Post by alexandrea314 on May 8, 2013 15:54:00 GMT -5
1) Dylan Bundy, RHP, Grade A: Is he the product of genetic experimentation? Bundy has everything you want in a pitching prospect...excellent stuff, good command, superior makeup, great performance. As long as he remains healthy, he should be a legitimate ace.
2) Kevin Gausman, RHP, Grade A-: LSU product has excellent fastball/changeup combination and strong makeup. Development of breaking ball is key but I'm optimistic about that. Like Bundy, he can be an ace.
3) Jonathan Schoop, INF, Grade B: He's been pushed, but I like him better than the raw numbers and I think he will develop into a very solid regular infielder with good pop. Pronounced "Scope" like the mouthwash.
4) Nick Delmonico, 1B, Grade B-: Orioles fans seem to think he'll be a star. I see him more as a solid regular with patience and at least moderate power, but expectations need to be kept reasonable.
5) Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Grade B-: Top lefty in the system, turns 20 in April, saw velocity boost last year and he already threw strikes. Mid-rotation upside.
6) Branden Kline, RHP, Grade B-: Live arm from University of Virginia, second round pick, erratic in college but has fastball/slider combination to succeed in pro ball. Somewhat raw for a college guy, but considerable upside. Could develop into mid-rotation starter if changeup develops, or a closer if he fits better in relief.
7) Mike Wright, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Inning-eater type with sinker and three decent secondary pitches, scuffled occasionally in Double-A but has moved pretty quickly for a 2011 draftee (third round, East Carolina). Could develop into reliable fourth starter if you put a good defense behind him.
8) L.J. Hoes, OF, Grade C+: Borderline B-. I like his on-base skills and may bump him to B-, but lack of home run power could make him a fourth outfielder rather than a regular.
9) Steve Johnson, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline B-. Seems like he's been around forever, but is still just 25. Don't expect him to duplicate the 2.11 ERA he posted in 38 innings for Baltimore, but he can be a useful and versatile pitcher who can help as a back-end starter or reliever.
10) Christian Walker, 1B, Grade C+: Borderline B-. University of South Carolina star has mature approach, good on-base skills, but will he hit enough home runs for first base at higher levels?
11) Adrian Marin, SS, Grade C+: Scouts really seem to like this guy, third round pick out of high school in Miami in 2012. Has athleticism to stick at shortstop, expected to hit for average despite unconventional hitting approach. Power is doubtful. You can make a good case to rank him above Walker due to positional scarcity.
12) Xavier Avery, OF, Grade C+: Borderline C. You will see him ranked more highly on other lists and he's very athletic, but will he ever hit enough to play regularly?
13) Glynn Davis, OF, Grade C+: Borderline C. The "+" is difficult to defend sabermetrically but I'll go with instinct on this one. Blazing speed, will take a walk, and for some reason I can't pin down I think his bat has more juice in it than he's shown so far.
14) Tyler Wilson, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline C. Baltimore's version of Michael Fiers? Tremendous pitchability with blah velocity, excellent command, terrific K/BB ratio so far in his career. There are many higher-upside arms in the system who would rank more highly on a list that looked at nothing but raw ability, but that's not my approach.
15) Mike Belfiore, LHP, Grade C: Borderline C+: LOOGY type acquired from Arizona, pitched well after the trade and placed on 40-man roster. Very tough on lefties with fastball/slider combo and could help in pen this year.
16) Henry Urrutia, OF, Grade C: Borderline C+. Cuban defector, signed this summer for $778,500, but is still stalled with visa problems and hasn't played yet. I really have no idea where to rank him, but people will ask about him, so here he is. Scouting reports say he's a line drive hitter with good strike zone judgment, age 25, switch-hitter, doesn't run well enough to play center. Main question is how much home run power he'll show. This grade and ranking could be too low, but there is just no way to know right now. The Orioles were planning to send him to Double-A after he signed, but he hasn't played regularly since 2010 and likely has rust to work off. A real wild card.
17) Devin Jones, RHP, Grade C: Borderline C+. Gets tons of grounders, could develop into nice inning-eater but slippage in K/IP ratio in High-A is a caution flag.
18) Michael Ohlman, C, Grade C: Borderline C+. Tough grade. A top prospect in high school, he did nothing for three years, got suspended for "drug of abuse" this past spring, then played extremely well for 50 games after returning, showing the offensive and defensive skills that had been missing since high school. Was this a fluke? Or did he figure something out?
19) Ty Kelly, INF-OF, Grade C: Not toolsy, but a very polished switch-hitter, batted .327/.425/.467 with 79 walks, 72 strikeouts in 471 at-bats at three levels last year. Age 24. Other guys have better tools but Kelly's on-base skills and ability to play multiple positions could be useful on a bench, and he's fairly close to the majors.
20) Brenden Webb, OF, Grade C: One of the best toolsets in the system, very athletic, lefty bat, hit 14 homers, stole 19 bases, drew 98 walks. . .and fanned 138 times in 385 at-bats between Low-A and High-A. Turns 23 in February, very much a high upside, low floor guy. Could thrive if he improves his contact issues.
OTHERS: Roderick Bernadina, OF; Ryan Berry, RHP; Tim Berry, LHP; Torsten Boss, 3B; Parker Bridwell, RHP; Robert Bundy, RHP; Zach Clark, RHP; Zack Davies, RHP; Josh Hader, LHP; Joe Mahoney, 1B; Rafael Moreno, RHP; Connor Narron, SS; Stuart Pomeranz, RHP; Lex Rutledge, LHP; Clay Schrader, RHP; Tyler Townsend, 1B; Sebastian Vader, RHP; Hector Veloz, 3B; Brady Wager, RHP; Brandon Waring, 3B-1B.
2) Kevin Gausman, RHP, Grade A-: LSU product has excellent fastball/changeup combination and strong makeup. Development of breaking ball is key but I'm optimistic about that. Like Bundy, he can be an ace.
3) Jonathan Schoop, INF, Grade B: He's been pushed, but I like him better than the raw numbers and I think he will develop into a very solid regular infielder with good pop. Pronounced "Scope" like the mouthwash.
4) Nick Delmonico, 1B, Grade B-: Orioles fans seem to think he'll be a star. I see him more as a solid regular with patience and at least moderate power, but expectations need to be kept reasonable.
5) Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Grade B-: Top lefty in the system, turns 20 in April, saw velocity boost last year and he already threw strikes. Mid-rotation upside.
6) Branden Kline, RHP, Grade B-: Live arm from University of Virginia, second round pick, erratic in college but has fastball/slider combination to succeed in pro ball. Somewhat raw for a college guy, but considerable upside. Could develop into mid-rotation starter if changeup develops, or a closer if he fits better in relief.
7) Mike Wright, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Inning-eater type with sinker and three decent secondary pitches, scuffled occasionally in Double-A but has moved pretty quickly for a 2011 draftee (third round, East Carolina). Could develop into reliable fourth starter if you put a good defense behind him.
8) L.J. Hoes, OF, Grade C+: Borderline B-. I like his on-base skills and may bump him to B-, but lack of home run power could make him a fourth outfielder rather than a regular.
9) Steve Johnson, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline B-. Seems like he's been around forever, but is still just 25. Don't expect him to duplicate the 2.11 ERA he posted in 38 innings for Baltimore, but he can be a useful and versatile pitcher who can help as a back-end starter or reliever.
10) Christian Walker, 1B, Grade C+: Borderline B-. University of South Carolina star has mature approach, good on-base skills, but will he hit enough home runs for first base at higher levels?
11) Adrian Marin, SS, Grade C+: Scouts really seem to like this guy, third round pick out of high school in Miami in 2012. Has athleticism to stick at shortstop, expected to hit for average despite unconventional hitting approach. Power is doubtful. You can make a good case to rank him above Walker due to positional scarcity.
12) Xavier Avery, OF, Grade C+: Borderline C. You will see him ranked more highly on other lists and he's very athletic, but will he ever hit enough to play regularly?
13) Glynn Davis, OF, Grade C+: Borderline C. The "+" is difficult to defend sabermetrically but I'll go with instinct on this one. Blazing speed, will take a walk, and for some reason I can't pin down I think his bat has more juice in it than he's shown so far.
14) Tyler Wilson, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline C. Baltimore's version of Michael Fiers? Tremendous pitchability with blah velocity, excellent command, terrific K/BB ratio so far in his career. There are many higher-upside arms in the system who would rank more highly on a list that looked at nothing but raw ability, but that's not my approach.
15) Mike Belfiore, LHP, Grade C: Borderline C+: LOOGY type acquired from Arizona, pitched well after the trade and placed on 40-man roster. Very tough on lefties with fastball/slider combo and could help in pen this year.
16) Henry Urrutia, OF, Grade C: Borderline C+. Cuban defector, signed this summer for $778,500, but is still stalled with visa problems and hasn't played yet. I really have no idea where to rank him, but people will ask about him, so here he is. Scouting reports say he's a line drive hitter with good strike zone judgment, age 25, switch-hitter, doesn't run well enough to play center. Main question is how much home run power he'll show. This grade and ranking could be too low, but there is just no way to know right now. The Orioles were planning to send him to Double-A after he signed, but he hasn't played regularly since 2010 and likely has rust to work off. A real wild card.
17) Devin Jones, RHP, Grade C: Borderline C+. Gets tons of grounders, could develop into nice inning-eater but slippage in K/IP ratio in High-A is a caution flag.
18) Michael Ohlman, C, Grade C: Borderline C+. Tough grade. A top prospect in high school, he did nothing for three years, got suspended for "drug of abuse" this past spring, then played extremely well for 50 games after returning, showing the offensive and defensive skills that had been missing since high school. Was this a fluke? Or did he figure something out?
19) Ty Kelly, INF-OF, Grade C: Not toolsy, but a very polished switch-hitter, batted .327/.425/.467 with 79 walks, 72 strikeouts in 471 at-bats at three levels last year. Age 24. Other guys have better tools but Kelly's on-base skills and ability to play multiple positions could be useful on a bench, and he's fairly close to the majors.
20) Brenden Webb, OF, Grade C: One of the best toolsets in the system, very athletic, lefty bat, hit 14 homers, stole 19 bases, drew 98 walks. . .and fanned 138 times in 385 at-bats between Low-A and High-A. Turns 23 in February, very much a high upside, low floor guy. Could thrive if he improves his contact issues.
OTHERS: Roderick Bernadina, OF; Ryan Berry, RHP; Tim Berry, LHP; Torsten Boss, 3B; Parker Bridwell, RHP; Robert Bundy, RHP; Zach Clark, RHP; Zack Davies, RHP; Josh Hader, LHP; Joe Mahoney, 1B; Rafael Moreno, RHP; Connor Narron, SS; Stuart Pomeranz, RHP; Lex Rutledge, LHP; Clay Schrader, RHP; Tyler Townsend, 1B; Sebastian Vader, RHP; Hector Veloz, 3B; Brady Wager, RHP; Brandon Waring, 3B-1B.