SB Nation User Blog: dkdc

Nolan Reimold: Three HRs Tonight

dkdc — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:22:32 -0000

It's an off night for the O's (thank the lord), but the Baysox were busy playing game 2 of the Eastern League playoffs.

Nolam Reimold almost hit for the HR cycle with a solo HR, two-run HR, and a grand slam. He also has an RBI single. That's 8 RBI, if your keeping count.

He also hit a HR in the first game of the playoffs last night.

Think he's playing his way into a callup after the playoffs are over? He now has 29 HRs on the season.

Also of note: Bergesen went 8 innings, allowing 2 ER, 6K, on 4 H and 1BB.

Box Score

Top 20 AL East Prospects

dkdc — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:15:15 -0000

OK, this was much harder than I thought it would be, and I'm certainly open to criticism. I tried to balance stats, scouting reports, and closeness to majors.

I see very little separation in the middle portion of the list, so don't complain if a guy if a few slots too high or low. I probably should've just grouped them into tiers and left them unranked, but rankings are way more fun.

I also found it difficult to compare hitters and pitchers, but I like the simplicity of one list.

The other extremely difficult aspect was ranking the 2008 draftees. Only Beckham, Matusz, and Cooper made the cut, but perhaps more should have.

1. Matt Wieters, C, BAL
2. David Price, LHP, TBR
3. Travis Snider, OF, TOR
4. Tim Beckham, SS, TBR
5. Chris Tillman, RHP, BAL
6. Lars Anderson, 1B, BOS
7. Brian Matusz, LHP, BAL
8. Wade Davis, RHP, TBR
9. Austin Jackson, OF, NYY
10. Brett Cecil, LHP, TOR
11. Michael Bowden, RHP, BOS
12. Reid Brignac, SS, TBR
13. Jesus Montero, C?, NYY
14. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, TBR
15. Jake Arrieta, RHP, BAL
16. Josh Reddick, OF, BOS
17. David Hernandez, RHP, BAL
18. Jacob McGee, LHP, TBR
19. David Cooper, 1B, TOR
20. Zach McAllister, RHP, NYY

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetically)

JP Arencibia, C, TOR
Daniel Bard, RHP, BOS
Nick Barnese, RHP, TBR
Dellin Betances, RHP, NYY
Brandon Erbe, RHP, BAL
Desmond Jennings, CF, TBR
Ryan Kalish, OF, BOS
Mark Melancon, RHP, NYY
Jeff Niemann, RHP, TBR
Nolan Reimold, OF, BAL
Brandon Snyder, 1B, BAL
Chorye Spoone, RHP, BAL
Mitch Talbot, RHP, TBR

The following players were not considered because they have 'graduated': Lowrie, Buchholz, Ellsbury, Masterson, Joba, Kennedy, Gardner, Purcey, Longoria, Olson, and Liz.

Full disclosure: as an Orioles fan, I know their system better than the others, so I may be overlooking some diamonds in the rough on other teams. I tried my best to be fair.

Matt Wieters in 2009

dkdc — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:43:07 -0000

Since the Major League team is virtually unwatchable at this point, let's take a look at everyone's favorite prospect, Matt Wieters.

I'm sure most O's fans have at least a passing familiarity with what he's done in the minors this year, but I like to look at his numbers, so here they are:

A+/AA (Age 22): .350/.452/.597 (1.049 OPS) 26 HR, 88 RBI, 81/72 BB/K

Those are just insane numbers. To put those in perspective, below are some top ranked hitting prospects by Baseball America over the last few years along with their stats in the prior season.

Jay Bruce (#1 in 2008)

A+/AA/AAA (Age 20): .319/.375/.587 (.962 OPS) 26 HR, 89 RBI, 47/135 BB/K

Evan Longoria (#2 in 2008)

AA/AAA (Age 21): .299/.402/.520 (.922 OPS) 26 HR, 95 RBI, 73/110 BB/K

Alex Gordon (#2 in 2007)

AA (Age 22): .325/.427/.588 (1.015 OPS) 29 HR, 101 RBI, 72/113 BB/K

Brandon Wood (#3 in 2006)

A+ (Age 20): .321/.383/.672 (1.055 OPS) 43 HR, 116 RBI, 48/134 BB/K

Joe Mauer (#1 in 2004/2005)

A+/AA (Age 20): .338/.396/.434 (.830 OPS) 5 HR, 85 RBI, 49/49 BB/K

Wieters hit for a higher average than any of these guys, and he showed as much power as all of them but Wood. His plate discipline is where he really shines, though.

He walked more than any of these other elite hitters, and was the only hitter to have more walks than strikeouts. He had fewer strikeouts than everyone but Mauer, and that's an important indicator of how easily a minor league hitter will transition to the majors, which is why Mauer had an easier time than some of the others.

Wieters also provides as much or more defensive value as any of these other guys. The only knock against Wieters is that he was a little old for his leagues compared to some of these other guys, but there's a pretty strong case for calling Wieters the best hitting prospect in the last 5 years.

Wieters is flying a bit under the radar on the national level right now, but I think that will change in the offseason. He's likely to receive multiple player-of-the-year awards and he's likely to be ranked as the #1 prospect by Baseball America.

So, how should the Orioles handle him next year? He's not getting called up this September, and I recently read a quote from Trembley that indicated he won't be guaranteed the starting spot out of spring training. The writing on the wall is that the Orioles plan to play the service time game with Wieters just like the Rays did with Longoria.

If Wieters breaks camp with the Orioles next spring and never sees the minor leagues again, he'll be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. However, due to a quirk of the system, if he stays in the minor leagues for just two weeks next year, he won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season.

It's probably the smart move from an organizational perspective, but it is a little on the sneaky side, and the Orioles will have to come up with a reason for Wieters to spend a little time in AAA. I'm guessing something along the lines of "he needs to work on his footwork" or "he needs a little more experience calling games" or some other nonsense.

The real downside is that the Orioles will need a catcher other than Wieters on opening day 2009. That may mean they will decide to hold on to Ramon Hernandez, or they may just try to pretend that Quiroz is a starting catcher. It should be an interesting storyline to watch.

One last piece of Wieters news: The Orioles are sending him to the Arizona Fall League along with Brandon Snyder and Nolan Reimold. No word on Brian Matusz, but the Orioles haven't announced which pitchers they are sending.

USA TODAY's Minor League Player of the Year

dkdc — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:12:02 -0000

USA Today is accepting fan votes for their minor league player of the year. The fan vote will be counted as one ballot along with USA Today writers.

I recommend voting at the USA Today site, but who do Minor League Ball readers think deserves the award?

Prior winners:

1988: Right-hander Mike Harkey
1989: Infielder Todd Zeile
1990: First baseman Tino Martinez
1991: Right-hander Mark Wohlers
1992: First baseman Carlos Delgado
1993: Outfielder Cliff Floyd
1994: Outfielder Billy Ashley
1995: Outfielder Andruw Jones
1996: Outfielder Andruw Jones
1997: Outfielder Ben Grieve
1998: Outfielder Gabe Kapler
1999: Left-hander Rick Ankiel
2000: Outfielder Josh Hamilton
2001: Right-hander Josh Beckett
2002: Shortstop Jose Reyes
2003: First baseman Prince Fielder
2004: Left-hander Jeff Francis
2005: Left-hander Francisco Liriano
2006: Right-hander Matt Garza
2007: Outfielder Justin Upton

Poll

Who deserves the award for Minor League Player of the Year?

Jake Arrieta in Beijing

dkdc — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:08:42 -0000

Jake Arrieta got the win in his first appearance in the Olympics against a pretty bad Chinese team. He allowed 2 hits over 6 shutout innings. He struck out 7 and allowed 2 BBs.

Of note, Arrieta also hit 2 batters as the game turned into an ugly beanball fest. Several US players were hit, and Indians prospect Matt LaPorta leveled the Chinese catcher in a play at the plate. LaPorta was hit in the head with a pitch on his next at bat, and he had to leave the game.

China's only run came on a solo homer late in the game, and the Chinese hitter ran all the way around the bases with one fist in the air, and he stomped on home plate as he crossed.

There are more pics of Arrieta violating the Orioles facial hair policy here:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/baseball/news/newsid=231804.html#bean+ball+u+s+five+times+wins

This may be his only chance to pitch in the Olympics, although he is lined up to pitch in the gold medal game on Saturday if the USA team makes it that far.

Matusz Signs!

dkdc — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:52:42 -0000

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-osdraft815,0,5410825.story

The Orioles and first-round pick Brian Matusz have agreed to terms on a major league deal that would immediately insert him onto the club's 40-man roster and toward the top of the organization's list of pitching prospects, The Sun has learned.

Matusz, a left-hander out of the University of San Diego and the fourth overall pick in June's amateur draft, will receive a $3.2 million bonus.

The Orioles believed all along that they would sign Matusz, who took a physical in Baltimore earlier this week, but the talks dragged on.

Chris Tillman

dkdc — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:31:42 -0000

He's #1 on the Baseball America Hot Sheet this week.

The Scoop: If the Orioles end their 10-year spiral of consecutive losing seasons (not counting this year), the Erik Bedard trade haul will go a long way toward reviving the franchise. Adam Jones and George Sherrill have helped this year's O's be better than expected, and relief righty Kam Mickolio (already in Triple-A) has shown considerable promise. But Tillman may prove to be the biggest piece.

He struck out seven in six shutout innings against Trenton in his latest start, has 28 K's (and just three walks) in 18 August innings, and is climbing the leaderboards for the entire minors despite his age and inexperience. His 9.94 strikeouts per nine innings ranks eighth among full-season pitchers; his 3.49 ERA ranks third in the Eastern League, and his 131 K's ranks third. His improved walk numbers might be the most important piece, as with 57 he's tied for third in the EL but showing clear progress.

"He's really improved, especially his curveball," said one Eastern League manager. "He's 93-94 mph with his fastball and he'll pitch at 92, and he's deceptive. Guys started looking curve against him, and he was smart and really attacked with the fastball."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2008/266701.html

Wieters was ranked #4 on this week's list, and David Hernandez was given an honorable mention because he apparently leads the entire minor leagues in strikeouts.

Note that this isn't a true prospect ranking, it's just a ranking of performances over the last week.

However, Tillman does have a good shot at being ranked in the top 10 on next year's prospect list. He was #11 on the midseason list, and a few guys ahead of him will lose their prospect eligibility. Some 2008 draftees might be slotted ahead of him, including Brian Matusz, who would become the #2 Orioles prospect when he signs according to a Baseball America writer last week.

Could the O's really have three guys ranked in the top 10 on next year's list? Maybe I'm placing too much emphasis on the rankings, but the Orioles have had only three players rank in the top 10 in the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, those three guys (Ben McDonald, Jeffrey Hammonds, and Arthur Rhodes) don't inspire much confidence.

Farewell, Steve Trachsel

dkdc — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:14:30 -0000

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-osnotes610,0,7437857.story

The Orioles announced today that they have designated right-handed pitcher Steve Trachsel for assignment and selected the contract of first baseman Oscar Salazar from Triple-A Norfolk.

It wasn't pretty, but Trax did what I expected of him this season: eat up innings until Olson and Liz were ready.

This is probably the end of the line for Steve. He put together a pretty good career, although he won't survive the first cut for the Hall of Fame.

Jamie Walker

dkdc — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:37:47 -0000

I'm surprised at the lack of support Walker is getting around here. Yes, he's been miserable for the last month, but that's a pretty short amount of time compared to his long career as a very good major league reliever.

Jamie Walker is going through a bad stretch, and he goes through a bad stretch every year, just like every other pitcher.

I think he'll be fine. I cherrypicked a small sample from every year of Jamie's career that Baseball-Reference has data for:

Start	End	IP	H	BB	SO	HR	ERA
4/11/2008	5/13/2008	7.1	14	2	4	3	7.36
9/4/2007	9/24/2007	8.1	6	3	5	3	6.48
9/10/2006	9/29/2006	8.0	13	1	7	4	7.88
8/6/2005	9/9/2005	9.1	13	2	7	3	7.71
6/29/2004	7/28/2004	9.0	14	2	7	2	8.00
5/19/2003	6/6/2003	7.1	11	1	3	1	8.59
6/15/2002	8/3/2002	7.2	10	2	4	4	9.39

If a pitcher is "done" after 7 poor innings, then Jamie Walker has been "done" many times in his career.

Earl Weaver on the Orioles

dkdc — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:33:11 -0000

Everyone's favorite interview with Earl Weaver, taken out of context.

Camden Chat: Luis Hernandez was picked off to end the 10th inning of today's game, and that's just the latest in a long string of baserunning gaffes for the Orioles. How do you feel about Trembley's aggressive strategy on the basepaths?

Earl Weaver: For Christ's sake. You get fucking god dammed little fleas on the fucking bases, getting picked off trying to steal, getting thrown out, taking runs away from you.

You get them big cock suckers that can hit the fucking ball out of the ball park, and you can't make any god damned mistakes.
Camden Chat: The Orioles have struggled to score runs lately, and have lost 5 in a row despite some very good starting pitching performances. How much of this blame should fall on hitting coach Terry Crowley?
Earl Weaver: Well, Terry, Terry Crowley's lucky he's in fucking baseball for Christ sake. So if this cocksucker would mind his own business and let me manage the fucking team we'd be a lot better off.

I couldn't have said it better myself.