Dean,

What do you think the odds are Bell opens the season as the starting 3b? I keep hearing fans and "experts" say they're looking for a stopgap, but all the numbers and reports seem to suggest that he's ready to hit righties right now. With Wigginton on board as a legitimate platoon mate, I see no reason why this doesn't make sense.

The only negative arguments I see are potentially leaving him down to work on his D (though that can happen at the major league level too) or to let him work on his hitting against lefties. I've even seen some references to the possibility that he stops switch hitting and tries going lefty full-time. If that's the case, that's probably too big an adjustment to make while in the majors. If not though, I think he's ready to come in and hammer righties.

Your thoughts?

As far as my list...I don't have one. Bell is the clear #1 and the only potential major league starter. I agree Henson's #2 and the only other guy with a potential to be a contributor at the ML level (albeit as a utility man at best). Waring would be my #2.

Dean,

What about Scott Moore? Isn't he still an Oriole? Couldn't he be a viable option at 3rd base with the major league club next year if the Orioles don't bring Mora back? He has played in less than 50 major league ganes and has less than 100 at bats. He's had a hand injury the past two years.

YOU LIST THREE GUYS NAMED TYLER. IF THE O'S COULD FIND ONE MORE TYLER EACH COULD PLAY A DIFFERENET INFIELD POSITION GIVING THE O'S THE FIRST ALL TYLER INFIELD.

BY THE WAY BELL WAS VOTED BY THE MANAGERS AND COACHES IN THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE AS THAT LEAGUE'S BEST DEFENSIVE 3RD BASEMAN

Dean,
Good job...can't disagree with your picks. Other than the obvious excitement over Bell, I really like Carolus and Stampone as well. What do you think of all the 'Tylers' and 'Brandons' in the organization? And speaking of all those Brandons, will you be giving us updates from the Arizona Fall League? I believe they begin play next week. As always, thanks for the thorough and insightful work you do.

I've asked this question once before and you posted neither the question nor a response. What are your qualifications to rank and discuss these players? In my previous post I listed 5 concrete examples in your evaluations that made zero sense. I will not list them again only point out that Bell's biggest issue is not defense, it is his total inability to hit from one side of the plate. Henson at his age is barely a prospect yet you talk of intriguing power. The kid is a gap hitter who strikes out far too often at a level where prospects should dominate.

RESPONSE FROM DEAN: Lefty, thanks for reading the blog. I'm not sure if you missed it, but I've made it pretty clear in several of these posts -- last year and this year -- that I am ranking the players on their performance this season with considerations on their prospect status within the organization. I'm sorry that you feel your question/comment wasn't posted because I make it a point to publish and respond to all comments unless they use profanity. That has maybe only happened one time since the start of the blog (if at all), so I apologize for any miscommunication there. I agree with you that Bell needs to learn how to hit from the other side of the plate. That's why I open it up to the readers. I think the best way for you to point that out is simply by posting it as a comment. Perhaps you missed it, but I mentioned Henson's strikeout rate above. As many people have pointed out, gap hitters sometimes translate into power hitters as they grow older. I'm not saying that will happen with Henson, but he possesses some good qualities. Thanks again for reading the blog. Have a good weekend.

Certainly no arguement at or near the top. Bell is head and shoulders above the others, and Henson maybe still be the best pure athlete in the system. After that, there is room for discussion. A few have commented on the number of Tyler's on the list, but you left off Tyler Kolodny. I know he committed 24 errors in just 111 games, and only hit .226 for the season, but every now and then a player comes along who is such a gym rat (I know basketball term) that you have to take notice, and this kid is exactly that. Plays with more heart and desire than any player I've seen at any position in a long time. Probably a little short on talent, but if ANYONE would ever give the effort to overcome that....this is the kid.

RESPONSE FROM DEAN: Tim, I was actually going to comment on that in the post (the number of "Tylers") because I almost included Kolodny. His down year cost him a spot on this particular list, but he would have been at No. 6. Definitely agreed on his hard work.

1-Josh Bell
2-nobody
3-incomplete
4-garbage
5-n/a

I don't see Bell being on the roster at the start of the season, baring unforeseen events. Start him at AAA and bring him up in mid-season. Similar to what they did with Weiters, if he is playing well. It also depends on what Andy can find during the off-season.

Dean,
I thought Henson had his position changed to outfield because he couldn't handle the hot corner well enough. I have always liked him as a prospect and if he is still considered a 3B by the org that is great news.

RESPONSE FROM DEAN: Blaine, good hearing from you again. Henson split time between 3B and the outfield this year. I listed him as a 3B because he played the most games there of all the positions, but he is more of a utility player at this point.

Here is my concern about Josh Bell: I went to a late season Baysox game. The players were supposed to sign for fans on the concourse; Bell showed up way late and didn't stay late to accommodate the people who waited for him. He then went out and played, both on the field and at the plate, like he would rather be somewhere else. He wasn't paying attention on defense and his swings were half-hearted.

He may be a good player, but he's going to have to start acting, on and off the field, like he wants to be at the ballpark.

RESPONSE FROM DEAN: Gonzai, thanks for writing into the blog. I'm sorry that you had this bad experience with Josh. I'm thinking it may have just been a bad day for him because I've seen him go out of his way to sign autographs and give souvenirs to fans a couple different times at Prince George's Stadium. I agree with you that a positive attitude is needed in general with players, but I think he typically is pretty good at that.

Actually if Bell cannot play defense at third, what else can you do with him? DH and that is it. The Orioles are weak at third.

Moore was injured, but all is quite on him. Who knows.

Lost in the article is any mention of the fact that three of the guys are named Tyler! Ugh. Tyler.

Dean,

Yes, what about Scott Moore and also Mike Costanzo, are these two guys just considered minor league fodder right now? Also, what do they think of Billy Rowell? He has had a rough couple of years, but is still only 20, way to early to give up on him. He was drafted as a thirdbaseman, do they see him in the OF or could he rotate back to the infield, or do they see a future at all for him in the system? Seems a waste to just cast him aside.
And are Bell and Waring interchangeable? Both can play 1b/3b and both seem like legit power prospects, how are they rating one above the other? They would seem to be the best position prospects in the system.

Thanks as always.

No Dominican prospects?

Why am I not surprised?

This organization doesn't get it.

I like Tyler more than Tyler, but not as much as Tyler. Between Tyler and Brandon I think we have the corners covered.

Dean, thanks for your patience in putting together these lists and offering your honest assements. Oh, and for putting up with some of the responses you get questioning your assessments, credentials, or both. I don't read your posts religiously but check them out fairly often. Most of the times I don't comment because I am not seeing the games in person and have no basis for comment. But I do appreciate hearing about guys in the pipeline who MIGHT someday make it to Baltimore, even if they will never make it to Cooperstown without paying admission. You've done a good job all season at keeping your readers informed.

It amazes me how teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Phillies and Dodgers who seem to finish near the top of the standings every year seem to continue to have good young prospects even though the worst teams draft near the top. Guess thats why they are the worst teams, because they draft so bad in the first place.

Hey Dean......I thought it would be interesting to compare the baseball playoff teams against the Orioles by position to really get a sense of how far the Birds really need to go in order to be competitive.

The most glaring numbers to me are the pitchers. The O's might have some young talent, but we are not even in the same area code when compared to a team with quality starters.

We dont have an ACE.....nor do we have a #2 or 3. Our staff starts with #4.

But even more revealing then the starters are the relievers. When these guys come into the game look at their ERA...they are all under 3. We dont have a guy under 5 on the staff.
Then look at their strike out to walk ratio....its always better then 2 to 1.....and generally its 3 to 1.

We keep harping on the fact that we need players at the corners.........we could have Brooks in his prime and Babe Ruth at 1st base and we would still be under .500

WE HAVE NO PITCHING!!!!!!

And the bigger problem is.......who the hell would want to come to play ball in "charm city".....who wants to face the AL East being on a last place team.
If you were a free agent, and could pick your team, where would you go? I tell you one thing......Baltimore is not in your top 5. Why would it be?

Our best chance of getting good pitching is to grow it.......and if we do that then we need" State of the Art"pitching coaches through out the organization.

The other observation is........"VIVA LATINO"

Do we have any scouts in Latin America?
All these teams are well represented by top notch, quality Latin ball players.
Lets see we have.......uh.......Isturis......and Hernandez.....and........????

And then their is Asia.......

Anyhow............the quality of leadership in this organization is pitiful. Where is the vision? Where is the passion? Where has the pride of this organization gone?

The O's drew almost 2.0m fans this year. Lowest attendence in a long time, but still almost 2.0 m people showed up at the ball park. Could you imagine if we were a .500 team. There would be 2.5m fans. And if we were a playoff team we would draw 3.5m fans.

The point is we will support a team that shows yearly progress. But, lets face it...its been 12 year of bad decisions, stupid moves, bad luck, and no plan.

Look at the Angels and the Dodgers. They both had ownership changes that took them from also rans to winners.

Thanks Dean..........i feel much better and you are a lot cheaper then my shrink.

There isn't a whole lot of depth at this position either in the farm system. Bell certainly filled a major void. But, besides him, there is not much else to get excited about. Honestly, I think Widlansky should move to 3B since we are already deep at 1B with Snyder and Waring. Put Widlansky behind Bell on the depth chart and you might have something there as a back up plan. Based on the stats, only committing 5 errors all season, it could be worth a try. The O's have done plenty of experiments, so why not? I also would not rule out Flacco, as he has progressed from Bluefield to Aberdeen quicker then expected. I was high on Moore when he was acquired in the Tejada trade. But he was injured and never really got a shot. The one player who I really wanted to see play 3B was Salazar. I think he deserved an opportunity to play everyday. He performed when he was put in the lineup. He would have been the perfect stop gap until Bell would be ready to play everyday. It's not like we got much in return by trading him. I am somewhat disappointed since Cla Meredith has done nothing since he was brought in.

What? No Flacco?

Dean,

This is scary, but there's another Tyler to consider. Mr. Kolodney of the Shorebirds -- how do you see his progress? He had a good run in Aberdeen; any chance he can move up in the organization?

Billy Rowell was a prospect last year that has disappeared from view? .He should with his stats - .225 ba and 122ks in 423 abs with 15 errors and a new right field position. Uncoachable or no talent? Took his bonus and disappeared, or just a bust? How do the birds regard him or don't they.

Dean, another great job. Thanks for keeping us informed on the only thing that this organization and its fans have right now (other than the distant past), its future. In re: 3b, I, too, would like to hear your thoughts on Scott Moore. He seems to tear the over off the ball in each of the last two Springs, then goes out and tears himself up. I thought that he was acquired specifically to be Mora's heir...