Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:20 PM EST in News Comment 30 comments

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Nick Markakis, OF, Grade A-
Brandon Snyder, C, B+
Chris Ray, RHP, B+
Adam Loewen, LHP, B
Val Majewski, OF, B
Nolan Reimold, OF, B
Garrett Olson, LHP, B
J.J. Johnson, RHP, B
Brandon Erbe, RHP, B
Hayden Penn, RHP, B-
Jeff Fiorentino, OF, B-
Chris Britton, RHP, B-
Radhames Liz, RHP, B-
Dave Haehnel, LHP, C+
Kurt Birkins, LHP, C
Brian Finch, RHP, C
Ryan Keefer, RHP, C
Blake Owen, RHP, C
Paco Figueroa, 2B, C
Wilfredo Perez, LHP, C (reportedly will miss '06 due to Tommy John surgery)

Not a great system, but improving gradually. There are some intriguing Grade C guys on the pitching side, guys with good arms but not a lot of publicity just yet. Guys like Ray, Haehnel, and Keefer could supply bullpen reinforcement soon. If Loewen can sharpen his control, he would move up to a Grade B+ rating.

In the 21-25 range you'd find people like 3B Tripper Johnson and RHP Luis Ramirez. They are more-or-less interchangeable with the other Grade C guys.

Markakis is the real stud on the list, and between him, Majewski, Reimold, and Fiorentino, the Orioles have some nice depth in the outfield. The infield is much weaker, however.

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Only 7 bats,

and one of those guys, Walter Young, is gone (no?). But there are some good ones. It'll be interesting to see what Erbe does this year; pecota seems to like what little he's done so far. Also, Britton & Haehnel have put up sick numbers in the minors; they could probably both setup Ray in a short amount of time.

by Azteca on Feb 8, 2006 2:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Haehnel

Haehnel is being shifted to starter this year. Apparently his stuff may be more suited for that role although I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the majors as a reliever eventually.

by RZNJ on Feb 8, 2006 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

young

Yeah, I forgot about Walter Young going to SD. I will adjust the list.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

higher ceiling?

Reimold or Markakis?

by FRANCHISEv2 on Feb 8, 2006 2:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

close

I think that's very close. Perhaps Reimold has a slightly higher physical ceiling, but I really love Markakis.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What about Rleal?

There's a reliever with an unpronouncable name - Sendy Rleal. He's put up very good numbers the past two years, but there's no mention of him...does he not deserve a mention?

by doccat2 on Feb 8, 2006 2:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

rleal

He's in the low 20s.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hayden Penn

I was very surprised to see Hayden Penn ranked at #10. Most Oriole fans consider him their best or second best (behind Loewen) pitching prospect. He just turned 21 so in effect he's one of the youngest guys on the list and yet, the most advanced. I assume you are not crazy about his stuff?

by RZNJ on Feb 8, 2006 2:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Chris Ray

I am not sure what Huston Street's rating was last year, but do you think Chris Ray (a Grade B+ guy) is going to succeed this year as the Orioles' closer?

by bo9anderson on Feb 8, 2006 2:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yes

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Can't wait for Ray

I'm reallly looking forward to seeing Chris Ray win the closers job for the Orioles.

Julio is out of the way now and we all know Latroy Hawkins is not a closer.

Ray really impressed me against the Yankees last year and I expect a big year from him. I just hope the rest of my leauge is sleeping so I can grab him. But the chances of him falling to the 3rd round are slim.

Damn.

by The Scout on Feb 9, 2006 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

rushed

He was badly rushed last year. I like him but I think he needs triple-a.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

How about Fahey?

projects mostly as a utility guy, but his .291 at AA last year, is great defesively, and held his own in the AFL.

by doccat2 on Feb 8, 2006 2:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

#20 Wilfredo Perez

Just another note. The Orioles Hangout's Tony Pente reports that Wilfredo Perez is out for the year with Tommy John surgery.

by RZNJ on Feb 8, 2006 2:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

good to know!

Good to know! Thanks.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A giant step

Unless there was some grade inflation overall, this represents a pretty huge improvement in the last year.

Last year, the B-range petered out after #6 John Maine. This year, the B's make it all the way to #13. It's not a top 10 system, but I'm very happy with the drafting and progress in the last year.

by dkdc on Feb 8, 2006 3:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Snyder

Would it be fair to compare him to David Wright at the same age? The scouting reports on him always remind me of Wright... tools, skills, work ethic, everything. Right down to the Virginia HS roots.

by jeck on Feb 8, 2006 3:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

reports

The reports are similar, yes. But let's see how Snyder does in full-season ball.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fiorentino:

It is interesting that he is not more respected by people...obviously, he was rushed a bit in his cup of coffee(i saw him play against the Roylas) but either we are greatly under hyping him or the O's are greatly over hyping him.

by gashousegang on Feb 8, 2006 3:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

the baseball card

Where is that card from?

by gashousegang on Feb 8, 2006 3:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

found it

Found it on the internet.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

for an average at best system

seems to be quite a few B grade prospects, and that's not including Penn, whom many probably rank higher than ten. Maybe their system is better than everyone thinks.

by SoCalSoxFan on Feb 8, 2006 3:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

orioles

They've really improved, but there isn't much depth once you get beyond the top tier. the prospects in the 20-30 range are much weaker than in, say, the Braves system.

by John Sickels on Feb 8, 2006 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Apples and Oranges

Not the same position or system, but at this point would you give the nod to the A- Saltalamacchia or the A- Markakis in terms of eventual hitting success in the majors?

by FunWithHeadlines on Feb 8, 2006 3:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Erbe....

...I'm a man who tries to follow the TINSTAAPP rule, but every once in a while I see a young hurler that makes me salivate...the 04 draft brought me Homer Bailey...05= Brandon Erbe...has anyone seen Erbe live?

by daveh33 on Feb 8, 2006 4:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Erbe!!!!

Erbe is a 17 yr old kid who throws high 90s heat. 93-95 mph, tops out at 97 mph. Before the draft he was rumoured to reach 95 in HS but, since HS players will get over-hyped from time to time, Os fans didn't know what to expect. Once he was at Bluefield he brandished a 97 mph FB and struck out nearly twice as many batters as IP...he clearly over-powered them at Rookie ball with a 18 K/9 but it will be interesting to see what he does this year.

My question is, for a point of reference, what grade did Markakis recieve a couple of years ago when he was at the same age/development as Erbe and Snyder? I think most Os fans love seeing guys like that in the late 10s of their prospect charts.

The Oriole system is a far cry from a few years ago when they may have been dead last or at least among the last 3 systems.

by basemonkey on Feb 8, 2006 7:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

impact players

out of the list, who are good bets to contribute to the ML club this year? Chris Ray for sure, but will there be a spot for markakis? when does Penn break the rotation? and Loewen?
any thoughts?

by walkerianc on Feb 9, 2006 11:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Potential impact guys

Given that the Os have a lot of placeholders on the roster (Conine, Millar) I think that both Markakis and Majewski have a good shot at being significant players in the second half -- if they can put in a good couple of months at AAA, they're likely to get a shot. Gibbons is the only real certainty in the OF -- Matos and Patterson are both pretty replaceable if they don't perform, even though I like buying low on Patterson.

Ideally, I'd like to see Penn and Loewen spend most of the year in the minors -- if either comes up sooner than late August, it's probably a sign that something has gone wrong in the major league rotation.

by Joltin Joe Orsulak on Feb 9, 2006 1:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Loewen

due to the MLB contract and the Mazzone factor, what % chance is there that he comes up this year as a long reliever?

Seems that the 80s and early 90s trend of relief before starting produced several quality guys.

Late 90s and 00s that strategy wasn't used much (Santana being about the only one that really hit that I can recall).

by roaddog on Feb 9, 2006 1:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Loewen and Penn...

...I would think that '07 is when Loewen's contract becomes a factor...bringing him up before that time might be un-wise...both Penn and Loewen need a full stable year of performance in the minors...bouncing Penn up and down last year really knocked him down a notch in scouts' eyes...I think Penn is a good pitcher who can be special but he needs to get better rotation on his curve to advance further...the changeup is his plus pitch...FB is above-average too...because of his mid-season dead arm period some scouts didn't take that into account and consider him to be a 89-93 mph SP who tops out at 94-95 mph...but really he's more like a 91-96 mph SP who will operate in the 93-94 range...as far as pure stuff Loewen might be better because of his curve...but Penn looks more like a complete package...

...considering the Os already have Bedard AND Cabrera in the MLs, the Os suddenly don't look too shabby in the pitching department as far as promising young guns...I like Kazmir with the Rays and then Beckett-Papelbon-Lester for the Sox, but, the Os have an interesting crop of young pitchers about to make the jump too...

by basemonkey on Feb 9, 2006 7:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs