397 replies to this topic

[TwentyThirtyFive]

It was cool hearing Blood rave about Ortiz. Sucks he's out for the year. Its undoubtedly been a step forward to this point for the player development. Even with the inevitable injuries.

[NickStevens]

Orioles getting high praise for their work in 2020 as they grow the system. A lot of the same remarks from Blood as before but now some numbers to back some of it up. 

 

https://www.thescore...ahead-of-others

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Orioles getting high praise for their work in 2020 as they grow the system. A lot of the same remarks from Blood as before but now some numbers to back some of it up.

https://www.thescore...ahead-of-others

slidemaster alert

[Nigel Tufnel]

Two Orioles on Keith Law's Top 50 MLB prospects list:

 

1. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore

I don’t think this is really debatable at this point; Rutschman is a plus defensive catcher who is hitting .268/.394/.472, with just one fewer walk than strikeout, in Double A, despite coming into the year with just 130 pro at-bats. There’s no real reason to keep him at that level at this point, and if the Orioles were trying to win this year, they’d probably have him in the majors already. I’d advocate for a September call-up just for developmental reasons, since we’ve seen plenty of good hitting prospects struggle at first with big-league pitching. With this power/patience package, even if he doesn’t always hit for average, he still has an everyday floor, with a chance for some down-ballot MVP years thanks to that 30 homer upside.

 

29. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

With lefty D.L. Hall on the shelf with a sore elbow, Rodriguez is the Orioles’ unquestioned top pitching prospect, and he has torn through High A and Double A so far this year, posting a 1.86 ERA with 97 strikeouts and just 13 walks allowed in 63 innings. The Orioles still haven’t unleashed the full Grayson, as he’s averaging less than five innings a start at age 21 – he’s actually gone more than five innings once all year, and he hasn’t thrown more than 83 pitches in any start. I’d like to see how his stuff looks and plays when he’s turning a lineup over three times, rather than two. Right now, it’s a plus fastball that sits 96-99 and an above-average changeup with a developing breaking ball, and I can’t imagine that’ll be that much worse when they finally take his training wheels off.

 

Top 50 MLB prospects: Keith Law's updated 2021 midseason list – The Athletic

[BSLChrisStoner]

MASN: BA Updated Top 30 Prospect list

https://www.masnspor...o-and-more.html

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Diaz down to 19. Does that qualify as barely a prospect. 😉

[BSLChrisStoner]

Diaz down to 19. Does that qualify as barely a prospect. 😉

In their eyes its definitely barely.

[BobPhelan]

Baseball America updated organizational rankings have the O’s at #2 behind the Mariners

FanGraphs has us at #1

MLB Pipeline comes out with theirs this week

[BSLChrisStoner]

MASN: Still No. 1: Rutschman leads five players on BA list

https://www.masnspor...on-ba-list.html

[NickStevens]

Companion pieces to Baseball America's Top 100:

 

Mayo a favorite to enter the Top 100 soon- https://www.baseball...-100-potential/

 

 

Cowser a favorite to shoot up the Top 100-https://www.baseball...spects-in-2022/

[Nigel Tufnel]

Law has Adley as his #1 prospect.

 

Top 100 MLB prospects 2022: Keith Law’s rankings, with Orioles’ Adley Rutschman at No. 1 – The Athletic

 

1. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 24 (as of 7/1/2022) | 6-foot-2 | 220 pounds
Bats: Both | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 1 in 2019

Previous ranking: No. 7

Rutschman answered every possible question he could have answered in a superlative 2021 season, one that, in a world that wasn’t addled by service time considerations, would have ended with him in the major leagues. He hit .271/.392/.508 in Double A, more than earned a promotion to Triple A, and hit better there (.312/.405/.490), walking nearly as often as he struck out on the season. That performance would probably make him a top-20 prospect even as a right fielder, but that he did so as a strong defensive catcher in every aspect of the game is what makes him the No. 1 overall prospect.

 

Rutschman is an outstanding receiver and game-caller, with a plus arm and a long history of showing advanced feel for the less concrete aspects of the catcher’s job. His grandfather, Ad Rutschman, was a longtime coach at NAIA Linfield College and the only person to win national championships as a coach in both baseball and football; his father, Randy, also has extensive coaching experience, particularly working with catchers.

 

Adley shows exceptional selectivity at the plate, rarely chasing, with a strikeout rate that put him in the top 15 percent of all Double-A and Triple-A hitters last year. His right-handed swing could get long in college, but in a small sample last year, he had better results hitting right-handed than left-handed. The only thing I see that could hold him back is the wear and tear of the position. A switch-hitting catcher with power, plate discipline and excellent defense across the board? Orioles fans should march on Camden Yards if he’s not the Opening Day starter.

[Nigel Tufnel]

14. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 22 | 6-5 | 220 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 11 in 2018

Previous ranking: No. 55

Rodriguez’s 2021 stat line is just comical: He struck out 161 batters in 103 innings across High A and Double A, good for a 40.4 percent strikeout rate, which was the highest of any pitcher in the full-season minors last year. He walked just 27 batters, was hard to hit, and only gave up 10 homers. He couldn’t have dominated any more given the way that Baltimore used him. Rodriguez gets it done with a big fastball (96-99 mph), and you can see from hitters’ reactions that the ball gets to them faster than they expect, resulting in some ugly swings even on fastballs out of the zone. He works with four pitches, with the slider the most promising; his curveball lacks the power it should have, and at least at these levels, his changeup has come out more like a BP fastball, especially since it has more spin than those pitches typically have and doesn’t get the same kind of action. He’s built like a workhorse starter, and his long stride makes great use of his 6-5 frame, although his arm can be a touch late, catching up because he generates such great arm speed. As I’ve written before, the Orioles have heavily restricted Rodriguez’s usage, so that he’s never thrown more than 100 pitches in a pro game, and in 2021 he never threw more than 89. Will the stuff be different when he’s planning to throw 95-105 pitches every time out, and might face hitters three times? We’re still just speculating. That’s not his fault, though, and his performance last year was unimpeachable.

[Nigel Tufnel]

52. Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 22 | 6-3 |195  pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 5 in 2021

Previous ranking: Ineligible

The fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cowser became the highest drafted player in Sam Houston State history, and their first player taken in the first round since Glenn Wilson in 1980. Cowser had one of the best hit tools in the college class last year, maybe the best one, and then hit .347/.476/.429 for Low-A Delmarva in 25 games after he signed, with more walks than strikeouts. He has great bat speed and excellent hand-eye coordination, all of which should lead to high contact rates even as he moves up the ladder, but to get to power, he’ll have to make some mechanical adjustments, like creating some separation between his hip rotation and his hand movement, and keeping his weight back for longer. He has room on his frame to add some more strength, and he could end up a 20-25 homer guy with some tweaks. His floor as a corner outfielder who hits for a high average with some doubles power would still make him an everyday guy.

[Nigel Tufnel]

73. Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 21 | 6-2 | 210 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 42 in 2019

Previous ranking: Unranked

Henderson was the Orioles’ second-round pick in 2019, getting an over-slot bonus in the second round, but played just 29 games that summer and lost the 2020 season to the pandemic, so last year was his full-season debut. He crushed Low A for a month and a half before a promotion to High-A Aberdeen, where he showed power and patience but had more issues with contact, especially on offspeed stuff close to the strike zone. His swing can be grooved and uphill, which gives him more power but worse ability to adjust to different pitch speeds and locations. Henderson played about two-thirds of his games at shortstop in 2021 and the rest over at third base, since he spent a good part of the season playing with Jordan Westburg, who played the same two positions. At shortstop, Henderson looked perfectly capable, but at third base he was easily plus, maybe a 70 defender. He may not hit for much average with his current swing, but with 25-plus homers, some on-base skills, and elite defense at third base.

[Nigel Tufnel]

81. D.L. Hall, LHP, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 23 | 6-2 | 195  pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 21 in 2017

Previous ranking: 49

Hall was off to the best start of his career in 2021 when his elbow barked with a stress reaction — not a ligament tear, which means he didn’t need Tommy John surgery but still missed the remainder of the season after throwing just 31 2/3 innings. His stuff was as good as ever, with all three pitches at least flashing plus, his fastball still up to 96-97, his curveball still hard and sharp, helping him punch out 46 percent of the left-handed batters he faced. He’s very athletic, with the ability to repeat his delivery and field his position well; on nights when he keeps himself under control, he can be unhittable. It’s top of the rotation stuff if he stays healthy, and he’s expected to be ready to go for spring training, when we’ll see if he can pick up where he left off last June.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

14. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 22 | 6-5 | 220 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 11 in 2018

Previous ranking: No. 55

Rodriguez’s 2021 stat line is just comical: He struck out 161 batters in 103 innings across High A and Double A, good for a 40.4 percent strikeout rate, which was the highest of any pitcher in the full-season minors last year. He walked just 27 batters, was hard to hit, and only gave up 10 homers. He couldn’t have dominated any more given the way that Baltimore used him. Rodriguez gets it done with a big fastball (96-99 mph), and you can see from hitters’ reactions that the ball gets to them faster than they expect, resulting in some ugly swings even on fastballs out of the zone. He works with four pitches, with the slider the most promising; his curveball lacks the power it should have, and at least at these levels, his changeup has come out more like a BP fastball, especially since it has more spin than those pitches typically have and doesn’t get the same kind of action. He’s built like a workhorse starter, and his long stride makes great use of his 6-5 frame, although his arm can be a touch late, catching up because he generates such great arm speed. As I’ve written before, the Orioles have heavily restricted Rodriguez’s usage, so that he’s never thrown more than 100 pitches in a pro game, and in 2021 he never threw more than 89. Will the stuff be different when he’s planning to throw 95-105 pitches every time out, and might face hitters three times? We’re still just speculating. That’s not his fault, though, and his performance last year was unimpeachable.

Some of the OTV guys or others who have seen him more can correct me if IM wrong but I see the changeup as being quite good and probably his best secondary pitch.

[BobPhelan]

Some of the OTV guys or others who have seen him more can correct me if IM wrong but I see the changeup as being quite good and probably his best secondary pitch.

 

Yeah its a plus pitch... I actually don't have much to complain about with Law's list (Oriole wise) but that immediately stood out as wrong.

 

On the other hand he is the most positive I've ever seen about Gunnar Henderson's defense. 70 grade, potentially elite at third base? I think he could be pretty good over there but I didn't get that.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Yeah its a plus pitch... I actually don't have much to complain about with Law's list (Oriole wise) but that immediately stood out as wrong.

 

On the other hand he is the most positive I've ever seen about Gunnar Henderson's defense. 70 grade, potentially elite at third base? I think he could be pretty good over there but I didn't get that.

Yeah, almost mentioned the Henderson take too but wasnt going to be a wet blanket.

[BSLRoseKatz]

Cowser's floor sounds like Nick Markakis, feel like it'd be hard to complain too much if they get another Nick Markakis to reliably in the lineup for years

[Mike B]

Cowser's floor sounds like Nick Markakis, feel like it'd be hard to complain too much if they get another Nick Markakis to reliably in the lineup for years

I will take Cowser being another Nick and be thrilled.
Nick= a very good defender, a professional hitter, who always played the game the right way. That works.