The word on Wieters
Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians since 1994 and one of my favorite ballparks, will be known as Progressive Field after the nation’s third-largest auto insurer bought the naming rights.
Meanwhile, no truth to the rumor that Camden Yards will be bought by an insurance company that handles train wrecks.
Seriously, though…
I wanted to pass along what Joe Jordan, director of scouting, observed about catcher Matt Wieters during the first-round pick’s debut in the Hawaiian Winter League:
“The biggest thing is he was rusty,” Jordan said. “I’ve seen him play a whole lot better than in Hawaii, like in the Cape Cod League the summer before and three years at Georgia Tech. He told me, ‘I can’t believe how rusty I am defensively.’ He was catching so many guys there, but he got some rust off and got to play, and that’s the big thing. He went from around May 20th or 25th until the first of October before he played in a game and faced live pitching. He needed to play and he got to do that, so mission accomplished.”
Wieters batted .283 with nine doubles, a triple, one homer and 17 RBIs in 31 games. He committed three errors.
“Every day, he would do something to show you what we liked, but everything wasn’t there,” Jordan said. “He was a little shaky at times, but he did fine.”
Wieters most likely will be assigned to Single-A Frederick after spring training.
“We thought he made good progress,” said Dave Stockstill, director of minor league operations. “The hitting coach was very pleased with the adjustments he made to that caliber of pitching. At first, like anybody, he was overanxious, and then he got to where he was seeing the ball and letting it get to him, and he swung the bat well. And he made good progress as far as the receiving part of the game.”
It can’t be easy to catch a bunch of pitchers from various organizations that you’ve never seen before.
While we’re down on the farm, the Orioles still need to hire a field coach for Single-A Delmarva. They have five new managers among their seven affiliates, including Gary Kendall, who moves down from Delmarva to short-season Aberdeen.
“That’s the most we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Stockstill said, “but at the same time, we’re making progress as far as having better younger players in the system, so we’re also making changes to match up the staffs with players who would be at that level. It’s a matter of each staff being best for the group of players we have there. You’ll probably see some changes each year for a while as we match people up.”
Regarding Kendall, Stockstill said, “It’s a combination of using his expertise, his enthusiasm in extended spring training and then at Aberdeen, which is a very high-profile place for high draft picks to go. His experience and his knowledge work very well at both places.”
Comments
"Meanwhile, no truth to the rumor that Camden Yards will be bought by an insurance company that handles train wrecks."
How do you come up with this stuff Roch? That line made my stomach hurt.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 14, 2008 3:29 PM
Roch,
Did Stockstill say how Wieters will be used in ST? Will be just be there to catch the surfeit of pitchers and head over to Sarasota when the MiL'ers arrive? Or will he actually get to play some with the big club when traveling, etc?
Posted by: tahoe91 | January 14, 2008 3:38 PM
Thanks for the updates, Roch. A very nice breadth of material.
Posted by: Dimitrios | January 14, 2008 3:43 PM
Roch,
Can't help but be a little discouraged by the Wieters report. Of course, it's only winter league, but it'd be nice if an O's prospect could post some head-turning numbers for once instead of giving us a fans a performance in which to search for a silver lining. The reason scouts seem to rave about Wieters is that he carries a power bat while maintaining the defensive skills to be a major league catcher. Wieters' power numbers in college certainly aren't eye-popping, and seeing him play once in college he appeared to be a little bit on the slow and lumbering side behind the dish. The mediocre power and defense seem to be corroborated by your report, and I'm really hoping Wieters tears it up this spring so we don't end up with another 1st baseman with 15 hr power a la Brandon Snyder.
Any other word on O's winter leaguers? Particularly the other high draft picks (Bascom and Arrieta) and where they'll start the spring?
Posted by: Matt R | January 14, 2008 4:04 PM
Train wrecks? Why do you think they called it "Camden Yards" in the first place?
Posted by: Alan in VA | January 14, 2008 4:37 PM
Are they starting him in Frederick because they want him to start in a no pressure location or because they think he has some parts of his game he really needs to work on?
Jordan had previously said he could play defense in MLB now. Is this still his opinion? Sounds like he is backing down from that.
Posted by: TOM D | January 14, 2008 4:43 PM
Rock,
I am not worried about the reports of Weiters being rusty. He is a proven talent and needs to settle in at a level and slowly progress NATURALLY thru the system. I followed him at Georgia Tech...the kids has got a tremendous upside with his ceiling.
Is there any news on the Bedard or Roberts trade fronts. My guess something happens this week or it wont until July.
Posted by: Kirk | January 14, 2008 4:52 PM
There is always an adjustment from college plus the downtime can't help. Weiters is still probably 1 1/2 to 2 years away from helping, like so many others the O's have. Don't be too discouraged, let's see how he is performing in July.
By the way, if in fact the O's get Clement from Seattle then I believe it is only to slow Weiters through the system and allows Hernandez to be moved before April. If Hernandez stays then the O's may push Weiters for an 09 arrival in Baltimore, which may or may not be a good idea.
Posted by: Rob | January 14, 2008 4:55 PM
Hey Roch, the Rangers just designated Chris Shelton for assignment. Is there any reason the O's shouldn't give him a shot at first? He's 27, but cant be a free agent until 2012. He has shown flashes during his time in the bigs and can he really be worse than batting Millar cleanup? We've got nothing to lose by giving him a shot.
Posted by: mike | January 14, 2008 5:21 PM
This has very little to do with the Weiters post but what I find interesting is that when a prospect fails to live up to hype, people love to say that he was rushed through the system. But when a talented player (like Markakis) succeeds with little time at each level that theory is never mentioned. Sure, I believe there is an optimal speed to bring players through the system, but I think the concept that certain players are "ruined" by moving through the system too fast may be overstated. The problem is that we'll never know the answer to that. I think good players work it out on whatever level they are on. I don't think our "phenoms" were brought up too early--I think they just weren't that good to start out with. I think Jordan will help. I like Arrieta, Weiters, and Rowell a lot and that's on his watch.
Posted by: JPA | January 14, 2008 5:29 PM
mike - Giving Shelton a look is an interesting idea.
Shelton has only 2 years of MLB service, but comparing Shelton's 2 years to Millar's 2 years in B'more, the numbers are very close.
Millar walks more and Shelton strikes out more, but their RBI are almost dead even when averaged per AB. If you factor in Millar's walks, Shelton has the RBI edge.
We are not talking about All-Star numbers, but Shelton is younger and would be cheaper.
There are a couple things to keep in mind about Shelton - his D at 1B is in the Jay Gibbons zone. He was kept in AAA by Detroit in 2007 and they essentially gave him away to Texas - who just released him - a curious career track for a young slugger.
If his bad D is not enough off a concern, you have to wonder why 2 teams that need help at 1B let him go so easily.
He might be worth a ST invite but I would not expect him to stick.
Posted by: TOM D | January 14, 2008 6:19 PM
Rob - MLBtraderumors says that the O's would move Clement to 1B if they get him.
I am not sure what to make of that because Clement is supposed to be a really good receiver but unable to hit offspeed pitching.
I would think they would want to turn Clement around in a trade for a couple more good prospects. Maybe they could use him to get Hill in the Roberts trade?
Posted by: TOM D | January 14, 2008 6:23 PM
I hate it that they re-named "The Jake" for cash money.
If the Orioles EVER rename Camden Yards after some half-assed corporate entity, I'm all through. It would be the last straw, after many others.
Posted by: gradyjerome | January 14, 2008 6:23 PM
I had been one of the people who have said that waiting until July to try to trade Bedard would be better, but I am starting to think that is wrong.
Let's say the deal with Seattle is the only option for the O's and lets say the deal is Jones, Clement, Triunifel and Morrow.
In July, Jones will be the starting RF for Seattle, Sherrill will be a part of their bullpen, Morrow will be part of the rotation and the other 2 may be in the minors.
Based on that we could probably get Clement and Triunifel. Getting Morrow for Bedard would make sense from Seattle's perspective but Jones and Sherrill will probably not be available because they will be important parts of Seattle's play-off drive.
In the heat of a pennant drive you are not going to want to take out a cog without getting something in return to replace him.
If MacPhail is going to make this deal he needs to do it "now" or he will be looking at an even worse return than what is on the table now.
Posted by: TOM D | January 14, 2008 6:45 PM
JPA - Excellent post!
Posted by: TOM D | January 14, 2008 6:51 PM
Roch,
How about naming the stadium "Countrywide Financial Field or WaMu Field" (both Countrywide and WaMu are subprime train wreck themselves...)
Posted by: Angelo | January 14, 2008 7:05 PM
Will Bedard's trade value go down if he has a slow start in 2008 like he did last year? Isn't Bedard typically a "slow starter?"
I believe Bedard is a certified ace. Although MacPhail is right to make sure the O's pocket doesn't get picked, it would be too risky not to trade Bedard at the peak of his perceived value. Can the O's afford to risk Bedard getting hurt or starting out 3L and 4W? It is simply too much of a gamble for Bedard to start the year on the O's roster; Roberts, not so much.
Posted by: O's Fan in Montana | January 14, 2008 9:11 PM
JPA, You hit the nail on the head. Boog Powell was a starter at 20, Brooks at 21, Palmer at 19, Blair at 21. The problem isn't coming up to soon just lack of talent (poor scouting dept.) or lack of developement in the lower levels (lousy coaches). It appears these issues are finally being addressed by Mcphail. It's probably going to take 3-5 years to fully correct the problem.
Anyone who thinks 30 is old in baseball. Brooks was 29 and Frank was 30 in 66. Get real people.
I would hate to see Bedard/Roberts leave but we aren't going anywhere for 2-3 years. If the Cubs/Mariners/Reds think they can go to the WS then they better be ready to overpay to get the last piece of the puzzle. If I were the Cubs I would to get an above average lead off hitter/defensive 2nd baseman in his prime.
Posted by: OC Barry | January 14, 2008 9:57 PM
Wieters might be the 2nd coming of the great Dave Nicholsen. Hope not. Roch your to young to remember Dave. He was Mickey Mantle + 2 inches and 30 lbs. God like creature to look at. Paul Richardson tried everything possible to make him a hitter. NOT!!. The major league breaking ball will bring a lot of potential Mickey Mantle's to reality..
Posted by: Allen from Relay | January 14, 2008 10:06 PM
"If you re-BUILD it, we will come"
Posted by: JWBBZ's | January 15, 2008 7:20 AM