to lose him to another organization when the O's minors is so thin? And isn't he a good bargaining chip in a trade?

I have to agree with you. I don't understand why you don't protect a guy like this when you have available slots on the 40 Man.

[wildcard]

I have to agree with you. I don't understand why you don't protect a guy like this when you have available slots on the 40 Man.

And Viola is still on the roster.

[Frobby]

I'll tell you in a year. But, I do think relievers are the easiest guys to lose in the Rule 5. It's not that hard to keep a reliever on your 25-man roster for a year and use him in low leverage situations. So, it wont shock me if Beato gets chosen.

[allstar1579]

The fact that he was a 1st round supplemental pick has got nothing to do with it. The fact that he's a big guy has nothing to do with it. His numbers were good but hardly dominant. The bottom line is that his stuff is better as a reliver but still not top notch from most reports. If he becomes a decent middle reliever, I don't think that's any great loss. Heck, I bet Steve Johnson is still a better prospect, as a reliever.

Very well said. +1

[wildcard]

The fact that he was a 1st round supplemental pick has got nothing to do with it. The fact that he's a big guy has nothing to do with it. His numbers were good but hardly dominant. The bottom line is that his stuff is better as a reliver but still not top notch from most reports. If he becomes a decent middle reliever, I don't think that's any great loss. Heck, I bet Steve Johnson is still a better prospect, as a reliever.

Some GMs like MacPhail like to pick up 1st rounders like Moore, Andino, etc. The 1st rounder label gets them noticed as having potential. Being a big guy means he may have a higher ceiling then a smaller guy. His numbers were decent for a developing 23 year old at AA.

MacPhail is big on "inventory". He is taking a chance on losing a guy that could pitch in the major this coming year. And he might lose the guy for nothing.

I guess we will have to wait to see how smart a move this is.

[Tony-OH]

And Viola is still on the roster.

Viola is left-handed and actually has some very good stuff. Command is his biggest problem.

Beato is an interesting case because the few times I saw him, he looked very ordinary, but his numbers were very good. If Steve Johnson was taken last year, I could see Beato being taken this year, but it would depend on the scout that saw him. The guys I talked to about him thought he was ordinary, nothing special, so I'm pretty sure those teams won't be looking at him.

For me, he's a lot like Frank Mata, a useful guy to have in the system but not anyone that's not replaceable.

[Crazysilver03]

I have to agree with you. I don't understand why you don't protect a guy like this when you have available slots on the 40 Man.

Just because you have 40 spots on the roster doesn't mean you have to fill them all, especially knowing you will have to add players to it later.

Even if Beato were added, he would probably one of the first ones to be taken off when free agents were added, so why risk him being claimed and kept on a 40 man roster when you can keep him in the minors and if he is claimed in the Rule 5, there is a good chance you get him back.

Also, we have depth at the reliever position so if we were to lose Beato, it isn't an overly big deal.

Could we lose Beato, maybe. But I doubt it will cause a great deal of stress on the system.

[Tony-OH]

Just because you have 40 spots on the roster doesn't mean you have to fill them all, especially knowing you will have to add players to it later.

Even if Beato were added, he would probably one of the first ones to be taken off when free agents were added, so why risk him being claimed and kept on a 40 man roster when you can keep him in the minors and if he is claimed in the Rule 5, there is a good chance you get him back.

Also, we have depth at the reliever position so if we were to lose Beato, it isn't an overly big deal.

Could we lose Beato, maybe. But I doubt it will cause a great deal of stress on the system.

This is the best point of all. Beato would most likely be claimed on waivers if he was taken off the 40-man, but it's more of a long shot that a team will want to keep him on their 25-man roster all year.

If you look at this way, he's actually more protected off the 40-man than on right now.

[hoosiers]

This is the best point of all. Beato would most likely be claimed on waivers if he was taken off the 40-man, but it's more of a long shot that a team will want to keep him on their 25-man roster all year.

If you look at this way, he's actually more protected off the 40-man than on right now.

Agreed. Nice point by CrazySilver.

[Camden_yardbird]

A team like the pirates could take him. Someone who doesn't have much to lose by keeping him in the majors. They are very good at it and have done it with guys like Meek and Veal. Also the D'backs are looking for relief help all over teir organization.

[Crazysilver03]

A team like the pirates could take him. Someone who doesn't have much to lose by keeping him in the majors. They are very good at it and have done it with guys like Meek and Veal. Also the D'backs are looking for relief help all over teir organization.

These are valid points, but lets not forget that Veal and Meek were much more highly regarded in the years before they were drafted.

And lets not forget that we aren't the only team in this situation. I don't have information to back it up but common sense should say that a decent amount of teams left players like Beato/Pelzer unprotected, so they aren't the premiere prospects left out there.

[RVAbird]

Just because you have 40 spots on the roster doesn't mean you have to fill them all, especially knowing you will have to add players to it later.

Even if Beato were added, he would probably one of the first ones to be taken off when free agents were added, so why risk him being claimed and kept on a 40 man roster when you can keep him in the minors and if he is claimed in the Rule 5, there is a good chance you get him back.

Also, we have depth at the reliever position so if we were to lose Beato, it isn't an overly big deal.

Could we lose Beato, maybe. But I doubt it will cause a great deal of stress on the system.

Great point +1.

This isn't a big deal. Yes, relievers are prime candidates for Rule V selection, but I think there's a small chance of Beato getting picked and sticking on a 25-man roster for the entire season. In the event that it does happen, it's a loss but not a huge one.

I do think that Beato will make for a solid middle reliever, however. When I saw him last year, as Tony noted, he wasn't overwhelming but still got the job done. He's not quite ready but I think he adjusted to the role nicely. I like him and hope he sticks around.

[DrungoHazewood]

This isn't a big deal. Yes, relievers are prime candidates for Rule V selection, but I think there's a small chance of Beato getting picked and sticking on a 25-man roster for the entire season. In the event that it does happen, it's a loss but not a huge one.

Pretty much every organization has a Pedro Beato. If ours goes missing it's just because someone else saw him and thought they could tweak him enough to make it worth their while.

A 23-year-old who averages less than a K per inning as a reliever at AA isn't a great prospect. Among players who pitched 20 innings, Beato was 7th on the Baysox in strikeouts per nine.

[Stotle]

Pretty much every organization has a Pedro Beato. If ours goes missing it's just because someone else saw him and thought they could tweak him enough to make it worth their while.

A 23-year-old who averages less than a K per inning as a reliever at AA isn't a great prospect. Among players who pitched 20 innings, Beato was 7th on the Baysox in strikeouts per nine.

As you point out, the point is kind of to find the guys that can be tweaked. If he led the Baysox in SO/9 he would probably have been protected (assuming corresponding raising of his "value" to the org).

Either way, I wholeheartedly agree with you and others who say this isn't a big deal. You risk him "clicking" somewhere, but it's a small risk and you need the flexibility on your 40-man for the off-season.