By trading away players like Miguel Tejada and making some solid draft showings as of late, it appears that Baltimore may finally be headed in the right direction. While Matt Wieters and Bill Rowell are the only two prospects in the system who are solid bets to become stars, the Orioles are collecting youngsters—pitchers and hitters alike—who should eventually be making contributions at Camden Yards.
1. Matt Wieters, C (5/21/86)
Anytime
you get a chance to nab a hitter with the ability to draw walks and
rocket shots off into orbit, you should jump on it. And if he's also a
sound defensive catcher, there really isn’t much else to be said. A
6-foot-5, 230-pounder, Matt Wieters was selected No. 5 overall in the
2007 Draft—and hasn’t even needed an official MiLB plate appearance to
become our top catching prospect
in all of baseball. A switch hitter, Wieters impressed in the
pitcher-friendly Hawaii Winter League by going .283/.364/.415 in 106
at-bats (league average: .245/.334/.338). And if you’re intrigued by the Georgia Tech product now, just wait until you see Wieters—the top college hitter in his draft class—can do next season and beyond.
2. Bill Rowell, 3B (9/10/88)
The
No. 9 overall selection in the 2006 Draft, Bill Rowell was the first
high school hitter taken in his class. And how the mighty have
fallen—or have they? He may have been surpassed by the Travis Sniders
and Chris Marreroes of the world—also from the ’06 class—but it's far
too early to give up on a hitter carrying Rowell’s upside. While a
.271/.335/.424 vital with a 0.30 BB/K rate isn’t exactly uplifting,
it’s important to remember that the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder was competing
in Low-A at just 18 years of age. Rowell is actually younger than 2007
first rounders Devin Mesoraco, Pete Kozma, Ben Revere and Wendell
Fairley, and is just a day older than Mike Moustakas. The Bishop
Eustace (N.J.) Prep School product has still has a long ways to go, but
there’s little doubt that Rowell will rebound and then some in 2008.
3. Troy Patton, LHP (9/3/85)
He’s
6-foot-1, weighs a mere 185 pounds and doesn’t throw hard. So,
naturally, Troy Patton is a starting pitching prospect worth knowing.
Traded to Baltimore as a part of the Miguel Tejada deal,
Patton makes up for his lackluster physical skills with great control.
The Tomball (Tex.) H.S. product walked just 44 batters in 151.1 innings
(6.9% BB/PA) between Double-A and Triple-A a season ago. He might not
allow many walks, but Patton can’t strike anyone out, either—his
strikeout rate has decreased in each of his three MiLB seasons (28.0%
in ’05 vs. 14.6% in ’07). Patton is still only 22 years old, and while
he may not have an overly lofty ceiling, his odds of reaching that
ceiling as a potential No. 3-4 starter at the Major League level are
very high.
4. Garrett Olson, LHP (10/18/83)
If
a pitcher holds a cumulative WHIP of 1.13 and a stellar 3.13 K/BB rate
in 348.0 career MiLB frames of work, odds are you’ve taken notice.
Unless, of course, we’re talking about Garrett Olson. A product of Cal
Poly, Olson’s 2007 campaign finished much like the rest of his
professional seasons: great success, very little attention. The
6-foot-1, 200-pounder tabbed a 1.05 WHIP with a 3.08 K/BB clip as a
23-year-old in Triple-A a season ago, resulting in a Patton-esque BB/PA
rate (7.6%) while also posting 120 strikeouts in 128 innings (23.5%
K/PA). Olson did, however, get hit pretty hard and had control problems in 32.1 MLB innings last season. He
only kept the ball on the ground at a 45% rate in the minors last year,
but other than that, you’ll be hard pressed to find negatives about
this under-the-radar lefty.
5. Scott Moore, 3B (11/17/83)
In
17.1 innings of work for the Chicago Cubs last year, 36-year-old Steve
Trachsel’s 1.85 WHIP and 1.57 K/BB rate resulted in a less than
uplifting 8.31 ERA. And now the Cubs would like to have Scott Moore
back. A 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, Moore posted a solid .268/.374/.533
vital line in Triple-A Iowa, resulting in a strong .385 wOBA, before
being dealt to Baltimore on Aug. 31. The former first rounder (Detroit ’01)
went .255/.260/.362 in 47 at-bats for the Orioles to close out the
season. While he strikes out at a very unhealthy rate (25.9% K/PA), the
overall package that Moore brings to the plate suggests he could be
ready for regular action at the Major League level next season.
Honorable Mentions:
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.