SB Nation - Kam Mickolio

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2010

John Sickels — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:59:42 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

2 months ago: Baltimore Orioles starter Brian Matusz delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Top 20 Baltimore Orioles Prospects for 2010

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. Complete reports on these and over 1,000 other players will be in the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book, now available for pre-order, shipping on February 2^nd!

1) Brian Matusz, LHP, Grade A-: I don't see anything to complain about here. Could be something like a cross between Barry Zito and Mark Mulder when they were young.

2) Jake Arrieta, RHP, Grade B+: I like this guy a little more than most people, but I love the upside and I think the command will come around.

3) Zach Britton, LHP, Grade B+: Love the grounders, solid strikeout rate, I'm pro-Britton.

4) Josh Bell, 3B, Grade B: I like Bell too, but I see him more as a solid regular than a future star.

5) Brandon Erbe, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B-. Have always loved the upside, but durability and consistency remain concerns.

6) Brandon Snyder, 1B, Grade B-: I think he has a good bat, but not a GREAT one.

7) Matt Hobgood, RHP, Grade B-: Liked him a lot in high school, need more pro data before going higher.

8) Mychal Givens, SS, Grade B-: Great tools, grade is highly speculative at this point until we get some performance data. Can always try pitching if he doesn't hit.

9) Brandon Waring, 3B-1B, Grade C+: I like the power, but am unsure about the glove. Like Bell and Snyder, he seems more solid-ish than star-ish. Batting average and OBP may be issues.

10) Kam Mickolio, RHP, Grade C+: I am the Great Mickolio. I need control for my baseball. I have no changeup. Do you need fastball for your bullpen?

11) Luis Lebron, RHP, Grade C+: Another hard-throwing bullpen option if he throws strikes.

12) Steve Johnson, RHP, Grade C+: Might get overlooked because of his boring name. Possible fourth starter type if the command is there.

13) Brandon Cooney, RHP, Grade C+: Another hard-throwing bullpen option if he throws strikes.

14) Ryan Berry, RHP, Grade C+: A steal in the ninth round, IF his arm doesn't fall off due to the Rice injury curse.

15) Ashur Tolliver, LHP, Grade C+: Interesting southpaw arm with very good stuff, probably fits in the pen better than as a starter.

16) Caleb Joseph, C, Grade C: Might be a C+, could be convinced to raise this grade. Good power potential, defense is questionable.

17) Troy Patton, LHP, Grade C: Arm problems have cut his stock drastically, but I wouldn't count him out just yet. Command still a strength.

18) Michael Ohlman, C, Grade C: Power potential draws lots of praise, but no pro data yet and defense is questioned.

19) Xavier Avery, OF, Grade C: High-ceiling tools outfielder with questionable bat, young enough to improve greatly.

20) Cameron Coffey, LHP, Grade C: Tommy John survivor, could rank much higher once we see how he recovers from surgery. Clocked as high as 95 MPH before injury.

OTHERS (All Grade C): Matt Angle, OF; David Baker, RHP; Jesse Beal, RHP; Pedro Beato, RHP; Bobby Bundy, RHP; Jacob Cowan, RHP; Oliver Drake, RHP; Pat Egan, RHP; Pedro Florimon, SS; Eddie Gamboa, RHP; Randy Henry, RHP; Tyler Henson, 3B; L.J. Hoes, 2B; Rhyne Hughes, 1B; Jarret Martin, LHP; Cole McCurry, LHP; Bill Rowell, OF; Tyler Townsend, 1B; Justin Turner, 2B; Aaron Wirsch, LHP; Rick Zagone, LHP.

I think the Orioles system is often underrated. There is a lot to like at the top, with Matusz entering the '10 rotation and Arrieta not far behind him. I probably like Arrieta and Britton a bit more than most analysts. Erbe has tremendous potential as well. There is the nucleus of a really good pitching staff here, with several potential major league starters as well as the raw material of a fine bullpen, with a mixture of excellent arms (Mickolio, Lebron, Cooney) as well as guys with command (Egan, Gamboa) who could be fine staff fillers.

Things are thinner on the position side. The best of the hitters is Bell, but I see him more as a very solid guy than a future superstar. Snyder and Waring have potential, but again they strike me more as guys who can be pretty good rather than lineup anchors. Athletes like Givens and Avery have great ceilings but who knows if they can learn how to actually play. Joseph and Ohlman provide some catching depth behind Wieters, but neither one are certain to stick there.

All in all, this system has some major strength in young pitching but they could stand to boost the hitting.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:51:11 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Trevor Hoffman celebrates with Mike Rivera after they defeated the Chicago Cubs Thursday.

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Some things to read while giving up the search for intelligent life.

This morning's Mug is the abbreviated version. Gorman's been sick overnight (and for most of the day yesterday), and I want to get him to the vet ASAP. Thanks for understanding.

Brewer coaches met with Yovani Gallardo yesterday and are expected to announce a course of action today. Expect them to announce he'll make his remaining starts on a limited pitch count. He needs three strikeouts for 200.
The Brewers went 5-2 on the road trip. This would be more exciting if you'd been in a coma since April.
Jody Gerut hit a grand slam yesterday. The Bucky Channel is coming around on him.
Dave Bush hit Milton Bradley with a pitch yesterday, and is now tied for first in the majors with 14.
Prince Fielder was intentionally walked yesterday, giving him 99 walks on the season, tying the franchise record.
A Girl's View of the Brewers makes the case for Casey McGehee for Rookie of the Year.
Braden Looper's start this week was his 30th of 2009, raising the cost of his mutual option for 2010 to $6.5 million.
The Astros come to Milwaukee tonight and Jose Valverde will meet them there after spending the week at home battling flulike symptoms.
Rattler Radio has an update on the Baseball World Cup. Canada beat Japan yesterday in extra innings, and Efrain Nieves could start for Puerto Rico today.
The New York Daily News has the Brewers 15th in their power rankings. Yahoo has them 18th and Beyond the Box Score has them 23rd.
The Mariners traded catcher Jamie Burke to the Nationals for cash.
The Orioles placed pitcher Kam Mickolio on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
Today in 1980, Gary Ward hit for the cycle for the Twins, and the Brewers won anyway, 9-8.
Happy birthday to Jody Gerut, who turns 32.

Drink up.

O's 5, White Sox 4: A Series Win, Finally.

Stacey — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:19:52 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Orioles' Nolan Reimold launches a two-run home run off Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle, that also scored Nick Markakis during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 in Chicago. Watching on the play is catcher Ramon Castro and umpire on Ron Kulpa. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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The Orioles beat the White Sox 5-4 to win their first series since July 10-12 against the Blue Jays. Jason Berken battled through poor defense in the first inning and pitched 5.2 innings to earn his third win. Home runs by Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold and a 3 hit game from Brian Roberts fueled the offense, while Kam continued to be the man. Jim Johnson took a page out of Flat Breezy's book but in the end there was never a doubt as he earned his 6th save.

Jason Berken pitched one of his best games this year, although it didn't start out so well. In the first inning he induced a routine ground ball by Scott Podsednik that was booted by back up shortstop Robert Andino. That was followed by another routine ground ball by Gordon Beckham. Mora picked the ball cleanly but airmailed the throw into the camera well. Podsednik, who had stolen 2nd base, scored on the error and Beckham went to 2nd. Berken didn't get rattled as he retired the next three batters, but instead of getting out of the inning 3 up-3 down in 14 pitches, he had to get five outs on 22 pitches, and a run scored.

After the first inning, Berken went on to pitch the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th without any trouble or any defensive miscues. He retired the first two batters in the fifth, but then lost his control, walking the number 9 hitter Brent Lillibridge. Podsednik hit a double that bounced up into the stands to score Lillibridge and Beckham singled in the second run. He got out of the inning and came back to retire the first two hitters in the 6th before giving up a single to Carlos Quentin. That would be it for Berken, but he'd done enough to be in line for his 3rd win of the year. With his family making the trip down from Wisconsin to see him pitch, Berken came through.

The offense had a good day against White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, and they started in the first inning. Brian Roberts hit his major league leading 47th 2B of the year and scored on a single by Adam Jones to take a 1-0 lead, and in the 4th inning Brian again led off the inning with a hit, this time a single. He stole 2nd, moved to third on a groundout by Robert Andino, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Felix Pie (Pie entered the game for Jones in the 2nd as Adam was having back spasms). Two batters later, with Nick Markakis on base via a single, Nolan Reimold took Buehrle deep for his 12th HR of the year. Buehrle would give up one more run on HR by Felix Pie in the 5th. Buehrle exited the game after 5.2 innings and the White Sox bullpen allowed just one more hit, a double to Chad Moeller in the 9th.

After Berken exited the game, Kam Mickolio took over and again impressed us all, going 1.1 innings without allowing a hit. His season line is now up to: 9.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 11 K. Danys Baez followed Kam with a perfect 8th inning, leaving it to Jim Johnson to close out.

JJ was shaky, allowing a leadoff double to Paul Konerko. He struck out Carlos Quentin and then Alexei Ramirez singled, putting runners on first and third with one out. JJ bucked down, though. Pinch hitter AJ Pierzynski grounded to shortstop, scoring Konerko, and Mark Kotsay struck out to end the game. Never a doubt, Jimmy!

O's win to take the season series from the White Sox 5-4, their first series win against them since 2001. Tomorrow night they start a 3 game series with the Twins to conclude their 9 game road trip.

Poll

Who was today's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Jason Berken (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)

62 votes

Brian Roberts (3-4, 2B, BB, 2 R)

70 votes

Felix Pie (HR, Sac Fly, 2 RBI)

34 votes

Nolan Reimold (2-4, 2 R HR)

82 votes

248 votes | Poll has closed

Rays 5, O's 4: yawn

Stacey — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:18:51 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Orioles' Matt Wieters (15) celebrates with Luke Scott after Wieters hit an eighth-inning, two-run home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Randy Choate during a baseball game Tuesday Aug. 18, 2009 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won 5-4. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Jason Berken was himself tonight, giving up 5 runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings. If you're looking for good news, he didn't walk anyone. If you're looking for bad news, he gave up 3 home runs. His Rays counterpart, David Price, pitched just 5 innings, allowing two runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. Price wasn't dominant by any means,but he worked his way out of trouble when needed with a little help from the Orioles hitters.

Berken started the game pretty well, facing just three batters in the first. The second inning was unfortunate for him as the Rays scored a very cheap run. After retiring the first two batters, former Oriole ZAUN lined a double to the left-center gap. Berken made the pitches to get out of it but both BJ Upton and Gabe Gross singled in the infield with the second one scoring Zaun. Berken then allowed a 2 run HR to Gabe Gross in the 4th and solo shots to Pat Burrell and BJ Upton in the 6th.

The hero of the game, in my mind, was definitely Kam Mickolio. Just called up today (after having been unfairly demoted earlier this year), Kam pitched two strong innings. Facing Mark Hendrickson to lead off the 7th, Ben Zobrist walked and Carl Crawford doubled to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with none out. The fifteen Orioles fans watching on TV sighed to themselves, "here it comes." Trembley replaced Hendrickson with Mickolio, who struck out Evan Longoria easily. He then intentionally walked Carlos Pena, struck out Pat Burrell, and popped Gregg Zaun up to third base. He came back in for the 8th and retired the side in order with two strikeouts. Tell me again why he was ever sent down? In five appearances in the majors this year, Kam has yet to yield a run in 6.2 innings. He's allowed two hits, three walks (one intentional), and has K'd 8.

Nick Markakis continues to give me a reason to tune in, as he was on base four times with three hits and a walk. He also stole a base and made 3 strong catches in the outfield to save Berken's hide. The O's scored two runs each in the 3rd and 8th innings. In the 3rd Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold each singled in a run. Then in the 8th, Matt Wieters, batting right handed, hit an opposite field blast to right center for his 4th HR of the year and first since July 5th. He's really been struggling of late, but when he gets a hold of one like that his strength is obvious. The HR would bring the O's within one but that's all they'd get. The O's left 13 baserunners on in the course of the game, with Melvin Mora being the main goat. Melvin had runners on in all five of his at bats, and in four of those, at least one of the runners was in scoring position. Melvin reached deep down, accessed his oh-so valuable playoff experience, and came up with 3 Ks and two fly outs. He left 7 men on base all by himself.

In new Oriole news, Michael Aubrey pinch hit for Cesar Izturis in the 8th inning and slapped a single between SS and 3B. Good job new Aubrey.

Poll

Who was today's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Nick Markakis, because he never lets you down (3-4, BB, SB, great defense, and a 38 game on base streak)

104 votes

Matt Wieters, because once he gets good it's going to be awesome (2 run HR, threw Carl Crawford out trying to steal 2nd)

51 votes

Kam Mickolio, because pitchers who can pitch make you happy (2 IP, 0 H, IBB, 4 K)

66 votes

221 votes | Poll has closed

White Sox 12, Orioles 8: Welcome to the 2nd half, y'all

Stacey — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:00:56 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

4 months ago: Baltimore Orioles' Nick Markakis celebrates his two-run home run, off Chicago White Sox starting pitcher John Danks, that also scored Brian Roberts during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, July 17, 2009, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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The theme of tonight's game was bad pitching and sloppy defense. The Orioles scored 8 runs and still managed to leave 11 men on base. The White Sox scored 12 runs, 7 of which were scored by runners who reached base via walk or HBP. Each team made two errors in the field and of the 10 pitchers who were used in the game, only three didn't give up a run (Octavio Dotel and Tony Pena each pitched one scoreless inning for the White Sox, Kam Mickolio pitched 1.2 scoreless for the Orioles). Every other pitcher gave up at least two runs.

Jim Thome had a hell of a night, hitting two home runs, the first a 3 run HR and the second a grand slam. The funny/pathetic thing about the grand slam is that the three guys on based reached on two walks and a HBP. That's right, the Orioles walked two guys and hit another with a pitch to get to the man with over 550 career home runs. I didn't catch the distance on the Thome grand slam (hit off of Danys Baez), but it was basically a line drive to straight away center that only stopped when it hit a wall.

If you're looking for positives, there were plenty to be had in the offense. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones both homered, with Adam Jones' HR being a liner to the opposite field. Brian Roberts, Nick, Adam, Aubrey Huff, Nolan Reimold, and Melvin Mora all had multi-hit games, and even Cesar Izturis got in on the action with an RBI double. You might not believe it if you didn't see it, but one of Brian's hits was a bunt single. No lie! And Aubrey Huff hauled ass down the first base line for an infield hit in the 6th inning. Aubrey was obviously well rested from the break.

The O's and White Sox face off again tomorrow at 4:05 for the Fox game of the week. Thankfully Brad Bergesen will be on the mound so the national embarrassment should be kept to a minimum. Mark Buehrle goes for the White Sox.

Poll

Who was tonight's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Brian Roberts (2-3, 2 BB, bunt single, 2B, 3 R)

24 votes

Nick Markakis (2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR)

25 votes

Adam Jones (2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR)

53 votes

Aubrey Huff (2-5, 1 RBI, busting ass for an infield hit)

9 votes

Melvin Mora (3-4, 2B, BB, 1 R)

9 votes

Nolan Reimold (2-4, 2B, BB)

4 votes

Cesar Izturis (1-5, RBI 2B)

1 votes

125 votes | Poll has closed

37 comments on 37 pitchers in camp for the Orioles

SC — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:02:30 -0000

The Sun and Jeff Zrebiec had this idea, and they did it with a photo gallery and tiny, barely-viewable short comments about all the pitchers. I liked the idea so much that I'm stealing it and hoping to add a little more in terms of commentary. What can I say? I like to talk.

Matt Albers, RH

Albers put up a 3.49 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 49 innings for the O's last season before coming up injured (like fellow former Astro Troy Patton) and deciding to forgo surgery in favor of rehabbing, which often leads to...surgery. But he wasn't a blue chip guy to begin with. His three starts were tolerable last season but he looked better out of the bullpen, which is where he probably projects long-term. Likely not a real factor in 2009, but here's hoping we see Fat Albers back on the field at some point.

Jake Arrieta, RH

If you want to be a super sleuth and dig around the site, you'll be able to find out I was jacked, geeked, psyched and pumped when the O's opened up their wallets to sign Arrieta as a fifth round draft pick out of TCU. Arrieta and Wieters in the same class? Zwaaa!

In fact, I might be one of Arrieta's biggest fans. His W-L record means nothing and isn't impressive (6-5 at Frederick), but he was outstanding in his first pro season, posting a 2.87 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 9.56 K/9 rate for the Keys. I currently rate Arrieta as our third-best prospect behind Wieters and Tillman, but readily admit Matusz should probably be No. 2 or at least No. 3.

Still, we're talking about three guys that could be long-term parts of the rotation relatively soon. Arrieta has college polish, as does Matusz, and Tillman is rocketing through the minors. Dude still can't drink legally.

I don't want to get all Four Aces or Generation K about it (since those didn't turn out so hot), but man...MAN!

(And because you have to have it.)

More important than all the good numbers and promise re: Arrieta is the fact that Stacey thinks he's hot.

Danys Baez, RH

Let's cut the crap: Danys Baez was a rotten signing when the Orioles got him and he's turned out even worse than you could have imagined. 2007 was a disaster, and in 2008 he did the fans a favor and didn't pitch. That might sound mean, and it's not like I want him to be injured, but in the long run I probably lost less hair for it, so thanks, Danys. Talks of him starting have gone by the wayside. I really don't think we're going to see much at all of Baez this season. If he stinks, they're just going to get rid of him.

Brian Bass, RH

One of a million dudes who might win a rotation spot. Bass, now 27, has been in pro ball since 2000. He made it to The Show in 2008 with the Twins, appearing as a reliever on 44 occasions, and then was traded to the O's where he started four games because that was the state of the '08 Orioles. "Got an arm?" "Like, a good one?" "No, just an arm! We need it!" Bass' career minor league ERA is 4.32 and he doesn't strike anyone out. He does have good control, so that's something. At least he'll throw strikes.

Brad Bergesen, RH

Bergesen's '08 cracked a lot of O's prospect lists, including ours at No. 14. He went 15-6 with a 3.22/1.15 line at Bowie. He lives on a ridiculously fine line, though, with his 4.38 K/9. He has to kind of be perfect. In a perfect world he could be our Justin Duchscherer.

Alberto Castillo, LH

Strengths: Throws with left hand. Once a third round draft choice of the Giants.

Weaknesses: That draft was in 1994. Castillo's career:

June 2, 1994: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 3rd round of the 1994 amateur draft.

November 11, 1997: Traded by the San Francisco Giants with Chris Singleton to the New York Yankees for Charlie Hayes and cash.

January 26, 1999: Released by the New York Yankees.

February 16, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.

March 28, 1999: Released by the Chicago White Sox.

February 29, 2000: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Diego Padres.

March 31, 2000: Released by the San Diego Padres.

December 17, 2000: Signed as a Free Agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

January 7, 2002: Released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

January 15, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.

March 30, 2003: Released by the St. Louis Cardinals.

January 28, 2008: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles.

So, y'know. He's "32," which in Cuban years could mean he's 41, and it took him almost 15 years to reach the majors. His ERA (3.81) is a mirage. If they're relying on him, bad things gon' happen. They likely are not.

Scott Chiasson, RH

Chiasson is 31 now, a Connecticut native that played college ball at Eastern Connecticut State, whatever in the hell that is. Being from a large state, I can't imagine really considering the road trip that takes one from "eastern" Connecticut to "western" Connecticut. Eastern to western Michigan is a three and a half hour trip by interstate.

Chiasson is one of a million former Cubs from the MacPhail era that has managed a way into the O's system. He was originally drafted by the Royals in 1998, then traded to the A's as a PTBNL for Jay Witasick (former Oriole, sort of). The Cubs nabbed him in the Rule 5 draft in December 2000 and he got cups of coffee in '01 and '02. He's just a body.

Fredy Deza, RH

6'2" and stick-thin. The Sun lists his 2.25 ERA at Norfolk, which came over a grand eight innings of work. He turned 26 in December and has been pitching Orioles A-ball forever. They seem to have officially given up on him as a starter the last few years.

DEEEEEZ...

Jeremy Guthrie, RH

He's the ace. He's not the world's best ace, but he's our ace, damn it. Truthfully, the world will be awesome if Guthrie is the fourth starter in 2010 or 2011. I say that with all love for Guts. When I did the Hardball Times preview, I noted that Guthrie is a guy who's always going to be projected to tail off from numbers like he's put up the last two years, and I really believe he's got more of the last two years in him, and that it's not really a fluke. He's just a good, solid pitcher.

During the NBA All-Star Weekend, I watched the three-point contest, which was horrendous because Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller are like having Tim McCarver and Thom Brennaman in the same booth. When Danny Granger was up, Kenny must have said "he's a scorer not a shooter" 17 times. Guthrie's a pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower. A pitcher not a thrower.

Kenny later predicted that none of the three remaining guys in the tournament could win.

Mark Hendrickson, LH

Hendo hasn't even thrown a pitch as a Baltimore Oriole and he's been ripped here plenty. Not by me -- I'm all for letting him stink first. And he will stink. Speaking of basketball, this dude's a failed basketball player. He's 6'9" and can't strike anyone out. The good news is he also doesn't walk many guys and does have minor value as a swingman. The bad news is he's 35 and was horrible last season in Florida.

Brad Hennessey, RH

Once, long ago, Hennessey was a Giants prospect. He's now a failed Giants prospect on board with the Orioles, and he'll be starting the first game of the spring against the Mets. That happens TODAY! WOO!

Hennessey is a Toledo native that attended Youngstown State (the penguin school where that damned Jim Tressel coached before he took over at Vomit State).

He was pretty effective in 2007 as a fill-in closer for the Giants, saving 19 games and putting up a 3.42 ERA. But the fact is the Giants lost all faith in him a while ago. At 29, time's a-wastin' and it's either on the train or off. The Orioles are going to give him a shot, and they have no reason to not. It's a noble move. Former prospect, has shown he can pitch in the majors (if briefly), and still young enough to wring some good years. If he doesn't make it, big whoop. If he does, he could be Guthrie Part II, a super cheap pickup that flamed out elsewhere and latched on here. No harm no foul either way.

David Hernandez, RH

Now univerally considered one of our ten best prospects, and yet still sort of a sleeper guy thanks to his surroundings in the arms department. Common sense says that eventually bats catch up to his fastball-slider combo since he's not Randy Johnson or anything, and that a relief role may best suit him. I mean, that's said basically all the time, but it bears repeating just because it's true. It's logic. It's hard to get by on two pitches as a major league starter. Still, he was excellent at Bowie last season and surpassed expectations.

Rich Hill, LH

MacPhail Salvation Project No. 39. If Rich Hill needed a change of scenery, he's got it. If his physical problems are corrected, there's a LOT of upside. If it's mental, that's a tough game to win. He's wilder than all hell, but now there's almost no pressure on him. I think we as O's fans do deserve credit for patience. It took a long time for most of y'all to start railing on Daniel Cabrera as hard as I did from 2006 on, and he'd damn sure earned it.

I don't think any of us expect the moon of Hill, and I assure him should he happen to ever somehow stumble upon it, we're all rootin' for ya, dude. Welcome to Baltimore. Feel free to get comfortable and relax.

Jim Hoey, RH

Have never been a fan. Knew dudes that looked like Jim Hoey in high school. They were all goobers. Straight-up goobers. That's not really his fault. I shouldn't be mean. Maybe he's not a goober.

He missed all of 2008 with a shoulder surgery, and that hardly helps his case. Even before that there were a lot of issues.

Jim Johnson, RH

I used to be a massive pro wrestling fan, which we've been over a bunch. I still like the old stuff. I don't remember ever NOT being a pro wrestling fan. I do remember being five years old and begging my grandparents to order WrestleMania III. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that pay-per-view just was not available in our area at the time. On I went with life.

Anyway, signs in the crowd became a big deal in the late 1990s, and one of my favorite signs ever was very simple: "STING YOUR COOL." If I ever went to see Jim Johnson, I'd take a sign that said, "JIM YOUR COOL."

My favorite sign ever, by the way, was "RAY TRAYLOR IS MY FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER." Either that or "I LIKE CURT HENNIG."

Jim is cool. Projections have a hard time taking into account sinkerballers sometimes, plus Jim's track record is short. But he was excellent setting up Sherrill last year and there's really no reason he shouldn't be competing for a rotation spot or the closer's role. I've got nothing against George Sherrill or Chris Ray, but I think I can say that at this moment, I'd be more comfortable with Big Jim in the ninth.

Ryan Keefer, RH

Instead of assessing Keefer's chances, I'll just post the Sun's stock photo of him, because he looks so gosh darn happy:

via www.baltimoresun.com

Radhames Liz, RH

Liz, like the departed Garrett Olson, crashed and burned in a trial by fire last season in the Orioles rotation. Chances are strong he'll be in the Opening Day starting five because the Orioles have put a lot of stock into him over the last few years, and because he went out and took his lumps like a man last year. I've been saying for about three years he looks like a reliever (and not a particularly great one) to me, but there's more value if he starts, and until he proves he absolutely cannot start in the majors, it's better to start him if he's going to pitch at all at this age. Liz has very mild breakout potential in 2009.

Brian Matusz, LH

The Wieters of pitchers. That's grossly overstating Matusz's prospectdom, but I don't care. I'm rolling with it. You got a problem, dude, meet me after class and we'll hash this s**t out. I don't even care. Let's go!

Bob McCrory, RH

Bob McCrory is the goober that hung around with goobers like Jim Hoey in high school. Jim might've started a couple fights, but Bob usually got in there and took it for him and socked someone in the nose. Bob McCrory looks like he enjoys a good PBR on a warm summer's eve. I like Bob McCrory more than I do Jim Hoey, but I still don't want to hang out with them too often, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Kam Mickolio, RH

Mickolio's biggest obstacle is experience. Real experience. Experience in playing baseball. Not a ton of organized baseball in Montana, where he grew up. He's still a baby in this game. I don't think he'll be amazing, but I do think he'll cut out a regular role for himself in the bullpen by July. He has the best heat in the system, and he also looks like the subject of Honey, I Blew Up Nomar Garciaparra:

via www.baltimoresun.com

Jim Miller, RH

Came over in the Roddy Lopez trade with the Rockies. Anything positive he can do is gravy on top of not having Rodrigo Lopez on the team.

Andy Mitchell, RH

Mitchell's been in the O's system since turning pro in 2001, and he's 30 years old now. He started strictly as a relief pitcher, but the last two seasons has gone swingman in Norfolk, where he'll stay as long as he's employed by the Orioles. In an organization with as many horrible staffs as this one has had since he's been around, Andy's never even gotten an inning for the O's despite a career ERA of 3.59 in 650+ minor league innings. That kind of says it all.

John Parrish, LH

I know I'm half-halfassed analyst and half-doofy fan in this thing, but if you believe one thing I'm saying is genuine, believe this: Pass.

Troy Patton, LH

From the guy I'm furious is back to the guy I'm still stoked to see suit up for our Birds. Patton missed all of 2008 with the dreaded fabrum bear, but he's ready to sling this spring, and I like this dude's attitude. He's like the 13-3 football team that just won the conference championship. "No one said we could do dis! They all said we couldn't do dis!" Nah, dude, I think you can do dis. Go do dat.

David Pauley, RH

Pauley's been workmanlike in the systems of both San Diego and Boston since '01, and last year went 14-4 with Pawtucket. He also pitched 12 1/3 innings for the Red Sox and was lit the hell up for 23 hits and 16 earned runs (11.68 ERA). Oops! Pauley has an outside shot at the rotation, but it's more outside than it might seem given his AAA record last year. He's really nothing special at all, but I quite like the Orioles giving him a shot.

Hayden Penn, RH

True story: I always wanted to name a son Hayden, mostly because of my love for Coach, and also because I didn't think I could convince any woman to let me name a son Luther. My fiancee may allow me to someday name a son Magic Johnson Christ, which I think is kind of awesome. (And before anyone starts, I know she's just humoring me. Let me have my dreams.)

Penn's had one of the damnedest careers you'll ever see, including being impaled, and while it's worth noting that he's not all that old still (he turned 24 last October), I think this is sort of a case of a guy being older than his age, like in boxing when Erik Morales got really old at 28. Too many things happened. Too many wars. I think maybe Penn doesn't just "seem" older, he might figuratively be older than 24.

Wilfrido Perez, RH

A 24-year old relief prospect, Perez put up some nice K-rates in the low levels before tapering off to just under 9 K/9 at Bowie in 23 innings. He absolutely dominated in 81 innings at Delmarva in 2007, posting a 1.67 ERA and striking out 101 batters. He's generally had so-so (at best) WHIP numbers because he doesn't have the best control (it's also not awful) and he's hittable (7 H/9 career).

Chris Ray, RH

Sugar Ray is back in action and will have a shot at taking the closer's job he left behind when he missed all of 2008. He deserves it if he can handle it, because even though he was not dominant, he's going to be better in the role than Sherrill. Again, Johnson might be a much better option than either of them, but he's "never closed before." Not like super veteran Ray or All-Star George.

Dennis Sarfate, RH

He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher. He's a thrower not a pitcher.

George Sherrill, LH

My favorite part of the 2008 Orioles Magic DVD "making of" is when Millar and Sherrill obviously set up an "impromptu" "quick-witted" joke where Millar goes, "George, you look like Vin Diesel," and then Sherrill goes, "Let'sgetsomethinstraight. VinDiesellookslikeme." And it's like, OHHH!

Alfredo Simon, RH

Another guy inching toward 30 with bad minor league numbers that got ripped up in a short stint last year. He's horrible. He has no business on the team. Zrebiec's comment is, "That he managed to stay on the 40-man roster all offseason says something." What? The Orioles forgot about him?

Chorye Spoone, RH

Still rehabbing and won't be healthy to start the year, but in camp anyway. I forget which one of you likes Spoone way more than I do. Show yourself! If he was Tim Spooneybarger's brother, I'd like him more. He was down-and-up even before the injury.

Chris Tillman, RH

Dear Old Seattle Mariners Front Office,

In times of trouble where you've been fired and all that, sometimes it helps to hear from the people whose lives you've touched in a very positive manner. When you traded Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler for Erik Bedard, you did something great for us, and we're going to be thankful for many years to come.

We know that Mr. Bedard didn't work out so great for you in 2008 and at least partially led to you all getting thrown out on your behinds, but we Orioles fans wanted you to know that we still have a soft spot for you.

And if you see Eric O'Flaherty, tell him we said hello.

Kindest Regards,

Orioles Fans

Koji Uehara, RH

He is not going to be Daisuke Matsuzaka. The best we can really hope for is he isn't Kei Igawa either. The latter is far, far, far more likely than the former.

Chris Waters, LH

Zrebiec actually pulled the "no one thinks he can do dis!" card in his Waters comment. That's because he probably can't. He had two exceptional starts for the Orioles and treaded on thin ice otherwise.

Jamie Walker, LH

Jamie Waker, Boy, could star as Will Ferrell's impersonation of George W. Bush in a movie:

via www.baltimoresun.com

Walker is so close to the end of his line that it might be really painful to watch him unless he's pulled some rabbit out of the hat after last year. When guys whose fastballs are offspeed pitches start to fail, it's usually pretty gruesome. He was lobbing BP last year.

Ross Wolf, RH

Former Marlin. Probably here because Kranitz knows him.

Prop Projections for the 2009 Baltimore Orioles

SC — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:59:56 -0000

I don't want to do a whole community projections project this year for a few reasons. One, it's a chore to put together after your average long and exhausting Orioles season, and I couldn't even be bothered last fall. What's the point? Hey did we get Jeremy Guthrie's win total right, yaaay we went 68-93...

So instead of full projections, how about some prop bets? We'll play with Camden Chat Monopoly money here.

You get $20,000. You have to bet on everything and you have to bet at least $100, so your biggest single bet can be $18,100 and $100 on the other 19 things. Don't be a wise acre and bet like $73.14. Leave cents out of it, Dennis the Menace.

It's basically just over/under and this guy or that guy stuff, pretty simple really.

We'll come back to this in October and see how everyone did.

IMPORTANT: Write down your bets in a word processor or notepad or whatever BEFORE you go into the comments. No influencing. No debating. Just make the bets. You can say, like, "Damn, that's a gutsy bet..." to someone else or make comments on your own bets. I'll put mine down once some of you get yours in. Scouts' honor, I already have mine written down.

1. Over/under, Nick Markakis home run total: 23.5

2. Over/under, Koji Uehara's starts: 17.5

3. Who will hit more home runs in April: Melvin Mora or Aubrey Huff?

4. Who will win more games in June: Jeremy Guthrie or Koji Uehara?

5. Over/under, Felix Pie's on-base percentage: .315.5

6. Who will start more games at catcher: Gregg Zaun or Matt Wieters?

7. Who will hit more doubles: Luke Scott or Melvin Mora?

8. Who will make more starts: Rich Hill or Mark Hendrickson?

9. Over/under, Cesar Izturis' stolen bases: 21.5

10. Over/under, Aubrey Huff's OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage): .840.5

11. Who will have more strikeouts: Chris Ray or George Sherrill?

12. Over/under, Ryan Freel's games played, any role: 110.5

13. Who will have less appearances: Danys Baez or Kam Mickolio?

14. Who will hit more home runs, total: Ty Wigginton or Melvin Mora?

15. True/False: Nolan Reimold will start at least 12 games for the Orioles.

16. Over/under, Adam Jones' strikeouts: 122.5

17. Who will hit more triples: Brian Roberts or Adam Jones?

18. Over/under, Chris Waters' starts: 11.5

19. True/False: Hayden Penn will start at least seven games for the Orioles.

20. Over/under, number of pitchers who start games for the Birds: 12.5

CC.com's Fairly Well-Informed Top 20 O's Prospects: Post-Season 2008 Edition

SC — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:32:10 -0000

On April 1, this happened:

1. Matt Wieters, C
2. Bill Rowell, 3B
3. Radhames Liz, RHP
4. Nolan Reimold, OF
5. Jake Arrieta, RHP
6. Chris Tillman, RHP
7. Garrett Olson, LHP
8. Chorye Spoone, RHP
9. Tony Butler, LHP
10. Hayden Penn, RHP
11. Tim Bascom, RHP
12. Troy Patton, LHP
13. Brandon Snyder, 1B
14. Brandon Erbe, RHP
15. David Hernandez, RHP
16. Pedro Beato, RHP
17. Scott Moore/Mike Costanzo, 3B
18. Matt Albers, RHP
19. Randor Bierd, RHP
20. Bob McCrory, RHP

It is now October 8. This will happen. Instead of going over these guys in that order and how their seasons went, I'm going to re-shuffle at the same time. And there's plenty of movement.

1. Matt Wieters, C (1)

This will no doubt sound very "after the fact," but I was very big on Nick Markakis. While looking at his stat lines, I thought, "Here's a guy that puts up real numbers. Here's a guy that can play." We had been treated to lots of flop prospects that never put up numbers, but we were told yearly about their "potential" and their "ceiling." No one really talked about Markakis' "ceiling" -- he actually played well instead.

Matt Wieters makes Nick Markakis (at similar stages) look like Keith Reed. The former Yellow Jacket entered his first season of professional baseball as maybe the most hyped player coming out of the 2007 draft, partially due to the fact that I think WE were all so excited to have a player of his caliber that we decided to make him out to be Mike Piazza, Mickey Cochrane, Johnny Bench and prime years Pudge Rodriguez all rolled into one.

In 229 ABs at Frederick, he hit .345/.448/.576 with 15 home runs. In 208 at-bats with Bowie, he topped that, hitting .365/.460/.625 with 12 dongs.

If Wieters starts off the year in Bowie or Norfolk in 2009, go see him if you have the chance, because you won't have many to see this superstar-in-the-making play in the sticks. He's coming. He's on his way. Frankly, there's no reason other than contract jive that he isn't the starting catcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

If they want to excite the fans about the future and get the skeptics to buy into the rebuilding (which they've heard before and was bungled so badly that I don't blame them), they need to have Wieters on the club. Simple as that. He's a player.

2. Chris Tillman, RHP (6)

Start the hype machine. This is our best pitching prospect. Thanks, Mariners!

Tillman turns 21...next April. That means that this guy just put on some damn good numbers in Double-A ball, and he can't even legally buy a drink until next April. In 135 innings, Tillman held opposing batters to a .227 average, went 11-4, and struck out 154. The Anaheim native was an Eastern League All-Star, and also represents something different from our pitching prospects, something that Wieters does, too: results. Actual, tangible results. Numbers you can point to as a reason to believe he'll be very good. He's probably not destined to be an ace, but a 2 or a 3? Absolutely. And as much as I try to stay away from blind optimism, given his age, I see no reason he can't become an ace. He's 20!

And because he's so young and good but no phenom, there's no reason to rush him up the chain. He'll be ready when he's ready.

3. Jake Arrieta, RHP (5)

Former Horned Frog Arrieta pitched 113 innings at Frederick, and went just 6-5.

Buuuut...in doing so, he posted a 2.87 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .199 BAA, and was named to the Carolina League All-Star game, the Carolina League post-season All-Star team, and oh yeah, was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year. He also played in the Futures Game.

The league couldn't touch him, but did draw some walks. I loved the Arrieta draft choice when we made it, and it looks even better now. Here's another guy that can solidify a staff in the future, and is showing that ability to do so with RESULTS. I know I keep harping on that, but I don't feel the need to explain Arrieta's ceiling. You can actually see that he's good. It's not just smoke-blowing.

He DID tire late in the season, and finished 1-5 in his last 10 starts with a 4.39 ERA, but conditioning is something you learn, like throwing a good slider or hitting one. Unlike beanpole Tillman (6-5, 195), Arrieta already has the body that a scout would like (6-4, 225).

4. Brian Matusz, LHP (-)

Matusz very well might be so good that he could jump up to No. 2 on this list by the middle of 2009. He is currently in the Arizona Fall League, playing with the Surprirse Rafters, but has yet to pitch as best I can tell.

The San Diego University standout was taken fourth overall by the Orioles, and they paid a pretty penny to get him signed. But when you look at his final college season, you know why: 12-2, 1.71 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12.09 K/9, 1.89 BB/9, and just four home runs allowed in 105 innings pitched.

He dominated college ball, and that means he has college shine on his left arm, much like Jake Arrieta has on his right arm. College players are generally better than high school players. That is a scientific fact. The Orioles ponying up the dough to sign Matusz and Wieters in back-to-back years is a GREAT sign from our front office. For years we were throwing money at the wall with guys like Adam Loewen, which turned out bad in every possible respect. Not only did Loewen stink, but he was hurt all the time, we gave him a terrible contract that rushed him into Major League duty, and now he's not even a pitcher anymore.

Put it this way: if Matusz, Tillman and Arrieta were all to pan out (not likely, but not unprecedented), then that's 3/5 of a rotation made out of real arms, not the junk we've been accepting as top prospect pitchers. These guys lay waste to what we've been fed for years.

5. Nolan Reimold, OF (4)

Reimold started very slow, but wound up on the Eastern League post-season All-Stars, hitting .284/.367/.501 with 25 homers and 84 RBI. He finally stayed healthy enough to play 139 games, too, which is a great thing. Right now, he's playing for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.

Reimold is a guy that has earned the chance to compete for a job next spring. Luke Scott is not getting any younger and isn't exactly great shakes to begin with, plus Millar should be gone, which would open up first base or DH. Huff could step in at first and Luke could do the majority of the DHing, with Reimold out in left, giving us a legit young outfield of Markakis, Jones and Reimold. Not bad.

I have no doubt that Reimold could hit in the Majors, at least putting up numbers similar to what Luke did this season. The only thing I still worry about is his ability to stay healthy.

6. Radhames Liz, RHP (3)

Two reasons Radhames Liz stays this high. First, it was his first taste of Major League Baseball, and sometimes guys get shelled. He went out there and did the best he could do. Command is the obvious issue. He has the stuff. I think he's more likely to find MLB success out of the bullpen, but that's not a bad place to be. A player's a player.

Second, the system takes a significant hit after the top five. A lot of guys bit the dust this year due to injury or plain old sucktitude, and Liz's ceiling (ooh!) remains higher than just about all of them.

7. Brandon Erbe, RHP (14)

In 2006, Baseball America ranked Brandon Erbe ninth in the O's system. In 2007, they had him up to No. 2, and 78th in baseball. In 2008, he was down to tenth following a disastrous season at Frederick (6.26 ERA, 119.1 IP).

He came back strong, and he's still only 21 in December (Erbe, in fact, is one of the unlucky few born on Christmas).

Erbe improved across the board in another go-'round with the Keys this year. His strikeouts were up (8.37 to 9.02 per nine), his walks down (4.68 to 2.99), hits allowed down (9.58 to 7.17), and his ERA dipped to 4.30 with a 1.13 WHIP, which was down .45 points. His ERA was only that high, actually, because he struggled with gopher balls: he allowed 21 in 150 innings.

Hope is rekindled...

8. David Hernandez, RHP (15)

Hernandez's first season in Bowie was a fine success, as he went 10-4 with a 2.68 ERA. The only concern is that he's still pretty much a fastball/slider guy, and his command is quite shaky, with 71 walks in 141 innings. On the plus side, he struck out 166, and was tough to hit (112 hits allowed). Might end up a bullpen guy, but could be a really good one, too.

9. Tony Butler, LHP (9)

Butler went on the Delmarva DL for good in June, after putting up a 4.42 ERA in 55 innings. What is very nice to see is a tremendously low walk rate, at 1.80 BB/9. His strikeout totals weren't amazing (7.20/9), but the control is the key. He's still a nice prospect as he doesn't turn 21 until November, but guys getting hurt this young is always a maroon flag if not one that is blood red.

10. Billy Rowell, 3B (2)

Before we get into why Billy Rowell slips a full eight spots and why you should probably burn your hopes and dreams, let's sum up his season with honesty very quickly.

Summary, Billy Rowell, 2008: Rowell got hurt early on and stayed out longer than expected, wound up playing just 111 games, and when he wasn't hurt, he sucked. Rowell hit .248/.315/.348 with seven home runs, not exactly befitting the ninth pick of the 2006 draft, and the man that was supposed to be our future at third or first base.

Outside of 42 games with Bluefield in 2006, Rowell hasn't hit for any power, racking up just 16 home runs the last two seasons, neither of which he played as much as you'd like (91 games in 2007, 111 this year). He was way below expectations at Delmarva, and way below expectations again this season with Frederick.

I keep him this high, honestly, only out of Amber-style blind faith. I want Rowell to turn it around in 2009 and get fast-tracked to the majors. One reason is that Melvin Mora can't stand over there forever, and we can't be relying on Melvin's second half sonic boom to carry over as he inches toward 40.

It all begs the question: is Rowell working hard or hardly working?! A-ha-ha-ha! Classic.

11. Troy Patton, LHP (12)

With the great bright spots at the top, Rowell's freefall and Patton moving up a spot despite not pitching really should explain the type of season the Orioles system had outside of a decent-looking draft. Troy Patton did not throw a single pitch as he was out with a labrum injury, and who knows if he'll return any good or not? But I have more faith that Troy Patton will contribute to the Major League team in a positive way than I do anyone below him.

Put that in your pipe and give it a think. Like I said, improvements in recent years or not, this system takes a nosedive after the top five.

12. Garrett Olson, LHP (7)

Not only did Garrett Olson stink up the joint something awful (9-10, 6.65/1.73, 62 BB in 132 IP) filling in for Adam Loewen this season, but he rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way, too, seeming to be totally indifferent to his struggles. Asked if his bad season got to him, Olson said, "Not really," or whatever.

Maybe that's a good thing, though. Maybe he figures you take your lumps and you figure out how to fix it. Maybe he spends the entire off-season working on fixing it. Maybe he spends it in Aruba punching judges and we can really start to hate him.

I'm not in Garrett Olson's mind. I don't know what he's thinking. I do know his stock took a serious hit this year, because struggling is one thing, but he got his ass kicked.

13. Brandon Snyder, 1B (13)

2005 first-round pick Brandon Snyder remains a personal favorite of mine. John Sickels regarded Snyder, then a catcher, as the best high school hitter in that draft, so I was thrilled that the Orioles signed him. Imagine if Snyder, Rowell, Wieters and Matusz had all panned out as expected. Woof! Then again, that's why I think talking about securing draft position in a losing year is pointless. You get more Snyders and Rowells, guys facing uphill battles very quickly, than you do guys like Wieters that come in and kill everything thrown at them.

Snyder had a solid year for Frederick, hitting .315/.358/.490 with 13 homers and 80 RBI (435 AB), but his power is going to have to improve for him to be a serious idea for first base. That or he needs to figure out how to have the plate discipline of Mark Grace, which is not looking likely with his 83-to-29 K-to-BB totals.

14. Bradley Bergesen, RHP (-)

Sickels had Bergesen ranked 17th in January. He just missed my cut in April. He had a really nice year at Bowie, going 15-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, and he walked next to no one in 148 innings, just 1.64 per nine. The catch? He only struck out 4.38 per nine. Not good, but results should speak, I think, and he made things happen this year.

15. Chorye Spoone, RHP (8)

The Prospect Lord giveth (mass improvements all around in 2007), and He taketh away (mass collapse and only nine starts in 2008). Spoone was back to posting the junk numbers he did in 2005-06 before going down for the year, which is a double negative. His 2007 might be a career year.

16. Xavier Avery, OF (-)

A two-sport superstar in Georgia high school athletics, Avery was a four-star running back with a verbal commitment to the University of Georgia. Instead, he opted to sign with the Orioles, who took him in the second round of this year's draft.

Still just 18, Avery is very, very raw, as you'd probably expect, but he's a ceiling guy, and his ceiling is pretty good. He ran a 6.4 60-yard dash and has been clocked at 3.95 seconds from home plate to first base. He has what is called "plus-plus" speed, and his natural power is good, too. Obviously it'll take a while for these things to come into play, so don't look for him moving up through the system too quickly.

There's a good chance Avery will flat-out stink and it'll turn out he should've stuck with football. But for the Orioles to give a guy money when the University of Georgia is ready to have him come play football, that says there's something special that somebody sees. That often means zilch at the end of the day, but I hope he made the right choice. His arm as described as "suited for left field," which means his arm sucks. Ever see a running back throw? Not pretty.

17. Hayden Penn, RHP (10)

Penn stays here only because there aren't that many players to put on the list at this point, and because he'd probably do no worse, realistically, than Liz or Olson did this season. Of course, the Orioles thought enough of those guys to give them the shots, and Penn didn't see one inning of action in Baltimore this year.

Anyone still hanging on to 2004-05 when Penn's name meant something, give it up. He's just another AAA pitcher with AAA upside (4.79/1.45 in 100 IP at Norfolk).

18. L.J. Hoes, 2B (-)

I like your name, young man! Hoes was signed to play ball at the University of North Carolina, and opted to sign with Baltimore instead. He's described in every article you can find on him as a hell of a nice guy, a hard worker, a team player, blah blah blah. He played his high school ball with highly-successful St. John's (Washington, D.C.), as an outfielder and starting pitcher. The Orioles see him as a second baseman. In brief time with the Gulf Coast Orioles this year, Hoes was was a walk mo-sheen, putting up a .416 OBP and going 10-for-10 in steal attempts. He hit .308 and slugged .390.

19. Jason Berken, RHP (-)

Again, it's just about results. 25-year old Berken went 12-4 (3.58/1.23) with Bowie this season. It's worth something, but he's not a real prospect.

20. Bob McCrory (20)

As always: has the stuff, needs to throw strikes. He was horrible in a brief stint with the Orioles this year. If he can learn some f-ing command, he could be a valuable f-ing addition to the f-ing bullpen. C'mon, Bob.

To the dearly departed...

First off was Tim Bascom (RHP, 11), a guy I liked a lot because of his story, but who really stunk up the joint in Frederick this season, with a 5.78 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 95 innings. Just after him was Pedro Beato (RHP, 16), a guy John Sickels had at #10 in January but that I simply didn't fully buy. Beato, 21, had a 5.85/1.57 line with 4.73 K/9 in 97 innings with the Keys, going 4-10. As Sickels put it in August, the two of them had a contest to see who could suck more. In the end, a pretty dead even race, and both are toast until something dramatic happens.

Scott Moore (IF, T-17) and Mike Costanzo (3B, T-17) both had awful years at Norfolk. Moore hit .247/.321/.408 with seven home runs, while Costanzo hit .261/.333/.395 with his usual massive amount of strikeouts, and just 11 home runs, a 16-homer drop from 2007 at AAA with the Phillies. Both are 24, and neither are really prospects, and really, neither ever really were. They were C-grade guys who look like they've probably hit the wall.

Matt Albers (RHP, 18) is off because he's hurt. I liked what we saw of him for the most part this year.

Randor Bierd (RHP, 19) just isn't anything special. His upside is less than that of McCrory, which was the tiebreaker. Both could be fine spare parts in the bullpen.

Note: Olson and Liz may not meet your guidelines for "prospect" at this point, given how much they pitched in Baltimore this year, but I think this should be a loose interpretation. Both guys were forced into their roles -- there was literally no one else available with Loewen out and Trachsel thankfully sent on down the river. There is hardly any guarantee that either man is with the Birds in 2009.

Other guys, notes, and statistical crapola...

If you're wondering where Oscar Salazar is, the answer is he's 30 years old.

Kam Mickolio is still a fun idea at 6-foot-9, but tall doesn't get me all aflutter the way it does some people. Years of Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen will do that to you. He struggled with Bowie and struggled in September with the O's. He's still very raw considering he's from Montana. (That's not a knock on Montana, it's just he never played much baseball.)

21-year old Delmarva second baseman and whiny, self-important singer/songwriter Ryan Adams hit .308/.367/.462 with 11 homers this season. Not a bad line. He also made 52 errors.

The rest of the O's 2008 draft class: OF Kyle Hudson (University of Illinois), SS Greg Miclat (University of Virginia), and LHP Rick Zagone (University of Missouri). Zagone tore the hell out of the New York-Penn league in 65 innings, going 7-1 with a .289 ERA and 10.88 strikeouts per nine against 1.93 walks per nine.

Ex-Ohio State Buckeye (puke) Matt Angle will have fans in every minor league city he plays, I bet. Born in Columbus (puke), Angle hit .287/.385/.379 for Delmarva. He was also 22 years old. He has zero power, and though he runs well (37-for-48 steal attempts), his Major League future probably rests in the role of National League guy that pinch-hits for the pitcher, tries to draw a walk, and then maybe makes something happen on the basepaths.

No, I will not rank Lou Montanez. He is 27 in December and remains a massive bust. He has had exactly one season of pro ball that has met or surpassed expectations. It was this one.

23-year old pitcher Mick Mattaliano threw 43 innings of relief for Delmarva, putting up a 1.24 ERA. He went to Norfolk for seven innings and got shelled. Whoops!

My personal favorite player in the world, Cole McCurry, stunk with Delmarva (6.51 ERA, 56 IP) but tore up Aberdeen (2.76 ERA, 81 IP).

Kennard hit just .257/.323/.350 in 140 AB.

SB Nation - Kam Mickolio

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2010

Friday's Frosty Mug

O's 5, White Sox 4: A Series Win, Finally.

Who was today's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Jason Berken (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)

Brian Roberts (3-4, 2B, BB, 2 R)

Felix Pie (HR, Sac Fly, 2 RBI)

Nolan Reimold (2-4, 2 R HR)

Rays 5, O's 4: *yawn*

Who was today's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Nick Markakis, because he never lets you down (3-4, BB, SB, great defense, and a 38 game on base streak)

Matt Wieters, because once he gets good it's going to be awesome (2 run HR, threw Carl Crawford out trying to steal 2nd)

Kam Mickolio, because pitchers who can pitch make you happy (2 IP, 0 H, IBB, 4 K)

White Sox 12, Orioles 8: Welcome to the 2nd half, y'all

Who was tonight's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Brian Roberts (2-3, 2 BB, bunt single, 2B, 3 R)

Nick Markakis (2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR)

Adam Jones (2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR)

Aubrey Huff (2-5, 1 RBI, busting ass for an infield hit)

Melvin Mora (3-4, 2B, BB, 1 R)

Nolan Reimold (2-4, 2B, BB)

Cesar Izturis (1-5, RBI 2B)

37 comments on 37 pitchers in camp for the Orioles

Prop Projections for the 2009 Baltimore Orioles

CC.com's Fairly Well-Informed Top 20 O's Prospects: Post-Season 2008 Edition

Rays 5, O's 4: yawn