I know I've seen both & to me, it's not even close. I've been hearing all along the Pirates like Machado...guess not.
By a mile, Tallion is the far superior pick. Looks like the O's lose again.

Jeff - please tell me there is a Strasburg-type prospect on the horizon for the number one pick in NEXT YEAR'S draft. Seeing how we should be picking first, it would be nice to get a "sure thing" kid. And hope that Angelos doesn't screw it up by not signing him or the O's curse continues and he gets stricken with polio.

I hope things work out this way. Taillon is a risk. I don't think we should take another high school pitcher in the first round of consecutive drafts. Machado is a high school player also but at least he is a position player. Wasn't there another high school shortstop out of Florida that was pretty good about 16 years ago? Can’t remember his name.

Nothing against a high school player, but given the current state of affairs with the team wouldn't it be more prudent to pick a college player who will have a shorter development time and possible be able to contribute?

Jeff - please tell me there is a Strasburg-type prospect on the horizon for the number one pick in NEXT YEAR'S draft. Seeing how we should be picking first, it would be nice to get a "sure thing" kid. And hope that Angelos doesn't screw it up by not signing him or the O's curse continues and he gets stricken with polio.

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mattksenate:

I tend to keep up with Keith Law on espn.com and from what I have read from him, there is a 3rd baseman out of Rice named Anthony Rendon who Law says could have potentially given the Nats a tough choice at number 1 if he were eligible this year. If Rice is in the College World Series I will be checking him out for just that reason. He's supposed to be a slick fielder with a great bat who could move pretty quickly through the minors. If Machado is all that he's cracked up to be and the O's do in fact get the #1 pick next year, it could be interesting down the line with the left side of the infield.

I have also read about Sonny Gray and Gerrit Cole, 2 college pitchers who Law says would go before any pitcher in this draft (if they were eligible this year that is). Seems like the O's might have a tough choice ahead of the next year.

After reading his stuff today he says that next year's draft is "potentially epic" in terms of the level of talent, whereas he says that this year's draft is the worst he's seen since he started scouting in 2002. At this point in time, I have nothing else to get excited about except the potential debut of Arrietta, so I might as well look towards next year's draft. Hope that gives you some idea about next year...

Isn;t the top prospect next year a college shortstop? If so, why not pass on this high school kid?

@mattksenate- I'm not Jeff, but the good news is that there IS a phenom prospect in next year's draft. Nobody is Strasburg (probably one of the two best draft prospects ever, along with ARod), but I've read in several places that many are split as to whether Harper would go #1 this year if Rice 3B Anthony Rendon were available. He's the presumed #1 pick heading into next year.

Also, in general, next year's draft is supposed to be one of the best in recent memory (though it's hard to imagine it topping the 2005 crop). I know Gerrit Cole, a SP at UCLA is one of the top guys as well. A lot can happen between now and then, so whether Rendon stays healthy or not the O's should have a chance to bring another stud into the system.

There is a huge stud next year. College 3b Rendon. On ESPN and Baseball America, a few of them said that they prefer him to Harper.

There is a clear no.1 next year--third baseman out of Rice, Anthony Rendon. Let's hope we don't screw that one up. Infield in five years could be Bell at first, Givens at second, Machado at short and Rendon at third.

Good, we need to take the long term outlook for the O's (as we have been for past 13+ years) and shortstop is a whole in the minor leagues. Hopefully Wieters figures it out then we have C, 2 OF, a corner (I'm thinking either bell or snyder turns out okay) and I would say 3 SPs (Matusz, Arrieta, Tillman, Berg, Patton, Hobgood etc.) will work out. That gives a good core nucleus, now we need to figure out how to fill out the rest of the roster. I'm happy we got Machado, now lets try to package some of those guys that wont work out and get a few young studs.

Why concentrate on prospects from high schools, we need prospects from colleges. There is too much risk involved in high school talent because they may be undecided about the direction that they want to take in life. College talent comes with higher intellect and are more mature. Some of their life's decisions have already been mapped out and decided.

Forget Taillon or Machado because the O's will go in a 'different direction'. In other words: the cheapest sign for the money.

Next year's clear cut #1 is Rendon, the third baseman from Rice.

Watch Angelos cheap out and even screw that one up.

I simply find it hard to believe that there is not ONE college player as good as Machado with equal ability to reach the majors.

Do we really want to wait three plus years to "find out" if Machado is more than a prospect. Get the best available college kid regardless of what position he plays.

At this earily point, the top pick in next years deaft is expected to be Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon. Do we need a third baseman?

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The Orioles need position player talent across the board.

Thank you, Pirates. I would always rather have a top high-school SS than a top high-school RHP. The failure rate for the latter is just too high.

based on the disfunctional organization that is the O's i bet
they screw this up...

The reason we're talking about high schoolers is because the 2007 draft was really high school-heavy so it took away all the soon-to-be college talent that would be graduating right about now. There were 17 high schoolers taken in the first round, compared to just 9 high schoolers in 2008.

Also, teams never draft for need in baseball, especially with high school players, because these guys probably aren't gonna see the majors for 3 or 4 years. Let's say we picked a 1B based on need right now, instead of a clearly superior player in, say, right field. In the next 3 years, Brandon Snyder could break out and Nick Markakis could tear both of his ACLs. It's better to take the best player available, try your best to develop him, and then if you still have a logjam, you have a great trade chip or you can switch someone's position. See: the Twins drafting catcher Wilson Ramos even though they already had Joe Mauer.

Excellent pick Orioles now to get some more. Their next 2 picks in the 3rd & 4th round should be in the top 100 then start drafting tough signs and offering top dollars like last year. It would speed up the system a couple years if we commit some real money to sign a couple of international players.. If we trade some veterans I hope we look for some of the guys milwaukee might want for fielder.. This lineup would hit better immediately if we had Prince hitting behind Tejada, Markakis. Please Andy Macphail consider this idea..