It is about time the O's drafted a first rate position player. I hope he pans out but for now, it looks like a very good move and fills a long time need. Too bad we lost our second pick in the M. Gonzalez free agent signing (That move has hurt us twice) I hope that we stockpile position players because we certainly need them.

I was not impressed with Juan Samuel as a 3rd base coach but I do like his aggressiveness and non-sense attitude as a manager. Hopefully he can light a raging fire under the players. And hopefully the O's will have the courage and sense to get rid of players like Atkins, Montanez, Lugo, Albers, and any others that are not performing.

We can only hope that it doesn't end up being Machado about nothing.

I would rather have gotten the pitcher. You can always trade pitching. But if this kid bombs out, we're stuck.

Worse yet, the MLB network called him the next Alex Rodriguez. Well now, is that all? If such a prediction is not a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is.

Anyway, I hope he turns out to be great. We'll find out in only five years, I suppose.

If this kid is smart, he goes to college. If he is this talented he'll get drafted high and make more money three years from now. The orioles system destroys these young guys and god help them once they get to the bigs.

His scouting report reads a lot like Montanez' scouting report read when he was taken with the third pick of the 2000 draft. He even looks similar at the plate. That said, I still like the pick. The Orioles really needed to grab a position player here, and Machado is definitely the best bet. In drafts where there was no clear-cut first overall pick, Machado could easily have been the consensus first overall.

Still, he's far from being a can't miss prospect and all the scouting reports indicate he probably has a long way to go before really putting it all together. It'll be a significant accomplishment if we see him before 2013.

Prepare yourself for a summer of Boras hyperbole and a last-minute signing. This is a good pick; I'd rather have him than Taillon.

He'll sign, 99.5% sure. If he goes to college, it's possible that by the time he graduates MLB will have a hard slotting system. So don't sweat the negotiations, regardless of the fevered pronouncements you read from the local newspaper.

The apparent SS of the future in Machado is a solid pick, but how much does it hurt an organization to lose a second round #53rd pick overall to Atlanta Braves (for Type A free agent Mike Gonzalez (Baltimore). oh the pain, no hope till the third round at #85

so he's better than givens just like that?

Orioles' shortstop of the future? Very unlikely. Some bored person ought to look up every MLB starter, and see what proportion are playing for the club which drafted them, and at the same position. I'm thinking very few.

Poor kid -- I can only hope Boras gets him tons of $$$$ in that signing bonus, as I wouldn't wish coming to this boobie-hatch on anyone. Seriously, the (W)O's are one bearded-lady short of a freak show.

Well, he may be best shortstop prospect in the organization but he is at least three maybe four years from being a starting shortstop at the MLB level. Certainly, he's not going to make the MLB team in 2 years as Weiters and Matusz did. And there are a few players ahead of him(i.e. Andino, Florimon, Miclat, Rosa, Givens). What happens if they can't sign him? Do they get an extra pick next year?

don't get too excited. his agent is Boros. he might be the starting SS for Univ of Miami next season.

Blah, blah, blah.

With the Orioles luck, he will be the next Billy Rowell or Mark Smith.

You get the idea.

it would be nice if the orioles reporters informed their readers that this second round pick that atlanta received as compensation for losing gonzalez was NOT our pick that we lost. It is a SUPPPLEMENTAL pick. It was never an orioles pick that we lost.

Given that the Orioles will have the worst record in MLB this year, won't they get the 1st pick in next year's draft?

Who are the likely standouts that will go early in the draft next year and that the O's might pick?

Jim

We drafted the "next A-Rod" a few years ago in Ed Rogers. That worked out well. Unfortunately for this young man, he was drafted by a team with a black cloud over head and a banana peel under the foot.

Brandon- that's actually incorrect. When a Type A free agent (such as Gonzalez) is signed by another team, the team that loses him gets the other team's first pick AND a supplemental pick in the round between rounds 1 and 2. However, that first round pick is protected for the worst half of the league, so if the team that signs the FA is in the bottom half of the league, they sacrifice their 2nd round pick instead.

So long story short, in exchange for Gonzalez the Braves got a supplemental pick in the sandwich round AND the Orioles 2nd round pick, which is why the O's do not have another pick until the third round.

And to address some of the ridiculous statements on here: It's a virtual certainty that Machado will sign. He's currently committed to FIU, which might be the loosest commitment in the draft. As someone else pointed out, many insiders believe the next CBA (one year away...) will include draft reform which could very possibly introduce a hard slotting system. If that's the case, Machado has everything to lose by not signing this year. And on top of that, it's unlikely he'll ever go higher than 3rd anyway, so this is really his best chance. And the Orioles were not afraid to give Wieters a record setting bonus and deal with Boras, so what makes you all think it will be different now?

As far as someone who said there were others in front of him....that's a laugher. The O's don't have a single player at short on any of their minor league teams who projects to be a major league shortstop. The only possibility is Givens, but most people thought that was a stretch when they took him last year. Regardless, none of them are anywhere near the caliber prospect that Machado is.

As for Uncle Goose who asked how many big leaguers come up with the organization they were drafted by and play that position: Wieters, Roberts, Markakis, and Reimold all come to mind. Looking around in the division, Youkilis, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Jeter, Posada, Cano, Crawford, Longoria, Hill, and Lind are all on that list as well. Not exactly a rarity. If you're talking just high school shortstops, Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and ARod (let's not forget he gave the Mariners some awfully good years) all ended up playing that position for the team that drafted them, and they've worked out well.

So long and short: give them a break people. I know it's trendy to criticize the Birds these days, but there's not really anything to criticize here. They took the player universally regarded as the best player on the board (by literally every publication I read), he fills a huge need in the organization, and they will eschew financial concerns to get him signed. Save your frustration for another place; they made a great move here.

2 words for the birds.....Bryce Harper.

Thanks, Ben. An unbised, logical and accurate assessment on the O's first pick. Remember, folks, until they make "The Show" all of them are prospects, and nothing more.

Ben we all have to put up with the ones who want to crybaby..I wish they would just go root for boston,NY, or washington. This is an excellent pick for us, Gonzales still might be back and we be glad for him, Simon,Roberts, Pie, and Arrietta can all help this year yet.. Yet not even roberts will help us like making a deal for some protection like Fielder would give us and if we failed to resign him we would get literally two 1st rd picks at the least but I feel we would have a better chance to resign him if he had 1/2 a year here to get comfortable.. I like a fiery Dempsey, Bowa, or Valentine for manager but only someone like Davey Johnson might help attract some FA who want to play for him..

Best prospects in the 2011 draft are an elite 3B Anthony Rendon from Rice U. (some experts would take him over Bryce Harper if he was eligible) and several elite college pitchers. The 2011 draft is already being pegged as the best in 10 years.