If he stays healthy then Price will be a beast, his stuff looked just filthy in spring training this year. The other teams should have grabbed Wieters.

I do not understand teams, they will spend 12 million on a Jose Guillen or 6.6 million on Jack Wilson but they won't invest money in a draft pick that is closer to a sure thing then any relief pitcher a team might pick up in the offseason.

When you factor in three season of fixed salary and three season of arbitration Wieters will be a bargin if he is as early reports indicate.

Of course Boston and New York figured this out years ago, which is why even tho they pick late in each round they keep coming up with impact players.

Gotta feel good about Weiters. Hopefully he'll tear it up at Bowie when he gets there (June?).

Roch, you have bad info. Price is pitching at Vero Beach. Ask ARod at the park tonight. He went 1-4 with a home run and 2 strike outs against him last week.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3400896

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Read it again. The story says A-Rod faced him in an extended spring training game, and Price will report to Vero on Thursday. Or am I missing something here?

2007 was an outstanding draft.

By the way, Roch, why did Gutherie get the loss last night. He gave up one run and Bradford gave up the 2nd run. We lolse 2-1 so why didn't Bradford get the loss?

Does Matt Wieters become an Oriole in 2009 though? Markakis only had 33 at-bats at Double A and made the Orioles opening day roster the next season. Isn't it possible for him as well?

Mark these words: B-Rob will not be traded! MacPhail will really work hard to trade the following: Huff, Walker, Bradford, and Payton. That list will not expand beyond those four names. Hernandez as well, however, the last time i checked his numbers weren't that impressive

Can anyone name a specific organization that will attempt to snatch Mr. Texeira away from the O's? And then give a few minutes to respond! thanks

Last years draft is over, what i am concerned about is what position player the orioles are going to draft this year.They need to make another can't miss pick like last year,and can't afford to make a mistake. With back to back great drafts the orioles will put themselves in great position to contend in a few years.

I love the fact that Macphail and Co. are taking a patient approach with Wieters. I would have to think, however, that he has earned the right for a Bowie call-up. There's really not much more he can do on the Single-A level. Get him up there; if he continues to impress, try him out in Norfolk at the end of the year. I just don't want to see him in an O's uniform at any point this year. Give him at least one year of Minor League service, then see what he can do in Spring Training next year. Speaking of which, those of us in the Ft. Lauderdale area want to know: where will we be playing next year?

Hey Roch what is your prediction on this years draft pick????

A .672 OPS? Thats crazy....thats insane....uhhh Is that good? First it was the quarterback rating in football, and now the OPS. I am really starting to feel clueless when it comes to sports stats. And what in the world is this OPS+. Plus what? His shoe size? Pass me my slide rule - I need to figure this out.

CRB & Brian. I agree that we shouldn't rush Wieters. Ramon Hernandez is still under contract for a couple of more years so let the kid progress. Sure, he's hitting but like Brian stated, there's a big difference in the pitching, not to mention the defensive side, handling a pitching staff etc. aspects of the game that take time to learn.
With respect to other posts re:Walker & Bradford...too much is being about their struggles. Trembley seems to realize that he has other options down in the 'pen but hopefully, he doesnt' burn out JJ. These guys aren't going anywhere for now-both are signed into '09 and are replaceable parts. My theory is that both were overused last year(we got our $$$ worth in '07) and with that, teams have had a real good look at their stuff, especially our AL East rivals who saw them a lot.
We might be able to trade them to the NL but in the meantim, their struggles may help us in the long run as it's give 'new guys' a chance to show their stuff.

If he were on my team, I would NOT let him catch every day. A rare jewell, which he sure looks like , I would let hin catch most of the time, play 1st., a little left field. most important let him get a lot of girls pregnant. You know like Big Brown will do soon. Sign the boys right out of the nursery. Maby that might won't work. Just a thought.

what does the YES network show the day before the Orioles come to town? Game 1 from 1996. Kind of ironic following last night's botched home run call against the Mets.

From D. Connolly's article:
"I am not saying I want out or I want to be here," Markakis said. "It definitely would be an honor to stay here long term and help this city win."

Wow-- I mean, wow.

That is NOT what you want to hear from the cornerstone of your franchise. Markakis says that he can't say for sure that he wants to be here???? Sounds like he has been hanging out with Roberts the last few months.

Agents have destroyed even the illusion of player loyalty... worst possible news for an O's fan so far this season... I don't think Markakis needed to go that far with his comments either.

Baseball America recently ran an article suggesting that Tampa would take Wieters if last year's draft were held today.

Their mock draft for 2008 has the Orioles selecting Brian Matusz, a left-handed pitcher, with the fourth pick in the opening round. They correctly had Wieters going to the Orioles last year at #5, but I really can't see the team taking a pitcher this year.

Pitching is the organizational strength. Getting an everyday player who could be major league ready in two years makes much more sense.

I would disagree with the thinking that Wieters should not be in Baltimore in September. If he is successful at Bowie for two months then why hesitate. Seems to me that he is "our" Ryan Zimmerman. The kid seems to have the mentality and approach to handle it. This is not Jeff Fiorentino.

Possible Draft Piicks-not in any order. We pick 4th.

1 - Pedro Alvarez - 3b
2 - Tim Beckham - ss
3 - Brian Matusz - lhp
4 - Justin Smoak - 1b
5 - Eric Hosmer - 1b
6 - Gordan Beckham - ss
7 - Aaron Crow - rhp
8 - Buster Posey - c

Jon Lester just completed his no-hitter for the Red Sox. Can't stand the Sox, but was rooting for Lester(cancer survivor).

Four of the last six no-hitters in the majors have been thrown by Red Sox hurlers. Any chance that Bucholz or Lester do that without Varitek catching. Another good reason not to move Wieters to first base. He has the arm, poise, leadership, and abilty to become a great defensive catcher, like Varitek.

Why is David Hernandez at Bowie never mentined when the top pitching prospects in the Oriole system are discussed? The kid must have good stuff because he always strikes out more people than innings pitched, and seems to have pretty good control. Didn't he have a game last season where he struck out something like 20 people in a game and set a league record? Anybody know his story?

don't move Wieters up until I have a chance to see him here in NC(vs Winston-Salem Warthogs) the first weekend in June!!!!

On the odd chance you were not joking Beerman Cold Beer, a 672 OPS is pretty ehhh. OPS is On Base Percentage + Slugging and a quality season is closer to 1.000 then .700.

OPS+ is OPS adjusted for the park and the league in which the player played. It is a tool to help compare players from differnt eras.

The basic idea behind OPS is that getting on base and hitting for power are more usefull to know then batting average or RBI.

Jake Arrieta is by far my favorite O's prospect and the thought of him in the O's pitching fold is unbelievable. I loved when we picked him, loved it more when we signed him, and after seeing his production in Arizona in the fall league I couldn't wait until he got into the system and began skyrocketing through it. He's a great addition by the O's and just shows that with Andy MacPhail in the Front Office, the future is bright.

ALL HAIL ANDY MACPHAIL!

JPA,

Your dismay at the Markakis quote seems a bit premature. I mean, I read it as him not tipping his hand, offering up a sensible response from a business negotiating standpoint. Nothing wrong with that; in fact, it seems to be what MacPhail expects from players these days. Markakis's attitude seems to be: make me an offer -- a legitimate one, and we'll see where it takes us. MacPhail's attitude seems likewise to be one of healthy detachment: the players will protect and fight for their interests, I'll protect management's and thus the long-term viability of the team, and ideally we can work out something that handsomely benefits both parties.

My basic feeling about the MacPhail-led Orioles is that if Markakis is viewed by management as the cornerstone of the franchise (and I take that to mean he offers up a whole lot more intangibles than Bedard ever could or will), and if his contract demands are remotely reasonable, then he'll stay an Oriole long-term.

The Orioles should make absolutely sure they don't promote Wieters to the Majors until at least April 15th in 2009, thereby delaying his eventual free agency until the end of the 2015 season. If he makes the opening day roster in 2009, same with Arrieta, they are free agents after 2014. The Orioles made a mistake with Markakis being on the opening day roster in 2006 and it cost them a year.

As much as MacPhail deserves our praise, lets remember that the draft last year was before MacPhail got here.

If I was the GM or minor league director. I would move Wieters, Arrieta and maby Synder to Bowie on June 1. I would like to see those bats (Wieters and Synder) in the same lineup with Remold. Then come July 1, I would promote Remold and Tillman to Norfolk. None should be called up in September.

Nelson-------the evil empire wants Tex real bad , they know Giambi is aging and is not what he used to be. There are a few other teams interested in Tex , but the real competition will come from the Yankees. Most likely it will be a bidding war between us and them , may be interesting with us needing a second home run threat to go with Weiters next year. The addition of Tex certainly would put us in direct competition with the big boys.............and make us serious world series contenders once again............

"By the way, Roch, why did Gutherie get the loss last night. He gave up one run and Bradford gave up the 2nd run. We lolse 2-1 so why didn't Bradford get the loss?"

Because we were never not losing when Guthrie was pitching. It was 1-0 giving the the L to Guthrie. If we had tied the game at 1, the L is erased, and then Bradford would get the L for surrendering the second run. But since the Orioles scored AFTER the second Nats run, the L still goes to Guthrie.

"Does Matt Wieters become an Oriole in 2009 though?"

I'd put money on it.

"Can anyone name a specific organization that will attempt to snatch Mr. Texeira away from the O's? And then give a few minutes to respond! thanks"

Yankees - they have the money, and Giambi is likely done within that organization. Yankees have not had a solid 1B since Tino Martinez.

Mariners - to the delight of M's fan everywhere, Sexson's contract is up after this year and they need a replacement power hitter and 1B. They were supposed to take Bedard to the WS this year but that doesn't look good considering the state of their offense.

Mets - Delgado is a free agent at the end of this year, and for the same reason as the M's, they are in "sign huge free agent" mode to get them to the world series.

The Red Sox are content with Youkilis at 1B, so I would imagine that any push on their part to acquire Mark would be to merely drive his price up for New York. Mark has certainly played his cards well, I suspect he won't settle for anything less than 10 years and $200M. One of the big reasons that at 29 years old, the Orioles are going to make a serious move to get him.

And by "are", I mean "aren't", of course.

Dimitrios--I agree with your analysis of Nick's statement. Nothing Nick said in the interview discourages me one bit. Instead, it reinforces what I believe about him. He is a complete ball player who plays the game the right way, and he has a good head on this shoulders.

JPA: Like Dimitrios, I’d say that Markakis’s remarks were more not tipping his hand than anything else. I do think time is wasting for signing him long term. Connolly’s recent article indicates what we all know and that’s many clubs are signing young players to extensions early. It’s not a new practice, obviously, but I think more and more clubs are looking at the free agent market and fewer and fewer of them are willing (and many just can’t afford) to plunk down the large sums of cash to pay for the past performance of the game’s current stars.

With MacPhail, I have more faith that a Markakis deal will get done than I would’ve had in the previous front office leaders. I’m still concerned that we will wait too long, but am cautiously optimistic it will happen, whereas before, I would just assume he would walk. But it needs to happen, much sooner I think than is apparent. A good season by the O’s might tip the scales in their favor at the negotiating table, but you’d have to imagine another late season collapse, among other things, would severely hamper their stance in dealing with Markakis. It almost seems like right now, when the team is doing better than expected, is a good point to get it done.

It’ll be interesting to see if the O’s get in on this latest trend of locking up young players long term. It’s become the new free agency, except its geared toward paying for living up to potential than for replicating past performance. I tend to think they will eventually.

Strange thought on the draft, rebuilding, and Tex: if the Orioles surprise and finish over .500 this year, signing Tex in the offseason would forfeit a 1st round draft choice. If we're under .500, we'd lose a 2nd round pick. That's my understanding of the system, anyway.

JPA, hopefully Markakis is just hedging his bets so to speak, keeping options open verbally to get a deal done. I am sure the guy reads the papers & sees others in his position getting long term deals & I don't blame the guy for wanting the same from the FO here.

potter isn't going to pay anyone, anyone guys, the type of $$ Teixeira will demand as a FA. He would rather choke on his gyro first....

I want to point out that Jake Arrieta keeps being referred to as a fifth round steal. In fact, until a temporary lull in his last year at TCU due to soreness he was a first round prospect as good if not better than his peers in the draft. His 5th round pick was a result of a draft day deal which lowered his round selection. Just look at his performance in Arizona and now in Florida and you'll realize that he is the real deal and needs to move up quickly in the O's organization. Let's see him in Orange soon, please!

Mark Texeira cannot be worth $200 mil. A-Rod is worth $250 - with incentives it can climb to $300. Just an observation, but the last time I checked Texeira wasn't in the same class as A-Rod. Try more like, $100 - 150 mil for possibly 7 or 8 yrs.

"Nelson-------the evil empire wants Tex real bad , they know Giambi is aging and is not what he used to be. There are a few other teams interested in Tex , but the real competition will come from the Yankees. Most likely it will be a bidding war between us and them , may be interesting with us needing a second home run threat to go with Weiters next year. The addition of Tex certainly would put us in direct competition with the big boys.............and make us serious world series contenders once again............"

Ok, I have to start off by saying that I reside with the New York base.( I love my O's, so no one jump to conclusions) For the last 2 yrs., I have been listening to ESPN Radio in the New York area and understand the new regime: Hank, Joe, and Brian( Old regime). Brian Cashman has said repeatedly and been quoted as saying that he is in charge of all the finances for the Yankees.( No longer George Steinbrenner ) He has said publicly that he would like to shed money. In other words he wants to stop spending that kinda of cash; because we all know the amounts of money that has been dished out to previous free agents and/or trades that have not panned out for the Yanks.

I know what you are going to say about the brand new spanking stadium they'll be entertaining next year - Money is on the way! Indeed, however, George left Cashman the keys to the tower. A-rod = 250 - 300, Tex = 100 - 150. 2 players to pay that kinda of money. Doesn't sound like good business to me and it shouldn't to you! Tex in white/black, orange uni. 2009 - i'll post later on the Mariners and Mets

Texeira in an O's uniform next year is a pipe dream. Angelos would never open his wallet to the tune of over $100M for 7 years. BUT, I'd love to have him!
Be patient with our youngsters, especially Wieters and Arrieta. What's the rush? Have them major league ready for 2009 - 2010.
If Nick walks, O's fans everywhere will go ballistic. AM will figure out a way to sign him long-term and keep everyone happy.
This is probably the most optimistic start any O's fan could have wished for this season. We actually can see a bright future ahead.
Kudos to AM and PA, who is very surprisingly quiet this season. We haven't heard from PA since the AM hire. Wondering if he's healthy???

Regarding Tex: I agree that he will not command 10/200. I think it will be more in the 7/100 low, 8/150 high range, because he doesnt hit nearly as many HRs as AROD or some other players that will make less than him. He is a great defensive first baseman that can hit for power and average. I do believe that Angelos and MacPhail will agree that Tex would make this team a ton better, and the lineup would look like this, if Roberts is not traded:

Roberts 2B
Mora/future 3B possibly Jones CF
Markakis RF
Texiera 1B
Weiters C
Scott LF
DH could be any combination of guys
Jones CF or Mora/future 3B
whoever is playing SS

Getting Texiera would be like the Tejada signing, but there wouldn't be any hanky panky with steroids, lies about age, and leadership. When you look at the Red Sox right now, you have to say that they are one of, if not the, best organizations in baseball. What do they have: young, good pitchers, but they have based the team around two guys: Manny and Ortiz. I think its fair to compare a Markakis/Tex combo to those two at this point, but our pitching isn't close to theirs, yet. We don't have 23 y/o's throwing no hitters, and we don't necessarily have an Ace like Beckett.

I think with this years draft, the O's need to go after a couple 2B/SS type players, with one close to being ready for the big time.

In the 2009 offseason (not the upcoming one), I think they need to go after an ACE type pitcher in FA or trade unless one of the 1894787435 pitchers they have has turned into one by that time.

I think the future looks bright for all the teams in the AL East, even the Yankees and Blue Jays. Toronto needs some hitters, the Yankees need pitchers, and the O's need only a couple of really good veterans. If that happens, no division will be as good as the East, and they might have to change the rules so all the good teams get into the playoffs.

Ok, going back to the Tex conversation. Seattle? they've got just about everybody, man! And they still can't win. Why would Tex go to a club that has Bedard, Hernandez, and some real good hitters.And yet they still can't beat the likes of Texas and Oakland. Not to mention it's all the way in the west coast. Granted the O's haven't won in LONG time, but everyone can see the turn around. Macphail will convince him that the O's losing ways are behing them. And all you have to is tell him he'll be batting clean-up between Markakis,Jones, orWeiters! are u kiddin me! In atlanta itsjust chipper and tex. In texas it was just him. And he'll get to play against the best(Ny,BOS) and represent one of the most storied franchises in mlb history. frank robinson, brooks, cal,eddie and on.. Tex an Oriole in 2009. ill be back for the mets!