Jeff all this posting did was further clarify just how thin the orioles are in postions prospects. It is a travesty that a organization can be this futile.I am hoping once gain that zach continues showing just how good he can be, but the rest so far doesn't give anybody much hope.Were have i heard this before.

So our top hitting prospects are hitting a combined .230? They'll fit in perfectly with the big league club then. Just inconceivable that an organization can be this inept for such a long period of time.

No depth in the scouting department, that's for sure. Still no one from Latin America, despite the glaring need to scout there.

Orioles Bumper Sticker: Same S*** Different Year

Blancione…..The system is thin because of the call ups over the last few years (Arrieta, Matusz, Wieters, Britton, Berken, Hernandez, Tillman, Bergesen...). Some of the top 10 player’s numbers are terrible but others are very good. Machado is putting up solid numbers for an 18 years old kid. Manny is outperforming the number one pick in the draft. I really like his 10 walks to only 9 K’s. Klein has a 1.64 ERA in his first month as a pro. I would say Pellzer’s 0.64 ERA at AA is great. You may want to take another look at Schoop’s numbers also.

except for pelzer and adams, the other guys are less than 3 yrs in, some 1 yr in

some guys having good starts, like schutz at delmara, townsend , mummey are starting to make their way thru the system.

the most distressing thing to me is the stuff happening at AAA. What a mess to begin their season. Hopefully that gets cleared up, that's a tough situation to explain, and I can't believe that Norfolk is all too happy with the Os right now.
The Os need Bell and Adams and Snyder to start putting things together.

Thanks for the update Jeff, I'm hoping to catch the Baysox a few times when they get up to CT to play the Twins affiliate later this summer.

You left off the great and wonderful Matt Nogood. Our stunning number one pick

Brion you know you are just as guilty as some of the other bloggers that come on these sites. They all have selective reading problems you only want to read what you want and ignore what you don't. If you look at what i posted i believe i said postion players, not pitchers yet you choose to list 7 or 8 pitchers that have come up. And by the way the jury is still way open on them. Then you happened to mention Matt Weiters, grant you his defensive skills have become outstanding , but his offensive production is no where near what was projected. Give me a break.

Brion-

Agreed. The O's farm isn't real good right now, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be and did recently graduate a lot of players. Also, to whoever said there are no Latin American players in the system, Jonathan Schoop was signed out of Curacao and got his start on the O's Dominican Summer League team.

Thanks for the info Jeff, What's Reimold been up to lately?

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Jeff Z's reply: Uneven. .246, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, Striking out a lot. He had 20 Ks in first 61 at-bats.

Jeff, in future updates, any chance we could get some notes/quotes/analysis instead of just a cut-and-paste of their stats? Any fan can type in the player names and pull up their current stats. However, you're the insider with access to the players, coaches, and management (and scouts?). Sometimes a statline doesn't tell the full story, I'd be vastly more interested in reading what the coaches think about the players' performances, weaknesses/strengths, upcoming plans for the players, what they specifically need to show to earn a promotion, etc. as well as anything notable that doesn't show up in the box scores. Based on the talk forums, there seems to be a lot of interest in Orioles prospects. This column could be an opportunity to give us the detailed inside "schoop" (couldn't resist) that's not available anywhere else. I could even see the O's assisting to make this work, since it'd be creating a year-round following for the top prospects.

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Jeff Z's reply: There will be minor league stuff on here from time to time, but I have my hands full with the Orioles every night so unfortunately, I can't get out to the minor league parks as much as I would like.

Jeff,

I've seen many comments now and in past where readers (including myself) have questioned our scouting department and our minor league instructors. Are we thin in scouts, bad with instructors? How do we stack up against other clubs?

Good info on minor leaguers, would like to see this updated weekly, if even just the stats. Thanks.

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Jeff Z's reply: Baseball America put out a study recently that suggested the Orioles are short in scouts in relation to the rest of their division. A couple of Oriole officials weren't sold on the numbers, and MacPhail has said several times that shortage of scouts is not a problem in the organization. Development, obviously, has been an issue, but I'm not around the affiliates every day to judge the coaches and everything. I think it's one area where things are improving, but its a gradual process.

O's before Hoes,
You may want to try baseball America or Orioles Hangout for that kind of information. You gotta pay for a lot at Orioles Hangout but they do put out free stuff as well.

Jakeo,
Baseball America is a bit too focused on other teams (aside from Jim Callis's man crush on Machado). OriolesHangout occasionally has some good material, but too frequently it's polluted with their own amateur analysis without distinguishing where the reports are coming from. I was hoping for a local reporter to give us the raw facts straight from the source like Jeff does. Hopefully there is a positive response to these columns and it opens up more time!

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Jeff Z's reply: I've thought about doing a semi-regular feature on Insider called Scouts Take, where I'd talk to different scouts from time to time and put up their thoughts. If I did that, I'd obviously try to include minor leaguers. Give me some time. It's still early in the season, especially in the minor leagues. Some scouts having seen a whole lot of their coverage area yet.

I like how there is no Snyder, bell, hobgood, rowell, spoone, patton, waring, or mahoney on this list. The Orioles top prospects seem to be until they are not any longer. I guess you really can't write for the Orioles and say top prospect bell 74 AB's 23 K's 2 walks or snyder 65 AB's avg 277 14 k's 5 BB's. How about Spoone ERA 6.92 whip 2.38. Hey Dave, I have heard you say a number of times how Matusz isn't an ace but haven't ever heard you talk about steve now I see why ERA 10.57 whip 2.35 6 walks 2 k's. Here is the best of the night: Now batting for the (scratching head) baysox? (hand over mic whispers to guy next to him does this say Billy Rowell, I thought he was suppose to be like the next best thing, didn't they draft him in front of lincecum?) Billy Rowell? Avg 250 obp 290 slg 250 ops 540 9 k's 1 bb 0 hr 7 hits and 7 singles.
no need to comment on hobblegood.

A bit depressing, for sure. On a side note, we readers appreciate the time and type of analysis you provide. I would like to second the suggestion that some sort of Minor League update be a regular feature. I'm sure you are more than busy, but it would be nice to be able to see once a week who's making some noise, and who's not meeting expectations (that latter list might get kinda long). While the Baseball America list is a good start, it would be helpful - and perhaps less depressing - to also have a list that included the Top 10 performers/Up-and-Coming, or something along those lines. Again, thx Jeff.

Hey Marshall,

That would be Hobblebad to you.

Futures so bright, gotta wear sha........ oh well.

As a former orioles scout I would disagree with the present managment . we used tohave the top scouting group in the majors. Scout appear to be too thin and rely on scouting bureau reports. Would it be possible to find out the scout who recommened each draftee and cross checker?

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Jeff Z's reply: Many of the media guide profiles of players have the scout that signed them, but it doesn't get that detailed for everyone, especially with cross checker stuff.

Hey Jeff, I agree with O's Before Hoes. Enough of the cut-and-paste stats, though many fans aren't sure where to access this stuff and you're trying to provide a service to them on your "day off."
I think you need to provide quotes and complete stats for each and every minor leaguer in the system. And while you're at it, could you do the same for every high school and college player projected to go in the 1st round of this year's draft, since, you know, you have nothing else to do besides appease fans like O's Before Hoes, who come up with really clever names.
Stop being a slacker, Jeff. Spoon-feed us information that most people should be able to find in a simple internet search. And when it comes to the stuff that only an "insider" can provide, well, time for you to stop covering the major league team and start obsessing over every single kid in the minors.
Thanks.

I got to see a shorebirds game. Lots of potential in machado. He had a three run blast and a single with rbi. He advanced on an error to 2b. Givens had a nice night and bumbry had three hits. Machado's defense was very good. Schoop is raw in the field but he has a power bat. A couple hard hit balls to the warning track along with a hit.

A scout's corner feature would be great. I know that other teams have lots of coverage of minor league prospects.

The numbers up there are a mixed bag, but it's early yet and some players might be still adjusting to new levels, etc. I will be much more interested in a month or so.

As for the organization's competitiveness with others, I have heard that the Orioles are reluctant to engage with many Latin American markets because of the inability to control too many of the variables there inevitably results in some shady deals and rip-offs (something that turns Angelos's stomach). For other teams, they consider it just the cost of doing business down there.

Have you heard anything like this, Sun reporters?

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Jeff Z's reply: I think there is some truth to that, but the organization's reticence is more of a reflection on MacPhail than Angelos.

I do'nt neccessarily agreee with all their top 10 selections but including machado 5 out of 10 doing very well and one injured is't as hopeless as some dummies read it.. BUT THE MAJORITY are still aways off at A.. BUT the poor offense so far in baltimore provides cannon fodder for the negative posters which we have more than our share.. Just 1 or 2 runs would have made such adifference in the W-L If we were hitting to our track record..

Good update on Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects for the Orioles. Other than Britton and maybe Adams, none of the others will even make the major 40-man roster for 2 - 4 years. The Orioles have other minor league players who will make the roster before Baseball America's list. I think it will be atleast 2 1/2 seasons before Machado or Givens even make the 40-man roster.

Jeff/Dan,

Two questions:

1) How is Bell doing?

2) Do you expect the O's to go after a corner infielder in the draft?

I know a lot of fans are hating on Lee, but look at what LaRoche and Pena are doing, and it's not like they had a lot to pick from when VMart and Dunn turned them down. Lee has been with great with the glove. I can't imagine he wont get better at the plate. There are some big name guys from Uggla to Crawford to Werth who are doing zip. If the O's signed Werth, the fans would be ready to crucify Andy. I didn't think at the time that Werth was worth the money, but never did I expect him to be this bad!

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Jeff Z's reply: Bell has gotten hot lately. He had two homers and 3 RBIs yesterday, raising his average to .284 with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs. As for the infielder, I think the 3B Rendon will go either first overall or 2nd, so he won't be falling to O's at 4. I'll be honest, it's a little too early for me to start following and analyzing the draft when I got my hands full with other things, but most of the pundits that I follow believe tha tthe Orioles will take a pitcher at four.

Jeff .. Your thoughts on Schoop?? I understand this kid has a huge upside. Saw him last year once and the kid seems like a natural hitter.

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Jeff Z's reply: I've honestly only seen him take batting practice once and play a few innings of a minor league spring training game so I really don't feel comfortable saying anything more than the O's really like him and are pleased with how he's developing. Anything else would be just be parroting what I read about him in Baseball America or elsewhere.

I don't get it. don't we draft like every other team? Haven't we had a top 5 draft pick every year the last 10 years? Don't we have opportunities to bring in players from other countries like everyone else? I don't get it. this long skid seems to correlate with angelos buying the team.

I see Mummey was promoted from Delmarva to Frederick for last nights game. Is this a temporary DL replacement or permanent? If permanent, as a college player it's nice to see him moving quickly. The O's could use his speed on the bases

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Jeff Z's reply: Not 100 percent sure, but I'd have to assume that since Mummey took the spot of Bumbry who was demoted, it's not a temporary thing because of an injury.

So where is Dean Jones when we need him?

Jeff, seems like Pelzer is doing pretty well, what do you see in him?

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Jeff Z's reply: Command is the issue with him. He has to prove he can consistently throw strikes and he hasn't been able to do that. He got a long look this spring, largely because Connor and Adair really were working hard on his mechanics to make him less robotic. But he does have a good arm.

With all the names off this list that have been Oriole # 1 or 2 picks (Rowell, Snyder, Hobnotsogood etc.), how the hell can the "braintrust" that decides on these picks still be employed?
I mean every now & then even a blind squirrl finds a nut...but, this crew has one heck of a horrible track record & it keeps getting worse with time.
Might it not be time to review the efficiancy of this scouting department before more Billy Rowell's are taken over Tim Lincicum's???

Jeff,
Thanks for the info. It is hard to take, but the only way to build a team is through development. You can't keep paying through the nose for players who have passed their prime. I'll admit that I was excited by the acquisitions over the winter because I thought the players might have a couple of good years left. Instead, we get some more Sammy Sosa's- big busts. I like the comment by the ex-scout, it is an art to find prospects and it takes patience. It took six years to build the St. Louis Browns into a good Oriole team.

@marshall413

"...no Snyder, hobgood, rowell, spoone, patton..."

That's because they were prospects who became suspects.

Prospects in baseball are like the 2nd string QB in the NFL. Everybody loves them until they actually have to play (in The Show or they put down the clipboard).

We made excuses for Rowell because of his age vs level. We inflated Hayden Penn & Tillman because of their age vs level.

Note how hot prospects get traded for proven players i.e, Miguel Cabrera; Andrew Miller & Cameron Maybin.

Andrew Miller & Cameron Maybin were both TOP-rated BA prospects who are no longer with the Florida Marlins.

"I've thought about doing a semi-regular feature on Insider called Scouts Take, where I'd talk to different scouts from time to time and put up their thoughts."

Jeff, i'd love to see that. I've long since believed that scouts are the most underappreciated aspect in baseball. Driving hundreds of miles & miles in the hinterlands staying in chain motels (if they're lucky) to find a signable prospect.

That is unless you worked for Marge Schott...

Btw, contrast what scouts do (actually see players play) with the tens of thousands of fans who buy into the hype without ever having seen "the next great thing" swing or throw.

Look at the Cubs minors and identify their failing prospects. Those are our future prospects. McPhail has 3 scouts following the Cubs minor league teams at all times.

Hey all you pathetic bloggers. Go look at Snyders numbers so far this year. You all have no baseball knowledge.

Snyder's been good this season but not great, and hit himself off the prospect list last season because of a terrible year. He needs a strong season not a strong few months.

Watching Machado, Schoop, Mummey, Mahoney, and Townsend regularly will make any O's fan feel better. Plenty of offense in the lower levels, pitching ... not so much.